How to reach customers the right way and make every dollar count

With a growth rate of nearly 16% this year in the U.S. alone, eCommerce is considered by many to be fastest growing market sector in the entire world. However, it isn’t just growing in a vacuum – it’s continually expanding its share of the overall sales market, accounting for approximately 8% of all U.S. sales in the last four quarters.

While these numbers are impressive, the influence of shopping online goes beyond a few statistics. It’s a trend that’s already begun to affect the way nearly everyone works, plays, and does business, and as younger generations grow up shopping for nearly everything online, its influence on the world economy will only increase.

While you probably already know that expanding your online sales efforts is essential to the growth of your business, implementing an effective eCommerce strategy can be difficult. With the introduction of new social media platforms, the growing popularity of cloud-based business software, and ever-changing cultural trends, it’s hard to stay innovative while not getting caught up in fads or wasting resources on ineffective marketing techniques.

Let’s review some learn tried-and-true strategies to develop your brand, implement digital marketing techniques, understand your customers, and reach them effectively – all without breaking the bank.

Microtarget a specific demographic

While your business may have a broad demographic as a whole, you’ll have to target one or more specific groups if you want to get the best results online. Internet marketing spaces and social networks are getting more crowded and competitive by the day, so potential customers need to feel like an advertisement or website is speaking to them directly if they’re going to take the time to respond. General ad copy and promotions for everyone don’t work as well in today’s online market – if you’re speaking to everyone, you really could be speaking to no one.

This doesn’t mean you can’t have multiple target demographics, or target different demographics for different products. For example, if you’re marketing a general product like health insurance, you might set up three, four, or five different sets of ads for people of different ages, addressing various concerns that might relate most to their age or lifestyle. If you’re marketing a more specific product, like motorcycle insurance, you’re likely to only need one demographic target – and keeping that in mind, you’ll want to make sure that your motorcycle insurance products are differently marketed and packaged than other insurance packages.

Go mobile

According to Forbes, mobile commerce is growing at a rate of 130% annually, so it’s essential that you invest in a responsive website and eCommerce platform – one that is completely compatible with various types of mobile devices. If it’s difficult to purchase products or find information about your company on a mobile device, you risk losing significant sales to competitors who have painstakingly ensured a seamless mobile experience for their customers.

Targeted email lists

It might sound old-fashioned, but traditional email marketing is still an incredibly effective component of eCommerce. In fact, a recent survey showed that, when compared to other forms of digital marketing, it ranked as both the easiest to implement and the most effective.

Plus, email is a way to get personal with customers: Share with them changes and improvements to your business, as well as offer them specialized deals, sales, and custom offers. If you’re already implementing an effective content marketing strategy (i.e., regularly publishing blogs and posts on Facebook and Twitter) you can augment these efforts by sharing this content through email. Better yet, you may want to create specialized content and sales just for email subscribers as a way to entice customers (or potential customers) to sign up for your company’s email list.

With 91% of customers saying that they’d like to receive emails from brands they do business with, skipping out on email is more than just a marketing mistake; it’s an error which could seriously cost you in terms of lost profit and reduced customer engagement.

When it comes improving your company’s eCommerce strategies, you most likely don’t need to latch on to any passing trends – you simply need to find a few effective, tried-and-true strategies and stick to them.

If you want to learn more about how to craft your business and eCommerce strategies for the digital age, contact the online strategy experts at Creative Technology Partners for a free consultation.

Make sure your site adapts to the way potential buyers are accessing it

If you want your business to succeed in selling products or services online, it’s not enough to have a functioning website – you need one specifically designed with your customers’ needs in mind. This means that the layout, structure, and shopping experience should be as direct and uncluttered as possible, removing any and all barriers to quick and easy purchases. And now that approximately 60% of online traffic comes from mobile devices, it’s crucial that your company’s website is highly functional for on-the-go platforms.

Just how important is mobile eCommerce?

Mobile eCommerce is growing incredibly quickly; and with 80% of customers regularly using their phones to shop online, it’s a trend that your business can’t afford to miss out on. Mobile commerce was reported to represent 30% of all eCommerce in 2015 (approximately $105 billion), making a streamlined shopping experience for these users essential to your bottom line. Plus, over 55% of social media usage occurs on mobile platforms – many visitors coming from your company’s social pages will arrive on these devices.

