Best Tips to Build a Winning Customer Experience
The disruptions in the retail world have drastically changed the way customers define a holistic shopping experience. Brands have transitioned into the e-commerce space and found that even the smallest inconveniences in the digital experience can shoo customers away.
This is the importance of understanding customer experience or CX. Since customer experience comprises the entire shopping journey, a well designed CX is directly correlated to higher rates of customer satisfaction.
To put things into perspective, over 60% of brands recognize that customer experience is king in online retail, since a refined CX is able to drive customer satisfaction, positive reviews, repeat purchases, and more.
Designing the best CX can be difficult when you don’t know where to start, so here are some focus-points to create a winning CX strategy:
1) Create a User-Friendly Website
Websites have remained a dominant presence in the digital space, and for good reason. They’re an all-in-one platform to let users know what your brand is about, what products and services you offer, and how they can contact you.
Being as clear as possible with what you have to offer, and showing how credible you are as a brand will help customers understand who you are, and why they should buy from you.
For many, websites are the first impression of a brand – so make sure that it’s not only extremely presentable and concise with the information displayed, but that it’s also fast and has no bugs or issues.
People only spend 15 seconds or less on a website before they form an opinion on whether they’ll browse further or not – make the most out of that short window!
2) Effective Mobile Optimization
Another entry point for customers to access brands is on mobile.
50% of B2B inquiries happen on mobile, and that number is only expected to grow as consumers continue to rely on cell phones for a variety of activities.
When creating your website, mobile optimization is an absolute must. Access speed and design presentation must be consistent between desktop and mobile versions. This helps establish your brand voice to the customer, and can be taken as proof that you treat each channel with the same importance.
3) Personalized Shopping Journeys
Customer loyalty and satisfaction is highly dependent on how much you understand their shopping behaviors & preferences.
As part of the shopping experience, being able to offer relevant content and promotions to the correct customers gives the message that you’re personally engaged and invested in the satisfaction they get from shopping.
Leverage omnichannel platforms that have CRM and Marketing integrations to get a more accurate picture of the types of customers that check your brand out.
Once you’ve gotten a clearer picture of who your customers are, push out suggestions of products to appropriate customers. By doing so, you’re able to build a CX that feels intimate and attentive to your customers.
4) Seamless Online Checkout
An integral part of the shopping experience of a customer is how easily they can check out from your website. Customers have a low tolerance for slow checkout processes, and are inclined to abandon their carts if they find checking out difficult.
Simple improvements such as refining form fields and visible checkout buttons can greatly improve your chances for purchases to be completed. Thus, always remember to keep options such as payment methods as clear and visible as possible so as not to deter the customer from being misled while checking out.
5) Provide Top-notch Customer Service
Engaging with customers after purchases contributes greatly to their overall experience since it’s an opportunity for them to voice out their impressions of the shopping journey that you provided for them.
One popular way to interact with customers is to include chat functions in your website. Aside from social media, e-mail, and cell phone contact details, live chat and chatbots are commonly preferred by customers as ways to directly communicate with brands on their platforms.
By being available on different platforms and being present all throughout the buying process – from pre-purchase to post-purchase – you’re able to bring your brand closer to the customer. In a time where digital interactions are increasingly becoming the norm, interactions that feel real and personal become all the more important to CX.
6) Incorporate Social Proof
One of the best ways to engage your customers is to create a lively community that promotes open and honest communication.
66% of customers prefer to support brands that are able to showcase their credibility through consistently great reviews. This is especially relevant since the e-commerce market is becoming increasingly saturated, and brands are having a tougher time differentiating themselves from each other.
Remember to encourage your customers to leave feedback so as to allow them to help you understand the shopping experience from their point of view. By taking in their suggestions, you’re able to refine the buyer’s journey to accommodate the preferences of your customers, resulting in a more consistent and curated customer experience.
With 73% of customers saying that customer experience is a priority when it comes to making purchases, each step of the shopping journey should be analyzed and optimized.
Starting with your website up until post-sale, you’re responsible for holding the hand of your customer and leading them to the best experience possible. By getting every step of the journey right, you’re able to create an experience that feels complete and convenient for your customers.
Need a one-stop solution to building the best CX for your brand? Try Omnirio out today!
Book a call with us and we’ll help you refine your entire shopping journey!
0 comments