How to Select Convenience Products for Your Store


5 Min. Read

Running an eCommerce store is no easy feat. You’re in constant competition with anywhere from 12-24 million other sites, even if you have chosen a quiet niche to sell within, there is still a lot of stores to compete with. How and what you sell in terms of convenience products can make a huge difference to your bottom line.

Everything from creative content to accessible web design is important in the eCommerce world. But, your bread and butter should always remain your products. What are you offering that consumers really want? 

Convenience products are a big deal in the eCommerce industry. They’re often easy to find, cheap to order, and customers love/need them. But, how can you make sure you’re providing the best customer experience with products consumers actually want?

Table of Contents

What is the value of Convenience Products?

The value of Convenience products is that they are needed everyday items, generally available everywhere, I’m speaking of items that are relevant to your store type/focus.  It is because they are cheap and small, easy to ship and store. Herein lies their value, because they are available through your store it means the customer doesn’t need to go elsewhere to order these needed items.  

It’s convenient to buy them from you.

These are items you can offer discounts on, that you can bundle together with other products of greater value (when relevant).  You might even consider offering convenience products for free on a shopping cart order over a specific value.  Convenience products can be a loyalty proposition.

Let’s look at how you can select the best convenience products for your store to improve upon that experience while growing your business.

Dig Into the Data

Looking at data and analytics is the best place to start when you’re trying to figure out what consumers want in reference to what your store offers. That’s one of the beautiful things about an eCommerce shop – there’s so you can offer, so much of it available. The data collection on your site can include things like:

  • Age
  • Location
  • Interests
  • Preferences
  • Shopping behaviors
  • Related products

You can dig even deeper, beyond demographics and behavior into understanding your customers psychographics by collecting more personal data.  Psychographics can provide the keys to understanding customer motivation providing you the means to install even greater personalization for your audience.

From your analytics dashboard you will be able to see which products are selling and which are sluggish. Where people spending most of their time? What are they leaving behind in their carts?  Consider what else you could offer to them that might tip them over the edge and make that all important first purchase?

A great way to make your information easier to understand is with data visualization. Turning your data into a graph, chart, or diagram will help your entire team recognize which products are working and how you can capitalize on that, or you could let Conversific provide you the visualization of greatest value.

It’s okay to use your data in different ways. You’re not just going to sell one product, after all. Consider what’s popular with different age groups, locations, and even genders. Having multiple popular options for different demographics will expand your audience and continue to give you more detailed data.

Think Logistically

Convenience products should always fulfill some type of need. Customers are looking at your site and purchasing them because they either can’t get those products elsewhere, or it’s easier to make a few clicks and have them delivered.

As a result, your business needs to consider logistics from start to finish. That includes:

  • Product acquisition
  • Storage
  • Shipping
  • Product Life cycle

What does it cost to make a certain product? Where is it coming from? How can you keep your costs down to make it a true “convenience product” for your customers? If you can’t source materials or products efficiently and effectively, it’s a logistical issue that needs to be addressed.

Another potential problem can come after you’ve already put products in your store. If your customers can get a similar product in almost any store, even if it costs a bit more, they’re likely to go that route if it means not waiting for shipping. Additionally, if a product is only going to last a short period or “lose its luster” right away, it’s not going to get much attention. Choosing timeless products (based on both data collection and logistics) will allow your business to continually grow without having to make an educated guess every year about what’s trending or “in-demand”.

Make Marketing Work for You

It’s amazing what a little marketing magic can do. That doesn’t mean you need to be misleading when it comes to your products. But, there are some steps you can take to make convenience products more appealing. If you have a great product that you want people to notice and purchase, it’s usually going to take more than a few poorly lit photos and a short description.

Marketing is a crucial component for eCommerce sites. That includes everything you publish off your site (on social media, paid advertisements, etc.), as well as how you present your products and your brand in your store. When it comes to convenience items, they need to meet a few criteria for your customers to be interested. They should be:

  • Attractive
  • Affordable
  • Easy to use

They should also serve a clear purpose that can be easily shown through visual communication. Items that photograph well are more likely to get people’s attention. Up to 80% of external input is processed by the brain’s visual pathway. That means visual communication is deeply rooted within the mind, and people are more likely to respond to imagery, rather than words.

You can use visual communication marketing in several ways to showcase your products. Quality photographs are a good place to start. From there, try putting your logo in the corner of each picture. Include a video of how the product works, or someone demonstrating it. Small actions like these will help to boost your brand and improve the overall customer experience.

As a bonus, these actions will also make your convenience products more appealing.

Keep these tips in mind for selecting and selling convenience products for your store. By making the right choices based on customer needs/wants, you can combine simplicity and success, and keep growing your selection.

Conclusion

How you choose to use convenience products can differentiate your store from your competitors.

Think about how supermarkets sell convenience products.  Items are often sold at big discounts, which are then heavily promoted in order to get customers in through the door.  They are also placed at the checkouts, things like candy bars, mints and batteries, these are either last minute temptations or reminders of things that are commonly needed.

It’s the same online, just the delivery method is different.

These items might even be sold at a loss, but in this senario would still be profitable when considering the entire order, when purchased together with other items.

Sure, these same products might be available elsewhere, but not how you offer them.  Use convenience products to add value to the other products you are selling, to create a new, and better USP’s.

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Amanda Winstead

Amanda Winstead

Amanda Winstead is a writer focusing on many topics including technology and digital marketing. Along with writing she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi, you can find her on Twitter.

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