Build, Grow and Scale Your Way to E-Commerce Experience Success

Many consumer products start from niche beginnings. Why? Appealing to small audience groups makes marketing simpler and more cost effective initially. However, sooner or later, most successful brands want to broaden their appeal. In today's market ecosystem, that usually translates to expanding their e-commerce experience and footprint. This is where using data and following a consistent, objective "growth hacking" process is critical.

Take the case of Nhaler. This over-the-counter metered dose inhaler originally began as Rxoid, but right from the start it had more than a few snags. Not only was the name too narrowly focused, but it just wasn't fit for an amazing e-commerce customer experience. Rxoid sounded too much like a prescription medication, which the product isn't. Even the packaging seemed clinical and uninspired.

To reach a broader consumer base, Rxoid underwent a massive transition into its now-known brand: Nhaler. Rxoid went through a two-month micro-testing phase of fastidiously gathering information and making digital marketing decisions based on relevant findings. By removing any emotion from the mix, the team successfully positioned Nhaler as a unique e-commerce experience that appealed to a wide-ranging variety of buyer groups.

Fortunately, this process doesn't just apply to Nhaler. You can use it, too. By fine-tuning your marketing process and implementing a system of "build, grow, scale," you can find broad business success as well. It's data-backed, it's validated, and it works.

Ways to Improve E-Commerce Customer Experiences With 'Build, Grow, Scale'

If your product is stuck in a niche, you can use "build, grow, scale" to get unstuck. You just need to adhere to a few rules:

Trust in Data

It can be tempting to "go with your gut" in marketing, especially if you've had some accidental "hits" before. The problem with leaning too much into your instincts is that they can often lead you down wrong and expensive roads. It's better to follow the data and let it lead you to your next e-commerce product wins.

For instance, if you're a serial entrepreneur, new product ideas are a dime a dozen. Rather than use your gut to pick which products to put in the market, run each product through a "build, grow, scale" system. After testing and validation, you will have a clear winner with zero guesswork. After this initial stage, you can use growth hacking later on to further the success of your product based on data collected early on.

Update Your Website

Every business leader knows that a website is essential. Nevertheless, many businesses don't understand why it's necessary to keep updating the same site. The answer is that an old site can be detrimental to scaling. A well-maintained, fresh site offers the channel structure that will support a personal and brand strategy that appeals to target audiences.

Start treating your website as the asset it is. Invest in it and you'll see a big difference in your returns. If you think you don't need a new site, consider looking closer at the data. With some tweaks, you could see your conversion rate triple and allow you even more e-commerce success.

Become Ad Platform Agnostic

The "build, grow, scale" method relies heavily on removing feelings from any marketing equations. Right now, many marketing dollars are being politicized as brands remove themselves from this platform or that platform. Ultimately, this can backfire. Instead, it's beneficial to be tied to a philosophy or system, not any one platform.

Trends are constantly changing. Marketing is too. You have to be willing to be seen where people are buying, even if the platform isn't one that you personally identify with. If you want to make money and sell your product to more people, your e-commerce customer experience has to happen where consumers live and breathe.

Strategy. Big data. Execution. They're all part of the "build, grow, scale" framework. When you've drilled your niche about as deeply as you can go, try expanding through a proven, objective process. You might be surprised by how fast your brand takes off when you construct a smoother runway.

Michael Hamburger is the co-founder and CEO of Ezzey, a digital marketing agency based in Scottsdale, Arizona. He helps businesses reach their full potential and dominate their markets by implementing proven marketing systems backed by success.