The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and this has had a significant impact on the way consumers interact with eCommerce brands. The rise of social media, mobile technology and artificial intelligence has changed the way people communicate, buy and engage with brands.
As a result, you must be aware of these changes and adapt their strategies to meet the evolving needs of your customers – because at the end of the day: customers are the life and blood of a business.
If you want to stay on top of your competition then the solution is simple: take advantage of the emerging trends and technology so you can provide a better customer experience. Customer experience will set you apart from competing brands because a positive one drives brand loyalty and advocacy which ultimately increases customer acquisition and retention.
In this blog post, we will explore some of the most important things that eCommerce retailers need to know in today’s ever-changing digital landscape so you can provide customers a memorable and engaging brand experience.
Not all communications go through a website
While a website is a critical component of an eCommerce brand’s online presence, it is essential to recognize that not all communications with customers go through a website. Gone are the days when all customer interactions with a business happened solely on their website.
In today’s digital landscape, customers are using various channels to interact with brands and you need to be present across these channels to reach their target audience effectively.
Social media
One of the most significant changes in recent years has been the rise of social media platforms. With over 4.7 billion social media users having an average screen time of 2 hours and 28 minutes per day – social media is an effective channel for customers to discover your brand and keep in touch with them.
Many shoppers now turn to social media to research products, ask questions, and share their experiences with brands. In fact, 87% of customers say they use social media to research products before making any purchase. This means that you need to have a strong social media presence so customers can connect with you on all platforms. Communicating with customers on social media goes back to an essential business practice: meet customers where they are.
Email marketing
Another channel that eCommerce retailers need to consider is email. Email remains one of the most effective ways to reach customers and promote products – why? Three reasons:
- Build an intimate connection with your audience. Most people check their emails before bed or it’s the first thing they do in the morning as they sip a cup of coffee – reading email is part of one’s routine and brings you closer to your customers.
- Market to a highly targeted audience. Your email list is composed of people who intentionally want to hear from you which means they are all interested in what you have to offer.
- Send personalized messages. With email, you can segment your subscribers into a smaller group based on certain characteristics like their age, gender, location, interests and purchase history. This helps you send personalized and relevant messaging that your customers can resonate better with.
By taking advantage of email campaigns, you can directly communicate with customers and send relevant content that drives engagement.
Chatbots
Chatbots are another communication channel that eCommerce retailers can use to interact with customers. Chatbots can be integrated into a website or social media platform and do the following:
- Answer common questions
- Provide product recommendations
- Help customers complete purchases
- Gather customer feedback
With chatbots, you can easily build a relationship with your customers – it’s a 2-way conversation and makes the shopping experience more interactive.
It is essential to recognize that customers expect a seamless experience across all channels. This means that you need to ensure that your branding and messaging are consistent across all channels and that customers can easily transition from one channel to another without experiencing any friction.
In a nutshell, not all communications go through a website and your eCommerce brand needs to be present across multiple channels to reach your target audience effectively. By leveraging social media, email marketing, chatbots and other channels like cloud contact center, you can provide a seamless and engaging customer experience and build long-lasting relationships with your customers.
People buy experiences (not things) so make it engaging and memorable
It is essential to remember that people don’t just buy products; they buy experiences. Customers want to feel connected to the brands they buy from, and they want to have an engaging and memorable experience when shopping online. This means that you need to focus on creating an experience that goes beyond just selling products.
Storytelling
One way that you can create a more engaging and memorable experience is by focusing on storytelling. By using the power of storytelling to showcase your products, your brand can create an emotional connection with customers – with many competing brands out there, you want to find a way for customers to relate with your brand better. This means sharing the story behind the product, how it was made, and how it can improve the customer’s life.
Storytelling helps humanize your brand because meaningful connections are key to build a lifelong relationship with customers.
Use of AR/VR
Creating an engaging and memorable experience also involves providing an interactive shopping experience – this is now possible with the latest technology. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) can be used to create a more immersive and interactive shopping experience. Now, customers can visualize products in 3D, try on virtual clothes and see how furniture pieces will look in their homes. This gives a more realistic preview before purchasing a product.
Keep in mind that between the two, AR is much more accessible since you only need your mobile device. On the other hand, VR requires a special type of headset that is typically costly.
