\nYet businesses aren\u2019t prioritizing it, as only 49% say companies provide a good customer experience.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a clear gap here and a fantastic opportunity for you to differentiate your brand by providing an excellent ecommerce customer experience that will increase customer loyalty and generate new ones.<\/p>\n
How COVID changed ecommerce<\/h2>\n
2020 marked a noticeable shift in many aspects. Ecommerce was no exception to the rule, with the impact of the pandemic being felt far and wide throughout the market. When such a massive behavior change occurs over a very short time span, it means systems are being thrown off balance. With consumers unable to enter their local brick-and-mortar stores, whether due to restrictions or simply not having the time, they tend to switch to online forms of purchase. This is especially true of the younger, more tech-savvy generations, though older consumers also got in on the action.<\/p>\n In response to this, plenty of retailers upped their delivery game. Curbside pickups, increased number of delivery vehicles, and more flexible means of delivery were heavily emphasized, with ready-to-ship stock also favored.<\/p>\n As mentioned above, the number of those using e-commerce increased over the course of the pandemic and its subsequent restrictions. Something that also increased was the range of consumers using e-commerce.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a common stereotype for those in the older generations to not know how to use new forms of technology. When a new form of technology is introduced, and you\u2019ve grown up and lived without it, you can often carry on and get by just fine without ever learning to use it.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the case in the middle of a global pandemic, especially one to which older people were considered more vulnerable. Whether it\u2019s the elderly learning to use the internet or their children doing it on their behalf, the audience for online purchases definitely got wider as time went on<\/a>.<\/p>\n With the ratio of ecommerce to walk-in stores rising, many businesses found that it was actually more efficient and cost-effective to switch to a pure ecommerce approach than continue using brick-and-mortar stores.<\/p>\n Change is never easy, and though consumers weren\u2019t likely to make the switch themselves simply due to habits, the pandemic was the perfect time to showcase the advantages of pure ecommerce.<\/p>\n The technology used in ecommerce also leaped. Virtual showcases, more detailed descriptions, and even interactive forms of media such as 3D models became widely used to improve the ecommerce customer experience.<\/p>\n Consumers like to try before they buy, a fact that has kept traditional retail stores afloat, but in the age where technology has become so advanced that you have ways of doing that from your living room, there\u2019s very little need for them.<\/p>\n For example, Australian accessory company Bellroy<\/a> leaves nothing to the imagination, showing potential customers what their wallets would look like.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Furniture companies employ 3D models<\/a> that allow you to examine your new comfy chair from every angle to replicate the retail customer experience.<\/p>\n With the shift to online forms of communication, the demand for quick answers and information has shot up.<\/p>\n If you have questions about a product or service, asking in-store has traditionally been the go-to method of obtaining information. With restrictions in place and limited numbers of stores allowing full face-to-face contact, those who ask these questions have had no choice but to turn to online methods of communication.<\/p>\n Fast responses and clarity are the main concerns. If communication is slow and confusing, customers will likely shop with another provider who will answer their questions if a clear and quick answer isn\u2019t provided.<\/p>\n This leads me to my next point.<\/p>\n Customer loyalty declined during the pandemic, especially in pure ecommerce stores.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re walking down the street or through a shopping center, it\u2019s not easy to find the motivation to browse alternate stores when the one you usually go to is lacking.<\/p>\n You might settle for a different brand or a lower quality item instead of taking the time and effort to travel to another store. With ecommerce, that other store is merely a click away. Here are our top 5 ways to do that.<\/p>\n Naturally, the shift in consumer behavior means you will have to switch approaches to running an ecommerce store if you want to satisfy them. This is especially true of customer experience since the lowered loyalty levels mean consumers will likely switch away from your business after having a single bad experience with you.<\/p>\n If you want to keep up with your CX game<\/a> but are unsure where to start, don\u2019t fear! We\u2019ve analyzed five major changes that have seen success over the past few years and cataloged them below so you can understand what they are and how to start using them.<\/p>\n You might think that building an online community is as simple as running social media pages for your brand, but it\u2019s not entirely true. This view doesn\u2019t take into account the nuances of what your audience wants and the values they hold.