How To Increase Sales And Customer Engagement For Your eCommerce business

• By Christopher
• 11-10-2021
• E-commerce

eCommerce markets have reached new heights during the COVID pandemic as businesses everywhere had to move from traditional shops to a digital environment. The competition is fiercer than ever before, and it is becoming increasingly harder to engage customers and make sales.

As a business owner, you have to get creative and use all available tools to attract new customers and retain old ones.

There are many different methods you can use to increase sales and engage more customers. As long as they are happy with your service, you'll have room for growth.

So, keep reading, and we'll tell you how to boost sales and improve your entire eCommerce business.

Importance of Customer Engagement

No matter what type of business or service you offer, you want to make sure that all customers are happy with your service.

The massive influx of eCommerce platforms in the past few years makes it even harder to meet customer expectations. Every detail counts, and it's the tiniest thing that usually turns the customers away.

According to the latest stats, 86% of consumers are willing to pay more for a better service. The customer experience is a critical factor that will determine your website's success. So, you'll have to work on improving customer engagement if you want to stay afloat.

Offering lower prices and deals won't cut it anymore. Instead, you have to work on creating a stronger relationship with every individual. That can be achieved only through outstanding service, a helpful customer support team, and excellent customer engagement.

Best Methods for Engaging More Customers

Once you realize that customer loyalty is the only real way of growing your eCommerce platform, you might ask yourself what you should do to improve customer engagement. Well, you can approach the problem from a few different angles. The final strategy you pick depends on your goals.

If you're having a hard time finding a working solution, you can contact the best marketing companies for an expert view.

Here are some methods that will help you increase customer engagement, resulting in more conversions and steady growth.

1. Let Your Customers Share Their Experiences with Your Brand

The classic sales approach where you're the only one advertising the items or services you provide is a thing of the past.
Anyone can make promises to boost sales, but that won't help you get far. If your customers are unhappy with your services, they will share their experience online, effectively driving your business into the ground.

However, if your products and services meet the standards, you should allow your customers to leave public feedback directly on product pages as well as across social media platforms.

Include a rating chart if you can to give everyone the option to rate your brand, product, and services.

Of course, no matter how professional you might be, there will be some negative comments as well. Those are the comments that matter the most, and you can use them to your advantage.

Address the issues pointed out by your customers, and you will show them that you genuinely care about how they feel and what they want.

2. Invest Into Creating an Outstanding Customer Support

Almost every business has some type of customer support, but we all know that most are not that helpful.

Some companies only communicate through emails, others have phones no one answers, and some use live chatbots to cover simple issues.

Put yourself in your customer's shoes. What would you think of a brand or a company that doesn't want to help you get what you paid for? You wouldn't recommend it to friends and family members, right?

That's why you need to organize your customer support to the best of your abilities. Any type of support system is better than nothing.
The good news is that there are many software tools designed to help you address customer inquiries and improve customer retention. What's more, most popular software solutions allow you to set up an omnichannel support system with AI and ticketing. That way, you will be able to cover your customer's needs across all channels and boost the efficiency of your customer support team.

3. Simplify the Checkout Process

Cart abandonment is one of the biggest reasons why so many eCommerce platforms fail to meet their goals.

No one wants to go through a complicated checkout process with limited payment options. You won't be able to increase sales and customer retention with a complex checkout.

What you need is to simplify the checkout process as much as possible. It's also not a bad idea to offer free shipping and other bonuses for returning customers.

Furthermore, you should provide a live chat customer support option as well as a self-service knowledge base to allow visitors to find the answers they need quickly.

As mentioned earlier, it's the little details that make the biggest difference. After all, if you're not willing to provide support and help guide your customers down the sales funnel, someone else will.

4. Engage Unhappy Customers Right Away

If you run into negative comments and don't do anything to make things right, other users will think twice before trusting your company. That's why it's important not only to take action but to show that you want to fix things as soon as possible.

The problem is that most customers won't take the time to express their feelings. Instead, they will have a negative opinion they will surely share with other potential prospects.

Finding those customers won't be easy, but you can include a survey after every sale allowing your customers to express their opinions.
If they are unhappy, offer them a better deal or a discount to make things right. That might cost a little more than you expected, but it will improve trust, increase sales and help you build a good reputation.

5. Start a Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs are one of the most effective ways of retaining customers. Offering existing customers discounts, special deals, and other bonuses will motivate them to come back and make more purchases. It will also increase the frequency of purchases and boost overall customer satisfaction. Something as simple as a special birthday discount can do wonders.

By making your customers feel appreciated, you will strengthen their connection with the brand.

There are many different types of loyalty programs, but the idea is to provide your customers with more value. That will make a huge difference, in the long run, allowing you to grow the platform without too much effort.

6. Master the Power of Social Media

Almost a third of all people in the world use social media networks every day. That makes these platforms the ideal place to build your brand's identity and generate leads.

You should also know that having a page on every social media network won't do anything without a creative customer engagement strategy.

When it comes to social media networks, there are some basic rules you should stick by to boost customer engagement. Here's a quick overview of the most important considerations:

Post new content at least twice a day
Monitor the engagement of every post
Set Google alerts to keep track of what users say about your brand
Address all complaints directly
Answer as many questions as possible
Share the answers with other followers

7. Build a Strong Community around Your Brand

Humans are social beings, and as such, we have a strong need to belong to a community. You can use that to your advantage and build a strong community around your brand.

Just think of Nike, Air Jordan's, Under Armour, and countless other popular brands. All of them worked hard to build communities around themselves because it improves overall credibility.

Moreover, communities are an ideal place where you can share information and get high-quality feedback you can use to further improve future offers.

Allow your customers to interact with each other and your brand to boost the customer experience in all stages of the sales funnel. There are multiple benefits to this approach.

For one, some members will get the answers they need without contacting your customer support. It's simply a win-win situation for everyone involved.

The sooner you start working on creating an active online community, the better.

Conclusion

The methods above are just some of the available techniques used to engage more customers and build a strong brand identity.

As long as you have some strategy in place and you show your customers that you want to hear what they have to say, nothing will stop your brand from growing.

That said, you should consider getting some kind of advanced customer support software and other tools that will help you stay organized.

Lastly, if you're running out of ideas, don't hesitate to reach out to digital marketing agencies to help you out. With a little bit of effort and a few good ideas, your customer engagement will reach a new level before you know it.