Online stores provide customers with almost limitless product selection. We can pick from offers, deciding on the most attractive one. Considering such strong competition, it is necessary to stand out somehow to give customers exactly what they need. The answer is Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
What is unique selling proposition (USP)?
Unique selling proposition is an element of the marketing campaign that distinguishes a product from competitors. It comes down to a set of features and values characterising a product or service. In other words, unique selling proposition is a unique benefit that a recipient acquires along with buying the goods. At the same time, it meets their needs and allows the company to gain a competitive advantage. UPS boils down to both product features, customer service, attractive terms of delivery and returns, and of course price, which is the most popular way to fight for customers. What else can constitute a unique selling proposition? For example, it may comprise:
- Launch of an innovative product that meets a new need,
- Higher performance, increasing the value of a given parameter (e.g. a smartphone with more operating memory),
- Utilities, e.g. in the form of readers that allow for storing multiple e-books.
For example, nowadays mobile phones are not only used for communication, they can also be synonymous with prestige. The sense of exclusivity is an excellent element of brand communication, which creates in users a need to strive for a product that is considered unique.
How to design a USP that will increase the number of conversions in an online store?
In the e-commerce industry, unique selling point is not just about an offer, but also apparent little things that can be of great importance to sales growth. It can be a free product return within 30 days, free delivery, product personalisation in the form of engraving or packaging made of biodegradable materials.
In order to create a unique selling proposition, one must first analyse competitors’ activities and define the target group of the brand. In this case, segmentation of the customer base is necessary, which will give an opportunity to customise the offer. One should also think about motivation of recipients who are looking for a given product from the store’s offer.
Relevant advertising slogans
It is worth finding one main feature of the product or service and emphasising it in the advertising slogan. The slogan should be short, catchy and underlining product features or additional benefits. As an example, we can mention IKEA’s slogan “My kingdom my rule” which emphasises letting customers fully decide on interior design and offering them a wide range of products. Audi’s slogan “Being Ahead through Technology” boils down to an advantage in functionality, highlighting the trouble-free operation of cars.
Where to use unique selling proposition?
When creating a unique selling proposition, it is necessary to choose a place where it will be presented. Push notifications are one way to convey relevant content and benefits to customers when purchasing a product and service. With these short messages it is possible to highlight the most important features of the offer and additional benefits, for example in the form of fast shipping, easy product return, free delivery, or the lowest price guarantee.
Push notifications are not the only great tool for communicating with recipients. It is worth supplementing the strategy with newsletters or text message campaigns. The benefits from the purchase should also be prominently displayed on the website, for example in the top bar.
Most online stores choose the above benefits for their UPS. In addition, it is worth to interest recipients in something else and indicate intangible elements that will convince them to buy.
