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Top 10 Best E-commerce Platforms In India [Compared & Reviewed]

Starting an online business in India? You are at the right place and at the right time! India is currently a hotbed for starting an E-commerce business. According to IBEF, India’s E-commerce market is expected to hit US$350 billion by 2030, propelled by rising smartphone penetration and increasing consumer wealth.

At the same time, starting an E-commerce business is quite exhausting – You need to source inventory, build a brand, and, most importantly, create your E-commerce website.

Luckily, building a website is no longer the back-breaking exercise it used to be a few years ago, thanks to modern E-commerce platforms. That’s one thing off your plate.

But with so many E-commerce platforms available, what should you pick? In this post, we’ll compare the top 10 E-commerce platforms in India and understand their key features, pros, and cons to help you make an informed decision.

Understanding E-commerce And Its Types

E-commerce or Electronic Commerce is the process of selling goods and services through the internet. Some businesses sell products only online, while others use E-commerce as an additional channel along with physical stores to sell their products. Either way, E-commerce enables brands to scale their business and reach customers from any part of the world.

There are 4 basic types of E-commerce –

B2B (Business to Business): In this type, one business sells products to another business. It could be a wholesaler using an E-commerce website to sell to different retailers, a manufacturer selling online to different wholesalers and distributors, or even a retailer selling online to different corporate buyers. B2B E-commerce typically involves larger purchase sizes or quantities. Udaan is a classic example of a B2B E-commerce website.

B2C (Business to Consumer): This type of E-commerce involves a business selling products to consumers. Here, the purchases are typically made for individuals or households, with quantities being typically smaller. Flipkart, the online marketplace, is a great example of a B2C E-commerce website.

C2B (Consumer to Business): In this type, a consumer sells products to a business through the Internet. They typically list a range of products online and set their own prices for the business to buy. Shutterstock is an example of a C2B E-commerce where photographers sell their photos to Shutterstock for a fee.

C2C (Consumer to Consumer): In this type, a consumer sells products to another consumer. The E-commerce business acts as an intermediary, facilitating the purchasing process. Olx is the best example of a C2C E-commerce website in India.

What Is An E-commerce Platform?

An E-commerce platform is a software application that helps in creating and managing an E-commerce website.

Benefits Of Using E-commerce Platform

Running an E-commerce store is not easy. A typical online store involves multiple processes, such as designing a website, accepting payments, managing stocks, fulfilling orders, etc. Managing each of these aspects individually is often overwhelming and exhausting for business owners. An E-commerce platform allows you to manage all these activities from a single platform, with the possibility of automation in many of these processes.

Here are some benefits of using an E-commerce platform –

The time and effort to design an E-commerce website are considerably reduced when you use an E-commerce platform. This is because most E-commerce platforms come with built-in templates. All you need to do is enter content and the necessary media.

You can track everything from inventory to sales within the same platform. Your E-commerce platform becomes the single source of truth for everything related to your business. This eliminates errors and miscommunication.

Many E-commerce platforms are already integrated with marketing tools. This enables you to market your brand without the help of experts. Many of these platforms also come with SEO widgets and tools to get your website to rank higher on search engines.

What Are The Different Types Of E-commerce Platforms

There are two different types of E-commerce platforms-

1. Hosted

A hosted E-commerce platform works in Software as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model. You do not have to set up your own server or database to store and manage information. The hosted E-commerce platform takes care of everything from setting up your store, hosting it on the internet, and even offering technical support. You will be able to add products and customize most aspects of the store, but everything else is handled by the hosted platform.

A hosted platform usually charges a fixed monthly or annual fee based on the size of your business or the features you require. Some platforms even take a small percentage of the revenue generated every month.

Kartify by ANS Commerce is a great example of a hosted E-commerce platform.

2. Self-hosted

In a self-hosted E-commerce platform, you handle everything, right from hosting to designing of websites. The entire ecosystem of your E-commerce website is built from scratch by you. A self-hosted E-commerce platform is more difficult to use, especially if you are not sure of what you are doing. You need developers and other experts who can use the platform to build a full-fledged E-commerce website.

On the upside, you have complete control over your online store. For instance, if you need additional features, you can either find plugins or extensions in the platform marketplace or even ask your tech team to create one.

Examples of self-hosted E-commerce platforms are WooCommerce and Magento.

Best E-Commerce Platform In India For Store Creation

Let us now look at the 10 best E-commerce platforms in India

1. Kartify

The first on our list is Kartify, which is the best E-commerce platform in India. This robust solution from ANS Commerce, a Flipkart group company, can take care of all your needs while setting up and managing your online store. Be it website building, or payment processing, or even returns management, you do not have to look beyond Kartify.

Besides the capability to handle the entire lifecycle of your store operations, Kartify is also extremely scalable, as it has been tested to handle over 1 million concurrent users at any time. Kartify is the perfect solution for E-commerce businesses. This means Kartify is a great choice whether you are a growing business or want to handle sale events without any performance issues.

Key Features Of Kartify

Platform Level Native Integrations: Kartify can seamlessly integrate with 100+ relevant tools and platforms. Some of the popular Payment Gateways, Marketing Automation Platforms, SMS and Email Providers, and Order Management Systems (OMS) feature in this long list.

Built-in Performance Marketing: Kartify comes loaded with performance marketing tools and automation features. The platform also offers a comprehensive view of all your sales, marketing, and traffic data so that you can make accurate data-driven decisions every time.

