When it comes to running an online business, offering quality products isn’t enough to thrive amidst the growing competition in the e-Commerce industry. The only way your customers will stick around and support your online business for the foreseeable future is to make sure they have an exceptional customer experience — leaving a long-lasting impact on your reputation.
Your e-Commerce website should be user friendly and interactive. This one element can make or break your brand’s impression on customers and their experience. Improving customer experience is absolutely vital to your business’ success.
Charles Moscoe is an angel investor, entrepreneur, and SEO marketing expert. He focuses his expertise on media buys and SEO management.
“e-Commerce websites are by far one of the most effective ways to get your product out there. You have to have an online presence now, that’s the age we live in,” said Moscoe. “If you aren’t marketing online, you stand to lose out on a lot of money. So ensuring you have a good e-Commerce website is absolutely necessary.”
If prospective customers can’t find your website easily nor find what they’re looking for on your website, you can expect that they’ll have a poor impression of your business. Essentially, e-Commerce is about winning the trust of your customers to keep them coming back. The better your website is, the more customers will come back and support your online store.
There are a few different ways that can help you improve the e-Commerce customer experience of your business.
Building a user-friendly website
The customer experience starts when someone lands on your e-Commerce website, which means you have to make sure it’s easy to navigate — even for users who aren’t very tech-savvy. If customers can’t find what they’re looking for on your website, you can expect your potential customers to look elsewhere and end up on your competitors’ e-Commerce websites.
Here are some elements your website should have for ease of functionality:
- Make content easy to read
- Include auto-complete options
- Incorporate product categories
- Related items’ labels should be clear and specific
- Add search functionality
Optimize your website on mobile
More customers use their mobile devices in their daily lives for various tasks, whether it’s scrolling social media or shopping online. According t0 Oberlo, more than half of web traffic in the year 2022 is coming from mobile devices.
That means optimizing your e-Commerce website for mobile use is an absolute must. There are a few things you should consider in terms of mobile-friendly qualities.
- Compress images
- Remove unnecessary widgets
- Use responsive web design
Feature customer feedback
Customers are usually smart when it comes to their purchases, especially when purchasing something online. They’re going to do their research before they make their final decision.
Other than the pros and cons of the product they want, they also look into customer reviews that includes feedback from other customers.
According to Oberlo, 9 out of 10 consumers read customer reviews before finalizing their purchase. You should expect your customers to do the same, which is why you should always have a section on each product page where customers can leave feedback.
“Never underestimate your customers. They’re the foundation of your business, so perfecting their experience is vitally important,” said Moscoe.
Link social media marketplaces to your website
Your customer’s experience on social media like Instagram or Facebook can have a significant effect on your e-Commerce customer experience. These platforms now have marketplaces that allow you to reach out and sell more by linking back to your e-Commerce website.
If you do this correctly, you can greatly ease your customer’s buying journey since they will be directed to the right product page. This eliminates the need to manually find products on your e-Commerce website.
Properly linking your social media marketplaces back to your e-Commerce website will help to build stronger relationships with your customers. This enables them to shop easily, even at times when they were just scrolling through social media.
“Social media marketing is a great tool when it comes to reaching your audience,” said Moscoe. “People are spending more time connected online through social media, so the marketing opportunities are virtually limitless. I highly recommend including social media in any marketing strategy.”
