Creating a good customer experience is key to the success of a business, and online enterprises are no exception to this rule. Many business owners fail to realise that customer experience matters every bit as much in the online dimension as it does in the real world, and fail to create a positive experience that converts and retains customers. In order to achieve success with your online business, you should make the most of every virtual touchpoint to convert as many prospects as possible and build a loyal customer base. Let’s take a look at how you can create a great customer experience from start to finish.
Pre-Purchase
Online businesses deal with customers in a different way than brick and mortar stores. When you’re selling from behind a screen, you are reliant on web design and content marketing to make a great first impression.
Your Website
Your website homepage should be visually appealing and reflective of your brand. Then, your web design should be easy-to-navigate so that people can find what they are looking for quickly and easily. You should also have a “shop” or landing page that provides a lot of information about your product and experience.
Content Marketing
Of course, before your customers arrive at your website they may discover you through your content marketing. They might find one of your blogs or videos on Google when searching for information, join your Facebook group or see you pop up on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Your content marketing should be informative and helpful, and convey your brand message and values accurately. Use your content to create a great experience for your audience, whether that means answering a burning question, educating them on a new concept or helping them to understand which products or services will help them solve their problems.
Shopping and Purchasing
Browsing
Make it easy for your customers to search and shop by providing categories, filters or a “shop by” section where they can choose the type of product they are looking for. This will help ensure that your customers have a great experience shopping on your website, and they will be more likely to come back again!
The Checkout Process
The checkout process is the last stage of converting your website visitor into a paying customer, so make it as seamless as possible. It’s also one of the most crucial – research by Nosto found that a complicated or inefficient checkout process is the third most common reason why customers abandon their carts.
Offer different payment processing options and provide the option for customers to create accounts during checkout, or to sign in with social media if they already have an account on your site.
You should also offer phone support in case people get stuck along the way; this will make them feel like you appreciate their business and want to help.
Once a customer does pay, send a confirmation email letting them know that their order was placed and when it will arrive.
Then, in the days following delivery of their products, check in with your customers via social media or an email survey to make sure everything arrived as expected. This is another opportunity to make a good impression and build trust with your customers.
Post-Purchase Care
Finally, once the transaction is complete you need to provide excellent post-purchase customer service. Follow up with customers who haven’t purchased from you yet to let them know what they can expect if they become a customer of yours because this will build trust and show that you care.
You can also use social media to check in with current or past customers and offer help if they need it. This is a great way to show appreciation for your customers and to help them get the most out of their purchase.
Remember that what you do after someone has purchased from you is just as important, if not more so, than the rest of the customer experience.
Summary
In order to achieve success in today’s digital marketplace, you must make sure that your website provides an excellent customer experience. Content marketing shows online shoppers exactly what you offer, whilst good web design makes it easy to find their way around your site. Your purchasing experience should involve as few steps as possible and you should follow up with customers via email after they have made a purchase.
The way we do business may have changed, but a great customer experience remains key to your company’s success. When your business puts in effort to create a great customer experience throughout every step of their journey, you will have loyal customers for life.
