Stuck in the Middle: The MoFu Strategies Your eCommerce Brand Should Try This Year

Here’s a New Year’s resolution for eCommerce marketers: ramp up your middle-of-the-funnel strategies. Sometimes referred to as “MoFu,” this strategy helps nudge people down through the funnel once they’re already familiar with your brand.  

And to see some top-of-the-funnel (or ToFu) strategies, take a look at this blog post. And since J&C knows these strategies top-to-bottom, stay tuned for our final post of this series: bottom of the funnel. 

Now let’s take a look at how you can make the most of the middle: 

Keep Your Business Top of Mind  

Whether it’s a major shopping season or buyers are slowing down on purchases, try to keep users engaged throughout the year. Here are a few marketing thought-starters to help you do that: 

• Try using an “add to calendar” CTA for upcoming sales and exclusive releases. You can create a button link using an .ICS file so people who are interested don’t miss it.  
  
• Offer “reminder” texts to people who are shopping online. And don’t forget to offer an incentive for signing up, like an exclusive coupon code sent via text. Then, follow up in future texts with sale alerts and exclusive discount codes.  
• You can also capitalize on exclusivity with special offers for your email subscribers. Keep in touch, show your customers you care, and give them perks for staying engaged. And don’t underestimate a genuine “thank you,” especially to loyal customers. You don’t always have to be giving the “hard sell” to sell.  

Use Wishlists to Convert Sales 

Make it simple for your shoppers to create lists on your website and app. Heart icons, plus signs or “add to list” buttons allow your customers to collect and compare products... without adding it to their cart. And it gives you some warm leads.  

Here’s one example: Homemade eCommerce haven Etsy encouraged users to use their “list” in a creative way. For each list of at least five items a user created, they would get an automatic entry into a giveaway for a $5,000 gift card. This way, they incentivized users to sort through their offerings and build lists like “gift ideas,” “home décor,” and “loungewear” in Pinterest-inspired boards on the app and website.  

By getting users to create lists, you can get better data on their interests for recommendations and targeted ads. That means you generate recommendations when their wishlist items are on sale or low in stock. 

Target Cart Abandoners 

Sometimes people abandon their cart because what they originally picked out... was, well, not quite right. Maybe it’s too expensive. Maybe it doesn’t fit their style exactly. Maybe there’s a better fit out there... 

This is a stronger lead than a wishlist, so make sure you follow up with similar items or recommendations, across product lines and price ranges. You could send this via email or even display it on the webpage of their cart as they shop.  

Other times, people abandon their carts there are still obstacles in their buying process. Maybe they haven’t purchased anything through you and need to build more trust. 

One way to fix this is with an email flow to eliminate the barriers that are holding them back. Build a case for your brand: how you are different than your competitors, what values your company holds, or what makes your product high quality. It doesn’t hurt to add a satisfaction guarantee to build confidence with first-time buyers. 

As experts in the science and art of customer engagement, J&C understands the impact of effective eCommerce marketing. From microsites to retargeting, trigger emails to cart abandonment strategies and beyond, J&C creates campaigns that get results. If you need help building a successful campaign, contact J&C today.