Around the world, Shopify powers over 4.4 million ecommerce stores, and this growth continues year-on-year.

Standing out, attracting attention, and drawing customers to your Shopify store has become more crucial than ever for ecommerce success, and keeping costs low is equally as important. 

It’s important to remember that there’s no one best Shopify marketing strategy. Instead, there are many different tactics that have proved to be successful and can help your Shopify store reach its full potential.

But when trialling to find which marketing strategies work best for your Shopify store, we understand that you don’t want to break your bank account.

In this article, we’ve listed 5 of the most cost-effective Shopify marketing strategies for 2024, including:

• Building a mobile app for your Shopify store
• Adding targeted popups to your site
• Utilising your store’s product reviews & UGC
• Looking for brand collaboration opportunities
• Enriching your Shopify store’s SEO

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Let’s dive in…

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1 - Shopify mobile app

In 2024, it’s expected that global ecommerce sales from mobile devices will reach $4.5 trillion, making up the majority of total online sales. 

So to keep your Shopify stores marketing strategy competitive, you need to prioritise being mobile-first, not just mobile-optimised. And the best way to do this is by using a Shopify mobile app builder. 

Why?

With 79% of traffic to Shopify stores coming from mobile, they’re going to be your best marketing channel for making more sales throughout 2024.

Launching a mobile app for your Shopify store is no longer costly or complicated. Until a couple of years ago, even thinking about having a native mobile app looked more like a dream than a project. It was not only pricey, but also required a lot of time and effort.

But now, it’s possible to create your own app for as little as $79 per month without any coding knowledge or previous experience in the tech industry. This is what “no code app development” means: anyone can design and launch a mobile app for their Shopify store through specialised platforms. 

All you need to do is sign up for an app builder service. Some of them, like StoreLab, offer free trials and a step-by-step guide on how to launch the application. All of this in a short amount of time and without huge investment, usually with a wide range of customisable templates to choose from. 

Mobile apps are specifically designed to provide your customers with the best experience on mobile. With 80% of Americans expecting an excellent customer experience, providing them with a mobile app is the best way to meet this expectation. 

One reason why mobile apps offer a better customer experience than mobile websites is because of their speedy loading times. They’re designed to be both fast and responsive, which means they load much quicker than mobile websites, providing a seamless user experience, smoother transitions, and instant response to user interactions.

You can learn more about how a mobile app can improve your Shopify store's customer experience here. 

Benefits of Shopify mobile app builders:

• Mobile apps allow for personalised user experiences, loyalty programs, and push notifications, increasing customer engagement and retention.
• With the potential to increase customer loyalty and boost conversions, Shopify mobile apps offer a cost-effective solution for businesses looking to maximise their ROI.
• The intuitive and user-friendly interface of mobile apps can streamline the shopping process, leading to higher conversion rates compared to mobile websites.
• The ability to send push notifications directly to users’ devices allow for timely promotions, announcements, and personalised marketing messages, creating more customer engagement.
• Mobile apps are a secure environment for transactions, with features such as saved payment information and quick checkout options. 

Cons:

• Submitting an app to the Shopify App Store, Apple App Store, or Google Play Store requires adherence to strict guidelines, and the approval process can be time-consuming.

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2 - Targeted popups

If you want to maximise your Shopify store’s sales but have a limited budget, then one of the best tips is to use resources that you already have. For example, make use of the customers who are already visiting and interacting with your website, as well as their data. One way you can utilise customer data in your Shopify stores marketing strategy is through targeted popups. 

Targeted popups are strategically designed, timely, and personalised messages that appear on your website to capture the attention of specific visitors based on their behaviour, preferences, or demographics.

They’re usually in the form of windows that appear on a website, and are triggered by actions, such as a visitor scrolling, clicking on a CTA, signing up to a newsletter, or when changing/leaving a page. Popups can prompt site visitors to view a product, make a purchase, or sign up to receive a reward or discount. 

Dolce & Gabbana is a great example of a popular brand using targeted popup boxes on their website. Their popups tend to include a short, snappy, and attention-grabbing headline about a highly sought-after product that was previously sold out, but has just been restocked. This strategy kills two birds with one stone - it not only drives site visitors to best sellers, but also targets loyal customers who missed out on purchasing a product previously.

What makes targeted popups particularly effective is their ability to deliver relevant content when it matters most to customers. Research shows that 71% of consumers expect businesses to deliver personalised experiences and interactions.

By using data analytics and customer insights, you can tailor your popups to address individual needs, showcase tailored promotions, or highlight exclusive offers that will appeal to specific demographics. 

The cost-effectiveness of targeted popups comes from the fact that they can capture attention, engage users, and drive conversions with minimal investment. Rather than having to splurge on expensive marketing campaigns or initiatives, you can optimise existing resources, such as customer data, to target the right audience at the right time. 

This not only maximises the impact of your marketing messages, but also ensures a higher return on investment (ROI) because it means that marketing efforts are focused on a more receptive audience. 

