When the anticipated revenue in the eCommerce market is poised to reach an impressive US$3,567.00 billion in 2024, the expansion of ecommerce is expected to continue in the upcoming years. Hence, for individuals embarking on a new business venture, e-commerce has the potential to serve as the key to a profitable company.
However, when it comes to engaging and retaining ecommerce customers, ecommerce is more than just showcasing the products online and hoping for favourable outcomes. By current standards, prioritising the delivery of a valuable overall experience to your ecommerce customers holds greater significance. So, the ecommerce experience is not just something nice to have. Instead, it plays a crucial role in setting your store apart.
In this guide, we will explore effective strategies to elevate your ecommerce customer experience. Let’s start with the definition of e-commerce customer experience.
What is Customer Experience?
E-commerce customer experience is exactly the perception of a customer throughout their time in an e-commerce store based on things such as website use, customer service post-purchase experience and more. So, simply put, it is the impression of your customers about your brand across every facet of the buyer’s journey.
Now, if we talk about the significance of customer experience in eCommerce, there will be several factors, including its impact on customer retention, revenue, and overall brand perception. When business professionals were asked about how to win new customers, customer experience or CX ranks top, beating product and pricing itself.
And satisfied customers tend to come back and refer others, making retention cost-effective compared to acquiring new ones. In addition, improvement in customer experience enhances the brand’s reputation and makes the e-commerce store stand out from the competition.
Also, remarkably, a staggering 86% of buyers say that they are willing to pay more for an exceptional customer experience. So, there is no doubt that improving customer experience (CX) can double e-commerce revenue.
Top Ecommerce Trends that are Transforming CX in 2024
Now, in order to deliver the desired experiences, brands must grasp a comprehensive understanding of their customers. Take a look at some of the top trends in e-commerce user experience to get a whole idea.
- Modern online shoppers prioritise the complete digital shopping experience a brand provides over just the product’s usability.
- Mobile users seek the added convenience and the capability to make digital payments.
- Online customers crave a hyper-personalised experience; 75% are more likely to buy from retailers offering tailored journeys.
- Businesses rely on the efficiency of chatbots and real-time responses as customers look for an immediate response.
- Brands strive to perfect personalisation for a seamless, enjoyable experience across all digital channels—social media, email, SMS, and more.
- AI adoption is surging at an unprecedented speed.
7 Customer-centric Strategies to Create a Great Ecommerce Customer Experience in 2024
Research by PwC shows that 73% of people prioritise customer experience in their buying choices, but only 49% of U.S. consumers feel companies deliver a satisfactory experience currently. So, there’s no doubt that improving your customer experience is crucial for your business’s success and growth.
With that in mind, if you are looking for ways to achieve a fantastic customer experience, there are a number of tactics. But before you start implementing, take a moment to figure out the best way.
Prioritise User-friendly Website Design
Effective web design plays a significant role in crafting the customer experience (CX). A sleek and user-friendly ecommerce website design facilitates effortless navigation combined with swift loading times. This contributes substantially to enhancing the overall user experience and retaining visitors to the site.
Key aspects of web design that end up influencing customer experience include navigation, layout, and the overall aesthetics of the site. To illustrate, a website characterised by user-friendly navigation and a sleek, contemporary design facilitates customers in swiftly locating their desired information., whereas a disorganised website can introduce confusion.
Streamlining access to essential information, minimising clicks, and strategically placing features like search bars can enhance the user experience, encouraging repeat visits and reducing aimless wandering on the site.
Provide Outstanding Mobile Experiences
In 2024, the share of retail mobile commerce sales is projected to rise to 43.4% of the overall retail ecommerce sales, marking an increase from 41.8% recorded in 2023.
So, optimising your ecommerce site for mobile can result in a significant surge in sales and conversions, and failing to optimise for mobile can cost your e-commerce store a higher bounce rate and fewer conversions.
To ensure your site works effortlessly on whatever device your customer is using, you can consider the following.
