Success

Connect

10 Ways To Improve The Online Customer Experience For Shoppers

Mary Walton

4 min read

Feb 21, 2017

There's more competition than ever online as you try to sell your goods. Customers are looking for more than just a utilitarian shopping site, they want an experience. How can you tempt them away from the big companies and over to you?

Here's ten ways to improve the online customer experience on your website.

1. Identify your own brand's personality

Shopping on a big box store's website, such as Amazon, you feel that there's no sense of personality or anything that makes what's on offer unique. You're a smaller store, but you can show them exactly how it's done. Identify what it is about you that makes you special. What speaks to your customers? Incorporate that into everything you do on your site.

For example, the Man Crates brand sends out 'manly' themed crates of goods. On their help page, there's a graphic that features a fist holding a crowbar, with a caption that reads 'try harder.' It fits their brand's personality perfectly.

2. Proofread all your website content

Every single word of a copy on your website needs to be proofread. That's because your customers are paying attention, and they want to know if your site can be trusted. Spelling mistakes and errors are often the signs of a less than legitimate business, so they'll know to steer clear.

To proofread your work, you'll need to use some online tools to get the most out of your copy. Sites such as Easy Word Count and Proofread Bot will instantly highlight spelling errors for you. If you want a professional to proofread the content for you, get in touch with the staff at UK Writings.

3. Improve your emails

Think about how you communicate with your customers. You want your emails to be upbeat and friendly, encouraging the customer to return while giving them important information about their order. Rewrite your automated emails to fit this objective.

4. Have product reviews written for you

Customers trust product reviews, as they're unvarnished descriptions of how the product actually works. If you have them on your site, you're much more likely to get people buying that product from you.

If you're just starting out though, it can be hard to get product reviews as you've only sold a few units. That's where professional writing services come in. Companies such as Boom Essays and Essayroo have professional writers on staff that can create genuine, personal reviews of your products, which you can then paste onto your site.

5. Be genuine

When you shop in real life, you feel more comfortable with stores whose employees are honestly happy to see you. The same goes for online stores. Those with a friendly attitude are seen to be more genuine, and customers are much more likely to shop with them. Keep that in mind when writing your copy.

6. Check and improve your grammar

While speaking about the quality of your copy, check the grammar of your website at the moment. If it isn't up to scratch, it can cause problems as customers may not be able to understand what you're saying to them. If they can't, you can wave goodbye to many potential sales.

As you're checking, keep a grammar handbook nearby. Academized and Australian Help both feature great ones, that break the subject down in easy to manage sections, and really help you get to grips with it.

7. Use recommendation engines

There are many online stores that use this technique to great effect. Based on what the customer is browsing, the engine will give them recommendations for what to buy next. Show the customer that you're paying attention to what they might want or need.

8. Appeal to the buyer's emotions

The best website copy isn't just a bland description of what the product does, but what it can do for the customer. Tell them what it will do, how it can make their life better. Appeal to heart rather than the head, and you'll get many more sales.

9. Use the 'customer service tone’

Online, you want to replicate how employees may speak to you in a store. That means you must try and adopt a friendly, yet direct tone of writing. Tell your customers 'you're all set!' when they complete an order, and be honest in thanking them when they buy from you. That tone is much better than the standard web copy you see on many stores.

10. Be enthusiastic about what you're selling

Overall, you need to be enthusiastic about what you're selling. Show the customer that you really care about what you're offering. If you care about what you do, that enthusiasm will shine through and rub off on your customers.

There are the ten tips you need to keep in mind when you want to optimize the online customer experience. Show them why they should shop with you. Soon they won't go anywhere else.

If you liked this post you might also be interested in 9 Steps to Provide Amazing Live Chat Customer Experience.

Get a glimpse into the future of business communication with digital natives.

Get the FREE report