Ecommerce : Why User Experience Matters and How to Do it Right

Customers aren’t a transitional trend that fluctuates every season; they are omnipresent. However, despite that presence, their willingness to visit your site is dependent on an indispensable, integral element and that is user experience.

If you can deliver the same, then you stand to acquire more customers with ease, at the same time retaining the previous group, leading to a set of loyal repeat clique.

In the absence of such a streamlined interface, visitors look for other outlets that offer the same product, resulting in your competition eating into your sales. Here’s a quote from the man who started it all.

“Focusing on the customer makes the company more resilient” – Jeff Bezos

Stay intact on this principle, and your webshop with absolute certainty will receive the highest organic traffic, that then converts into orders. Revenue will now soar above and beyond your expectations.

Customer loyalty is based out of experiences they share with a certain brand; thus, an investment in the same will increase customer lifetime value. A wrong turn and your reputation could dwindle.

In the age of people populating the internet, any downside to a site will spread soon and cause further damage, with the added challenge of your competitors innovating constantly. Sometimes lowering the rates just doesn’t cut it.

In this piece, we’ll run through some of the factors that make or break customer experiences for any brand.

Regardless of your business model, you are at the end of the day dealing with people, hence whatever is your agenda try and make this your fundamental point.

When customers seek a specific commodity, they don’t just look for discounts and bundled deals; it's not always savings. Your ability to help them arrive at the desired item sooner will also be determinantal in their decision-making process.

Your brand should be set around your customer's priorities and not around your business goals. A move that will see an outcome that favors the customer and in turn favors you.

Customers must form the backbone of your company from the get-go. Focus on their needs, and you will have the lead in your field in no time.

You are relying on them to generate profits, then why not customize the site to their liking. Let their preferences shape your business. Once you allow this, the customer satisfaction will grow, and they will likely be back for more.

Besides word of mouth and further free endorsements you’ll receive on the back end, without spending a dollar from your side.

Stick to this model for continued benefits. A deviation from the same could result in customers investing in alternatives, resulting in the viewership dwindling, and no visitors means no orders.

Take your time and devise a plan that draws the maximum crowd. Of course, shipping times, discounts, availability and a whole bunch of other variables will become a contributing factor, but at least from your side, you have addressed the prime issue of scaling the site to your customer's liking.

Connect with your customers through all the available touch points and then deliver the brand experience they desire. Emphasize a more personalized shopping experience.

Gain valuable insights that will help you to retrieve what your user-base is thinking at any given moment. Since you are about to outline the e-business around your customers, it’s vital that you use a channel to collect that info.

What your demographic wants, how do they want it, when do they want it more, are just some of the questions you’ll need to address to get an understanding of your customer's desires.

Accessibility is of prime importance these days. If they can reach out to you and express their concerns, a significant portion of the work is handled.

Retailers and brands are no longer just a source of shopping; they are engaging with their consumers through their purchase journeys. The focus has shifted to building customer relationships.

Let them come to you. Listen to what customers have to say and implement the same accordingly. One of these days, a suggestion will prove to be the biggest breakthrough for your business.

Let’s look at some of the ways in which you can boost your site via customer opinions:

• Social Media - Activity on social media plays a crucial role. Giving a forum to voice their opinions will help you to make adequate changes sooner, before your peers, and as it is half of the world exists on it. So, go ahead and interact with your Facebook and Twitter audience.
• Surveys – Get out there and conduct periodic surveys to assess the ground game. It may be online, or just a more casual one on one chat on the road, that’ll help you to decipher your audience even better.
• Chatbots – A communication tool, that will instantly resolve any customer query in one shot. Incorporate this into your website. If done correctly any grievance, doubt or feedback can be raised in a matter of seconds.

When it comes to improving user experience, there are a lot many things that you can implement. Some of these integrations are important and can’t be compromised, regardless of the nature of your business.

Use of certain elements will gain your customer's trust, and anything along these lines will tempt them to place an order; furthering your sales objective. A negative impression can send things downhill.

The way you interact with your audience is what dictates customer experience; this could be direct communication via messages or through the vast set of features on your site. They all give out some impression about your brand.