Easy-to-Use Website Builder: Build a responsive E-commerce website quickly with Kartify Lite, which offers a variety of customizable templates suitable for every industry, including cosmetics, apparel, personal care, accessories, electronics, and more. With Kartify Lite, you can effortlessly tailor these templates to align with your brand guidelines and personalize every aspect, from layout to navigation.

Promotions Manager: Effortlessly manage your discount promotions, and offers, and sale event strategies within Kartify. It takes just a few simple steps to set up offers like Buy One Get One (B1G1) deals, category discounts, and volume-based discounts, etc.

Hassle-free Returns: No need to find another solution to handle your returns and refunds as Kartify offers built-in returns workflows and an approval management system. Easily manage pickup updates and refunds through integrations with other platforms.

Must read: Strategies to streamline return management and reduce cost

Benefits Of Kartify

With Kartify you can conveniently manage your promotions, offers, and discount strategies within the platform. Instantly create multiple offers such as B1G1 offers, category discounts, and order discounts and share them with customers

Kartify protects all your valuable information thanks to advanced security measures such as VA/PT, RBAC, SSL certifications, etc. It also conducts regular security audits and practices customer data masking.

Kartify is tailor-made for the Indian market. It offers various functionalities loved by the Indian audience, such as OTP-based login, automatic conversion of pin codes into city and state information, GST invoicing, etc.

Customization is achievable directly from the platform. This means you can create brand-specific workflows, get access to brand-specific features, and create brand-specific design guidelines. Every pixel on the front end can be tailored according to your brand’s requirements.

2. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an open-source E-commerce platform that lets you add various E-commerce capabilities to your WordPress website. This cloud-based platform leverages the content management and website-building capabilities of WordPress to ensure that your website is a complete package for those looking to sell online without compromising on the quality of content.

Key Features

Collections: These are additional plugins that can be installed to extend the functionalities offered by the basic WooCommerce platform.

WooCommerce Shipping: Besides letting you ship products to any destination in the world, the platform also lets you print shipping labels directly from your dashboard. This feature is free to use and saves a lot of cost for your business.

Multi-channel Support: Lets you sell across multiple channels, such as Amazon, Google, and TikTok, over and above your E-commerce website.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
A highly interactive community ready to answer any of your questions	Specific only to WordPress
Limitless possibilities for customizations.	Lack of sufficient documentation makes it difficult to set up on your own
	You need to install plugins for everything from reporting to multi-currency support.

WooCommerce is free to use. However, you need to pay for plugins if they have been created by third parties.

3. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a SaaS-based E-commerce platform that gives you enterprise-level features and integrations required to run multiple storefronts. They have two solutions: Enterprise catering to large businesses and Essentials catering to SMBs and startups. The platform has several built-in wholesale functionalities, making it suitable for the B2B ecosystem.

Key Features

Payment Solutions: You can choose from over 65 pre-integrated online payment solutions and 140 currencies for your online store.

API Calls: You Use APIs to automatically synchronize data between BigCommerce and third-party systems like ERP.

Price Lists: You can give custom pricing to different customer groups at the SKU level. This is ideal for B2B storefronts.

Custom Product Filtering: You can set any field of your products as filters in a faceted search.

Abandoned Cart Savers: It is an in-built conversion tool that sends a series of emails to convince them to complete the purchase.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
No transaction fee	Not beginner-friendly
Multi-currency support	Complicated product imports/exports
Supports both B2B and B2C storefronts	Pricey

Pricing

There are three main pricing plans in BigCommerce. The Standard Plan, which costs $29 per month, lets you build 3 storefronts and manage 4 inventory locations. This is suitable for small brands.

The Plus Plan is priced at $79 per month and is suitable for medium enterprises. It lets you build 5 storefronts and manage 5 inventory locations.

The Pro plan, costing $299 per month, is suitable only for multinational businesses as this plan lets you manage 8 storefronts and 8 inventory locations.

4. Shopify

Shopify is a complete E-commerce solution that lets you create a website in minutes and start selling from multiple channels with minimal effort. This subscription-based platform offers services like inventory management, payment processing, logistics, supply chain, and shipping, all of which are essential ingredients to run a successful E-commerce business.

Key Features

Shopify POS: This feature lets you take the omnichannel route for selling. This point-of-sale app lets you sell your products in person, anywhere. All the payments are linked to your Shopify inventory, which also maintains track of every sales transaction.

Shopify Markets: You can scale your business and sell internationally using this feature. With the help of a centralized dashboard, you can manage different components of international sales, such as shipping, duties, and compliance.

Social Media Integrations: You can sync your Shopify products to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This means you can easily create ads and shoppable posts without having to copy-paste content or upload media separately.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Offers multi-language support.	No free plans. Even the free trial lasts only for 3 days.
Unlimited contacts can be added to your Shopify accounts	There is a transaction fee if you use a 3rd party payment provider
You get free SSL certificates so that all your content is encrypted.	Difficult to exit Shopify and migrate to another platform

Pricing

There are three plans in Shopify.

Basic plan is priced at ₹1994 per month when billed annually. It is suitable for individuals and startups who are just looking for basic functionalities like shipping and processing payments.

Shopify plan is ideal for small businesses that are more established and looking for professional capabilities like analytics and reporting. It costs ₹7447 per month.

Advanced plan is priced at ₹30,164 and is suitable for medium and large businesses. Besides everything in the Shopify plan, you get features like Custom Report Builder and low transaction fees.

