Creating the ultimate online shopping experience requires every retailer to implement the latest trends in eCommerce technologies in a logical way. We decided to highlight some of these in one piece so you can explore how these trends and technologies can enhance the online shopping experiences of your eCommerce store.
Overview:
As B2C and B2B eCommerce sectors accelerate in growth, CEO’s and Senior eCommerce retail management teams are constantly faced with reviewing their customer journey’s to analyse if they are aligned with company sales targets. Whether looking at your retail operations or eCommerce marketing strategy one element will be common and top of the list: ‘the customer experience’.
Operating in both online and offline retail has never been more complex. With changes in consumer buying behaviour, the availability of new purchasing technologies and the need for more data collection (consumer and marketplace), the online purchase journey has become more convoluted.
Creating the ultimate online shopping experience requires every retailer to implement the latest eCommerce technologies in the most simplistic way. We decided it would be a good idea to highlight some of these in one piece so you can explore how these technologies and trends can enhance the online shopping experiences for your customers.
We broke them down into the following 6 areas.
1. Creating the Omni-channel Experience
It’s nothing new to ‘brick and mortar’ retailers that atmospherics and other retail marketing tactics be implemented at every possible touch point within the in-store experience. However, the challenge has always and will continue to be replicating that intuitive in-store experience online. Known as “Omni Channel” retailing this strategy is not to be mistaken with ‘multi-channel’ where a retailer has both a physical store and eCommerce platform that operate separately. Omni channel retailing is dedicated to providing a seamless shopping experience for the customer no matter whether they buy online or in-store.
Key Differences in Omni Channel compared with Single and Multi-Channel experiences
The main advantage in adapting this type of strategy is that it won’t silo either of your selling platforms (Physical Store or eCommerce site). It’s architecture allows for both systems to work together and provide real-time data (for example eCommerce stock merged with Physical store and in-store POS system). Omni-channel retailing is made up of individual touch points along the customer journey (mainly with the use of digital technologies) that seamlessly connect allowing customers to pick up where they left off on one channel or device and continue on another.
Omni Channel Retail Model Elements
Applying the Omni-channel process to your existing retail business model
You might be half way there already!
If you’ve looked at the Omni-channel elements above then maybe you can identify which process/es you are already engaged with. There are some other data points to consider that can be used to measure the success in the application of the Omni-Channel experience to your own business.
Social Media – Insights & Analytics reports – changes in audience, increase in traffic and awareness
AI powered site search – Advanced eCommerce Analytics – providing powerful research data from user search trends
Data Driven Email Marketing – Use of AI, integrated CRM systems and email automation software
Mobile & App platforms – Google Analytics for eCommerce
In-Store – Sales analysis reports – YoY comparisons, store layout VS high performing product ranges
Virtual Assistant – CRM system tracking, call query data, product availability, returns and social media listening
Digital Kiosk – tracking online store search history, volume of home delivery vs click and collect
2. Add Personalisation to the Customer Experience
Whatever the event or objective: posting on social media, setting up a digital ad or launching an email marketing campaign there will be one common priority.
SPEAK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS AS INDIVIDUALS!
WHY?
“OVER 20% MORE SALES CAN BE GENERATED FROM PERSONALISED WEB EXPERIENCES”
It’s simple, no one wants to receive a message that’s not relevant to them. So personalisation is key to getting the most out of your eCommerce marketing strategies. We have all seen the personalisation on emails sent to us – that’s just a given at this stage!
But what will ‘entice the click through’? Well normally if you can associate the title of the email as something of relevance to you it would generate an interest to find out more…
1.0 Advanced eCommerce Site Search
Most of these personalised experiences wouldn’t be possible without data. Normally used for information retrieval and decision making, data has an increasing importance in wowing your customers with personalised experiences along the customer journey touch points. The trick in using data to make the customer experience more immersive starts with AI – powered search. The goal of this is to increase dramatically the conversion time of the website visitor in deploying technologies that rapidly allow them to find the product they are looking for.
The main element to drive this from a front-end perspective is the Site Search on your eCommerce site.
These are some requirements and criteria to consider when developing your Site Search Engine.
Remember!!
It’s your job to remove any obstruction that will interrupt the search and buying journey of your customers. Stimulate your site visitors to use the Site Search option to provide a seamless customer journey, collect more search data and drive sales more efficiently
We have listed the Top 5 eCommerce Site Search Technologies for you to explore!
