What your business needs to improve the online shopping experience

ECommerce businesses that make online shopping efficient – and a delight for every customer – always come out ahead. Whether you’re selling jewelry to individuals or industrial equipment to large businesses, you need to keep the customer in mind at all stages of the online sales and marketing process if you want to achieve long-term profitability. These are some of the important elements of effective eCommerce and how you can apply them to your business:

Effective communication

It’s important to make sure your marketing, sales, and product information is relevant, concise, and consistent when selling products or services online. This is especially important if you’re a business that deals with a variety of different products that may come in different sizes, shapes, and configurations. For example, if you have web pages, banner ads, email lists, or social media posts that advertise a specific item or sale, and you run out of the product, it’s essential to keep your web presence up to date – across advertisements, email, social media, and of course the eCommerce site itself.

Some eCommerce companies make the mistake simply marking the item as sold out on their website, or worse, replacing the product they advertised with a similar one without informing customers. These tactics may be seen as deceptive and definitely will not inspire trust in your business. No matter what’s happening that affects your delivery of goods or services, whether it’s a shortage, delay, vacation, or temporary closing, it’s important to set accurate expectations. The vast majority of customers will be pleased with your honesty, even if your news about something they wanted to purchase disappoints them.

Luckily, when it comes to alerting customers about realtime changes to your inventory, schedule, and other factors, there are a lot of great software options to make it happen. Companies like InfusionSoft, SalesForce, and Constant Contact offer integrated email marketing software and CRM packages that can help your business track its sales and marketing efforts simultaneously.

Ease

When an individual wants to purchase a product or service online, how easy (or hard) is it to do so? How many hoops do they have to jump through? How many clicks does it take from first seeing a product to completing the purchase? While the amount of clicks and pages a customer should go through depends on the type of product (as more complex and expensive products or services may need space for explanation), less is usually better.

Many eCommerce companies, in addition to selling products or services on their own website, also sell through sites like Amazon and Facebook (through apps like Shopify,) which allow 1-2 click sales when a customer is already logged in. Though sites like these aren’t for everyone (and they will take a cut of your profits) their ease of use may induce a lot customers to buy. Many businesses also create memberships on their own websites, making it easier for customers to purchase directly since their personal information is already on file.

Great Service

Unless you’re already a Fortune 500 company (and even if you are) it’s essential to have high-quality, human customer service representatives that can answer questions and help customers better understand your products. Just because you’re selling online doesn’t necessarily mean you can get away with purely online or strictly transactional contact.

What does the future hold for your eCommerce business?

You don’t always have to have the best, newest, cheapest, or flashiest product (though it certainly helps) – if you have precise communication, amazing customer service, and a user-friendly, seamless eCommerce platform, customers will think twice about switching to a competitor, and they will keep on recommending you to their friends.

Effective communication, ease-of-use, and great service are business principles that have stood the test of time. The only things that constantly change are the specific methods and processes with which they are applied. Successful companies make great use of technology to increase the efficiency of their business, while taking careful measures to remain true to these values.

To learn more about how to make technology work effectively for your business, contact Creative Technology Partners today for a free consultation.

Mobile shoppers want responsive sites that take advantage of mobile screens

ComScore says we’re past the mobile tipping point. We’re not just using our mobile devices to talk, more of us are using them to shop. But our frustration with eCommerce is that mobile sites are far less satisfying than the full website versions.

Statistics show we’d prefer surfing on the go. Google searches conducted on mobile devices have surpassed desktop use. No one argues this: If you don’t have a mobile-optimized website, you’re missing out on a lot of potential business. And if your mobile site can’t be used to make purchases, you’re missing out on even more sales. Here are five responsive characteristics your site needs to drive eCommerce.

1. Google ranks mobile higher

Does your eCommerce site show up near the top of Google searches? The search giant now includes “mobile friendliness” in its ranking criteria. Be sure to read this article to understand what they are looking for. And if you feel that your eCommerce site is ready, head here and let Google give it a mobile-friendly test.

2. Mobile users spend more shopping online

There’s psychology afoot here. Consumer behavior research confirms that credit card shoppers tend to spend more than those with cash. The explanation is that swiping that card has less of a feeling of parting with your money than handing over bills. Studies also have discovered that people who analyze their purchases spend less.

Both of these factors have a correlation with mobile shopping. Online shoppers use credit cards to make purchases and mobile shoppers often shop while doing other things. Many of these tend to be impulse buys.

Fast Company recently cited a study by Adobe Digital Marketing Insights that showed that mobile shoppers spend 20 percent more than laptop/desktop shoppers. This percentage jumps to 50 percent if a mobile shopper is on a tablet device.

3. They want to engage

It’s been shown that mobile users like to use these devices in tandem with other activities. They’ll often search the web for purchases while watching TV, or if they’re stuck in traffic.

It’s an instant gratification thing. If they see an opportunity, they want to act on it. And if it’s a purchase they want to make, they’ll want an interface that’s been made responsive. That includes the ability to ask for help in making a buying decision.

eCommerce sites with responsive mobile versions don’t have to spend as much effort trying to convince customers to make the buy. There’s a high likelihood they came to the mobile site to make the purchase in the first place.

The mobile version of your eCommerce site must take advantage of screen orientation, functionality, and loading time. The easiest way to accomplish this is by making it responsive.

4. The right moment

Mobile devices are interactive communication devices. You can reach customers with the right offer at the right time, based on their physical location. Offers based on geolocation are highly effective. These, combined with responsive formatting designed for smaller screens, as well as the ability to instantly see customer reviews or check social media for recommendations, make mobile eCommerce a potent selling tool.

5. Bust through cart abandonment

One of the biggest reasons online shoppers decide not to make a purchase is because of shipping costs they didn’t anticipate. They’re ready to buy until the price is no longer right.

If your responsive mobile eCommerce site uses geolocation services, you can short-circuit this customer turn-off. Responsive sites take advantage of location services, and pricing can already include the cost of shipping and handling, rather than having it be an unpleasant addition at the end of the process.

Even if they don’t buy …

Shoppers are looking at your online store with their mobile devices. They expect to have an experience that takes advantage of their smaller screen. You can’t ignore this expectation.

Even if you don’t secure the sale, users leave your site with an impression. Is that impression conducive to a positive, measurable return?

If you’re looking to optimize your site for mobile commerce, contact the professionals at Creative Technology Partners. We have the expertise to meet all of your adaptive content needs and optimize a site that will capture and please your customers – on any screen. ]]> http://ctp.us/2016/06/5-responsive-reasons-your-mobile-site-needs-to-drive-ecommerce/feed/ 0