5. Dukaan

Dukaan is an Indian E-commerce solution that helps small businesses and solopreneurs create and manage digital storefronts. You can list your products, manage orders, and process payments within the platform.

Key Features Of Mydukaan

Dukaan Plugins: With their in-built plugins, you can connect your online store with other tools in a single click. Popular plugins include Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Shippo, Intercom, etc.

Dukaan Delivery: This is the shipping service offered by Dukaan. Based on shipping cost, current turn-around time, and RTO rates, Dukaan’s advanced algorithm selects the most efficient courier partner for your order.

Free Tools: Dukaan offers a variety of free tools that you can use to manage various aspects of your online store. This includes the Privacy Policy Generator, Slogan Maker, and Invoice Generator, to name a few.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Designed For the Indian ecosystem	Does not provide multi-currency support
Affordable plans suited for all budgets	Limited templates
Offers multi-warehouse support	Lacks integrated marketing tool

Dukaan Pricing

Dukaan offers three pricing plans:

Silver: Costing ₹500 per month, this plan is recommended for new businesses and influencers. This plan offers basic features like Discount Coupons and Dukaan Credits. It has a high transaction fee and might not be suitable if you expect too many transactions in a day.

Gold: Costing ₹834 per month, this plan is suitable for agencies, D2C brands, and growing businesses. This plan has a lower transaction fee than Silver and offers a host of other features like Store Analytics, Custom Domain, and Web Partner App.

Platinum: Costing ₹2500 per month, this plan is suitable for medium and large businesses. It has the lowest transaction fee among all the plans and supports 10 warehouses. The rest of the features are the same as the Gold plan.

6. Instamojo

Instamojo is a home-grown D2C E-commerce platform that offers capabilities like landing page builder and payment management. Instamojo primarily focuses on SME brands looking to set up and run an E-commerce business successfully.

Key Features

Mobile App: Get a dedicated mobile dashboard where you can manage orders, maintain customers, and handle marketing campaigns on the go.

Advanced Analytics: Get access to E-commerce metrics like sales/orders over time, number of visitors, customer lifecycle, etc., to make data-driven decisions.

Smart Links: Customize your payment links to suit your brand colors and messaging. Add logos and preferred images to the links to improve the conversion rate.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Forever-free plan with all the basic features	Limited feature set
Possibility to buy a domain directly	Limited integrations
User-friendly	High transaction fees.

Pricing

There are three pricing plans viz. Lite, which is free forever, Starter, which costs ₹3999 per year, and Growth, which costs ₹9999 per year. While the free plan offers basic features like an Online Shopping Cart, Cash on Delivery, Shipping Integrations, and Order Management, it has Instamojo branding.

The Starter plan does not have Instamojo branding on the website and provides access to 19+ Premium themes. The Growth plan offers a lot more features like SEO, Advanced Analytics, and WhatsApp Integration, to name a few.

7. Wix

Wix is a cloud-based website-building platform with a focus on E-commerce. Both individuals and businesses can easily create and manage E-commerce websites in Wix, thanks to a wide range of templates and features. You do not require any kind of technical skills to manage an E-commerce store on Wix.

Key Features

Templates: There is a huge collection of design templates catering to almost every known E-commerce sector and vertical. These templates can be customized completely to suit your brand needs.

WYSIWYG Editor: It stands for “What You See Is What You Get”. Such types of editors ensure that you see the changes you make on the website in real time.

Mobile Optimization: Every website you create on Wix is automatically optimized for mobiles and tablets. You do not have to build or optimize your website for all the devices separately.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Intuitive drag-and-drop user interface	All the free plans have Wix branding.
Excellent support	Analytics is not as exhaustive as other tools
Comes with built-in SEO capabilities	It is not possible to change templates once the site is live

Pricing

Under the E-commerce category, there are three plans. The most basic E-commerce plan, called Business Basic, is priced at ₹225 per month when billed annually. There are also Business Unlimited and Business VIP plans costing ₹300 and ₹500 per month.

The main differences between these plans are the storage space you get, video hours, the number of reviews you can manage, and the number of products you can dropship.

8. Squarespace

Squarespace is a simplistic and robust website builder with a great focus on aesthetics. It is a popular choice among bloggers, photographers, and small businesses selling products that require creativity. However, in recent times, owing to the vast number of E-commerce features offered by this platform, it has become a preferred choice among businesses in other domains as well.

Key features

Email Marketing: Get access to hundreds of responsive email marketing templates that you can customize in minutes. You can also measure and analyze various metrics related to your email marketing campaign within Squarespace.

Analytics: Learn everything about your store, right from who’s visiting to how they are interacting, with the help of in-depth analytics and reporting features.

SEO: Every website you create is automatically optimized for search engines. For example, elements like sitemaps, automatic markup, SSL security, and clean URLs are all taken care of automatically.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Has plenty of aesthetically pleasing templates for all kinds of businesses	No free plans.
It lets you manage everything from website hosting to design and development to online selling.	You can create only flat websites with a maximum of 2 navigations.
Access to every image of Unsplash, out-of-the-box	Doesn’t automatically keep a history of changes to your website.

Pricing

The most basic plan of Squarespace is called Personal, and it is priced at $16 per month when billed annually. This plan offers only templates and a free domain.

However, if you would like to have a fully integrated E-commerce store, you need to pick one among Business ($23 per month), Commerce Basic ($27 per month), and Commerce Advanced ($49 per month). Each plan offers a unique set of features over and above the previous one.

9. Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce is a full-fledged E-commerce platform offering you all the tools required to run a successful online store. It was previously known as Magento Commerce before the tech powerhouse Adobe acquired the platform. It is one of the few E-commerce platforms that lets you create both B2B and B2C storefronts with relative ease.

Key Features

Live Search: It is an AI-powered search feature that offers more relevant search results at lightning-fast speeds. The AI and ML engine of Adobe Commerce can offer personalized results on every shopper query.

PWA Studio: You can create and launch progressive web apps effortlessly with this module of Adobe Commerce. PWAs are those apps built using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Integrated B2B Functionality: Get access to a wide range of B2B functionalities, such as customized catalogs and pricing. You can even get self-service customer portals so that you can easily manage accounts and order books in Adobe Commerce.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
High levels of customization are possible	Being a self-hosted solution, you need to take care of everything, from hosting to development.
Comes with advanced catalog management features.	Steep learning curve if you are new to website development
Has a huge community to provide technical support	Lack of transparency in pricing. There is no free plan.

10. Ecwid

Ecwid is an E-commerce plugin from Lightspeed. In a few clicks, you can add various E-commerce functionalities to your existing website using this tool. The goal of Ecwid is to eliminate the process of building a new website from scratch and to extend your existing website to start selling.

Key Features

Lightspeed Payments: You get a fully integrated payment solution that not only accepts cards but also payment methods like Google Pay and Apple Pay. You can manage all your payments right within your control panel.

ShopApp: You can easily turn your online store into a downloadable mobile app with the help of this feature. The products and content in ShopApp and your Ecwid store are always in sync, ensuring no miscommunication.

Automated Tax: Ecwid automatically calculates tax rates at the checkout. This way, you can minimize the chances of tax calculation errors as you no longer have to manage and update individual tax rates.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Comes with a forever-free plan	The built-in website builder feels somewhat simplistic and lacks advanced customization capabilities unless you know how to code.
You can create multilingual stores with easy translation of storefronts	The tool cannot be used to create a standalone E-commerce website.
Possibility to create a custom iOS or Android app	The free plan is extremely underwhelming, with very basic functionalities

Pricing

There is a forever-free plan with basic features. The most basic plan, called Venture, is priced at ₹889 per month when billed annually. In this plan, you can set up a store with only 100 products.

There is also a Business plan, costing ₹1649 per month, which lets you manage a store of 2500 products. In the Unlimited plan, costing ₹4990 per month, you can create a catalog of unlimited products.

How To Choose The Best E-commerce Platform?

Here are the different factors you must consider while picking an E-commerce platform –

Technology

This is a key factor wherein you focus on different technical aspects of the E-commerce platform, such as the type of platform (self-hosted or hosted), security, website performance, etc. For instance, in the security category, you should prioritize a platform that supports SSL certificates and provides frequent security updates.

Kartify is a hosted platform that offers security features like VA/PT, Role Based Access Control System, SSL Certificate, encryptions, and customer data masking.

Scalability

You must always remember that your E-commerce store is not going to remain the same as days pass by. The number of products will increase, and the number of users will multiply. The platform you choose must be able to handle any number of customers without putting too much financial pressure on you. The platform should also be able to handle traffic spikes during sales events without slowing down or crashing.

Kartify is built to scale and is ideal for growing businesses. It has been tested to handle over 1 million concurrent users at any time.

Cost

The idea is simple – the platform you choose must be aligned with your budget and offer you the returns within a few months. You must particularly focus on hidden costs like transaction fees and setup fees while picking a platform, as they can create a dent in your expenditure. Also, try to understand the maintenance costs involved in using the platform.

Kartify is one of the most affordable E-commerce platforms in India and has a tailored pricing plan for every business.

Customizability

It is important to pick a platform that lets you tailor your online store to suit your brand and customer needs. For instance, the platform you pick must offer a wide variety of customizable themes or templates. Also, it will be great if you get access to the source code of the website so that you can make any changes that are not possible in a visual editor.

Kartify lets you customize every aspect of your store, right from navigation components to checkout steps. You can build a fully personalized store that adheres to your brand guidelines.

Integrations

You need to pick a platform that offers integrations with other tools and platforms to streamline your E-commerce operations. For example, the E-commerce platform you select must be integrable with your preferred payment gateways or inventory management system. The ease of integrating with other essential solutions can considerably impact your efficiency.

Kartify offers integrations with 80+ Integrations, such as payment gateway solutions, loyalty program platforms, marketing tools, email and SMS Gateways, etc.

Analytics

Lastly, the E-commerce platform you choose must have strong analytics and reporting capabilities. It should either have built-in analytics tools or support third-party analytics solutions. You must also be able to create custom reports that display all the key metrics for better decision-making.

Kartify comes with a dedicated analytics dashboard that gives you access to key insights about your sales, traffic, and products.

Set Up Your Store On Kartify And Start Selling Online

As you can see, Kartify is the only solution that satisfies all the above criteria. It is scalable, affordable, and highly customizable, making it the best choice for all those entrepreneurs looking to set up an E-commerce store today. If you need further details about how Kartify can help set up and manage your store, contact us now.

How To Create Urgency In Sales To Boost Revenue (Without Being Pushy)

Are you tired of watching potential customers walk away without making a purchase? Do your sales numbers need to catch up to your expectations? It’s time to turn the tables and create a sense of urgency that will propel your sales through the roof!

