There’s a huge difference between making a one-time sale and earning the loyalty of a returning customer. If your ecommerce store is to thrive and grow, you’ll need more than a string of standalone transactions. Furthermore, the cost of acquiring customers is higher than the cost of retaining them. It’s a better business strategy to focus on impressing and keeping customers, rather than aiming to drive individual sales.
Consider these four ways to truly wow your eCommerce customers and boost customer retention rates over time.
Rewards for Loyalty
Simply put: Let your customers know what’s in it for them. What do shoppers stand to gain by creating an account with your store? What can you do to draw them back for subsequent purchases? How can your store offer buyers genuine value in exchange for their continued loyalty?
As Practical Ecommerce notes, “The best rewards or loyalty programs offer customers an intrinsic reward for continuing to engage with the retailer. This might be free gifts, special discounts, access to exclusive sales, or similar.”
So, figure out what motivates your target customer base. Price-conscious shoppers will appreciate regular discounts sent to their inboxes. Buyers seeking luxury and exclusivity want access to special presales, so they can score your latest high-end products first. First-time shoppers are more likely to turn into repeat ones if you offer them a freebie at checkout.
Responsive Customer Service
With a screen between your store and the customer, it’s vitally important to offer responsive customer service. Online stores experiencing the most success at ecommerce customer service strike a balance between keeping transactions affordable and delivering the human touch. Automated responses cut down the cost-per-interaction and deliver 24/7/365. However, there’s no substitute for having trained specialists on your phone and email system.
Easy-to-Use Website
Retailers with websites optimized for a great user experience earn more conversions. They also experience lower bounce– and shopping cart abandonment rates. Make sure your cloud ecommerce platform enables:
- Load times of a few seconds or less on desktop and mobile devices
- Clear backward and forward navigation controls
- Product pages containing HD photographs and informative copy
- Streamlined checkout experience, including the option to continue as a guest
Conduct regular testing to make sure your website is working well from the customers’ point of view. Anything you can do to simplify and personalize the shopping experience will go a long way toward earning repeat business.
Visible Customer Reviews
Customers like to see social proof before they buy a product. But it’s frustrating to hunt high and low for reviews. Save shoppers a step by posting relevant customer ratings and reviews directly on product pages. People tend to trust other consumers rather than brands anyway. What’s more, many shoppers view access to reviews as a non-negotiable precursor to buying.
Soliciting honest customer reviews—positive and negative—help establish social proof on your website. But remember, consumers oftentimes require a prompt to share their experiences. Send out a short, automated email survey to buyers, asking them to leave feedback.
Great Packaging
Customers expect products to arrive in mint condition, meaning your store must choose durable packaging for order fulfillment in Canada. Consumers also appreciate the ease of frustration-free packaging. In addition to this utility, packaging is a great branding opportunity. Modern technology makes it possible to connect with your buyers even post-purchase, perhaps by supplying a special code to unlock additional online content. Get creative with your un-boxing client experience with personalized boxes for shipping.
Delivery, reviews, website usability, customer service and loyalty rewards are paramount ways to go above and beyond with ways to wow your ecommerce customers.
