The Ecommerce industry seems to be on a never-ending upward trajectory around the world. As online shopping evolves and becomes a thing of necessity as well as desire for customers, it’s safe to say that launching an Ecommerce business is more lucrative than ever. However, ensuring success and even staying afloat in such a competitive industry can be a difficult challenge.
After all, with more market value comes an influx of new competitors and brands set on conquering the Ecommerce realm. If you are to survive and thrive in the years to come, you need to follow the latest digital trends and focus on improving CX across the board.
Customer experience is the foundation of success in the competitive Ecommerce world, so let’s take a look at the five trends and tips that will guide you to long-term growth and success.
Leverage the power of upselling
Speaking of personalization and curated deals, nowadays you need to inspire and incentivize your customers to add items to their carts. Not just for the sake of sales, but in order to show them that your store is full of products tailored to their needs. This helps build trust in the brand and improves its relevance in the eyes of the customers.
While upselling used to be a chore, nowadays all it takes is to install a handy Shopify upsell app that allows you to create custom offers for your customers, track important sales metrics, and utilize various complementary features. Ultimately, upselling will help you increase your average order value while also helping you build a relevant and authoritative brand your customers will trust.
Human interaction in the now
The modern customer leads a fast-paced life. Even if the majority of your demographic are sedentary individuals with plenty of time on their hands, that doesn’t mean that they have the patience to wait around for you to reply to their email. No, the modern customer demands real-time interaction.
You cannot hope to force a customer to send you an email if they want to chat, nor can you force them to send you a message if they want to give you a call. If you try, you might end up alienating them for good.
Instead, you need to adopt a comprehensive communication strategy that will allow you to talk to your customers on their own terms. Make sure to utilize all avenues of communication including website chat, audio and video calls, direct messaging on social media, email, and even SMS.
Hyper personalization is becoming the norm
With so many Ecommerce brands out there competing for dominance in their niches, it’s safe to say that personalization is becoming a bigger selling factor by the day. Simply put, customers will not waste their time on Ecommerce stores that don’t address their unique needs and tailor the experience to their preferences. If you want to succeed, then you need to start adopting hyper personalization into your CX strategy.
There are many ways you can approach personalization, but it all starts with gathering the right insights. You need to leverage all of your analytics tools and even big data analytics to collect and collate vast amounts of industry data quickly. This will allow you to generate meaningful reports and craft accurate forecasts.
What’s more, with the right information in your hands, you can personalize everything from your communication and marketing to sales and PR. You can even improve CX through hyper personalized website experiences where every customer will see a different version of your site based on their interests and browsing history.
Building an omnichannel sales approach
Much like you would build an omnichannel communication strategy, you should expand your sales approach to all customer touchpoints in the online world. Nowadays, not everyone will want to go to your website and follow the steps to complete an order – they might want to order on social media or via phone call.
You need to integrate a reliable inventory management system that allows you to receive and manage orders from a variety of sales channels. This will not only increase your conversions, but it will also show your customers that you’re ready to take their order at any time, anywhere.
The importance of brand values
Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind that the modern customer will not buy from just any brand. They need to trust you, and they need to make sure that you stand up for the right causes and values. Sharing the same values with your customers is paramount for long-term success, especially in this age of sustainability.
Make sure that you support the right causes and build a sustainable supply chain on the foundation of eco-consciousness, equality and fair pay, as well as a positive company culture.
Wrapping up
Ecommerce is constantly growing, and that means that the industry is getting more competitive every year. If you want to ensure long-term success for your store, you need to focus on improving customer experience. Use these tips and trends to redefine your relationship with your customers and set the stage for continuous growth.
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