Benefits of targeted popups:

• They’re simply integrated with your Shopify store and can easily be customised to fit with your website’s branding. Many Shopify apps such as Popupsmart will do most of the work for you. 
• Many popup apps have built-in Shopify properties, meaning you can create personalised campaigns specifically for your store’s audience.
• One of the most direct ways to reach your customers, and promote sales, discounts, or other offers.

Cons:

• Some visitors may view poorly timed or intrusive popups as annoying, negatively impacting their experience. 

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3 - Product reviews & UGC

Product reviews and testimonials are critiques, or in some cases, ratings provided by your customers based on their experiences with a product or service, whereas UGC is any content created by your customers relating to your brand. 

95% of customers read online reviews before buying a product, and 46% of customers trust product reviews as much as recommendations from family and friends.

Customers rely on the opinions of others before making purchase decisions, and genuine Reviews and UGC provide these personal, valuable, and authentic insights that some of the other, more traditional, marketing methods often lack. By encouraging and showcasing customer feedback, you can build trust and credibility with potential customers. 

One of the main benefits of utilising product reviews and UGC in your Shopify store’s marketing strategy is that you can organically amplify your brand’s reach. Satisfied customers become your brand advocates, willingly sharing their positive experiences, which reduces the need for extensive advertising budgets.

UGC often gets thought of as image-only content i.e. pictures sent in by customers of them interacting with your products to then post on social media. But there are many different types of UGC that you can utilise for your Shopify store - even customer reviews can be treated as a form of UGC:

• Customer reviews. Reviews are one of the most common and influential forms of UGC. They’re essential for developing your brand reputation, converting new customers, and improving first impressions.
• Social media posts.  When customers share photos, videos, or updates about their purchases on social media, it not only shows how much they like your product, but gives you free exposure to their connections. 
• Product photos. Customer photos offer a more genuine and relatable product showcase compared to professionally shot photos. High-class photos aren’t bad, but UGC photos are more realistic, giving customers insight into how much your product matches up in real life.
• Testimonials. Written or video testimonials from satisfied customers help to build trust and credibility, and can be shared to your website, socials, and other marketing channels. They can include a customer sharing a first-hand experience, impressive results, or a heartfelt thanks. 
• Comments and discussions. UGC can also include comments, discussions, and questions on your website or social media pages. They might even belong on pages you don’t own - such as Quora, Reddit, or Trustpilot. Those comments are likely to offer great insight into your brand perception, making them a powerful tool.

To make the most of product reviews and UGC, you need to know how to showcase it to effectively reach your customers:

• Product pages. Display customer reviews, ratings, and even photos or videos of customers using your products on your product pages. This builds trust and provides potential buyers with real-world examples of your products in action.
• Social media platforms. Utilise the power of social media by featuring UGC on your brand’s profiles. Encourage customers to share their experiences, tag your brand, and use relevant hashtags. You can also curate and repost this content to showcase a diverse range of customer interactions with your products. 
• Email marketing campaigns. Feature snippets of positive reviews or showcase customer-submitted photos to create visually appealing and persuasive content. 
• Homepage and landing pages. Make a strong first impression by incorporating UGC on your homepage or dedicated landing pages. This can include a carousel of customer reviews, testimonials, or a gallery of user-submitted photos. Highlighting positive experiences right from the start can capture the attention of potential customers. 

Remember, it’s important to display both positive and constructive feedback to stay looking professional. If you’re struggling to get reviews of UGC, you should consider offering customers incentives for doing so, such as access to exclusive product releases or discount codes.

Benefits of product reviews and UGC:

• Positive reviews and UGC can serve as powerful social proof, influencing undecided shoppers and increasing the likelihood of conversions.
• Asking for and showcasing UGC encourages customers to actively engage with your brand, creating community and loyalty.
• Reviews often contain valuable feedback that can help you to identify areas for improvement or new product opportunities.

Cons:

• Receiving too many negative reviews can harm your brand’s reputation, but does give you the opportunity to show how helpful your customer support can be.

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4 - Brand collaboration

Although you want to look for ways to stand out from your competitors when it comes to your marketing strategy, you shouldn’t view all Shopify stores as competition. You can find brands that offer complimentary and valuable products or services that your customers will love. 

For example, if you’re a sports footwear brand, then you may decide to collaborate with a popular Shopify store that sells high-quality sportswear and apparel. Or, a Shopify store that sells meal kits might collaborate with a brand that sells kitchenware or utensils. 

Brand collaboration is a cost-effective marketing strategy for two main reasons. First, due to shared resources and the distribution of marketing efforts and materials. By pooling resources, brands can tap into each other’s audiences and expand their reach without the huge cost of solo campaigns. Second, when it comes to shared marketing efforts, such as guest blogging or link-building, most of these collaborations can be traded for free.

Data shows that brand collaboration is particularly effective with Gen-Z and Millennial consumers, with 71% reported to enjoy co-branding partnerships. 