In the fast-paced world of sales, creating a sense of urgency is a powerful strategy that can significantly boost revenue. The ability to tap into the innate human desire for immediate action can drive customers to make purchasing decisions more swiftly and decisively. Strategies that create urgency can make all the difference when selling products or services.

In this blog, we explore urgency in sales and outline procedures and strategies that you can use to boost your E-commerce sales. Continue reading to discover.

What Is Urgency In Sales?

Urgency in sales is a technique employed by businesses to create a sense of immediate action among their audience and prospective customers. By leveraging urgency, sales and marketing teams motivate customers to make a buying decision in the present rather than postponing it for later.

For instance, imagine a furniture store promoting a limited-time sale on a popular sofa model. They highlight the sofa’s attractiveness by promoting its quality, comfort, and elegant design. However, they also mention that the sale is only valid for the next three days or until stocks last.

It encourages buyers to act immediately by combining the appeal of desirability with the introduction of limitations or time constraints. This strategy takes advantage of customers’ FOMO and forces them to make a purchase decision to not lose out on a great deal.

Benefits Of Creating Urgency In Sales

Creating a sense of urgency in sales offers numerous benefits to your business:

Increases Conversion Rates

Creating a sense of urgency in sales is like adding fuel to the fire. It ignites a spark within potential customers, compelling them to take action and make a purchase decision. The fear of missing out or the excitement of limited-time offers can significantly increase conversion rates. Urgency eliminates hesitation, pushing your potential customers toward the desired outcome.

Helps To Boost Sales Volume

You’ll see a significant increase in sales volume once urgency is integrated into your sales and marketing strategy. Customers who might have been on the fence suddenly find themselves compelled to buy now rather than later. By creating scarcity or time-limited deals, you create an environment where customers feel they need to act fast before opportunities vanish into thin air.

Reduces Procrastination

For both businesses and customers, procrastination slows growth. Employing urgency strategies reduces this tendency by encouraging people to make decisions right away rather than continually delaying them for a day that might never arrive.

Competitive Advantage

Implementing urgency sets you apart from your competitors. You can stand out in a competitive E-commerce market by giving your customers another reason to choose your products or services. Customers may prioritize your offerings over others if they feel pressured to act quickly with promotions or limited-time offers.

Enhance Customer Engagement

Sales urgency increases customer involvement and engagement. Customers are more likely to actively look into your promotions, discounts, or deals if they see time-sensitive offers or limited availability. A higher level of interaction with your brand and products may arise from this increased engagement creating brand awareness.

Fosters Brand Loyalty

Lastly, effective use of urgency can foster brand loyalty. Customers feel appreciated and unique when they receive exclusive offers or time-limited promotions. This positive experience can lead to repeat purchases and long-term customer relationships.

10 Simple Ways To Create Urgency In Sales Without Being Pushy

In a market saturated with varied marketing messages and sales pitches, sales urgency has become an essential tool. By effectively communicating a sense of urgency, businesses can break through the noise, capture their prospects’ attention, and drive them toward making purchasing decisions promptly.

Different techniques can be used to increase urgency in E-commerce sales. Although many of these practices seem to be the same, they all have different goals and potential outcomes.

Here are 10 simple ways to create urgency in sales without being pushy. Let’s dive in.

#1 Create Urgency With A Deadline

When there is no time limit on your product or service, customers often face decision paralysis. With multiple options in hand, they tend to spend excessive time evaluating the pros and cons of the products. They may also explore competitor offers, review product specifications, read feedback, or, in some cases, just give up and move on.

Setting a deadline or time restriction with your E-commerce sales event is an effective way to overcome these issues. You can encourage customers to respond more quickly by creating a sense of urgency.

Credit: Flipkart Website

For instance, Flipkart often runs time-limited sales events like the “Big Billion Days” and “Diwali Sale,” where they offer steep discounts and attractive deals on a wide range of products. These sales are typically held for a short duration, such as a few days or even just 24 hours, creating a sense of urgency among consumers.

Likewise, platforms like Swiggy and Zomato offer time-limited discounts and exclusive deals during specific hours of the day. These offers are displayed on their apps and websites, encouraging customers to purchase within the given time frame. The limited-time nature of these deals motivates customers to quickly decide on their food choices and place orders.

#2 Use The Fear Of Missing Out To Create Urgency

Fear of missing out, or FOMO, is a powerful emotional trigger that can drive customers to move quickly and make more purchases. It is predicated on the idea that nobody wants to miss out on an opportunity or be left behind.

Countdown timers, deadlines, expiration dates, limited-time sales promotions, giveaways, and hosting user-generated contests are some techniques to create a sense of urgency and leverage FOMO in your marketing strategy. By incorporating these elements, you effectively communicate to your audience that time is limited and immediate action is required.

The urgency can be emphasized even further by employing specific words and phrases like “now,” “today,” “last chance,” “limited time,” “only,” or “don’t miss” to highlight how time-sensitive it is.

In the below example, Shoppers Stop has integrated the FOMO effect by putting “Limited Time Offer” in big bold letters next to a clock creating urgency among customers to buy the products.

Credit: Shoppers Stop website

In addition, you can utilize visual clues, such as a creative or label that shows the product is a “hot” item or selling quickly, to further increase the FOMO effect.

For instance, First Cry is using the FOMO concept by introducing “The FOMO Sale” with a clear start and end time. By limiting the sale period, they create a sense of urgency among parents, encouraging them to make their purchases quickly to take advantage of the significant discounts.

