14 of the Best Ecommerce Customer Experience Tips

Online sales accounted for a whopping 18% of 2018’s total retail sales in the UK. That’s a huge 7% increase in just 4 years, demonstrating the impressive growth of ecommerce. But with millions of ecommerce stores and sellers out there, you’re competing with thousands of others for a limited audience.

So, how can you stand out amongst the millions of competitors? Just like any other business venture, great customer service is the best strategy when it comes to generating business. After all, a happy customer makes a happy company.

In this post, we’re going to help you boost your bottom line with 14 of the best ecommerce customer experience tips for every business…

1. Make the most of social media

There are around 3.2 billion daily active social media users worldwide. That’s a huge potential audience that you could be missing out on if you’re not utilising social media. The statistics speak for themselves. Reports suggest that online stores with an active social presence see around 32% more sales than those without.

To achieve this, dedicate some time to building a loyal social media following, interacting regularly with your followers and customers – and watch as your sales reflect your efforts.

2. Stay consistent

Just like going to the gym or eating healthily, the best results in ecommerce come when your efforts are consistent. There’s little point putting in the effort to create a substantial social media following, or booking the best influencers for your marketing, if your strategies aren’t consistent. Make sure your brand message is the same across all platforms for a clear image.

3. Optimise your checkout process

A lot of customers lose interest at the checkout and abandon their purchases if things get a little complicated. Studies suggest that around 1 in 4 shoppers have abandoned their cart during checkout if the process seems too long or complex. Checkouts should be streamlined as much as possible, with transparent pricing for delivery, a range of payment options and a clear display of information for products that are being purchased.

4. Introduce personalisation

Personalised shopping is a relatively new trend, offering customisable ecommerce customer experiences to increase sales and improve brand awareness. Whether it’s targeting a specific audience, changing your home page depending on the user’s location, or offering recommended products based on past purchases, personalised shopping is a proven way of increasing sales.

5. Focus on customer loyalty

Once you start building a following and growing your customer base, the next challenge is to keep those customers around long-term. Customer experience is central to improving loyalty, which – in turn – could see customers recommending your products or services to their friends or family.

Consider loyalty reward schemes for repeat customers, whether it’s a points system or exclusive discount codes delivered by email. These techniques will make your customers more likely to stick around by improving their experience in the long run.

6. Increase usability on mobile devices

With around 78% of Brits using their mobile phone for online shopping and Google now using mobile platforms to inform their SERP rankings, it’s more important than ever to make sure your mobile website is optimised and user-friendly.

7. Pay attention to customer reviews

No ecommerce site is perfect. Without taking note of customer feedback and reviews, you could be missing out on some crucial areas of improvement for your ecommerce customer experience.

Rather than paying attention to what your competitors are doing and how you can raise your standards to meet theirs, focus on what your customers are saying. These are the opinions that matter most when it comes to improving customer experience and boosting sales.

8. Offer great content

The content you have available on your website should be enticing, relevant and optimised to boost your search engine rankings. Not only can great content increase your website traffic, it can also make your site more sharable, which can improve your reach.

9. Use data effectively

There’s little point gathering user data to improve your site if you aren’t using your findings effectively. Consider which pages users visit, where they’re being led on your site and whether any pages cause a lot of customers to leave. This will give you a much better idea of the customer journey – and how you can optimise it.

10. Test your website

Once the website is up and running, a number of brands simply stop there, focussing on marketing and improving sales. But in order to have a great customer experience, you should be constantly improving your site as customer needs grow. Testing individual pages, designs and functions before implementing them on your site is a quick and easy way to make sure you’re generating the best results.

11. Look to the future

The world of ecommerce is constantly changing. And you should be too. Failing to adapt to changes can leave you at a huge disadvantage when it comes to competing for customers. Stay on top of all the latest tools and technology, whether it’s new payment methods or social media trends.

12. Build a solid reputation

Without a positive reputation in the ecommerce world, you could find yourself with a very small and dwindling customer base. Customers are more than happy to return to a brand that leaves a good impression – and recommend them to friends.

13. Maintain a passion for your brand

If you don’t care about your products or services, your customers won’t care either. Your brand should be something you care about, and that you believe can benefit your customers. Convincing shoppers to buy your product or use your service will be much more successful if it’s something you’re fully behind.

14. Utilise technology

Modern technology is primarily there to improve the lives of users. If you fail to utilise technology within your ecommerce business, you could be missing out on huge potential. Whether its implementing artificial intelligence (AI) for a handy chat bot, or making the most of social ecommerce, technology can be your best friend when it comes to great customer experience.

Read More: 18 Crucial Stats & Facts for Ecommerce Aficionados