Survey Reveals Customer Experience Key to Online Success

The 11th Annual Mystery Shopping Survey from the e-tailing group is out and it suggests that leading online stores are optimizing their sites features to generate more sales.

If you follow me you’ll know this is one thing I continually say. Your site must provide the visitor with a functional and pleasant customer experience and that often starts with elements relating to design.

The merchants who are seeing the best results are focusing on executing strategies that take the online shopping experience to higher levels. They are increasing efficiency of processes and developing customer retention programs; rethinking promotions, adjusting content, and refining search. These elements along with others combine to create a sense of community that directly speaks to their target.

Lauren Freedman, president of the e-tailing group states that e-commerce stores must consider rethinking promotions and include a variety of creative options if they want to remain competitive in a tough economy. She goes on to say that price is even more likely to be a key factor in consumer purchasing during this difficult time. I touched upon this very concept a bit in one of my recent articles Shoppers are Still Searching but Where They Are Searching has Shifted.

The trend among those successful online merchants is to structure marketing promotions that get the sale immediately. To do so they are often utilizing limited-time-only sales as evidenced by a 24 percent jump in such to 42 percent in 2008; up from 18 percent in 2007.

Here are several key findings of the survey:

• Free shipping continues to be a promotional standard. Various free shipping models were present including free shipping with conditions. Another past article I wrote titled Shipping Promotions that Drive More Sales elaborates on this finding.
• Reworking the on-site search to present more reliable results which get the customer to the product they seek faster is a priority. Unreliable search results, or those with products not even closely fitting the search itself can cause a poor customer experience and lead to lower conversion rates.
• The addition of strategically thought out rich media content such as video to your product descriptions can increase the customer confidence and help make the buying decision easier.
• Adoption of Social Media tactics to create a community around the business is becoming paramount in developing a loyal following. From blogging to bulletin boards to applications such as Facebook, successful online merchants are finding these “community nurturing” channels an important component in the success of their brand. In fact, 26% of store owners report successfully using blogs as marketing tools which is up from just 10% last year.
• The consumers desire for unbiased peer-to-peer product insight has elevated the role product ratings and reviews plays in helping them make an informed buying decision.
• The survey reveals that 81 percent of online store owners are embracing Refer/E-Mail a Friend features compared to 74 percent last year.

What Does it all Mean?

In short, if you are to be successful online you should consider taking a close look at how you get customers involved in your business. It’s the total customer experience from the moment they learn about your business to the moment they make a purchase which will determine if you will win or lose online. You must consider expanding your marketing reach to include Social Media as a way to build community — a vital role in building trust and loyalty.

If you need help implementing a Social Media Marketing campaign I offer a few packages that will help you get that accomplished. Contact me for more information.

From weekly blogging packages to full media utilization of Facebook, Twitter and more, I’m sure there is something for everyone. Likewise, I am available to coach store owners toward developing successful promotional strategies which increase conversion and build business as well. Just drop me a note.

To your success!

ECommerce Marketing Tips for Valentines Day

I read an interesting article that gave a few ideas and real world samples of e-tailers using various marketing tactics for Valentines Day. I liked the article because it went back to a few “basics” but more importantly pointed toward the use of social media channels to drive interest.

Let me say now that if you don’t have a social media marketing plan in place for your store, you really must consider one. The viral / word-of-mouth power of social media alone is something you can’t overlook.

Proper social media marketing can take time and it does take dedication, but the results can be very beneficial when followed through. If you want to learn more about the social media marketing packages I offer for ecommerce businesses feel free to contact me.

Not Just a Hallmark Holiday

Some say Valentine’s Day is a “Hallmark Holiday” (because it can be associated with helping increase sales of Hallmark cards to others) but heck, you don’t have to be Hallmark to take advantage of the event — and if you aren’t taking advantage of it, you’re certainly missing the “opportunity boat.”

I see it as yet one more opportunity to use the media and social awareness of an event to increase sales through offering limited time only specials, products, etc… So if you haven’t thought about marketing strategy for it yet (I’m sure you’ve planned a 6 – 12 month promotional calendar as I have many times preached in the past right?) it’s time to start.

