Ecommerce sales grew 14.9% from 2018 to 2019. Based on those numbers, the expectation for 2020 ecommerce sales was around $691.4 billion.'

What really happened? Klaviyo called it that ecommerce sales would grow 85% and hit $1.1 TRILLION.'

On the surface, it could seem like massive ecommerce growth is going to be good for all ecommerce businesses.'

But the problem is that this resulted in more competition for all online stores. And customer acquisition is more expensive than ever.'

So how do you beat the competition and acquire customers profitably? By following Merchant Mastery's playbook for accelerating year-over-year sales.
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When it comes to acquiring new customers profitably, the most important thing to understand is that the Ascend stage is your number-one profit opportunity.'

So what is the Ascend stage?

Adapted from DigitalMarketer's original Customer Value Journey, Merchant Mastery's founder and CEO Scott Cunningham breaks down the customer journey like this.

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1. Aware
The customer discovers you can get them from a pain state to a gain state.

2. Engage
The customer gets a deeper sense of trust and familiarity with your brand.

3. Subscribe
The customer is interested in continuing the conversation.

4. Convert
The customer commits to giving the relationship a try.

5. Excite
The customer experiences value and becomes a believer.

6. Ascend
The customer purchases more products that complete transformation.

7. Advocate
The customer vouches for you on your behalf.

8. Promote
The customer tells friends and family how you delivered their transformation.
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And that sounds GREAT in terms of marketing theory, but how does that break down into tangible ecommerce tactics? What is your profitability as you advance the customer through their journey?


PART 2: PROFITABILITY'
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1. Aware'
The customer discovers you can get them from a pain state to a gain state.

• Use Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube Ads, and Affiliate marketing to build this awareness. Lean into their pain state in your ads and tease what's possible with the transformation your product offers.'

• ? As a brand, you're not going to be profitable at this stage.'
  '

2. Engage'
The customer gets a deeper sense of trust and familiarity with your brand.

• Develop a compelling product page, presell page, and retargeting pixel + ads that validate your authority and remind the customer the value you can provide.'

• ? Like with the Aware stage, you're still spending to get the customer to the Convert stage.
  '

3. Subscribe
The customer is interested in continuing the conversation.

• Use an 'always on' opt-in to access offer (ex. 20% off your first purchase when you sign up for our newsletter). Implement pre-purchase and abandoned cart flows to keep the conversation going.'

• ? The customer hasn't invested yet, so you're still spending to advance them through the journey.
  '

4. Convert
The customer commits to giving the relationship a try.

• Have a front-end offer (that would be silly to pass up on) and offers to increase AOV so your customer's first commitment feels like a safe one.'

• ??When customers start buying for the very first time, you start to offset the advertising investment that you've made in them.
  '

5. Excite
The customer experiences value and becomes a believer.

• Use a post-purchase upsell by confirming their order and asking if they want to add anything to their cart! When they receive the product, they get the 'White Glove'' treatment. They love unpacking it and fall in love with the product before they use it.'

• ?? As a brand, the goal here is to break even.
  '

6. Ascend
The customer purchases more products that complete transformation.

• This is all about Customer Lifetime Value. Invite them to join your loyalty programs, send broadcast emails and 'hot ads' to make sure they continue to enjoy your product more.

• '?'?'? Finally, this is your real profit opportunity. This is when you can resell to those customers again and again throughout a lifetime and start to earn better margins. There's no more customer acquisition costs when you sell to a customer who has already bought from you.
  '

7. Advocate
The customer vouches for you on your behalf.

• Set up automated flows that collect testimonials from your best customers.'

• '? These testimonials lead to more customers trusting you and buying from you for the first time.
  '

8. Promote
The customer tells friends and family how you delivered their transformation.

• Invite your customer to share friends and family discount codes, referral bonuses, or prizes for sharing on social!

• '? They're sending you more referrals, more leads, and everyone is happy.
  '

Here's the thing. You want to grow your online store profitably and sustainably. But the reality is, at the bottom three stages, you're not making any money. You're just spending in order to get them to the Convert stage.'

So if you want to acquire customers profitably, you need to think about your front and offer. Scott calls these the 'Always on' offers.

In general, your 'Always on' offers have two goals.'

#1 Always Grow Your Email List

#2 Always Get the First Time Purchase

Here are some examples of different types of 'Always on' offers:

• 'Just Pay the Shipping!'

• Free Gift with Purchase

• Spin to Win

• Free Shipping Threshold (ex. Free shipping on all orders over $30)

• Welcome Discount (ex. Take 10% off your order when you join our newsletter)

• Exit Intent Cart Savers (10% off a $200 cart, 20% off a $500 cart, etc.)

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Now that you've got your customers to convert with your 'Always on' offers, you need to get your customer to the Ascend stage, where the profitability truly'lies.'

And for that, you need to focus on two things:

#1 List Building and Email Strategy

#2 Scaling on Facebook

That's exactly what Scott covers in this video, so you can automate your revenue-generating marketing and maximize your audience targeting. Check it out and implement their strategy for growing a sustainable, scalable online store.