One of the biggest challenges many online stores face is their inability to strike a chord with their customers.
The reason behind this is not far-fetched.
Most businesses do not have an effective customer strategy when marketing their products on the internet. This can be frustrating for both buyers and sellers. You need an excellent digital experience if you want your business to thrive in today’s world of e-commerce.
Websites are not well designed
A well-designed website is a crucial part of the online shopping experience. It should be simple, clean, and easy to navigate. Responsive across all platforms – desktop, laptop, and mobile device
This will make it easier for customers to find what they need on your site.
Product content is not good enough
Content is the heart of your online store. It’s what will make you stand out in the sea of competitors. To convince customers to buy from you and helps you rank better in search engines.
According to Shopify’s State of Ecommerce Report,
- 86 per cent of consumers take action after reading a company blog post or article
- 69 per cent of consumers report that they visit an online store because they were referred by another website or article
This means that if you want your store to be found on any search engine, you need good product content!
No focus on the customer buying experience
It’s not enough to create a good website. You need to build a great customer experience. Focus on making it easy for your customers to find what they want and feel like they are being listened to.
If you don’t take the time and effort right now, you will lose out in the long run.
Also Read: How e-commerce merchants can capture growth in international markets
Here are some key areas where you can improve:
Make your site mobile friendly
According to Statista, mobile internet usage stood at 4.32 billion in 2021!
So, if your site isn’t already optimised for this trend (i.e. doesn’t look good on mobile devices), then it’s falling behind the competition already.
Be open with your customers
Win over consumers’ hearts by being open about their products before and during purchase. Share details about shipping times or return policies. Do not let customers wonder what will happen next after placing their orders. Build trust levels.
Online stores do not use social media marketing strategically
You might be wondering how the heck social media marketing can help your online store. Well, it’s a relatively simple concept: Social media is an opportunity to reach a wider audience and build your brand.
Social media marketing can also help you share your company’s story with people who have already bought from you, in addition to introducing new customers to what makes you unique.
To start making the most out of social media for your business, consider these five tips:
- Know your audience
- Determine what you want out of your social media marketing
- Set goals for each platform
- Strategise a content plan (and stick to it!)
- Don’t forget about customer support
Email marketing is under-utilised
Build your list and grow your audience through email marketing. Use it to bring customers back to your store, which will increase traffic, resulting in having them buy more from you.
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways for people to receive information about products and services they may be interested in purchasing.
Yet, many online retailers do not take advantage of this powerful tool because they do not know how or where to start their campaigns.
Online stores do not have a unified communication strategy
A unified communication strategy is crucial for any business that wants to communicate internally and externally. This involves the integration of all forms of communication channels.
Emails, social media, live chats, voice & video calls, screen sharing, smart and instant messaging, and video conferencing.
When these pieces are properly orchestrated, you can create a seamless experience for your customers and employees.
Provide a truly omnichannel experience enabling customers to interact with your store using their favourite channels.
Do you know your customer?
This is a crucial first step in any online marketing campaign. It gives you the ability to understand what they’re interested in and what would appeal to most of them.
Understanding your customer base can help improve customer experience, increase sales conversions, and create content that resonates with the target audience.
Also Read: Big wins for small businesses: Supercharging growth with online content
To gather information about your customers, look at their interests and preferences based on their shopping history.
You could use third-party data sources like Google Analytics or Facebook Insights, which provide valuable information on demographics such as age range and gender. It could also tell more about how best to reach them using digital channels such as social media.
There is no conversation with the customer
Customer service is the single most important aspect of running an online store. Simply put, if you don’t have good customer service, no one will buy from you.
But there are many ways to define good customer service. For example:
- It’s not just about answering questions. It’s also about listening to the customer and solving problems promptly.
- Customer support should be proactive. Reach out to start helping them with their issues.
The digital experience is not personalised
Personalisation is a customer service that is very important to customers. Customers want to feel like they are being listened to and cared for.
It’s no surprise that personalisation has become an important part of the online customer experience.
Customers want personalised experiences – from being greeted on every visit or receiving relevant offers based on what they have bought in the past to having access to live chat or 24/7 availability if they have any questions about your order.
Improve your online marketing strategy by following these methods
- Focus on the customer buying experience.
- Provide a live chat feature (web widget).
- Keep building your email list. Do this by using pop-ups, exit intent pages, or other forms of digital marketing methods to sign up.
- Unify communication channels. It’s important to understand where your customers are and what device they use to ensure that you send them relevant information — on desktop, mobile, or tablet.
Key to a successful online store
Find your niche. The more specific you can be, the more focused you will be on your audience, and the easier it will be for them to find what they’re looking for.
The best thing about online stores is that they are there 24/7, so people can shop whenever they want! As much as it’s important to have a brilliant website store, it’s highly recommended to provide them with an outstanding personalised service.
Today’s customers have high expectations for digital experiences online. Bridge them with communication tools that create amazing customer experiences, not only for the customer but for your team.
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The post Why do most online stores fall flat and how you can improve it? appeared first on e27.