- Make sure that your website’s crucial pages are readily discoverable, easily accessible, and effortlessly clickable.
- Enhance load times by optimising images, trimming site content or employing a caching plugin while eliminating invasive pop-ups and ads.
- You can leverage mobile-specific functionalities, including push notifications and location-based services, to boost user engagement.
- Ensure that your forms support autofill on Android and Chrome, reducing the need for extensive typing by the user.
All these optimisations not only enhance user experience but also entice visitors to prolong their stay on your site.
Invest in Personalisation
With 80% of consumers saying that they are more likely to buy from a company that provides a tailored experience, the fact is customers live personalisation.
Personalisation involves tailoring the online shopping experience to match the unique preferences and characteristics of each customer. It is not just about placing the customer’s name on email messages and running targeted email campaigns; it can be achieved through multiple means.
Suppose you can suggest products similar to what a customer has looked at or bought before or display personalised product recommendations on the home page or product page. Personalisation can also extend to various aspects of the shopping journey, including the website’s design and layout, marketing language or overall brand messaging.
All these require site analytics, heat maps, user testing, and surveys to pinpoint areas of concern for your website visitors before you dive into personalisation.
Have User-friendly Product Pages
Crafting web pages that deliver the best customer experiences for your products or brands is imperative for businesses that captivate customers and motivate them to make a purchase. Using dedicated product pages improves the overall user experience for potential customers because finding a top-notch product that resonates with customers can greatly influence the sales journey.
In order to build a more informative product page, use detailed product attributes such as size, colour, or functions with text blocks, use bulleted features for summarising product information, and add comparative charts for similar products. Elements of a great product page should include,
- Well-written product description
- Clear and to-the-point information
- High-quality product and lifestyle photography
- Clear call-to-action
- Customer testimonials and reviews
- Product blocks to promote related products
- Buying and checkout options
- Shipping and returns information
Engage Proactively and Responsively
In the course of your customer’s journey, there are moments when they naturally seek you out and occasions when it’s crucial for you to initiate contact.
In order to provide precisely what your customers require, you can run regular newsletters and other scheduled email marketing activities. As today’s customers seek swift solutions to their issues and anticipate prompt attention to their requirements without unnecessary delays, you can send direct messages (DMs) and SMS messaging tailored to individual customers and specific audience segments or go for chatbot and live chat interactions for on-site and social media audiences.
By offering suggestions or prompts on how to further engage with your brand and initiating follow-ups with actions such as post-purchase surveys, sending cart abandonment emails, and implementing exit-intent pop-ups, you can significantly enhance the likelihood of customer interaction.
Give Attention to Your Site's Checkout Process
Simplifying the procedure by ensuring it is fast, easy to understand, and clear about expenses can significantly boost user engagement. Thoroughly research and assess the various payment technologies and adopt them while taking into account the needs and preferences of your target audience.
You must provide customers with more payment options to make it easier for them to purchase products from your site. Even if credit cards and debit cards remain the preferred choice for most customers, there’s a rapid and widespread adoption of mobile payments and other alternative options as well.
You have to make sure that the payment process is not only secure but also complies with regulatory standards. Ensure the shopping cart remains visible on every page for seamless navigation.
Share Rich Content
Content serves not only as a customer acquisition tool but also as a continual resource for obtaining expert advice on a particular topic. A consistent product content strategy fosters confidence, empowering customers to make well-informed purchasing choices, and ultimately results in heightened customer satisfaction.
In order to create a rich product content strategy, first know who your target audience is. Try to diversify your content with a range of formats, from engaging blog posts and exclusive interviews to eye-catching infographics and beyond. Make sure to deliver more relevant content on a regular basis. This ensures your customers stay engaged and stay informed about the latest updates from your brand.
So, there you have it.
With the help of these customer-centric ways, you can enhance the customer experience for your eCommerce brand and boost your ecommerce success.
