Whether you run an omnichannel retail business, an independent Etsy store, or a pure-play eCommerce site, optimizing customer touchpoints is an eminent aspect of your strategy for online conversions.
There may be dozens of customer touch-points that dictate your conversion and retention rates. Just having a great product, great service, or great communication may not always do the trick.
Touch-points such as website pop-ups, billing processes, and customer reviews may have a larger than expected impact on your business.
In this post, we look at 5 nifty questions to ask yourself if you wish to optimize your customer touchpoints in order to boost online conversions.
3 Reasons Why Sales Performance Is Important For Online Stores
1. Planning And Administration
A well-connected and centralized sales performance system gives you the right data and context such as geographic data or historical performance to help you create better marketing plans.
2. Compensation Planning
As a business, you want to get the most bang for your buck, but you need to strike a balance between cost and complexity. Over expenditure can hurt your bottom line, but spending too little will not give you quality sales reps. Your sales performance will give you the data you need to strike a balance between the two.
3. Sales Execution
Once you have all the data on your sales performance, you can modify your marketing and sales plan and work towards executing them to drive more sales.
5 Questions To Ask For Boosting Online Conversions
1. Do They Know You?
Getting your name out there is imperative. People should be aware that you exist. At this stage, social media reach outs, content marketing, external advertising, and email marketing should be the top priority. It is advisable to strategize your marketing activities based on reach, penetration, and geographic locations. Conduct comprehensive research and survey a sample audience. Find out their surfing habits, rival brands that they use, and what strikes their fancy. This will help you integrate custom messaging in touchpoints, which will boost online conversions on your eCommerce store.
2. Do They Remember You?
They know you, but do they remember you? Conveying the message that you are an online store is the first step in building a successful eCommerce store. Let your domain name do the talking! Your domain name needs to convey two things – your brand identity, and the fact that you’re selling. For instance, www.emirates.store clearly implies that it is an online store. That’s a memorable brand name!
3. Would They Buy From You?
Purchase decision making is a complicated process. As a seller, you should try to make this process simpler for your customers by giving them ample reasons to choose you over the rest.
For instance, positive online reviews about your eCommerce store are great for building trust with your audience.
A good word about you can make the customer feel more secure about investing her money in your products.
Seasonal discounts and exciting deals are another way to entice your customers.
In fact, you can up your game by creating innovative sales promotions and marketing communication that appeal to customers emotionally too.
All of these touchpoints will help enhance your online conversions.
4. What Would Their Buying Experience Be Like?
Easy navigation and a smart design will keep your visitors engaged. For example, a checkout process with just 2 steps will enhance the customer’s buying experience while a long process can make them impatient.
A common mistake that sellers make is to disallow a checkout without an account ‘sign up’, without realizing that this causes buyers to drop off.
Allow a guest to check out to let buyers experience your brand first.
If they feel your store understands them and makes their life simpler, they will come back for more.
For customers who have signed up already, make sure your system is gathering data points about their choices, their preferred shopping hours, etc. This data will fuel your product recommendation engine.
There’s nothing like personalization when it comes to winning a customer’s heart and smartly placed custom recommendations can really help you upsell!
Create a ‘discount prompter’ for customers abandoning a cart. A friendly pop-up that gives them an incentive to complete the purchase will work like a charm for online conversions.
5. Would They Come Back To You?
A quick follow-up after purchase, or requesting feedback, or giving an incentive to shop again will enhance the user experience on your eCommerce store. Include timely (not frequent) emails, exclusive promotions and sales offers, and social media mentions.
Always remember, customer retention is equally, if not more, important than customer acquisition.
So, make sure you are paying full attention to your existing customers by keeping in touch, sending personalized messages or recommendations, and by simply making them feel valued and special.
Now that you are armed with these insights, we hope your online store is strategically furnished to take on the competition and scale to new heights.
