What are the 5 Key Metrics for Successful eCommerce Businesses?
The world constantly turns to digital ever since the advent of the Internet. This includes the rise of businesses that operate in the online world known as eCommerce Businesses. These businesses sell products and services to people on the Internet. Along with its proliferation, the number of online shoppers in the world increases with it. Currently, there are 2.64 billion digital buyers in the world this 2023 (Oberlo, 2023). This number makes up 33.3% of the worldwide population meaning one out of every three people in the world does their shopping online through the Internet. This fact makes the eCommerce business industry highly competitive.
eCommerce businesses are companies that sell products and services online. They generate revenue by providing goods like software, clothing, houseware, or services like web designing, content writing, financial services, etc. on the Internet. These businesses run in the virtual world through a website, email, or social media channels to promote their brand. They cater to different markets specifically designed to meet their demands. An eCommerce business can be operated over computers, mobile phones, tablets, and other gadgets that can access the Internet. This industry is constantly rising and is very competitive which is why knowing and understanding your eCommerce KPI is very important to stay afloat in the business, grow and advance further. If you meet your eCommerce KPI, chances are you will succeed in the eCommerce industry.
Overview of Key Metrics for Successful eCommerce Businesses
A successful eCommerce business must be able to meet its key performance indicators. This article will introduce and discuss each of the 5 Key Metrics for Successful eCommerce Businesses. This includes the Conversion Rate, Average Order Value (AOV), Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), and Return on Investment (ROI).
What are the 5 Key Metrics for Successful eCommerce Businesses?
A. Conversion Rate – How to measure it and how to improve it
The first in the list of the 5 eCommerce KPIs is the Conversion Rate. Conversion is what happens when a person acts on your website the way you want them to do. It could be them checking out a product or viewing a video.
There are several ways businesses and their marketing team define the meaning of conversion which typically depends on their brand, product, or services offered. Hence, the conversion rate from an eCommerce standpoint refers to the conversion rate of visitors on your website who purchased a product or service in your store. Personalizing your conversion rates is one of the most essential steps in heightening your return on investment which is also a part of an eCommerce KPI.
Your conversion rate can be measured with the use of any website analytics tool. To date, Google Analytics is the most common analytics tool which focuses on website-only data. Analytics tools give you a code to add to your website which interprets when a website visitor visits your website, starts a session, and finishes an order. You can utilize an analytics tool depending on your budget, acquisition channels, and ad spend level.
Optimizing your website correctly to increase your conversion rate will highly benefit your business and there are many ways to do that. There are common drivers of conversion rates in an eCommerce website. The way to improve your conversion rate is to optimize the process of checkout for your customers. Improving the user interface of your website. Making your website optimized for mobile users. Testing new products and having promos and sales. An online sale of your products and services can attract several web visitors and convert them into buyers. Also, social media shares could lead to virality and make people check out your products.
B. Average Order Value (AOV) – How to calculate AOV and strategies to increase it
Average Order Value or AOV is a metric in the e-commerce industry that measures the total average of orders in a certain time. This metric drives advertising spending, the layout of the store, and the pricing of the products. Hence, it is one of the most important analytics for online stores. The AOV can be calculated by dividing the number of orders placed. It is identified through the factors of sales per order and not the sales per customer.
To improve your eCommerce KPI in terms of your average order value, you can perform effective methods such as bundling products, upselling, and cross-selling additional products and services. You can do coupons or donations to a non-profit organization for a minimum amount of purchases. You can have return policies and also add a threshold on your free shipping that should be high enough to make sure that your eCommerce business can afford it but should not be high above your average order value. Another method is when you apply a promo, a sale, or a discount on the minimum purchases of your customers or a volume discount.
All in all, average order value aids in evaluating your marketing efforts online and strategies in your pricing through analytics that are needed to measure the value of each of your customers in the long run. It is essential in your goal setting and making your business strategies and evaluating how these eCommerce strategies are working.
C. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) – Understanding CLV, its importance, and ways to increase it
The customer lifetime value or CLV is the key metric that measures the customer’s revenue average that is made over the time of their relationship with a specific company. When you compare your customer lifetime value with your customer acquisition cost, you get a period estimate of the profitability of your consumers and the potential of your business for long-term growth.
There are several benefits to understanding your customer’s lifetime value. It improves your eCommerce business customer retention. It is a main driver of repeat sales which could give you huge profit. It is a way to get sales of higher value and greatly increase profitability.
