The start of the year is a great time to make new resolutions – most of us set personal goals, so why not create business targets as well?
For most ecommerce retailers, the main ambition for 2015 will be to increase the size and value of your customer base. If you’re nodding your head in response to this statement, we’ve put together some key points to help focus your strategy for the year ahead, and help you form more profitable customer relationships.
Put the customer at the heart of everything
The customer is driving retail today, so make sure you place their needs and experiences at the forefront of all your business processes. A good place to start is auditing your ecommerce site from the perspective of an online shopper, to see where you can make it more appealing and simpler to use, in order to increase conversion rates.
Ensure your site is mobile optimized
Mobile was one of retail’s biggest game changers in 2014; mCommerce now accounts for 50.3% of all eCommerce traffic. If your website isn’t built responsively, it could be difficult to use on smartphones and tablets, discouraging shoppers using these devices,
It’s not just shopper adoption rates that improving – technology advancements are making it more secure than ever to process mobile transactions. There’s really no excuse for letting mCommerce customers slip through your fingers in 2015.
Be more social
Are you using social media to full effect? There are more social network users now than ever before, but it’s surprising how many ecommerce retailers aren’t using this channel to drive custom. Putting an effective strategy in place – for example, scheduling regular interesting content, running competitions and joining in online conversations using relevant hashtags – can increase your follower numbers. Interacting with online shoppers is also a great way to increase loyalty among existing shoppers.
Deliver on promise
Fulfillment is set to be one of the biggest ‘make or break’ factors in determining where people shop online in 2015. Today’s consumers are demanding speed and choice when it comes to delivery, and the ecommerce retailers that triumph this year will be those who can manage orders efficiently to meet those standards, whilst still remaining profitable. It might sound basic but you’d be surprised how many businesses let their customers down when it comes to getting the right product to the right customer, at the right time and in the best location for their needs.