<\/p>\n Forming a community is less about your business and your products and more about how you shape these to meet the desires of the people you cater to – from Millennials and Gen Z<\/a> all the way to baby boomers.<\/p>\n For example, the younger generations care deeply about sustainability, with more than 50%<\/a> saying that sustainability is important when making purchase decisions. International shoe brand TOMS<\/a> caters to this audience by putting sustainability and the community front and center on its website, with the help of informational videos and articles to educate shoppers.<\/p>\n Older consumers, on the other hand, have been shown to care more about things that affect their own health<\/a> and comfort, including a focus on luxury items that emphasize relaxation and security<\/a> above all else.<\/p>\n The first step is simple – you need to know your audience.<\/p>\n No matter how it is performed, all commerce is limited by what consumers are willing to pay for. This extends to your company, your values, and how the population sees them.<\/p>\n In business, there are no absolutes. You need to change your strategies, processes, and approaches when there is a shift in the priorities<\/a> of the community you serve.<\/p>\n When building a community around a brand, the first area you look to is often more straightforward areas such as social media pages or forums, rather than the expensive and time-consuming process of overhauling your website. This will help you spread the word about who you are and what you do immediately and at a minimal cost.<\/p>\n A brand\u2019s community is all about emotional context and familiarity. Consumers\u2019 attention spans are shorter than ever<\/a>, so try and keep your messaging short, simple, and easy to comprehend if you want to expand your community.<\/p>\n Those who have an emotional connection to your brand<\/a>, and through that to each other, will reach out to you if you make it possible. These consumers are already willing to communicate with you and share their opinions and desires, you simply need to make it happen.<\/p>\n From there, regular engagement, affiliation programs, and creating community platforms where consumers can discuss your brand without your input are sensible next steps. Which of these is most effective and how you should approach them depends entirely on the individual brand in question.<\/p>\n Using social media isn\u2019t just a case of engaging with customers and giving out information upon request; there are actually many facets to it. Four of the main components that can be utilized are:<\/p>\n Each factor brings new information and new ways of improving ecommerce CX to the table.<\/p>\n Social media listening can grant you access to information from posts that both are and aren\u2019t directed at you. In contrast, social media marketing allows you to present new information and opportunities to your consumer base.<\/p>\n Social media engagement allows you to directly connect with your customers in a publicly viewable and easy-to-see way, both forming an emotional connection with them and allowing others to directly witness solutions to possible problems that they can utilize themselves.<\/p>\n Social media reputation management consists of responding to reviews or feedback<\/a> that isn\u2019t directly visible to the average viewer unless they\u2019re looking for it.<\/p>\n Interact with customers in both public and private depending on their preferences. This allows you to go into more detail and have fewer limits imposed by platforms.<\/p>\n Two good examples of social media reputation management in action are FAQs or customer questions on product pages within social media. Questions can be responded to either directly on the page or in a DM to the customer in question.<\/p>\n A good case for publicizing the answer would be to solve a similar issue for others. On the other hand, answering in private can help save face and avoid any potential embarrassment that might arise from certain questions.<\/p>\n While social media listening & marketing can be done formulaically and on a schedule, the other two facets require active monitoring as they\u2019re reactive rather than proactive.<\/p>\n To begin, you need a social media page. Once that\u2019s set up, you should assign duties to your CX team based on each of the four above categories of interaction.<\/p>\n An automated service can do the listening part of social media listening. Later on, it\u2019s recommended that a team member will sift through and analyze the data for actionable insights.<\/p>\n Social media marketing can mostly be done routinely. That said, you should always strive to keep your content fresh and interesting. Using the same templates and information repeatedly will lead to consumers scrolling past you as their brain filters out your posts.<\/p>\n In addition, you need to consider each social media platform\u2019s unique rules and limitations and the audience that frequents them. Tailor your posts to each one rather than simply copy-pasting.<\/p>\n Twitter, for instance, limits your text, so placing some of the information in image form. This will both make the post more eye-catching and circumvents the character limit. The end result is a post that will gain and hold readers\u2019 attention.