Credit: Firstcry Website

#3 Create A Sense Of “Scarcity” and “Exclusivity” To Your Offer

Indeed, “scarcity” and “exclusivity” help create sales urgency.

You can evoke a sense of scarcity and encourage customers to act swiftly to buy the product by displaying the number of products remaining in stock.

For instance, Myntra has displayed alerts like “Only Few Left ” on Kurta Sets. This emphasizes that there is a limited supply of the products. This communicates that the product is in high demand and encourages customers to purchase it before it runs out.

Scarcity tactic used on website by Myntra

Credit: Myntra Website

Likewise, position your product as an exclusive or limited edition. Let people know that it’s only accessible to subscribers or members for a certain period. This creates a perception of exclusivity and makes customers feel special for having access to something unique.

Exclusive discounts offered on website by Firstcry

Credit: First Cry Website

In this example, First Cry is using the exclusivity of their Club Membership by offering “ Club Price” to create urgency in sales. They offer benefits like up to 10% additional discounts, exclusive offers, club cash benefits on products, free shipping, exclusive coupons, etc to their club members. By leveraging the concept of exclusivity and tying it to a special discount offer, First Cry aims to drive more conversions and generate excitement among its customer base, encouraging them to make a purchase decision promptly before the opportunity slips away.

While creating a sense of scarcity and exclusivity can be effective in driving sales, it’s essential to maintain integrity and avoid misleading or false claims. Be transparent about the availability and exclusivity of your offer. Make sure that your customers feel respected and valued throughout their purchasing journey.

#4 Add A Countdown Timer On Your Website

A powerful tool that can increase conversions and sales for your business is adding a countdown timer to your website. Whether it’s completing a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, or signing up for an event, your website visitors are more likely to take action if you create a sense of urgency.

Countdown timer example by Pepperfry website

Credit: Pepperfry Website

In the above example, Pepperfry has added a timer to their sale items indicating the duration of the limited-time offers. This technique reminds the customers to act quickly to take advantage of discounted prices or exclusive deals.

Countdown timers can help your business establish credibility and trust by adding a sense of urgency while also demonstrating your commitment to keeping your promises. They can additionally contribute to improving the perceived value of your offer, which will boost its value to customers.

Here’s an example of boAT, a consumer electronics brand, displaying a countdown timer on their website to create a sense of urgency and excitement. The brand has used one color across the page to signify the daily deals. This timer shows the exact time left until the deal ends. Thus, the timer can help the boAT brand achieve its sales objectives and engage customers effectively.

Credit: boAT Website

#5 Show Remaining Stock Quantity To Create Urgency

A useful strategy for encouraging customers to make a purchase is by displaying the number of products in stock on the product page.

In the example below, Booking.com creates urgency by highlighting the high demand and limited availability of rooms in Lonavla. The message “only 4 left at this price” emphasizes the risk of missing out on the best accommodations if not booked promptly. This strategy triggers the fear of losing a desired stay, compelling potential customers to make a quick decision to secure their preferred place. Due to the high demand and limited supply, there is a sense of urgency among visitors that prompts them to book a reservation to avoid disappointment.

Example of remaining items left on website

Credit: Booking.com Website

Instead of using generic terms like “Stock: 1,” create a sense of urgency with phrases like “Hurry up, only 1 left”, “Hurry, limited stock,” or “Almost sold out!”. The use of such language motivates shoppers to act quickly and buy the desired item before it sells out.

Further, you can highlight the remaining stocks using bold text, different color schemes, or graphic elements to make the stock quantity stand out.

#6 Start Selling Limited-Series Products

Limited-series products are designed to be unique and rare. This exclusivity inherently creates a sense of value and desirability. Customers are more motivated to buy limited-series products because they feel they have a chance to grab something special.

Limited series products sold by Kamal Watch

Credit: Kamal Watches Website

For instance, Kamal Watch Co. Pvt Ltd is a leading retail chain of watch stores. It also sells limited edition watches of different brands. Limited edition products effectively create a sense of urgency by producing unique and limited products.

Further, limited products often attract collectors or enthusiasts who are specifically interested in owning unique or rare items. This creates excitement and enhances customer interest in the products. As buyers are aware that they might not have another opportunity to purchase the item in the future, their interest and mindset increase the sense of urgency. They may take prompt action out of concern about missing out on something that fits their collecting preferences.

#7 Create Urgency In Your Copy And Creatives

Copywriting plays a crucial role in creating urgency. Your ad or product copy is a powerful tool for influencing how customers perceive and connect with your products. Here are some ways to create an urgency-focused copy:

Use words and phrases that highlight the time-sensitive nature of the offer. Words like “limited time,” “for a limited period,” or “while supplies last” communicate that the opportunity to purchase the product is fleeting.

Use emotional language and expressions that stir up desire or aspiration in your audience. The words “exclusive,” “premium,” or “must-have” can highlight how desirable the product is.

Include social proof, such as customer feedback or testimonials in your product descriptions. This helps build the trust of your customers.

For instance, Nykaa has integrated urgency through its ad copy and creative by including discounts and end dates for sales.

The ad begins with an attention-grabbing phrase like “All I can think about is HOT deals”. This creates a sense of excitement and encourages users to read further.

The ad mentions “up to 50% OFF” on some amazing brands, enticing customers with significant savings. Further, it also includes a clear call-to-action button (“Shop Now”) to prompt users to click and browse the sale offerings immediately.