The article I read listed these as a few of the ways you can take advantage of Valentines Day — no matter what type of retailer you are.

1. Create a special Valentine’s Day product or service. The article suggests creating (if you have the ability) a special product or service directly related to the occasion and then promote that product / service on your site as well as on complementary sites, via e-mail, and social media sites. I like the social media route for this type of holiday as it fits very well into that viral methodology. If you can’t make a special product, then consider making a package consisting of a few of your existing products bulked together into a one time discounted price.
2. Create a “catchy” video (not an outright ad) and upload it to YouTube. Video is a very popular method of message delivery on the internet now and really gives you the opportunity to “say more with less”. In effect, you can create your own commercials (however, for best results try to avoid a straight out advertisement — you won’t get very far with that) which showcase your company and its products. This is super effective if done correctly and can lead to a huge stream of traffic in a very short time (make sure your server can handle it) if implemented correctly. If you are looking for help developing a YouTube marketing campaign, I am available for hire.
3. Use Facebook to get the message out. Another social media option (and there are quite a few) would be to use Facebook in order to develier your message. I’m not talking about advertising on Facebook. I’m talking about creating your own Facebook profile, building a decent friend list or developing a Facebook application (or even a group) that fits your product following. Once you have their attention, you can get virtually any message you want to them — and they will be listening.
4. Use email, cross channel marketing, and special promotions. This strategy brings us back to some of the basics of generating sales. Strong email promotions to your current customer list, reaching out to your target market using a variety of traditional channels, and developing special promotions are always sure to help the sales pipeline.
5. Use coupon codes that relish in the moment. Even if you decide not to offer a special promotion (why you wouldn’t is beyond my understanding) you could use a current promotion and simply change the coupon code to something relating to the holiday. For example, let’s say you have a coupon code that is available every day and it gives customers a 15% discount on all orders. Keeping that promotion and changing the promo code to something like “CUPID” for Valentine’s Day might set the mood and help interest more customers to buy.

Even if your product / service does not fit the Valentine’s Day theme, you really should consider doing something to take advantage of the event — even if it is simply offering a survey for driving traffic that asks a question such as “Tell us what you consider to be the most romantic place in the world.” The idea here is to simply get people interacting with your site.

No matter which route you choose, you should consider some type of marketing approach to take advantage of special calendar events now and into the future. In addition you should consider developing a social media marketing plan that utilizes those valuable channels available to you via the internet.

To your success.

Cool Tool to Find Your Google Analytics ID

Ok, I realize it’s not that difficult to find your Google Analytics ID number, but a handful of questions have come in to me over time that I felt warranted me posting a link to this interesting tool which tells you what your Google Analytics ID is.

I know, some maybe saying well, that’s pretty easy, and why would you want to find it out anyhow? Well, I’m sure there are any number of answers for this most of which I cannot answer myself. But, for those who need a tool like this, it’s here.

It’s not for everybody, but it might be helpful for some.

Here’s the link http://yoast.com/easily-google-analytics-account-id/

Shoppers Still Searching but Where They are Searching has Shifted.

I just read an article on Google’s 4th quarter earnings for 2008 (up 18% from the same period last year) that confirms users are still looking to the Internet for products that fit there needs. It might sound surprising to some given the current economic downturn but it is true.

In fact, as a result of these tough economic times, Google discontinued products such as Google Print Ads, mobile social network Dodgeball, micro-blogging service Jaiku, and Google Catalog Search.

However, in spite of these now defunct services, the product submit portion (Google Base gets your products included in that) of Google remains in tact, and shoppers are using it more than ever.

So it’s not so much a matter of if the consumers are still searching, it’s more a matter of where they are searching which you may be overlooking.

You see, the current economy has consumers much more price conscience than they may have been in the past and they want to make sure that the money they spend goes as far as possible.

The “spend less” mentality has consumers turning more to comparison shopping than ever before. In search of the best price they utilize shopping comparison sites like BizRate, PriceGrabber, Shopzilla, Nextag, and more.