<\/p>\n Social media reputation management and social media engagement are both far more unpredictable. Consider assigning a dedicated night owl to manage these aspects. Social media runs 24\/7 and won\u2019t stop just because it\u2019s after 8 PM or a weekend.<\/p>\n Another factor to keep in mind is speed. Like a series of dominoes, posts can come one after another, leaving your reputation in ruins. The same dedicated team can spot fresh posts mentioning your brand, respond promptly and avoid any potential fallout.<\/p>\n The idea of a personalized shopping experience is nothing new, it stretches back to the oldest forms of commerce on record. It\u2019s the idea that what customers are exposed to should be relevant to them.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t just a theoretical idea. A vast majority of customers expect a personalized shopping experience<\/a>. And when they don\u2019t get it, they get frustrated. You can guess what will happen next.<\/p>\n Personalization can happen in any form of communication. On your web pages, emails, SMS messages, and more. You just need a platform that can accomplish this magic and a wealth of data.<\/p>\n Here are some of my favorite ways to tackle personalization:<\/p>\n With the increase in online shopping, ecommerce demand and turnover have remained high even with COVID-19 restrictions being a thing of the past in most countries.<\/p>\n Those consumers who entered ecommerce during the pandemic largely did so as a replacement for in-store purchases. They demand instant processing and same-day dispatch where possible. They treat a website exactly like a brick-and-mortar store – a place to find answers and obtain products immediately.<\/p>\n This is complicated by the fact that the pandemic disrupted supply chains all over the world. Ships were stuck in port, flights were grounded, and vans were told not to start. While the gears of global supply have started turning again, various global factors have left it in less than optimal condition.<\/p>\n And this dramatically affects the ecommerce customer experience.<\/p>\n Fortunately, there are several factors you can plan for that allow you to make up for most bumps in the road when it comes to your supply chains.<\/p>\n The first step is to assume that there will be problems you cannot predict or fix yourself, as that\u2019s true of any dynamic involving two or more parties. Once you\u2019ve accepted that, you can begin looking at your supply chains and predicting what obstacles might crop up in your path, then start planning how to avoid them.<\/p>\n There are several things you can do to up your supply management game, all of which involve the use of technology to some extent.<\/p>\n Fear not, for during the course of 2020-2021, alterations were made to supply chain management (SCM) software, and most of the bumps have already been determined and accounted for<\/a> by the experts.<\/p>\n In contrast to the advice given above, if demand is uncertain and you\u2019re not sure if consumers will continue to purchase your products, do not stockpile. Some ecommerce stores have even switched to a model where they order goods from the manufacturer only after a customer has made an order. It may adversely affect the customer experience but will keep you in the black.<\/p>\n When shopping online, consumers are unable to physically see products in person before purchasing.<\/p>\n Viewing a product remotely and fully analyzing its capabilities is an attractive proposition. It saves consumers time and effort while allowing them to view products from all over the country.<\/p>\n It\u2019s long been believed by the general public that when you order online, buyers beware, but creating informative and interactive product pages puts this fear at ease.<\/p>\n First of all, check what the platform you use offers. Some have strict limitations on page size and images, while others allow a more free hand. eBay imposes similar limits, though indirectly, as their pages will cut any description over 800 characters down to 250 characters on mobile devices.<\/p>\n Using your own website will avoid these limitations. But before you run off to the drawing board, consider if the value outweighs the costs and challenges, as creating a website that provides a great ecommerce customer experience can be tricky.<\/p>\n Ultimately, there is no clear line where it\u2019s sensible to switch from a pre-existing platform to your own. It depends on your industry, reputation, and engagement, amongst many other factors.<\/p>\n Once you know your limits, work with them instead of against them. Aim to make your page as informative as possible within the text confines. This can include:<\/p>\n In addition, you should ensure that videos and images of your products are not only accurate but have a sense of scale.<\/p>\n Ideally, when customers view your page, they should be able to imagine themselves next to your product after seeing just the media content, knowing its size and weight, etc. Remember how Bellroy used an interactive slider to change the wallet’s look? Think like that.<\/p>\n Further, as consumers often view websites in other countries, it\u2019s wise to have measurements in multiple units, i.e., in both cm and inches, both pounds and grams.