If you have an e-commerce website or mobile application, it is important that you provide a sleek buying experience for your customers. And, it is not just about having high-quality products or services but about creating personalized experiences for your customers. This means that every interaction from the first visit to post-checkout should be unique to their preferences and needs.
It is important to make the purchase process intuitive and straightforward with clear information and CTA buttons. They definitely don't have time to research your products' features or read long FAQs.
Without a doubt, price and quality are the most important factors that influence buying decisions. However, over 50% of customers stated that most of their buying decisions are influenced by convenience.
The truth is that a quality product with a competitive price can lose to competitors who have a strong online presence. When you build a personalized experience for your audience, you:
- Build trustworthy relationships with your customers
- Attract more relevant customers
- Increase conversion rates
- Gain loyal customers
- Increase customer retention
Customer experience and buying experience are not the same but they are interconnected. Customer experience is the way you interact with your customers from the moment they find your brand until they leave. So, it is aimed at generating customer loyalty and increasing retention. On the other hand, the buying experience focuses on growing conversion rates.
So, how to improve the buying experience?
Providing an incredible buying experience is definitely rewarding but challenging as well. Here are some tips that can help you build trust with your audience and increase sales.
Put your Customers' needs first
It is important to think like your customer to understand what they expect at every stage of the buyer's journey. You should provide all the required information in visible parts of the website without the need to search for it. This can be achieved by creating a map that follows the traditional stages of the buyer's journey. When you map the important touchpoints, you can easily reach your customers in the right place at the right time.
Professional Customer Service
Your content can definitely attract attention and turn your visitors into customers. However, your customer service team can make or break your business. Actually, 9 out of 10 users expect live chat on your website to ask questions and report issues. 77% of customers stated that they are more likely to return to a website that has live chat.
But, to achieve the best possible results, your customer service team should respond quickly to submitted requests. Your customers aren't patient and they won't wait for you to respond, searching for one of your competitors. That's something you should consider when building your customer support team.
Showcase Business Credibility
People won't make a purchase unless they trust your business. It is important to demonstrate relevant expertise and boost your credibility in your prospects' eyes. And, this can be achieved by adding your customers' reviews and testimonials. Over 90% of customers check online reviews before taking a purchase decision.
Show the Team behind your Business
People prefer human interactions and love to talk with agents rather than robots. They want to know that someone understands their concerns and can help them solve any issues. Actually, 55% of companies that give access to their community agree that this approach has increased their sales.
Facilitate the Buying Process
57% of customers stated that they didn't complete a purchase because the sign-up process was too complicated for them. If the checkout process is long or complicated, there is a good chance that they will give up. So, it is crucial to provide a simple buying process to decrease the abandonment rate. This can be achieved by:
- Avoid asking for too much information
- Add live chat to support your customers
- Add multiple payment options
- Use content to clarify the process
The Wrap-up
The buying process isn't a one-step action but it requires multiple touchpoints to form the buying experience. It mainly depends on convenience, emotional connection, company responsiveness, and more. When building a positive buying experience for your customers, they are more likely to convert, which improves business credibility and boosts sales.
