The Heart of Your Business: Why Customer Experience Matters

Why bother with your customers’ feelings ? You could drop your prices and wait for them to take the bait. Or, you could take a different approach : establish yourself as a shop that sells products of the highest standard.

However, price and quality are not the only factors influencing purchasing decisions. 

According to a Forbes Insights and Arm Treasure Data survey, 74% of consumers declare that they buy based on experiences alone, and 77% consider customer experience as important as product quality.

What if we told you that 86% of customers would pay more for a better shopping experience?

This stat, taken from a study by American Express, is eye-opening, especially if customer experience has not always been at the forefront of your company’s priorities.

Improve Customer Experience at Your Online Store: What Makes a Digital Experience Great?

Many mistakenly think that customer experience is restricted to brick-and-mortar stores. It exists in the digital world too! It is tricky to consider something that subjective when creating listings, but this strategy allows you to thrive on marketplaces and sets you up for long-term success .

How? By increasing sales in the short term and fostering brand loyalty in the long term.

Ecommerce Customer Experience is a broad concept. It encompasses all the engagements, feelings, and experiences a client might have when interacting with your online store. This means all your online endeavors , not just your marketplace listings and the current purchase. Every detail counts!

Improve Customer Experience at Your Online Store: Understanding the Customer Journey

To be a successful ecommerce seller, paying attention to your customer’s digital journey is essential .

Think of it as a path of interactions with your online store: each step provides a chance to give your client a positive experience. You need to understand how your customer thinks and use that knowledge to provide a smooth, pleasant, and effortless shopping experience. Note that the customer journey is not always linear, and a customer can return to earlier stages at any point:

Understanding the Customer Journey #1: Pre-purchase

This is the stage in which potential customers become aware of your offer .

• They get acquainted with it and consider buying your product.
• They first do some research, which might include reading about your products, visiting your website, comparing your offer with other sellers’, reading reviews, etc.
• They also assess and consider multiple factors, such as the price and quality of the product and delivery and return conditions. 

Understanding the Customer Journey #2: Purchase 

Once a potential customer has decided on a product, they will complete the purchase by adding an item to their cart, typing in their shipping information, and completing the payment, thus completing the checkout process.

Understanding the Customer Journey #3: Post-purchase

After the purchase is complete, the customer receives the product. This stage includes the actual delivery of the item and any follow-up customer service . After receiving their product, customers may purchase it in your store again or recommend your brand to others.

Need ideas and strategies to improve your customers’ online experience? We broke it down into easy-to-follow ideas on what to improve at each stage:

Improve Customer Experience at Your Online Store: Avoid Bad Customer Experiences

Once bitten, twice shy. Like in love, first impressions count in sales : your ecommerce business’s success is closely tied to it. 

Bad customer experiences will cost you, quite literally. Not only does it directly affects your sales, it dramatically harms your reputation. One in three consumers (32%) say they would walk away from a favorite brand after a bad experience. According to research by Temkin Group, 86% of those who received a great customer experience were likely to repurchase from the same company.

Improve Customer Experience at Your Online Store: Customer Retention Matters

You should appreciate each new customer . However, the loyal, returning customer should hold a special place in your company’s heart!

According to a 2021 study by Invesp, the cost of acquiring a new customer can be up to five times higher than retaining an existing one.

Ecommerce businesses need to focus  on customer retention strategies to increase profitability and sales. Just like in long-term relationships, they should be thoughtfully nurtured.

A Match Made in Heaven: Customer Experience & Customer Service

The customer experience (CX) and customer service (CS) are related but distinct ecommerce concepts.

Customer experience refers to the overall perception of a brand or a company, including factors such as the website or app’s ease of use, product selection, and shipping options. It covers the customer’s entire journey when interacting with a business, from browsing to purchasing to after-sales support. 

On the other hand, customer service focuses on addressing and resolving customer inquiries and issues. This includes answering questions, processing returns or exchanges, and handling complaints. 

Both are essential in maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty; customer experience is a more holistic concept that includes the customer’s overall relationship with a brand. Customer service is focused on addressing specific needs and problems as they arise.

Conclusion: Make Your Customers Fall in Love With Shopping

Treat your client like your Valentine every day. If you want to show your online customers how much you care about them, show commitment. It might set you apart from other sellers! Take time to listen to your customers’ needs and include their feedback in the improvements you roll out to your online store.

Be hopeful, even if you need to make changes; after all, relationships evolve. Think of them as an opportunity to increase customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately – sales. Remember to be consistent with the quality of the shopping experience you provide. 

Many adjectives describe love just as well as they describe perfect customer service. Devoted, true, endless, passionate… customer care equals a blissful customer experience! The challenge is to provide first-rate service all year long and to optimize your resources while doing so. We prepared a few easy tips to help you improve shopping experiences in your online store.

Show your customers appreciation. Not just on Valentine’s Day. Every day.

FREE download

Related Posts:

How to set up an eBay store: key facts & FAQs

Top selling items on Amazon in 2023: what to sell online right now

5 hot tips to boost summer sales online: beat the ecommerce holiday slump