With an eCommerce business, you have the opportunity to sell to customers all over the world. That’s great! But customers in different locations shop differently and have varying needs, so you’ll sacrifice potential conversions if you sell to them as if they are all the same. Enter, geo-targeting. Thanks to the power of the internet, you can use geographical targeting solutions to create personalized shopping experiences for your customers in different locations, making them more likely to actually buy from you. This can be as broad as targeting speakers of a certain language or as specific of narrowing down your advertisement reach to a specific state, city, or even neighborhood.
What is geo-targeting?
At its most basic, geo-targeting is the process of serving different content (and advertisements) to different people, based on their location. This helps marketers capitalize on specific regional trends and put products in front of audiences more likely to purchase items.
What is the point of geo-targeting?
At the end of the day, geo-targeting is meant to increase conversions for your business. You can display information, prices, and even specific products that are relevant to individual shoppers. By anticipating your shoppers needs in this way, you increase the likelihood of them finding and purchasing items they want and need. In this article, we’ll explore the various ways you can use geo-targeting to your advantage and, by extension, sell more stuff to more people.1. Show customers the nearest store location
This option only applies to business owners with brick-and-mortar store locations. You can use geo-targeting to show your website visitors the location nearest to them.2. Sell the right products to the right people
A customer in Arizona is far less likely to be in the market for a pair of rain boots than a customer in Oregon. Knowing where your customers are shopping helps you put different products and product groupings in front of the right eyes.3. Create relevant spotlight promotions
Studies show you need to capture a visitor’s attention within 2 to 3 seconds if you want any hope of converting them into a customer. A simple way to do this is anticipating a customer’s need and display your solutions right on the home page.
Factors of physical location — especially weather and climate — can be excellent indicators of what a customer needs at any given time. Within the first few seconds of them arriving at your site, you can show them any sales, promotions, or special events relevant to them. If you’re a home improvement retailer, you can make sure promotions featuring snow shovels and rock salt are clearly displayed for customers in the path of a major snowstorm. 4. Customize price, tax, and currency
You can use geo-targeting to help customers around the globe view your prices in their respective currencies. Think about it: You’re much more likely to lose a customer mid-funnel if they have to stop to make currency calculations before making a purchase. Depending on the tax laws in various states or countries, you can also adjust the taxes you charge with each purchase. This makes the shopping experience much quicker and more accurate for your customers.5. Give your customers accurate shipping information and incentives
Depending on where your distribution centers are located, your products may take shorter or longer to reach a customer. If you have the capability to offer free shipping or quicker shipping to customers in certain locations, be sure to display those value propositions clearly so they feel incentivized to buy from you.6. Change language for a user’s location
If your store is multi-lingual, you can automatically switch languages for a customer based on the language spoken in their region. This takes out the additional step of them searching for a way to switch the language or use an online translator.How to set up geo-targeting on your website
- Shopify Shopify users can begin to implement geo-targeting strategies by installing the Geo Targeting app in the Shopify store ($10/mo). With the app installed, you can target by country, state, or city to customize experiences for users in different locations.
- BigCommerce BigCommerce created an in-depth guide to set up personalized, location-based marketing for BigCommerce stores.
- WordPress and WooCommerce GeoTargeting WP offers a complete geo-targeting solution to store-owners using WordPress. You can read their guide on changing content based on location and their resource on installing their plug-in here.
TJ has worked in the digital marketing space since 2006. He has worked at a number of agencies and and helped hundreds of clients grow their business through SEO, PPC, Social Media and Content Marketing. He currently lives in Lehi , UT and enjoys spending time with his family.
TJ Welsh
TJ has worked in the digital marketing space since 2006. He has worked at a number of agencies and and helped hundreds of clients grow their business through SEO, PPC, Social Media and Content Marketing. He currently lives in Lehi , UT and enjoys spending time with his family.