1.1 Product Configurator Technologies
When we talk about customised web experiences there is no more an effective way to integrate them than allowing your customers control the product page of your eCommerce site. By allowing product customisation you also allow for individualisation and personalisation. Product configurators provide this experience, they are a tool that allows the core product being offered to be altered and customised (within range) to the users taste. This advanced AI Technology works with complex sets of rules and configurations (on the back-end) but delivers the user (on the front-end) with a seamless personalised real-time shopping experience.
This technology was deployed rapidly by the automotive industry, as top car manufacturers saw the competitive advantage in integrating a product configurator tool for their customers online purchase journey. Porsche were the first to develop a product configurator tool in the industry back in 2015 for their range of sports cars. They ‘drove’ (excuse the pun!) the online customer experience and their sales by delivering this technology on multiple platforms opening up 40% more traffic on mobile devices alone!
Take a look at the demo video below which was their first product configurator tool that they launched back in 2015. Although there have been many advances in this type of technology since, it does provide some great insight into it’s functionality, platform capabilities and personalised user experience.
3. Applying the use of AI and Virtual assistants
If we look at virtual assistants first and how they can personalise the shopping experience with your eCommerce store. There are a variety of activities that a virtual assistant can engage with from back-end operational duties like; product page updates – descriptions, imagery and product listings to front-end customer facing responsibilities like processing orders, returns, live chat, direct phone call and email enquiries. Having someone ‘Human’ to talk with can reassure your online customers that you genuinely treat customer care with the utmost importance in your eCommerce operation. Also having fully trained courteous staff available to handle queries with efficiency provides another opportunity to enforce that reassurance. There are obvious operational advantages in using virtual assistants; they are cheaper to employ than a full-time employee, they boost productivity as they are highly skilled at what they do, they also can conduct more intense marketing activities like social media interaction.
Using AI in your eCommerce strategy is coming at things from a different angle with a ‘non human’ approach, it can be simply integrated into your eCommerce store and can offer the following functionality:
4. Add Interactive Product Proofing to your content strategy
Hitting the ‘Buy’ button on an eCommerce site can be a hesitant choice for some and that’s understandable especially when wondering…..
“will I get the product that I ordered?” OR “is the quality as real as it is described on the product page?”
To quench this anxiety consumers need proof of intent to purchase – they need to be convinced they have researched the product and are satisfied with feedback from others. Some eCommerce operators will use social proofing to project scarcity or urgency, driving the need for a purchase.
Some examples:
Other eCommerce stores leverage social proofing in a different type of way, building more trust and brand advocacy.
Below are some successful ways in building brand trust with social proofing:
“Social Media is the No.1 tool used by Irish Consumers to discover and research a brands product or service”
(PWC Retail & Consumer Report 2018)
Some other eCommerce operators like Amazon and Google have embarked on developing low-overhead stand alone retail outlets, rich with an in-store experience allowing visitors to get the best from their eCommerce offering. Visitors can interact with their product range and also have an attentive customer service team on hand to provide support and drive sales.
In the case of Amazon they are shifting their offline retail strategy by moving away from their Mall kiosks to opening larger stores, stocking products rated 4 Stars or above on their eCommerce site. There are other specific high performing or ‘trending’ items on offer with large sales volumes from areas around store locations.
It’s an interesting way of leveraging their eCommerce geographical buyer behaviour data and applying it to their physical store layout.
Finally and not by any means least important, is the review of your digital strategy touchpoints. As mentioned earlier touchpoints like social media, website traffic behaviour, shopping cart abandonment and sales product volume are all indicators on how your eCommerce brand is performing. There are others which need to be consistently analysed as well for shifts or indications of change whether it be positive or negative.
If you are looking for more insight and expert advice on how to leverage these touch-points in order to maximise your customers shopping experience, please get in touch with izest Marketing Group.
Summary:
It’s no doubt that retailers have challenging times ahead in transferring a rich in-store experience to their online stores whilst protecting their bottom line. Customers expectations of the purchase journey have increased so immensely that it has caused a constant shift in buyer behaviour. Whilst the integration of new technologies to enhance the user experience has become the main focus for eCommerce providers, just so, as important is the human element to establish and develop trust. Combined they are sure to provide the ultimate online shopping experience.