In the video, they have also added the Hot Pink Sale logo, making it visually engaging and relevant to the sale.

Credit: Nykaa’s Instagram Page

#8 Reward Your First X Customers

Reward your customers and encourage more people to purchase. For example, you can offer them a special discount code, or the first 100 customers will receive a free gift with their order.

This not only gives your customers a sense of urgency, but it also gives the first 100 customers a sense of exclusivity. The rewards should be something your customers will value and can’t get anywhere else, like an exclusive product launch or a limited-edition item created only for them. By doing this, you give your first-time customers a special experience that motivates them to share your products with others and spread the word about them.

Reward your first customers to create urgency in sales

Credit: Huawei Website

Here’s how Huawei integrated the reward program by providing gifts for the first 100 purchases to their buyers. This approach helped the brand to create buzz, generate excitement, and encourage word-of-mouth marketing, especially for new product launches or services.

Thus, this method encourages customers to buy or use the new products or services right from the start, boosting initial sales and adoption rates.

#9 Show Others Interested In The Product

By showing customers what others are buying from your store, you create a sense of popularity, desirability, and urgency. You can implement a system that sends pop-ups or real-time notifications whenever a purchase is made on your website or mobile application.

These notifications can be in the form of small overlays or sidebars that indicate a recent sale, including the product purchased, the customer’s location, and a timestamp. You can further pin the best-selling products for higher visibility.

Show tags on how many people are interested in the product

Credit: boAT Website

boAT, a leading electronics brand builds trust with potential buyers by including the Users’ Love section on their product page that highlights the unit sold on Flipkart and 5 star reviews by customers. This transparent approach reinforces boAT’s reputation as a reliable brand, ultimately increasing buyer confidence and driving sales.

How to show frequently bought together on website

Source: Flipkart Website

Flipkart’s integration of “Others Interested Products” on their product pages shows a clever approach to create a sense of urgency and encourage buyers to consider combo offers or complementary products. Flipkart encourages customers to add additional items to their shopping carts by advertising combo offers, which increases the order value and the platform’s overall revenue.

However, too many notifications can distract and irritate your customers. So, make sure to implement them strategically, ensuring they do not disturb the overall user experience.

#10 Sent Out Last-Chance Emails To Create Urgency

Send last-chance emails and remind customers of the deadline to take advantage of the offer. Include a countdown in your emails to create an additional sense of urgency.

For instance, Good Pair Days have integrated the last chance email by highlighting the discounts along with a Click-To-Action that labels as “Get yours today”. The brand has a well-designed and responsive email that enhances the user experience and increases the chances of conversion.

Credit: PairDays

Make sure you include a strong call-to-action that makes it easy for people to act quickly and make their decisions before time runs out. Phrases like “Shop Now,” “Grab Your Deal,” or “Don’t Miss Out” encourage customers to click through.

Additionally, use eye-catching visuals and design elements in your email to capture attention. Highlight the discounts, deals, giveaways, timeframe, etc. so that your audience doesn’t miss out on the important details.

You can also create a specific landing page to showcase your limited edition products or fast-selling products. For instance, Marks and Spencer highlight the “Last Chance To Buy” message on their landing page creating a sense of urgency, prompting visitors to make a decision quickly. This leads to increased conversions and engagement, as visitors are motivated to take advantage of the time-limited offer before it expires.

Must read: 17 Best Abandoned Cart Email Examples With Key Takeaways (+Free Templates)

Display last chance to buy to create urgency in sales

Credit: M&S website

Tips For Using Urgency In Sales

When using urgency in sales, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Communicate The Details

When communicating the details of your sales deal to customers, it’s essential to provide clear and comprehensive information. When communicating the details of your sales deal to customers, it’s essential to provide clear and comprehensive information. Include any other details that could help customers understand the sales offer. This could include details about the product, testimonials, case studies, or reviews that highlight the benefits and value of the product or service.

Authenticity

Ensure that the urgency you create is genuine and based on real factors, such as limited stock, limited-time offers, or upcoming deadlines. Creating a false sense of scarcity or using false advertising could negatively impact your reputation with customers.

Use A Clear Call-To-Action (CTA)

Make it simple for your customers to take action by using language that is action-oriented. Also, add links or buttons that can be clicked to land at the intended conversion.

Eliminate Distractions

Keeping the sale and the products at the forefront might be useful when creating urgency. This maintains sales efficiency and makes decisions quicker. Unimportant links or irrelevant information can distract your customers, affecting their purchasing decisions.

Boost Your E-commerce Sales By Creating Urgency

In conclusion, businesses can enhance conversion rates and motivate customers to act quickly by fostering a sense of urgency. One effective approach is to leverage time-limited promotions or exclusive offers.

However, it is important to employ urgency wisely. Constantly pressing potential customers can cause them to become disinterested. Instead, the emphasis should be on offering exceptional deals that genuinely cause FOMO.

Lastly, effective communication is essential to conveying urgency. To get your audience’s attention, use convincing language, clear calls to action, and eye-catching creatives.

Need help with increasing your E-commerce profits? We at ANS Commerce (A Flipkart Group Company), offer end-to-end E-commerce solutions to brands launching & expanding their presence in India.

From providing technology solutions to implementing impactful marketing campaigns and seamless warehousing & order fulfillment services, we are supporting 200+ E-commerce brands in India.

