Table Of Contents
#1. Start by Understanding the Store’s Past
Before you make changes to your newly acquired store, we advise you to first try to study it closely.
You ought to know what’s already working and what’s broken. Spend time reviewing the store’s data over the years it has been in place.
Look at sales trends over the last year. Identify top-selling products and check where most of the store’s traffic comes from.
Use tools like Google Analytics, Shopify reports, or Amazon Seller Central to get a clear picture.
You want to answer questions like:
Where are customers coming from?
What pages are converting well?
Which products sit in inventory too long?
According to this report, 48% of e-commerce transactions come from returning customers.
That tells you how important it is to know your existing customer base before you try to find new ones.
We Help You Buy / Build, Manage and Scale E-commerce Brands for an EXIT
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Growth-Focused Strategies – From sourcing to marketing, we drive growth and prepare you for a profitable exit.
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#2. Improve the Product Pages First
Many new e-commerce business owners rush to run ads or redesign the whole site.
That’s usually a BIG mistake!
Instead of going for such big changes, you’d want to start by making the product pages better.
This is important to keep in mind that these pages drive your sales, so they should be simple, clear, and focused.
Ensure the pages bear clean product titles, short and honest descriptions, and good photos.
Add one or two customer reviews to each page. Make the “Add to Cart” button easy to find.
And DON’T distract users with extra banners or pop ups.
As this report from Nielsen Norman Group explains, buyers fully rely on the product pages to decide what to buy.
And optimizing these pages with what really matters is a sure way to increase conversions.
You don’t have time to waste with clutter.
#3. Focus on Customer Experience
Buyers come back when you make buying feel easy for them. That means fast site speed, smooth checkout, and clear communication.
First, you need to test your e-commerce site speed.
Google data shows that bounce rates go up by 32% if page load time goes from 1 to 3 seconds.
If your store home page takes more than 3 seconds to load, then you MUST act!
Follow these simple tricks to fix your site speed:
Compress your images
Use fewer scripts/remove unused scripts
Upgrade your hosting if necessary
Expert’s Tip: Test your pages weekly to help you catch any new slowdowns on time.
Next, go through your checkout process yourself. Is it simple? Are there surprise fees at the end? Is it mobile-friendly?
Fix anything that slows people down or causes frustration.
Also, check your emails. Do customers get order confirmations? Are tracking numbers sent automatically?
You want your buyers to feel confident from the moment they click “buy” to the moment they receive their package.
#4. Build An Email List
Email is one of the cheapest and highest-return marketing channels you can have for your e-commerce business.
According to a report from Campaign Monitor, email marketing brings in $44 for every $1 spent.
So, how do you get started building an email list?
It’s pretty simple;
Start small. Add a simple signup form on your homepage or checkout page.
Offer a small discount or free shipping in exchange for an email.
Then, set up these three basic emails:
Email #1: A welcome message
Email #2: An abandoned cart reminder,
Email #3: A post-purchase follow-up.
Note that you don’t need a full campaign to start seeing results. You just need to stay in touch.
#5. Drive Traffic with Paid Ads (But Test First)
Ads can grow your store fast, but only if you spend wisely.
You don’t want to go dumping money into Facebook or Google Ads without having a clear plan in plan.
We suggest starting with small budgets and testing one or two product-focused ads. Be sure to use short, direct copy and clear images. Focus on top-selling items first.
Track everything to understand how your ads perform:
Look at cost-per-click, conversion rate, and return on ad spend.
If an ad works, you can go ahead and increase your spend slowly. If it doesn’t, shut it off fast.
A 2023 report by WordStream found that the average conversion rate for e-commerce ads on Google is about 7% (Source).
If you notice your ads doing better than this, consider increasing your budget gradually. If the ads aren’t doing good, pause and tweak.
Keep this in mind when you’re measuring your ad results.
We Help You Buy / Build, Manage and Scale E-commerce Brands for an EXIT
E-commerce Simplified for Busy Individuals – We handle the buying, building, and scaling, so you can focus on what matters.
Growth-Focused Strategies – From sourcing to marketing, we drive growth and prepare you for a profitable exit.
Expertly Managed Exits – We build a high-value brand designed for a Lucrative exit.
#6. Expand What’s Already Selling
Once you’ve fixed the basics of your new business and you have started noticing some early wins, you can then focus on product expansion.
But don’t just add random items. The best approach here is to look at what’s already selling and build on that.
For instance, if your store’s top product is a reusable water bottle, think about offering different colors, bundle packs, or accessories like cleaning brushes.
Another example: If you're selling pet products, add similar items like toys or treats for the same breed or pet type.
This strategy is low-risk and can help you significantly increase your store’s profitability. Why?
Because you already know what people want and now you’re just giving them more of it.
#7. Improve Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Selling once is good. Selling to the same buyer twice is even better.
Growing your customer lifetime value is one of the fastest ways to grow your online store without necessarily needing to invest in new customer acquisition.
To improve CLV, consider creating small loyalty perks. Give your returning buyers a discount or early access to new products.
Using email to share tips, updates, or reminders can also help bring your buyers back.
As Shopify explains, repeat customers tend to spend more than first-time buyers.
Also, don’t forget to ask your happy, satisfied customers to leave reviews.
Positive reviews not only help with SEO but also give new buyers confidence. And they don’t cost anything to collect.
#8. Watch The Margins
It’s easy to get over excited about the growth of your business and you end up forgetting your profits.
However, the truth is more sales won’t help if your margins vanish. Growth without profit is risky.
You should check your shipping rates, supplier costs, and refund rates.
Can you raise product prices slightly? Can you lower your ad spend per customer?
Look for any small areas to help you save. You may consider switching to a cheaper shipping carrier or even renegotiating with your suppliers.
Keep a close eye on net profit, not just revenue. Sometimes trimming waste can help more with your store growth than boosting sales.
#9. Test, Measure, and Stay Patient
Growth doesn’t happen all at once. When trying to grow your newly acquired e-commerce store, you’ll make some good moves and some bad ones. That’s normal.
The key is to keep testing and measuring. Go through your traffic and sales weekly. Track what’s changing and why.
Don’t just hop from one growth tactic to the next without looking at the results.
Above all, don’t do everything at once.
Consider starting small, fix the obvious problems, and keep improving the parts of the business that already work.
Conclusion
Growing an acquired e-commerce store is all about being thoughtful and doesn’t require you to make massive changes. Just fix what’s broken, improve what’s already working, talk to your customers, test your ideas, and spend your money carefully. Take your time to understand your store deeply and make simple, smart changes over time. You don’t need to chase trends or copy every new tool. Just focus on doing the basics well and growth will follow.
If you need help acquiring an e-commerce store with high growth potential, our Acquisition Partnership is designed for you. We can help you spot the best e-commerce businesses for sale, and conduct due diligence and negotiations on your behalf. Once you own the store, we can help you manage and grow your store for up to 2-4x, preparing you for a profitable exit. Click this link for full details on how our program works.
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