<\/p>\n Lastly, ensure your page is optimized for all devices and operating systems. Customers move around between their laptops, tablets, and phones, and you need to make sure your page looks the part in every possibility to provide to ultimate ecommerece customer experience.<\/p>\n What\u2019s after ecommerece customers experience<\/p>\n The world of ecommerce was shaken up immensely by the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed on the world. Keeping up with consumers’ expectations is difficult, but after reading this article, you\u2019ll better understand how to improve your ecommerece customer experience.<\/p>\n Remember, though, that the world of CX is constantly changing. What once worked may be rebuffed, and what once was reviled may become commonplace.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the decision about how to approach CX and what aspects to focus on is up to you, and there is no absolute right and wrong answer. Different demographics and industries have different needs, and you\u2019ll need to test and figure out what works best in your case.<\/p>\n
\nThanks to being based digitally, ecommerce was able to dodge most of the changes that crushed other forms of trade and, in fact, only increased in market share during this time period, with it hitting 30% of overall UK commerce<\/a> during the lockdown periods.<\/p>\n
\nLet\u2019s review how the digital market rearranged itself to better understand how to provide shoppers with a better ecommerece customer experience.<\/p>\nIncreased demand<\/h3>\n
![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-data.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
<\/p>\nWider customer bases<\/h3>\n
![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-audience.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
<\/p>\nThe switch to pure ecommerce and the demand for interactivity<\/h3>\n
![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-wallet-2.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
<\/p>\n![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-wallet-1.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
<\/p>\n![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-furniture.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
<\/p>\nWillingness to switch brands<\/h3>\n
\nTo keep potential customers in your virtual store, you must provide the best ecommerce customer experience possible.<\/p>\n5 superb tactics to up your ecommerece customer experience game<\/h2>\n
Building a community<\/h3>\n
\nThese people have grown up seeing the effects of climate change and the impact of unsustainable business practices on the world around them. They are willing to pay a premium if it means purchasing from a sustainable source.<\/p>\n![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-toms.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
<\/p>\nHow to build your community<\/h4>\n
Social media interactivity<\/h3>\n
![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-social.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
<\/p>\n\n
How to get started with social media interactivity<\/h4>\n
Personalizing the ecommerce customer experience<\/h3>\n
How to get started with personalization<\/h4>\n
\n
\n![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-ring.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-ringe.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
<\/li>\nDynamic supply chain planning<\/h3>\n
How to get started with supply chain alternatives<\/h4>\n
![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/revuzeblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ecommerce-dynamic.png\" "\\"ecommerce")
<\/p>\n\n
\nIn any case, if you rely on these components or goods as the main facet of your ecommerce business, you will need to adjust prices and margins to account for the increased cost of acquisition. In addition, you need to be prepared for the possibility that supplies will dry up further and stockpile to keep your operations moving while the supply chain issues resolve themselves.
\nOn the flip side, simply because shortages exist now does not mean they will continue to do so. The bullwhip effect<\/a>, as it is called, is a well-known effect that causes supply shortages to be passed up the chain, overcompensating each step until an overabundance is created.<\/li>\n
\nOmnichannel approaches combine all your information into one database, often using cloud software to instantly transfer information. With demand for instant answers and speedy deliveries at an all-time high, knowing precisely what you have access to and where it is located is crucial for an excellent ecommerce customer experience and success.<\/li>\n
\nOverestimating delivery times is often your best bet, especially in cases where the mode of transportation you use experiences regular delays. A customer who expects their order within fourteen days and receives it within seven is a happily surprised one, compared to the opposite scenario.<\/li>\nInformative & interactive product pages<\/h3>\n
How to get started with helpful pages<\/h4>\n
\nAmazon, for instance, imposes a title limit of 250 characters and a description limit of 1,000 characters. In addition, only six photos are allowed in the main part of the listing for any individual product.<\/p>\n\n