Ultimately, the shopping behavior of consumers during this time is of most importance if you are looking toward sustaining business sales. Overlooking the search patterns of consumers during these times can leave you scratching your head and wondering “are there any shoppers even out there?”

The answer is there are. They may be fewer and they may be more price conscience, but knowing that you can take advantage of a few things to help keep your store afloat.

1) Add “Google Base” to your current Google Account if you have not already and begin to submit a product feed to them for inclusion in shopping comparison results. It’s not that difficult and Google provides nice instruction on how to build a feed and submit it. If you need help with this I am available for hire.

2) Consider “slashing” your prices during this time through the use of creative sales (which easily allows you to bring prices back up to typical areas when the time is right) and offer something that is just unheard of. As long as you are not losing profit as a result (although your profits may not be as high) you should be able to ride the wave to the other side of this economic disaster and come out ready to grow again (and with a bigger customer base to boot!)

I’ve tested the “price slash” theory with a number of the clients I coach and in all cases it showed an increase in sales over what they were getting without the offer in place. Not astronomical in all cases, but an increase none-the-less. Beats losing business!

3) Consider building and submitting product feeds to some of the sites mentioned in this article (and this is just a few) to gain exposure in other areas consumers are comparison shopping in.

Building a sustainable business often means going through tough times. Those companies which adapt and change to meet those demands survive to sell another day. The companies which often do not want to adapt end up out of business and wondering why it didn’t work.

These are tough times for a lot of retailers. You are not alone. Yet you can do something about it if you know where the shoppers are searching and target them in those places.

To your success!

1 in 3 Shoppers Look for PayPal Payment Option

I’ve written articles in the past about the importance of offering paypal as an alternative payment option.

Recent studies show that PayPal has a pretty good hold on the market and according to PayPal, 1 in 3 internet shoppers look for and even prefer to pay using PayPal payment method. Even with a variety of payment methods available today, Paypal has a 21% market share of all consumer internet payments (source: UK Payments Market 2008, Payments Council). This is a 5% increase over the previous year.

If you sell to the UK market, you should know that a whopping 30% of UK shoppers prefer to checkout using PayPal over any other method offered. If you aren’t offering PayPal as an option to this group, you most certainly are losing sales.

Why PayPal?

So, what’s the fascination with PayPal? Well, it might not necessarily be so much a fascination thing as it is a security issue. Shoppers are still concerned about identity theft and are hesitant at times of typing their credit card details into ecommerce sites. For those with that mindset, PayPal offers them peace of mind that their financial information is not shared.

On the flip side, I’ve often heard PayPal shoppers (those that pay using there PayPal account) say “It doesn’t feel like I am spending any money because I just take it out of my PayPal account (which acts like an escrow account to some degree — the funds sit in that account until asked to be withdrawn.) This attitude can often lead one to spend even more than they typically would because they are not as “conscience” of the amount of money actually leaving their pocket.

What has changed with PayPal?

In general, not a lot. Long ago, in order to use PayPal, one needed a PayPal account themselves. That is no longer the case and has not been the case for quite some time. PayPal still offers the buyer the option to quickly pay using their PayPal account and with just a few clicks they are on their way. However, they also offer the seller (with the right account) the option of allowing customers who do not have (or do not want to have) a PayPal account the ability to checkout.

From the sellers perspective, PayPal offers the ability to accept a wide variety of credit card types as well as echecks (if activated). From a buyers perspective PayPal offers an alternative to the traditional payment methods and the security they need to feel comfortable making an internet purchase.

I’m not saying that offering PayPal (IPN) as the only option is right. I am saying as I have in the past that it is wise to offer it in addition to other options. The statistics here only further bolster that thought.

I have seen a gradual shift in the amount of orders coming through PayPal (vs. traditional on site methods) from a number of clients I work with over the past 6 months or so. I attribute it to a combination of offering the option in the first place and making that option readily available during checkout.

If you have yet to setup a PayPal account you can do so for free in a few simple steps. I personally feel it is best to choose one of the “business” account types (not a personal PayPal account) so you can offer the credit card option to your customers as well.

Promote using PayPal as a checkout option as much as you do other methods and you too will likely see a difference reflected in sales.

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