In the past, e-commerce was considered to be just another option, an additional feature to make things more convenient. Now however, it has taken the world by storm and has become an absolute necessity. Why is boosting customer engagement vital to e-commerce? Research shows that e-commerce grows exponentially every year, with business-to-customer sales expected to increase by over 50% over the next 5 years. Understanding that it is extremely powerful is a good first step, but solid tactics will make it much easier to put this concept to work. Fortunately, it doesn’t require any massive changes. Here are eight easy tactics to increase customer engagement for your business.
1. Enable customer feedback and reviews
In today’s world where customers have so many options, feedback and review make a big difference. It gives your customer a way to obtain a neutral opinion about the product, and thus this makes your website more engaging. That said, letting your customers speak is only half the battle. You also have to make it clear that you’re listening. Otherwise, this strategy will only prove to your customers that you pretend to listen but don’t really care. If your happy customers start giving reviews, it will give confidence to the new user to give it a try. Reviews are must have to attract customers to buy your product online and increase customer engagement in general.
2. Loyalty Programs/Member Rating based on contribution
Loyalty programs to boost customer engagement have been there for a long time for a reason. People love to get recognized for their efforts. Star loyalty programs for customers for every action they take on your website. Many e-commerce sites offer loyalty points when a user makes a purchase on their website or gives feedback on recently purchased items. You can even rate member based on their contribution. You may have seen different avatars in forums like – Expert, Advanced User, Newbie and more. These are basically ratings given to users based on their contribution and how other users respond. So while you still need to incentivize your customers to stick with these loyalty programs, they’re still an effective way to engage an absolutely huge number of them.
3. Mobile optimization
Three facts are undeniable as of right now: First is that nowadays people are most likely to search for anything online using their mobile phones instead of their computers. Second, people are more likely to leave a website if it’s not mobile-friendly. Lastly, more than half of mobile users will leave a site that takes more than three seconds to load. If your site isn’t qualified with those three conditions, the chance of your site becoming screwed is much higher and your business will soon perish. So make sure that your e-commerce website must be responsive, have an amazing look and perform great on mobile devices in order to increase customer engagement.
4. Offer live chat support for boosting customer engagement
One problem that arose together with the boom of e-commerce is the lack of a personal connection between the customer and someone who can answer their questions and concerns in real-time. But in recent years, this situation is witnessing a decrease. Live chat apps and widgets have become increasingly popular now, bridging the previously wide gap between e-commerce and online customers. With live chat, your representatives can immediately alleviate those pain points for your customers by providing help or information the customers need. At the same time, they can also find ways to improve your company’s products and services as for the customer engagement phase.
5. Increase account creations
Increasing customer accounts will definitely improve your customer engagement for your e-commerce website. The problem is that most people would rather make purchases without opening accounts. So while they give you profits, they don’t help you improve your customer engagement on your ecommerce platform. The key here is not to look for that account creation right away. Wait until they make that initial purchase and then offer them the opportunity to start that account. At that point, you’ve earned a bit of trust, and they’ve proven they like what you have to offer. The customer engagement process will eventually get better and better in the future.
6. Use social media as a leverage
Social media is created for customer engagement. Use this platform to keep the user engaged with the brand. Social media is one of the most powerful tools that, when properly used, can boost your ecommerce site’s capacity in engaging customers and influencing their buying decisions. You can also check out the various groups on social media platforms. Search for the relevant groups and start engaging with group members. A customer can be on any social media platforms like Facebook, Linkedin, Reddit, Twitter. Keep an eye on every relevant group and engage with them. That way, if someone asks their followers, “Does anyone know where to go for X?” you can put your company in front of them.
7. Share product videos
An online boutique or jewelry shop owner posts jewelry stacking tutorial videos that are entertaining to watch and at the same time exposes the readers to multiple items for sale from her shop. This is one good example of using product videos profitably for customer engagement. According to a recent study, 96% of customers find videos helpful when making purchase decisions online, while nearly three-fourths of consumers are more likely to purchase a product or a service if they can watch a video explaining it beforehand.
8. Keep track of significant days
People like to be treated as individuals. You can boost customer engagement by offering your customers this personal attention by reaching out to them on their birthdays, anniversaries, and other special days. This kind of eCommerce personalization is fantastic for customer engagement because it’s obvious that the customer is being treated as an individual. It is their special day, after all. At the same time, they may not have otherwise purchased from you on that specific day had it not been for your outreach. You can offer them a special deal, a certain percentage off their purchase, or just about any other promotion you can come up with. Just make sure there’s actually some value to the offer.
That may sum up some primary tips on how to increase customer engagement for your e-commerce business. Customer engagement is an ongoing activity. It allows you to get customers to your website and shop. There are many companies offering a similar product, so you have to stand out. Engaging with customers leads to brand. Your product or service should be the go-to shop when the customer needs it. We – MageSolution offers tons of extensions and themes that can engage with your customers effectively. For more information, you can check it out at MageSolution..
