Online sales have boomed over the last two years, but that also means the competition’s getting tougher…
There’s no doubt that online shopping has made a huge impact on our lives and for the most part, in an entirely positive way. However, there was a time, not so long ago, when selling products online was something of a novelty. Shopping for products and services was a physical, face to face experience. Businesses that succeeded were the ones that perfected the “in store” experience for consumers. Despite the monumental shift over the past few years in the way we shop, that’s still as true as it ever was. It’s just that now, it’s a virtual experience.
The way consumers shop has changed massively in recent times, but expectations of customer services and assistance are still as high as ever. If they can’t get the help they need “in store”, they will shop elsewhere.
The challenge of running an online store is that you cannot afford to get your proposition wrong. In the days of physical stores and shops, if a customer wasn’t entirely happy with the service they were receiving they would have to leave and find another store, often in a less convenient location. This gave shop owners some margin for error, since location was often a selling point in itself. In the present day, if your online store isn’t up to scratch the competition is literally just a click away.
"There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."
Sam Walton
The key to reaching consumers is personalisation. Here are our top tips for getting your proposition right and improving your online sales.
Send relevant product recommendations in your marketing e-mails.
Offer relevant content and you’re more likely to turn browsing into a sale. Tailoring the experience will help your visitor to navigate what could be a large inventory of items on your website. You could see greater spends and greater return custom. You can tailor your content via platforms that offer API’s. For example, a marketing automation API can automatically add and separate customers into email marketing lists depending on their previous purchases, the purchase amount, or their location. There’s even an API that allows you to peak into their shopping basket if they don’t complete a purchase on your site.
Provide personalised discount-codes. Unique discount codes for each customer are a powerful way to personalise an experience with your business. Nobody likes to think they’re special, only to realise it’s a generic code that absolutely anyone could use! Not only are personalised discount codes good for the customer, they can help you identify who’s engaging with your marketing emails, and you don’t have to worry about the code being distributed unofficially.
Include live chat on your website.
You should be offering a way for potential customers to contact you directly, not only does it add to the legitimacy of your business, but importantly customers can reach you for instant answers to questions that may be stopping them from making a purchase. But, don’t panic about manning the chat, instead outsource your enquiry line to us at Live Web Chat and boost personalisation…not lose it! All our chats are answered by real people. No chat bots.
At Live Web Chat we pride ourselves on never sounding like a call centre.
We’ve put so many things in place to ensure that our service ticks all the right boxes when it comes to a friendly and natural chat style, providing the overall sense that a caller has reached your own in-house team, and not an outsourced chat answering service - Our staff are trained in your individual business requirements, so they can offer genuine, useful help and insights to your website visitors.
Contact us today to find out more about how Live Web Chat can help you convert website visitors into paying clients. You can find out more about what we offer on our website, or by calling us on 01273 741113.