Brand collaboration is a pretty straightforward marketing strategy. You just need to identify a brand that would complement your product or service, but won’t cause too much competition. Then, you should think of various ways to collaborate with each other:

• Guest blogging and content sharing. Exchange guest blog posts or content with another brand in your niche. This helps in tapping into each other’s audiences and providing diverse perspectives and solutions that appeal to readers.
• Social media takeovers. Temporarily take over each other’s social media accounts for a day or a specific campaign. This can introduce your brand to a new audience and bring a fresh perspective to your social media presence.
• Collaborative giveaways or contests. Organise joint giveaways or contests where participants have to engage with both brands. For example, they need to follow both brand’s Instagram pages in order to be in with the chance of winning, which increases social media visibility and engagement.
• Affiliate marketing partnerships. Establish affiliate marketing partnerships where you promote each other’s products and earn a commission for every sale generated through your referral. 

Collaborating with other brands, influencers, or businesses enables Shopify stores to reach new segments of audience that they might not have been able to reach before. Partnering with those who have a slightly different, but relevant audience means that you can gain this exposure to new, potential customers. 

Brand collaborations also mean that you’re creating a diverse range of engaging content for your Shopify store’s marketing strategy. Whether it’s co-created campaigns, cross-promotional content, or something else, these collaborations bring fresh perspectives and creative approaches will stand out to both your new and existing audiences. 

Associating with established or respected brands or influencers will boost the credibility and trustworthiness of a Shopify store, especially if it is a new or smaller brand. Aligning with businesses that have brand values and initiatives that are not only respectable, but similar to yours, will also help to prove to customers that your business is reliable. 

Benefits of brand collaboration:

• Both brands can cross-promote each other through various channels, such as social media, email newsletters, and more, maximising visibility. 
• Joint efforts can lead to innovative product offerings, combining the strengths of each brand and providing unique value to customers. 

Cons:

• If not chosen carefully, collaborating brands may have conflicting values or ideas, leading to a mismatch that could negatively impact both Shopify stores.

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5 - Enriched SEO

44% of customer journeys start with an internet search via Google or another search engine. So it’s more important than ever that your Shopify store is present for the best kind of search queries for your niche. 

Enriched SEO is where you are enhancing your existing search engine optimisation efforts by incorporating additional elements, features, or strategies to improve your site’s visibility and performance. It involves going beyond basic SEO practices to include more specific techniques, relevant content, and a comprehensive approach to maximise the impact on search engine rankings. 

If you’d like to learn more about the main fundamentals of Shopify SEO that you need to implement before enriching, check out our Ultimate Guide to Shopify SEO. 

SEO is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies because you can do the majority of the work yourself, with the help of tools such as SEMrush, Neil Patel, and Google Analytics/Google Search Console. 

With the right amount of background work and research, you can actively target people who are looking for your products, offerings, or services online. The inbound nature of enriched SEO will help you to save money in comparison to other outbound strategies such as paid social ads.

Some ways that you can enrich your Shopify store’s SEO include: 

• Local SEO. Focus on local search optimisation, including the use of location-based keywords, Google My Business optimisation, and local backlink building. 
• Featured snippets optimisation. Optimise blog content to appear in featured snippets, which are displayed at the top of SERPs and provide users with direct answers to their queries.
• Site speed. Make sure that your site speed is up to scratch so that you don’t have slow loading times, as this can become a reason for site abandonment and lower search engine rankings.
• Voice search optimisation. Adapt your website to accommodate the growing popularity of voice-activated search queries, ensuring that all content and copy  is optimised for natural language and conversational searches.
• Backlink strategies. Implement ethical and effective backlink strategies to build high-quality, authoritative links from reputable websites. 
• Built-in SEO features. Shopify has many built-in SEO features that you can utilise like setting up a URL structure, adding ALT text to images, and including a meta title and description for each page. 
• Structured data markup. Structured data, also known as scheme markup, is an additional layer of code that sits on a page and tells Google what kind of content your Shopify stores page has. This leads to more informative and visually appealing search results snippets. 

Benefits of enriching your Shopify stores SEO: 

• Organic traffic acquired through enriched SEO is essentially free, reducing reliance on paid advertising and providing a sustainable source of site visitors over time. 
• A well-optimised Shopify store can outperform competitors in search results, attracting more customers and potentially dominating specific market niches.
• Keeping SEO practices enriched and up-to-date will help your Shopify store to adapt to changes in search engine algorithms and industry trends, maintaining relevance in the long-term.

Cons: 

• It may take time to see tangible SEO efforts, especially in highly competitive markets where ranking improvements are gradual. 

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If you’d like to continue learning about more ways that you can improve your Shopify store’s marketing strategy in 2024, StoreLab can help. For how to improve your content strategy, read 3 Steps to Creating an Effective Content Strategy for your Shopify Store. Or for more tips like we’ve discussed in this article, read 6 Shopify Marketing Tips for 2024.