How to Crush Inbound Marketing for eCommerce
Key Takeaways
- eCommerce inbound marketing requires tracking contact behavior through the online store with data tied to contact profiles
- HubSpot has shortcomings for eCommerce that creative agencies can bridge with custom solutions
- Understanding the full purchase funnel from first touch to checkout completion is critical for eCommerce clients
Ethan Giffin of Groove Commerce joins the show to discuss how agencies can help eCommerce clients succeed with inbound marketing - and the unique challenges that come with it.
The eCommerce Inbound Gap
While inbound marketing principles translate well to eCommerce, the tooling does not always keep up. Ethan and the team at Groove noticed a significant gap in tracking lead activity within shopping carts and wanted to track key events in the purchase funnel with data registered directly in HubSpot. HubSpot’s standard features at the time had shortcomings when it came to eCommerce-specific tracking.
Bridging the Gap
Rather than accepting these limitations, Groove built solutions to bridge the gap. The key is tracking a contact’s behavior through the online store - browsing patterns, cart additions, checkout progress, and post-purchase activity - with all of that data registered to the contact’s profile in HubSpot. This gives agencies the ability to segment, score, and nurture eCommerce leads with the same sophistication they apply to B2B campaigns.
Practical Strategies
The conversation covers practical strategies for agencies working with eCommerce clients, including how to structure retainer engagements around revenue outcomes rather than activity metrics. Ethan also discusses the balance between standard inbound marketing tactics and eCommerce-specific approaches like abandoned cart recovery, product recommendation engines, and post-purchase nurturing sequences.