What is responsive web design?

Responsive web design is the concept that a website should respond the user’s behavior – including the device they are using, the screen’s size, and the screen’s layout, among other factors. Instead of spending the time and financial resources to develop a different version of a website for every new device that becomes popular, many developers recognize that it’s more efficient to simply create sites that mold to the specific environment they’re in – whether that’s a tiny smartphone screen or an extra-large tablet.

Mobile resolution: Not too small, not too big

One of the most important elements in responsive web design is ensuring that your website looks the proper size on different mobile devices. If a site is too small or too large, it can be difficult to read text, identify products, locate online shopping carts, and enter payment information. It’s also important to make sure a website can easily shift from landscape to portrait mode, as device rotation is a key function in devices like iPhones, iPads, and other tablets like the Microsoft Surface.

Make sure images appear correctly by monitoring image size and resolution

Especially if the products you sell are highly visual, it’s important to make sure that images are the correct size and don’t get hidden, cut off, or distorted on mobile. Additionally, high-resolution images that might look amazing on a large desktop monitor may be unnecessarily large on a small smartphone screen, wasting valuable data and slowing down your website. Developers are combatting these issues by using adaptive images that change in size and resolution as needed, to make sure that they fit into different layouts, help conserve data, and maintain mobile internet speed.

Take steps to ensure your site’s overall layout remains accessible

Even if there are a few differences in images and overall resolution between the desktop and mobile versions of your website, the most important thing is to ensure that the overall layout remains accessible to potential customers. Is it easy to see products? Easy to read important pages? Easy to enter payment information and check out? One of the best ways to ensure that the mobile experience on your site is customer-ready is to try it out for yourself. Look up your websites on a variety of different tablets and smartphones to make sure there are no issues, and encourage business partners and employees to do the same thing.

If there are any issues, such as unresponsive or dead links or images that won’t appear, you’ll want to find them before a customer does. Certain errors could significantly slow down your mobile site, drive away web traffic, and even make it rank lower on search engines like Google and Bing.

Mobile shopping more popular than ever and creating a responsive website should be one of the most important goals of any business trying to expand their eCommerce efforts. For more information about how your business maximize its mobile reach, contact the web strategy and design experts at Creative Technology partners today.

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.

It has to be more like the physical experience of shopping.

If you were brave enough to shop online 20 years ago, you had a vastly different experience than you would today. The eCommerce shopping cart was an unsophisticated, invisible space where selections hopefully waited for you to purchase them.

It was as much a guessing game as it was a shopping experience. Technology and competition are starting to change that. We’ve come a long way from the days when it was easier to abandon your purchase than make a basic change, but there’s still a ways to go. It’s the online storeowner’s fear of abandonment that’s bringing innovation to the shopping cart. It’s pushing our online experience even closer to that of pushing a real cart down the aisle.

Don’t leave me this way

eMarketer reports that over 74% of the world’s eCommerce shopping carts are abandoned. In Asia and the Pacific, the rate is close to 76%. That’s a clear message. Stuff is not getting bought, and people are not amused by any experience that’s dictated by inflexible technology.

To be fair, not all abandonment is the fault of the eCommerce shopping cart. Sometimes we just change our minds. More often, though, it’s because the shopping cart just can’t keep from surprising us with unexpected information. And that’s not going to happen if we were walking down the aisle of a physical store.

Why didn’t you tell me that?

Marketing software maker VWO recently conducted a survey of 1,000 online shoppers to find out why they abandoned eCommerce shopping carts. The top reason, cited by 25% of respondents, was the discovery of unexpected shipping costs.

Do shoppers expect a shipping cost? They will unless they’ve already been made to understand there’s free shipping. Should the cost come as a surprise to them at checkout? Apparently, online shoppers don’t think so.

It’s why some online stores have begun to calculate the cost of shipping as shoppers add items to their eCommerce cart. They’re listening to customers, who are saying that the inability to see the total billing upfront is a sly tactic. But there’s a downside to this.

