Account-Based Marketing Tactics That Work for eCommerce Businesses

Account-Based Marketing, or ABM, has always been talked about in the B2B world. Big contracts, long sales cycles, all that. But here’s the thing—it works in eCommerce too. Not every customer is the same. 

Some buy once and disappear. Others come back every week, or place huge wholesale orders, or turn into brand advocates without being asked. ABM is about spotting those accounts and treating them differently.

It’s not about blasting the same campaign at everyone. It’s about focus. The payoff is worth it: 87% of marketers say ABM beats every other investment for ROI.

Why eCommerce Needs ABM

Most eCommerce growth playbooks are built on scale and automation. That works fine for volume, but the truth is a small group of accounts usually drives the bulk of revenue. Wholesale partners, VIP customers, repeat subscribers—these folks are the backbone.

ABM helps:

• Pinpoint those accounts early.
• Craft campaigns they’ll actually care about.
• Lift loyalty and order values at the same time.

And the data backs it up. Companies using ABM see a 171% jump in average annual contract value compared to those that don’t.

Step 1: Spot the Right Accounts

The hardest part? Defining who really matters. In eCommerce that might be:

• Top spenders way above your average cart value.
• B2B buyers with regular, predictable orders.
• Resellers and affiliates who influence whole groups of customers.
• Highly engaged shoppers who click, share, and talk about your products.

Once they’re identified, split them into tiers. Top tier gets your best effort. Mid-tier gets something solid but not as resource-heavy. The rest—automated but still personal enough.

Step 2: Personalize Without Being Creepy

ABM lives or dies on personalization. And no, not the “Hi [First Name]” type. Real personalization looks more like:

• Product bundles crafted for a shopper’s buying habits.
• Loyalty perks or discounts that feel earned.
• Wholesale-specific landing pages with adjusted pricing.
• Seasonal catalogs or lookbooks sent only to select groups.

Personalized content isn’t just nice—it’s the backbone of ABM. 79% of companies running ABM say it’s their go-to strategy.

Step 3: Hit More Than One Channel

If campaigns only show up in inboxes, they won’t stick. High-value accounts need to see you in a few places. Some of the most effective moves for eCommerce are:

• Paid ads retargeted off browsing data.
• Account-focused social campaigns.
• Email drip sequences that shift based on behavior.
• Direct mail or small gifts to top-tier buyers.
• Private online events for wholesale clients or affiliates.

It’s about being present, without being annoying, where it matters.

Step 4: Watch Behavior, Move on Signals

Timing is everything. ABM lets you jump in when accounts are most open. For example:

• Send a special offer if a wholesale buyer’s volume drops suddenly.
• Retarget cart abandoners with incentives tailored to their tier.
• Track high-value accounts lingering on specific product categories.

That edge matters. Accounts influenced by ABM campaigns move through the funnel 234% faster than the rest.

Step 5: Get Sales and Marketing on the Same Page

ABM falls apart if sales and marketing don’t talk. For eCommerce, this usually means marketers syncing closely with whoever handles VIP or wholesale accounts. When the two sides align, things get smoother:

• Agreement on which accounts deserve focus.
• Shared notes on customer behavior.
• Messaging that doesn’t feel fractured.
• Clear metrics so no one’s flying blind.

Companies with tight sales-marketing alignment always report better ABM ROI. It’s not optional—it’s the price of entry.

Step 6: Offer Something Exclusive

One simple tactic that consistently works is exclusivity. People like to feel they’re on the inside. High-value accounts respond well to things like:

• Early access to new products.
• VIP-only bundles or limited deals.
• Invitations to private shopping events.
• Tiered loyalty rewards that grow over time.

These touches do two things at once—increase purchase frequency and deepen emotional buy-in.

Step 7: Track the Right Numbers

Measuring ABM isn’t about broad traffic. It’s about whether the right accounts are growing. Metrics that matter most in eCommerce include:

• Revenue per account.
• Repeat purchase rates.
• Average order value.
• Engagement with campaigns.
• Speed of decision-making for wholesale buyers.

That kind of focus makes it easier to double down where it’s working.

What Trips Brands Up

ABM is powerful, but it’s not without its headaches:

• Costs: Personalized campaigns can get expensive. Save the heavy lifting for top accounts.
• Data issues: Bad or incomplete data ruins personalization. A decent CRM is worth the spend.
• Scalability: You can’t do ABM for everyone. Keep it to the top 5–10% of accounts that drive most revenue.

Solve these problems early and the whole process runs smoother.

Final Word

ABM isn’t just for enterprise B2B giants anymore. In eCommerce, it’s a smart way to squeeze more value from the accounts that matter most. By combining personalization, multi-channel engagement, intent-driven timing, and loyalty programs, brands see not just bigger orders, but longer-lasting customer relationships.

The data proves it: higher ROI, faster sales cycles, bigger contracts. The smart play is to start with a few top accounts, refine, then expand. Over time, ABM shifts a business away from transactional selling toward deeper, more profitable partnerships.