Consumers are known for searching a variety of ecommerce sites before they settle on one that's aligned with their needs and wants. While the products and services a company offers are very important, customers also want the payment process to be as easy as possible. It's crucial for online businesses to keep clients happy to ensure they return for future purchases and provide referrals to friends and family. There are specific steps organizations can take to establish a sense of contentment from customers.
Focus on existing customers
Frequently, companies will target their marketing and advertising efforts at new clients. It's common for ecommerce sites to want to grow their audiences, but this strategy often doesn't have as many successful results as focusing on current consumers. In fact, such a strategy can end up costing businesses. According to a study from Ipsos, it costs five times more to acquire a customer than to retain one.
By looking at present clientele and truly understanding their desires, ecommerce companies can develop a client base that is comfortable coming back for repeat transactions. Concentrating on loyal consumers will build a sense of trust, making an organization more credible through strong customer service and encouraging people to share their positive experiences with their friends.
"Requiring creation of an online account can make customers wary of an ecommerce site."
Don't require account creation
When clientele visit ecommerce sites, they often come face to face with payment pages asking them to plug in their personal information to continue their transaction. This account creation option, while important for companies looking to gather helpful data from their customers, can be annoying for people who simply want to make a quick purchase. Ecommerce businesses rely on this step to enhance client loyalty and make the checkout process easier in the future, but many consumers just want to add the most essential information and continue on with their shopping.
To avoid the friction and tension associated with account creation, online organizations should make it optional for customers, according to Torque Magazine. Businesses can still use this no-longer-mandatory phase to attract people to sign up, however. One example is offering a promotion or deal for those who do create an account..
Allow various payment methods
Consumers are familiar with ecommerce sites' payment pages. The majority of the time these online stores allow customers to enter their credit or debit information. That's sometimes as far as the payment options go with these companies, however. To improve overall satisfaction, ecommerce businesses should provide clients with a variety of methods for processing their transactions.
While debit and credit still see the most use, offering choices such as Google Wallet or PayPal can make purchases that much easier, especially on mobile phones, according to Practical Ecommerce. These options enable consumers to simply enter account information instead of all the details on their cards.
Allowing a multitude of payment methods will streamline the transaction process for many ecommerce companies while also making buying goods and services easier and faster for clientele.
Offer special promotions
Most people have experienced receiving a coupon or discount code from a retailer for birthdays, anniversaries and other important dates. This tactic can make consumers feel supported and recognized by ecommerce sites, while also giving audiences a reason to return to make future purchases.
Since mobile phone use now accounts for around 50 percent of all ecommerce traffic, it's crucial for online merchants to distribute these offerings in a way that's conducive to their clients, according to Shopify. Similar to offering multiple payment options, ecommerce companies should also disperse promotions in a variety of ways. Sending the coupon in an email is normal, but sharing a discount directly to a Google Wallet account is better. These businesses can make shoppers aware of these opportunities via email and allow them to use their smartphones or tablets to pull up a valuable offer, as well as process their entire transaction.
For ecommerce sites to remain popular in their market, it's important they continue to grow their consumer base while also maintaining their current audience's wants and needs.
