The rapidly transforming trends of the business world have streamlined more and more customers to online shopping. Instead of getting into the hassle of conventional buying, shopping from the comfort of one’s home appeals to many. As much as it will boost your business, maintaining an online customer base in this tech-savvy world is not a small challenge. Customer behavior is quite different in the e-commerce landscape as compared to in-store shopping. It is fragmented into diverse maturity levels that you will have to understand. Amidst the noise in the virtual space that easily distracts the customer, harnessing their interest is crucial to your business. With many other websites offering similar products and services, why should the customers choose you? It is an important question to consider if you want to make your mark in online business. To help you answer it, here are some tips for you.
1. Provide a Visual Search Option:
A search option is the epicenter of an e-commerce website. It is handy in saving customers’ time by allowing them to directly access the required product instead of having them surf the entire online store. The traditional search option works through text, which is the most likely description of the product. But what if the customer does not know how to describe the product? Every second ticking by without a desirable result means an unhappy customer. You have to strive hard to make a hassle-free track to the checkout for your customers. A convenience you can provide in this regard is a visual search option. The customer can upload a picture of their product and get the results within seconds. You can do this by integrating a product recognition system based on artificial intelligence that performs a search by using real-world images. Imagine the immense relief it will bring your customers and, ultimately, increased revenue for you!
2. Make a User-Friendly Interface:
What if your website has fascinating features, such as the aforementioned visual search option, but your customer has a problem accessing it? Your website is practically a shopping store for the customers. In that case, the interface will be a path leading to the store. So make sure it does not become a barrier and hinder their progress to it.
A customer-centered interface is key to attracting more customers and anchoring their interest in your content. If a person lands on your website for the first time and cannot navigate through a product due to the complexity of operations, you have missed your chance of winning them. The customers will hit the back button and flit to some other user-friendly website with similar products.
The user interface should be self-explanatory to ensure a fluid and efficient digital interaction. For this to happen, you should anticipate the need of the customers. Make it clear what will happen if a customer clicks on an option and where it will take them. After viewing a product, if the customer wants to move back to the list, make sure the list starts from where they left. Swiping their way down all over again will frustrate them. With the short attention span of users, you need to simplify your website to retain their interest and refrain from bouncing off your website.
3. Display Customer Reviews:
Many customers are reluctant to give new online stores a shot, especially if they have not heard of that brand before. The biggest hurdle in online shopping is that customers can not physically inspect the product before buying it. To win new customers, you must explore ways to win their trust. Naturally, you will be all praises for your business, but customers won’t be convinced unless they have social proof or word of mouth to validate your claims. One way is to display customer reviews for individual products, including ratings and the remarks that customers leave. About 65% of customers claim they go through the reviews before making a purchase. It will build your brand trust and authentic image of your expertise in front of prospective customers.
4. Allow Convenient Product Return and Exchange:
Customers will be hesitant to try your online business if you have rigid product return and exchange policies. While many businesses show flexibility in exchanging a product, they do not allow its return. If a customer is placing an order for the first time, they will be skeptical about how the product turns out and may abandon their cart before checking out. An easy exchange and return policy will build their confidence in the purchase, convincing them to take a chance. The money-back-guarantee conveys the message of the authenticity of the product. Enunciating that if you fail to conform to the standards, you will return the price to the customer gives them a sense of security. To avoid unnecessary loss, you can outline the conditions like the time until the customer can return or exchange the product and rule out the change of mind excuse. A defined and fair policy will come to benefit both sides.
5. Update Customers on Order Delivery:
The customers would like to know when they will get their product once they have placed the order. So instead of waiting for them to contact, update them on their order status at every step. Drop a message or email after dispatching the order. Also, inform the customers beforehand when the purchase is about to reach their doorstep. It will give some time to the customer to get the amount ready if they have not already paid. You can also cater to this need by working with the carriers who carry out customer engagement. It will take some burden off your shoulders as the responsibility of keeping your customers up-to-date would shift to the carrier company.
Conclusion:
Considering online sales are soaring to the sky, a smooth online channel is mandatory for your business to flourish. The pandemic has also emphasized the importance of e-commerce, where many solely relied on this medium of business transaction. So use technology to create an online path that convinces the customer to make a purchase and temp them to return again and again. It will result in delighted customers that will leave your business booming and your online website with lots of happy reviews!
