With the massive e-commerce boom, more businesses are selling online than ever. From large brands to newly formed small businesses, there are endless buying opportunities in the digital space. However, this means that any business selling online must determine ways to differentiate itself from the competition. One such way is by providing a unique or excellent customer experience.
Realistically, a high-quality customer experience can help a business succeed in many ways. It helps to set them apart from the competition, engage customers, create customer trust and loyalty, and improve retention and conversion. So, how does an e-commerce business offer this type of customer experience?
Well, we’re here to help. Check out below, where we have put together seven strategies for any e-commerce business to supercharge its customer experience.
How to Improve Your User Experience in E-commerce
1. Omnichannel Approach
Another way to greatly improve user experience in ecommerce is by embracing an omnichannel approach. What is meant by this is essentially seamless interaction across a business’s various online channels. For example, they can buy online and pick up in stores.
If there is no physical location, then this could mean a situation like a customer buying on the website but being able to consult customer service on a social media platform. Customers should be able to complete their business regardless of where they choose to do it.
Moreover, this means engaging with customers across those channels as well. For example, replying to comments and messages on social media pages. This helps to connect with customers and makes them see more than just a faceless entity.
2. Robust Customer Service
With the massive amount of digital traffic, every business needs to ensure that their customer service is expertly delivered. Several factors play a role in creating robust customer service, including:
- Fast and responsive answers
- Adequate resolutions to issues
- Minimal wait time
- Multiple communication channels (email, phone, or live chat)
However, some businesses may worry about the man-hours and finances that go into employing a full-time customer service team for the above. Fortunately, this is once again where AI can be incredibly beneficial.
Tools like AI chatbots and automated response systems can help solve many customer issues very easily and quickly. This helps filter out the customers who need live agent support and helps cut down wait times for those with simple questions or problems.
3. Speed and Response Time Optimization Across All Platforms
Technology advancements have made long load times or buffering a thing of the past in many cases. The reality is that modern tech has brought about an era of instant or fast gratification, and this expectation needs to be met. Customers who come to a website for a product and find themselves waiting or having difficulty completing the transaction will often go elsewhere.
In other words, this means every business needs to focus on optimizing its website and apps for speedy load and response times. This can be done by compressing images, minimizing scripts, optimizing for mobile devices, and more. In fact, mobile optimization is one of the most vital factors in modern ecommerce services, as most online purchases are made from these devices.
4. Loyalty and Rewards Programs
It seems like every business is coming out with its own loyalty or rewards program, and this is for good reason. When customers see that they can earn some sort of value through returning to the business, it makes them want to come back. However, the loyalty or rewards program must be achievable and worthwhile.
Setting massive targets, such as spending absurd amounts of money before getting anything in return, can turn customers off the idea. Some simple targets and rewards can be reasonable for both the customer and the business, such as:
- Free shipping options
- Discounts for a few return purchases
- VIP programs for those who come back frequently
- Point collecting
All these things can build trust and loyalty with customers, making them want to shop with a business again.
5. Transparency and Honesty
Transparency and honesty can go a long way in impressing customers and giving them a good experience. This simply means being clear about what customers can expect from virtually every interaction or purchase with the business. For example:
- Detailed product information
- Clear return policies
- Honest and straightforward advertising
- Transparent delivery expectations
- Details about secure checkout processes
Being clear and straightforward about operations like the above helps customers develop trust in the business. When customers find out businesses aren’t sticking to their own policies or they find it difficult to find the information they need, they may go looking elsewhere.
6. Alignment to Values
Businesses should work to connect with customers based on their values and ethical concerns. This can mean operating with sustainability in mind and making this clear to customers. It could also mean posting about community initiatives or social programs that the business is involved in. Moreover, using storytelling about these values or initiatives can help to greatly connect with customers and make them want to visit or return.
7. Designing Personalized Experiences in Ecommerce
With so many online, e-commerce businesses battling for customer attention, you must show interest in and care about your customers. This can be done in a huge way through personalization—but what does that mean, exactly? Essentially, your business needs to tailor the experience to what the customers want. This can be done in several ways, including:
- Personalized product recommendations
- Individual deals and promotions
- Personal follow-ups
- Email campaigns personalized to customer interests
The best way to begin any sort of personalization to customer experience is by analyzing customer data. This helps to determine the audience demographics, interests, dislikes, and more. This data becomes a foothold for how to be more relevant and personalized to each customer.
Of course, this can be tedious, time-consuming, and expensive to do manually. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) has made this significantly more easy. AI can help sort through and analyze all current customer data to compile all relevant insights, which can then be used for personalization.
Regularly Evaluate and Improve
Don’t forget that as you implement the above, always continue to monitor how your customer experience improves. If you find that customers still have pain points or that further improvements can be made, act quickly. Remember, the customer experience (especially in the e-commerce realm) is a regularly evolving scene and you want to make sure that you are always providing the best that you can.
Providing the Best Customer Experience Through Your e-Commerce Website or App
In modern times, your website or web app will often be a customer’s first point of contact, which means it needs to impress. Fortunately, that is exactly where Graphem Solutions can help. Our team of designers and developers are experts when it comes to e-commerce and customer experience and can help you build the perfect site or app. We will work with you to understand your audience and customers so that we know exactly what is needed.
From web app development, mobile app design, e-commerce, web page design, and more, we have you covered. To learn more about our services, give us a call today at 1-800-590-0175. We look forward to working with you and your business.
