5 Ways to Help (Not Hinder) Your Online Customers

As a brand and online retailer, do you ever step into your customer’s shoes? And by that I mean, do you ever walk in their footsteps and travel through their online shopping journey?

See, if you did, you might be pretty taken back by all the things we as marketers are falling short on. The best way for any brand to improve and grow is through some serious introspection. So here are five things for you to consider doing more of in order to help and improve your customer’s journey online!

1. Recommend more products.

Do you ever buy something and feel like something else is missing? You can’t put your finger on it, but the purchase just doesn’t feel right. You see, sometimes someone can make a purchase and not even know that there are other complementary products available to them.

Maybe those cute shoes can look even greater with an elegant clutch. Or maybe the protein powder works well with additional body supplements for greater results. Whatever the case or scenario may be, your customers should have this information on hand! You can shoot them a quick email or even show these products on-site so that your customers are aware.

Because as a brand it’s not only important to just sell your products but to also provide additional resources and information that complement and enhance the overall purchase.

2. Remind them of their searches.

Many of us have the tendency to browse through and surf certain websites because we have a specific product in mind. So we search, we browse and then for whatever reason, we abandon the website altogether.

Hey, life happens. Your customer could have gotten distracted. Their computers could have shut down or maybe something entirely different demanded their time. But, whatever the case, for that split moment their attention swayed away and it never came back.

Now imagine how helpful it would be to receive a notification, perhaps in an email, reminding them of what they were searching for. It would not only be a refreshing reminder but a great gesture on your part to get your consumers back on track to shopping for whatever it is they initially desired!

3. Help them upgrade.

What if you could take what your customers have and show them that they could have better? That’s really what you should be aiming for anyways.

Take travel for instance. If your customers booked for business class why not upgrade their experience by showing them how the journey could be better lived through first class?

So they’ve booked a flight? Great! Now see how you can interest them in a car rental for transportation or perhaps a luxurious hotel for their stay. As a brand, it’s all about understanding your consumers in the context of their situations and taking care of their needs accordingly.

4. Put their minds at ease.

One of the first things an informed consumer does before making a purchase is to seek out social proof around the item they intend on buying.

Needless to say, it’s important for your brand to bring those awesome reviews, testimonials and ratings you have received on your products to the surface and show your consumers that you are, in fact, reliable. Even showing your consumers how many people are viewing your products is a surefire way to prove that your products are actually sought after.

It’s about building trust and showing that there is a community of people who love your brand… and that they can be a part of that community as well!

5. Stay ahead of the game.

If your consumers are digging your products now, then it’s a good chance that they’ll really be digging them later too.

So it’s important that you’re ahead of the game and find avenues to keep them hooked on the products they enjoy so much. I mean how frustrated would your consumers feel if they went to reach for their favorite products and it’s out of stock?

However, you as a brand can completely eliminate that problem. Whether it’s having them subscribe, sending timely reminders, or providing them with the alternative of an auto-replenishment process, it’s a nudge to show them that the products they love so much are available to purchase again.

So take it upon yourself to think of their future needs and stay one step ahead.

Simply shifting the lens and viewing the online experience from a consumer’s point of view can greatly improve a brand. And that’s why more than ever, it’s essential to take a step back and immerse yourself in their online journeys to really understand what’s hindering them and more importantly, how you can help them.

(86)