I don’t want to register

The VWO survey found that 22% of shoppers abandoned their eCommerce shopping cart because they discovered it would be necessary to create a new user account to complete the purchase.

For those who did go on to register, 32% said that filling out the same information twice was their biggest sore spot. Discovering too many required fields to fill out was the next largest complaint.

Again, technology usually dictates a stringent process. And it’s often required because of a secure connection to the online store’s credit card processor. Unfortunately, the customer doesn’t want to hear about your technology limitations. It’s why the third largest complaint given by shoppers in the VWO survey was the discovery that the browser’s back button wouldn’t return them to the previous page.

None of your business

Today’s shopper knows that part of the online experience is trading some personal information in exchange for the sale. But these are the days of wholesale data breaches, and individuals are becoming wary about giving out personal information.

Nearly 60% of those interviewed for the VWO survey said they’ve abandoned an eCommerce shopping cart because the website asked for personal information they weren’t comfortable sharing. Over a third of the respondents said they would bail if for some reason they were asked for their social security number.

Conflicting behavior, confused objectives

You start to see the conundrum here. Customers shopping online don’t want surprises. The only way to remove most of these surprises is to collect information from them before they start shopping. But folks aren’t all that thrilled about divulging much information at all.

Where do they go if ‘they can’t get no (online shopping satisfaction)’?

About 18% said they’d just buy it from a physical store. Another 14% said they’d shop around online until they found a website with a better deal or experience. And nearly 30% of those in the VWO survey said they completely gave up and didn’t buy anything at all.

Can the physical meet the virtual?

Shopping at a brick and mortar store may not be more convenient than shopping online, but the tradeoff is the rest of the experience. The level of transparency in physical shopping is something that the online experience still can’t match. It’s going to be the benchmark.

For all the frustrations caused by eCommerce shopping carts, online still has the virtual upper hand.

All is not lost

In fact, not much is lost at all. The abandonment rate may hover at 74%, but the VWO report indicates that 72% of abandoned carts are not irrevocably lost. While we’ve already heard that 18% of those who abandoned their online experience went off to a brick-and-mortar store, 13% came back later and made the purchase anyway. And this is where online shopping carts are making the most innovative strides.

They can do something that few, if any, physical stores can do. eCommerce shopping carts give online stores the ability to quickly retarget customers who abandon the purchase. Nearly 60% of those surveyed admitted that a retargeting ad or email was enough to encourage them to go back and buy a product.

Can the virtual experience be more like the physical one?

The data about shopping behavior and the user experience piles up. It has provided online stores valuable insight by showing that the shopping cart isn’t just an invisible record of what shoppers want to buy; turns out, it’s a huge contributor to the decision-making process. Just because an individual puts something in their basket, it doesn’t mean they initially planned to buy it.

10% of those who participated in the survey said they’ve added things to their eCommerce shopping cart by mistake. An additional 15% said they were only using their cart as an online wish list. Here’s the big one: 45% said they often add things to their cart just to see if the price was inclusive of shipping.

Here’s what these numbers are telling us:

• In real life, your shopping basket is always right in front of you. Abandoned online shopping cart percentages will drop when the online experience can match this. Shopping is a visual experience, and just a text list of what’s in your eCommerce shopping cart doesn’t cut the mustard. Cue the images.

• In real life, a sales associate would (hopefully) be assisting you. This is where online shopping carts can pull ahead. They can monitor what customers intend to buy, and make recommendations for further purchases.

Maybe it’s not really even a shopping cart

Online shoppers expect their eCommerce shopping cart to truthfully tell them how much stuff is really going to cost. That’s something a brick-and-mortar experience can’t immediately do (yet).

They also expect it to be a dressing room, a comparison chart, and even a participant in social media. That’s a pretty tall order, but online stores have no choice but to deliver. The good news is that storeowners are beginning to see that customers don’t buy the excuse that a poor shopping experience is the result of software. Now, the challenge is to transform the technology from an obstacle to a solution.

For more information about creating an effective shopping experience, contact the online strategy and design experts at Creative Technology Partners. We design innovative solutions that will maximize your online impact and ROI.

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