Improving your customer’s lifetime value is easy and can be done in a lot of ways. You can conduct a rewards program for your customer’s loyalty such as giving them a freebie when they purchase a certain amount or number of items or when they have been shopping at your store for a specific amount of time. You can advance the customer experience in your website and improve the onboarding of your consumers which will make your website desirable to your consumers and make them want to come back all the time. You can develop your customer service, engagement, and relationship management to further connect to your customers effectively. You can invest in your website’s technology and software and optimize your social media channels like TikTok which are popular with the Gen Z market, Facebook which caters to a lot of the population, or Twitter which is a common den of millennials. Lastly, you can increase your customer lifetime value by simplifying the buying experience of your consumers like having a simple user interface on your website and providing them with targeted content like boosting advertisements that are specifically tailored to your target market.
D. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) – Calculating CPA, understanding its significance, and methods for reducing CPA
The fourth eCommerce KPI in this list is Cost Per Acquisition or CPA in short. This metric measures the average cost to get a single paying customer on a channel or campaign level. This CPA is a vital measurement of the success of your marketing techniques. It is commonly differentiated from the CAC which means the Cost of Acquiring Customers by granular application. To solve your cost per acquisition, you would just have to divide the total cost of a marketing campaign by the number of new consumers you have gathered through a campaign or channel. This ecommerce KPI is significant as it is utilized directly to measure the revenue of your campaigns. This is the indicator that identifies if your marketing campaigns are successful in getting new customers and acquiring revenue impact.
To reduce your cost per acquisition, you must carefully plan your marketing campaigns and really assess your target market. You must utilize the most efficient marketing channels to use, the best website, or social media to promote your product. You should make use of technology and current trends that will ease your job like using automated applications such as Background remover that can remove backgrounds in your pictures instantly. You must know what worked before and continue doing and improving it and must be able to learn from previous failures or losses in your marketing campaigns that did not work. You must be mindful of your ad spending and just assess what will work best for your goals. Lastly, you must know which aspect or areas you should focus on to not spend on unnecessary expenses and just use your budget for the things that matter and help you achieve your campaign objectives.
E. Return on Investment (ROI) – Measuring the ROI of your eCommerce business & strategies for improving ROI
ROI which pertains to return on investment is the eCommerce KPI which provides an evaluation of the profitability or efficiency of an investment. It measures the cost of return of a particular investment to the cost of the investment. It evaluates how well an investment has performed. It is displayed as a percentage that is calculated by dividing the net profit of the investment or its loss if ever by its original cost. You can measure your ROI and tell how good it is by calculating your profit versus your capital, investments, or expenses in your eCommerce business. You must aim that your ROI is positive to make it good for your business and its future.
There are several ways to increase your ROI. The most obvious way is to increase your revenue or sales to get more profit. This will be beneficial for you and your eCommerce business. You can also increase your return on investment by maximizing and learning how to understand and use data to your advantage. Research, surveys, and other data significantly help you know what your target market wants and how you can approach them. This will lead you to reach them effectively, attract them and make them your customers that would drive sales. You can also invest in analytics that will help you further plan your marketing campaigns effectively and learn the necessary information for you to increase your sales or acquire more customers. The right analytics will aid you and your team achieve your eCommerce business objectives.
Other ways to improve ROI are to reduce overhead or unnecessary costs, re-evaluate your expectations and make them as realistic as possible to not overdo yourself and your team. You must be wary of your eCommerce expenses and manage your expectations when it comes to the eCommerce KPI which is the return on investment.
Why you should employ key metrics for a successful eCommerce business
All in all, eCommerce entrepreneurs need to know the eCommerce KPIs such as the discussed five key metrics in an eCommerce business. It is significant to learn and understand Conversion Rate, Average Order Value (AOV), Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), and Return on Investment (ROI). Being well-versed in these key metrics will give you an edge over your competitors and will lead your eCommerce business to success making you advance in life. These key metrics are essential for the growth of your eCommerce business, hence, you must know it deeply and take the appropriate and necessary steps to make your business successful. With these key metrics, you can ensure that your investment, your time, and your effort will not be in vain and your business can thrive in the competitive industry of eCommerce.
As an eCommerce entrepreneur, you should learn these key metrics by heart and take note of them in running your eCommerce business. You must always be mindful of your eCommerce KPIs to avoid failures and losses in your investment. You must act proactively and apply these key metrics to your business which will only improve it and make it as successful as it can be in the future.