According to Forrester Research, online retail sales will increase 8% over the 2008 holiday shopping season. Retailers, who feature e-commerce or have product directory at their website, cannot overlook the importance of their web presence to increase their holiday sales. Larry Chasin, President & CEO of Ideal Diamond Solutions, an online technology platform provider, says that your “virtual” customer service is key to closing sales online.
Use these tips to enhance your website’s customer experience and thrive with online sales:
- Get Interactive To Engage Customers: The more your website engages its visitors, the greater number of sales it will yield. One way that savvy retailers are increasing their website's "stickiness" factor is by adding sophisticated technology that focuses on customization, like “Design Your Own Jewelry” modules. These interactive modules allow visitors to effortlessly design their own rings, earrings and pendants, by choosing from a variety of settings, gems and stone sizes, colors and shapes. The benefits are multiple: differentiation, personalization, increasing customer loyalty, and so on.
- Provide Easy-To-Find Answers: Be sure to provide your online customers with the opportunity to readily get answers on your site, whether through a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, an email inquiry link, or a means to connect (usually by phone) to a live customer service representative. The ideal situation is to have all of the above. And be sure that the person who answers the phone is fully versed in your online offerings, from pricing to fulfillment.
- Manage Delivery Expectations: One of the most disappointing and frustrating experiences with online shopping is when a visitor makes a purchase and then is left waiting and waiting for the package to appear on his or her doorstep. Let buyers know, before they commit to buying, exactly when they can expect to receive their purchase. Offer shipping alternatives and a way to track purchases. If you manage customer expectations like this, you'll greatly reduce the potential for dissatisfaction.
- Advance Straight To…Checkout: Your online customers landed on your website, because they are interested in what you offer. Don't make it hard for them to buy. To turn web visitors into purchasing customers: keep the path to checkout as clear as possible. Now is not the time to ask for survey information or hit them with pop-up ads. Keep any required registration to a minimum.
- Offer Profitable Value-Added Perks: Don’t automatically just give away value-add-ons. For example, rather than providing 100% free shipping, offer discounted shipping based on price thresholds. In other words, the more one buys the more one qualifies for a greater shipping discount. Consumers will naturally work to arrive at the biggest discount they can get, especially if it can ultimately be free.
Take The Tip:
Ideal Diamond Solutions (IDS) offers virtual diamond inventories and other website enhancements as add-ons to your existing website and also included in their website packages. Jewelers of America provides members with great discounts on website packages from IDS. Click here for details.
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