Here are some of the things you can do lift the quality of your website:

• Images – Relevant product images of suitable sizes are an absolute must in every eCommerce website. Consumers do not get to touch any item; therefore, the need to reinforce the credibility of every product is even more.

Detailed supportive high-resolution images will serve this purpose and give every visitor an additional reference point they need, to examine the product.

• Videos – Images are good, but an even better way of presenting a product is Videos. Use them to demonstrate the worth of anything in your catalog effectively.

• Testimonials – Let your customers leave feedback, a compliment will reassure your growth and criticism will cause you to introspect and look beyond the pre-existing model and redefine your site.
• AI / AU – The future of eCommerce will be made of this. Give your visitors the store experience, and another step closer to your products capability. The option to view this product in their surrounding will see them preferring your store for most purchases.
• A/B Testing – Test multiple versions to know which one compliments your business the best. A comprehensive analysis done with numbers, heat maps to track clicks, session times, visitor tracking and other such useful statistics to arrive at the best converting version.
• Layout – Create a platform that allows visitors to navigate without any hassle. Do not overcrowd any section, keep promotions minimum, avoid unwanted pop-ups and overuse of jargon. Use essential info and improve overall usability and visual appeal.
• Loading – The inclusion of numerous elements will often slow the website down. Prevent this from happening by regularly testing the site. Even a lag of 2 secs will make a customer consider other options.
• Security – If you are at any point dealing in confidential information, then investing in a premium software, would do you some good. Reckless coding and absence of essential tools will compromise sensitive customer data, a situation that is an instant kill for any business.
• Compatibility – Multiple touchpoints (Omnichannel) means your site should be optimized to each of them. Any anomaly will immediately send a negative impression, enough to make your customers look elsewhere. Ensure your website is synced to all devices.
• Content – Find a way to feature this in any form - Blogs, Case Studies, White Papers or some thesis to certify the work done so far. A little self-endorsement on your site goes a long way and gives the visitors an opportunity to familiarize themselves with your brand even better.
• Transparency – If there is anything that ruins a business more than the lack of funds, then it is false advertisement. Stay true to your core skillset and only mention marvels you can solve. Be honest about your infrastructure; this will help to build better customer sentiments.

A satisfied customer will be more inclined to come again, but this time he might bring with him more people, his network of acquaintances.

How did this happen, all he did was pass the positive vibes from your site to his immediate peers, and this drew them to the site; leading to additional revenue for your business.

Free marketing from customers is what businesses thrive on, you give them the best experience, and they will sort your promotions with word of mouth.

Customers leave a profound impact on your business; hence it is paramount that we set the standards around them. Measure your performance consistently, to see if you are on the right track.

Create a compelling experience like none other. Cultivate that sense of belonging, every time a prospect arrives on your site.

Remember, to take initiatives from your end to remodel the site now and then. Do not wait for a lousy experience to realize the need for changes.

Conduct regular testing at the back end, which would immediately raise red flags from the developers, something that’d help you to identify the problem areas ASAP, from your side and get to work on them. Monitor 24x7 and ensure a critical scenario doesn’t arise ever.

Understand your customer's pain points, make an honest effort to resolve them. A lot of these concerns can be easily managed via some instant chat up.

Focusing on customer experience will help you to improve the business KPI’s. High Bounce rates and dismal conversions will be a thing of the past, once you make the customer experience epicenter of your business plans.

Win your customers at every front. Once you have sorted many of the issues and created an interface that promotes perfect harmony with your customers, it’ll see the best form of customers retention.

The companies that excel in enhancing customer experience will last the test of times. Stay open to making changes, from customer suggestions. Connect with them to deepen relationships.

Dig into issues, listen to what they have to say and craft these areas accordingly. Even something like not having a customer support page or long hold times on support numbers can push away the most intrigued customer.

Gain the edge by delivering the most worthwhile service to your audience, and they will repay you with the utmost loyalty, forever.

Get in touch with Virtina, the brilliant team of developers and consultants, who will help you to discover your business’s real potential. A “do it right” partnership that will reflect in the form of robust growth and unparalleled revenue for your brand.