Imagine walking into a small boutique where a snooty sales assistant barely gives you the time of day before returning to the pages of her glossy magazine. It is hardly an incentive for you to spend money there, is it? So with this in mind, spend time making sure your customers have a positive experience when they visit your online store.
If you treat your customers well they are more likely to return, but if you treat them with contempt they are highly likely to go elsewhere in future. If in doubt, look at your store through fresh eyes and see if there is anything you can improve upon to make the shopping experience more enjoyable. You may find that a few simple tweaks are all that is needed.
Is your virtual store easy to navigate?
Setting up an online store using eCommerce software is relatively simple, but it is still important to make sure your products are organised in an intuitive manner. Customers typically shop online because it is a time saver, so they do not want to waste time searching fruitlessly for different products. Ideally place the same products types on the same page, or at the very least have links between similar products. And don’t forget to include a search feature to make it easier.
Are your carriage charges reasonable?
There is little point in boasting that your prices are the cheapest on the planet if you boost your profit margins by charging excessive delivery prices. Don’t try and rip off customers with huge shipping fees unless they cannot be avoided. Doing so will only alienate customers and drive them elsewhere.
Customer assistance 24/7
Okay, so offering customer support 24/7 might not be a viable option if you are running a one-man show, but you do need to have some kind of facility whereby your customers can contact you if they have any kind of problem or question. An email contact form is useful, particularly if you are dealing with international customers in different time zones, but a telephone number is always the best way to inspire confidence in your service. It may be old fashioned, but most people prefer talking to a real person as opposed to typing a message to an anonymous computer. Just make sure you are polite when dealing with disgruntled customers or the customer experience will not be a positive one.
Does your store look good on mobile devices?
Mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular, so to make your customer experience as positive as possible, check that they can view your store on their iPhone as well as their laptop or tablet.
Are you selling a legitimate product for a fair price?
Selling a sub-standard product at a rip-off price is not the best way of ensuring your customers have a positive experience, so if you do actually care about your customers, make sure your products are not fake replicas of a well-known brand made in China. And if you do belatedly find your products are dodgy after receiving numerous complaints, it is only fair to offer a full refund if requested.
