Measuring and optimising the buyer’s digital experience can significantly increase online sales, according to Qualtrics.
Bill McMurray, APAC Managing Director, Qualtrics, said, “To be competitive in a crowded online space, businesses must listen to their customers so they can better streamline the customers’ experience and close sales. A website needs to present content so that customers can easily find what they’re looking for. It should be a seamless, frictionless experience as potential buyers go from discovery to purchase, to maximise your conversion rates.”
Qualtrics offers three ways online retailers can listen to their customers to improve the digital experience and increase sales:
1. Consider where consumers leave the website
Businesses should pinpoint where they are losing customers in the sales process. Identify where at what point in the online order cycle customers’ leave and then correct those “loss positions”.
This will create a lateral shift from frustration to purchase and help buyers better manoeuver around your website, locating what they want, with no checkout issues at the finish line. It will bring an immediate win on closing rates.
2. Understand where consumers get stuck on your website
Businesses should track activity on the website, not just roadblocks to purchase but also where consumers are having difficulty. Based on website analytics, online retailers can use a website intercept system, that lets the organisation get feedback on the spot.
Bill McMurray said, “If a potential customer can’t find what they are looking for, they may leave the site. To prevent this, you need a website intercept system that recognises when there has been a halt in activities for a minute or two and then triggers a message to the customer asking them how you can help. This can deliver useful insights on how the customer is using the site and where they ran into trouble.”
3. Win consumers back as they abandon their shopping carts
Businesses can use cart abandonment surveys to determine why a consumer is leaving without buying and offer promotions to encourage them to purchase. For example if a consumer abandons a shopping cart due to shipping costs, online retailers can offer a promotional code for discounted shipping if they purchase in a certain period of time. Interjecting at the right touch points and offering assistance, special promotions, or more information are a great way to get buyer success and customer feedback.
Bill McMurray said, “The key with data is to act on what you’ve learnt. Don’t gather feedback if you are not going to act on it. By making some simple tweaks to your website, you can gain better customer and market insights in 2016. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of your customer behaviour and providing targeted experiences can mean the difference between engaged, purchasing customers and lost sales.”