Quick answer
- There are only three ways to grow sales: get more customers, get each customer to spend more, or get customers to buy more often.
- Quick wins usually come from fixing your website and checkout, following up with past customers, and making your best offer clearer.
- Email marketing to existing customers is often the cheapest growth channel, because they already trust you.
- Measure everything: track where sales come from, and double down on what works.
Most small businesses don’t need a brand-new strategy to grow. They need to remove the things that quietly lose sales and make the most of the customers they already have.
Here are 7 practical steps, roughly in the order that gives the fastest results.
The three ways to grow sales
| Lever | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| More customers | Bring in new buyers | SEO, ads, referrals |
| Bigger orders | Raise average order value | Bundles, upsells, add-ons |
| More often | Increase repeat purchases | Email, loyalty rewards, subscriptions |
Step 1: Fix the leaks in your website and checkout
- Make sure your site loads fast and works well on phones.
- Show prices, delivery times and return policies clearly.
- Remove unnecessary checkout steps and form fields.
- Offer the payment methods your customers expect.
- Add trust signals: real reviews, contact details and secure checkout.
Step 2: Make your offer crystal clear
Visitors decide in seconds. Your homepage and product pages should say who it’s for, what problem it solves and why it’s better, in plain language. Use real photos, honest descriptions and clear calls to action.
Step 3: Sell more to existing customers
Past customers already trust you, so they’re more likely to buy again. Send useful emails, offer related products, remind them when it’s time to reorder, and thank them with small loyalty rewards.
Step 4: Raise your average order value
- Bundles: group related products at a small discount.
- Upsells: offer a better version at checkout.
- Free shipping thresholds: encourage customers to add one more item.
Step 5: Get found by new customers
- SEO and content: answer the questions your customers search for. It takes time but brings free, steady traffic.
- Google Business Profile: essential for local businesses.
- Social media: show your product in real use and build a community.
- Paid ads: start with a small budget, measure results and only scale what pays back.
Step 6: Turn customers into promoters
Ask happy customers for reviews and referrals. A simple referral reward, such as a discount for both people, can bring in new customers at a low cost.
Step 7: Measure and improve
- Conversion rate: the share of visitors who buy.
- Average order value: how much each order is worth.
- Customer acquisition cost: what you spend to win a customer.
- Repeat purchase rate: how many customers come back.
Pick one number to improve each month, test one change at a time and keep what works.
Selling online? See our step-by-step guide to starting an ecommerce business.
Increase sales FAQs
Fix problems on your website and checkout, then contact past customers with a relevant offer. Both work quickly and cost little.
Combine SEO and helpful content, a Google Business Profile for local search, social media and small, measured ad campaigns.
Use bundles, upsells and free shipping thresholds.
Yes. It’s one of the cheapest ways to bring back existing customers.
Not usually. Make your value clearer first. Discounts can hurt profit and your brand.
Track where each sale comes from and watch key numbers like conversion rate and repeat purchases.