Book a demo today to explore how we can help you create impactful marketing campaigns.

How To Create High-Converting Landing Pages? (Best Practices With Examples)

best landing page example from BlueStone

Anyone can build an E-commerce website today, thanks to the easy availability of low-code/no-code website building platforms. Some E-commerce website owners even manage to attract visitors to their websites via organic and inorganic methods. However, most of them fail to turn these visitors into paying customers. And that’s where the need for a unique, engaging, and appealing E-commerce landing page arises.

E-commerce businesses that end up creating such landing pages experience high traffic and a significant surge in sales. But how to create such high-converting E-commerce landing pages? Are there any successful E-commerce landing pages out there that you can emulate? Let’s find out in this post.

What is an E-commerce Landing Page?

An E-commerce landing page is a web page that is specifically designed to drive sales for an E-commerce business. It’s the page that a visitor lands on after clicking on an ad or any promotional link. The main goal of an E-commerce landing page is to persuade visitors to take action, such as making a purchase. A well-designed E-commerce landing page can guide the visitor through the sales funnel and encourage them to complete a transaction.

Why Do You Need Landing Pages For Your E-commerce Site?

Whether you’re an E-commerce business owner or a seasoned marketer, understanding the importance of landing pages is critical for your online success. Here are the top reasons why your E-commerce website needs landing pages –

1. Drive Higher ROI For Paid Traffic

In the world of online advertisements, every click costs money. It is vital to get the most out of your advertising budget. And the best way to do this is by creating E-commerce landing pages that are relevant to your marketing campaigns. Visitors who click on a paid ad on Google or Facebook land on your website with a basic expectation – to see a landing page that is closely related to their search. And when you meet this expectation, there’s a high chance that they will make the purchase, driving higher ROI for your paid traffic.

For example, if a user has clicked on an ad about running shoes, they do not want to be taken to a landing page constituting all types of shoes. This will delay their purchase and they will most likely bounce. But if they are instead taken to a landing page having different kinds of running shoes and a clear CTA, there is a good possibility that they will buy one.

2. Great For Testing

E-commerce landing pages are great for testing because they allow you to experiment with different elements to see what works best for your target audience. For example, you can A/B test different headlines, images, and calls-to-action, to see which combinations lead to higher conversion rates. They are also quite helpful in optimizing your other marketing efforts.

For example, if a particular landing page has a very high bounce rate, it could indicate that your communication is not working and you need to relook at the design and message of your landing page. Or if a landing page with image A has a higher bounce rate than the same landing page with image B, it could indicate that image B is a better marketing asset you can use in other marketing channels like social media.

3. Can Target Specific Customer Segments

E-commerce landing pages can be easily designed to target specific customer segments. All you need to do is to tailor the messaging and design to appeal to that particular group of buyers. Right from the headlines and images to the value proposition and CTA triggers, everything can be made to fit the buyer persona. This increases the relevance of your marketing messages and improves the likelihood that customers will relate with your brand.

For example, you could create a landing page that targets customers who are interested in sustainable or eco-friendly products. This page could feature messaging and images that highlight the environmental benefits of your products, as well as certifications or awards that demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. This approach would likely resonate with customers who prioritize eco-friendliness when making purchasing decisions.

4. Quick And Easy To Put Together

Creating E-commerce landing pages is no longer the daunting exercise it used to be a decade ago. With drag-and-drop landing page builders and pre-built templates available today, you can create a professional-looking landing page in minutes.

This also means two things, One, you can start testing and optimizing your E-commerce landing pages without investing tons of money(or time). Two, you can create as many E-commerce landing pages as you want to increase the number of leads you target.

Defining the Intent of Your E-commerce Landing Page

Your E-commerce landing pages can be classified into three broad categories based on the intent of creation viz. Top Of The Funnel, Middle Of The Funnel, and Bottom Of The Funnel.

Top Of The Funnel (ToFu)

Top-of-the-funnel E-commerce landing pages introduce your website to new visitors. These people don’t know about your brand yet but there are high chances that they will be interested in your products. ToFu E-commerce landing pages can include your brand story, why you exist, and the products you offer. It should also have a CTA that focuses on lead generation. For example, you can create a landing page that focuses on the benefits of signing up for your newsletter. The CTA could be something as straightforward as “Sign Up To Newsletter”.

Middle Of The Funnel (MoFu)

E-commerce landing pages at this stage are targeted at those customers who have shown interest in your brand but have not yet converted. These pages should have content that can convert those on the fence. It could include catchy headlines, customer testimonials, specific product benefits, etc. It should also include a CTA that drives instant purchases such as “Buy Now” to make the path to purchase frictionless.

Bottom Of the Funnel (BoFu)

These landing pages cater to those customers who are strongly thinking of purchasing from your website. They have added products to the cart but haven’t checked out yet. Besides getting these visitors to complete the purchase, BoFu E-commerce landing pages are ideal for upselling and cross-selling. This is because customers are already strongly convinced about your brand and products and might be willing to purchase more from you. These types of landing pages typically include content about bundle offers, related products, etc.

The 10 Best E-commerce Landing Page Examples

Whether you’re looking for inspiration or simply interested in seeing some of the best landing page designs, here are some classic examples of high-converting E-commerce landing pages and what we like the most in them –

1. Cult Sport

Best landing page example from Cult sport

Cult Sport, the sports apparel brand known for its high-quality products and unique designs has created a stylish and functional landing page for its fitness equipment and wellness products.