Long story short, you need to break the barrier of mobile screens between your brand and your customers – you need to move and immerse customers.
Personalize the experience
Personalization is becoming increasingly important in the eCommerce industry as customers seek products that are tailored to their unique needs and preferences. This involves using customer data to provide relevant recommendations, content, and messages that resonate with the customer on a more personal level.
Here are ways you can personalize customer experience that leads to better engagement:
- Offer product recommendations based on the customer’s browsing and purchasing behavior. By using algorithms that analyze the customer’s behavior and preferences, you can recommend products that align with the customer’s interests.
- Send relevant content and marketing campaigns based on customer’s interests, preferences and behavior. Again, by segmenting customers, you can send targeted content and campaigns that are more likely to resonate with the customer.
It is important to note that personalization must be done in a way that respects the customer’s privacy. You must be transparent about the data you collect and how you use it. Also, give customers the option to opt-out of personalized experiences if they choose to do so.
Take advantage of AI, machine learning and analytics
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and analytics can help you gain insights into customer behavior, optimize their operations, and provide a more personalized and engaging experience.
The main advantage of using these technologies is automation, solving problems in an instant with less work. Let’s take a closer look:
- Use of AI-powered chatbots to offer customer support 24/7. As mentioned earlier, chatbots can tend to the concerns of customers quickly and efficiently, lessening the load of human employees so they can focus on high-level tasks. By using machine learning algorithms, chatbots can learn from customer interactions and improve their responses over time.
- Optimize eCommerce operations. By analyzing data on inventory levels, shipping times and other metrics, you can optimize your supply chain and reduce costs. You can also use analytics to identify areas where the customer experience can be improved, such as website navigation or checkout processes.
- Gather data across sources to get a bigger picture of the customer journey. With the help of AI and analytics, you can analyze data from website interactions, social media and other sources to understand how customers engage with your brand. By using these insights, you can optimize your funnel, product offerings, and marketing campaigns.
AI, machine learning and analytics are powerful solutions you can use to automate tasks, streamline operations and understand customers better.
It’s a mobile-first world
In a 2022 survey, 76% of customers say they shop online using a smartphone. So, it is safe to say that we are living in a mobile-first world where more and more consumers are shopping on their mobile devices – this is no wonder because you can bring your phone anywhere on-the-go.
As an eCommerce retailer, you need to prioritize mobile optimization to ensure you are providing a seamless experience for mobile users. Here are the things you need to keep in mind to cater to mobile users:
- Optimize your website for mobile devices by using a responsive design. A responsive design ensures that the website layout adjusts automatically to fit the screen size of the device being used, whether it is a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer. This provides a seamless user experience across all devices, which is crucial in today’s mobile-first world.
- Improve page loading speed. Mobile users are often on-the-go and want to quickly find what they are looking for. Slow loading times can cause frustration and lead to high bounce rates. You need to ensure that their website is optimized for fast page speeds, which can be achieved through various techniques such as compressing images, using a CDN and minimizing JavaScript and CSS files.
- Use of mobile payments and mobile wallets. With the rise of mobile payments, you need to offer mobile payment options such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. Mobile wallets, such as Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, provide a convenient and secure way for customers to store their payment information and make purchases with just a few clicks.
- Focus on mobile-friendly content and marketing. This includes using mobile-friendly designs for email campaigns, social media posts, and other marketing messages. Retailers need to ensure that their content is easy to read and navigate on mobile devices.
Optimizing for mobile devices is an effective way to provide a seamless shopping experience and stay atop of your competition.
Takeaway
Innovations are left and right, the digital landscape is constantly changing and evolving – with this, you need to be quick in adapting these new technologies. So, always be on the lookout, test new solutions and find a way to integrate it into your business so you can serve customers better. At the end of the day: staying ahead of competition means focusing on ways to build long-lasting relationships with customers. eCommerce retailers like Target, Ocado, Marshalls and Designer Eyes are successful because they take advantage of innovative solutions – join them and hundreds of eCommerce marketing teams in using Copysmith, an AI-powered content writer that helps you scale your product content creation. Sign up today and start writing for free with your unlimited 7-day free trial, no credit card required.