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- Topics:
- E-Commerce
According to CMO. by Adobe, total online sales for holiday 2016 were over $90 billion. Online shopping continues to grow, and if you’ve been toying with the idea of an online shopping option for your customers, you should make sure you can provide a few perks to ensure the experience is optimal.
According to Marketing Charts, there are a few things that are important to offer in addition to your online shopping options:
- Live Chat. According to Marketing Charts, “Some 42% see live chat as an important customer service option when shopping online…Close behind, 37% feel that the ability to ask questions via live chat is important when they’re searching for and selecting products online.” This customer service tool is difficult to offer, especially for small businesses without available staff; however, you can always outsource live chat if you have the funds.
- Email Options. Marketing Charts reports that “…email (55%) is the most likely to be considered important by consumers when shopping online. Onsite questions and answers (45%) and frequently asked questions (45%) are also considered important by many while shopping online, while fewer (23%) look to social media as a customer service option.” The ability for customers to contact you via email and live chat options are important customer service tools. Providing one option or the other is sufficient and will help supplement your online shopping process.
- Delivery and Returns. Many shoppers want something right away, so same-day delivery is extremely important to them. This option is difficult to offer for small businesses, but keeping delivery options in mind is important to consider as you think about offering online shopping options. The returns process is also important, according to Marketing Charts. They report that “fully two-thirds (68%) of the online shoppers surveyed said that they review the return policy before making a purchase. Moreover, 79% rate free return shipping as important to them.”
Keep these offerings in mind if you’re considering opening online shopping options to customers. Having these methods sorted out beforehand will ensure that customers are happy with the buying process and more likely to come back again.
Ready to offer online shopping to your customers? Contact Pulse Marketing Agency if you need help implementing e-commerce on your website. Your first 30-minute consultation is free!
