While physical shopping is an engaging activity that combines the purpose of shopping along with experience, most eCommerce websites have failed to achieve that engagement with their customers.

Moreover, ECommerce provides too many options for users to choose from. This makes it important to know exactly what to do for your website to stand out from the rest.

Less robotic and more natural.

Automation is the way to be, there is no doubt about that. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have benefited the eCommerce industry in more ways than one by introducing tools like for example the recommendation system or chatbots. Where we have gone wrong is made the entire process more technical and robotic and less personal and natural. The essence of shopping from a physical store is lost when it comes to online stores. So what can be done?

Chatbots used should adopt a more conversational language so that it seems like a personal attendant or salesperson is helping out the guest rather than a mere artificial intelligence system trained to work according to some algorithm.

Personalize Content

The content displayed on the website must be personalized. Making the customer feel special and a part of the company’s family makes him/her more comfortable with purchases. When a customer makes a purchase, there can be an optional column before checkout where you can mention the purpose of your purchase, for example, Nancy’s bday. So next year, around the same time, if the same visitor visits the website, the website can remind them of Nancy’s birthday and enquire if they wish to buy something for that purpose. Remembering occasions specific to a customer apart from the generic holidays and festivals are likely to create a personalized bond with the customer.

Also, personalized campaigns can be used to send customized emails to customers about offers available exclusively for them depending on their purchase patterns.

Customer retention should also be made a focus by offering special perks to customers who have stuck around for a while, are frequent shoppers from your website. Early entry into website sale day and different loyalty programs can help increase the trust between your company and customers improving your business.

Dealing with issues of cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a topic that is the talk of the town these days. It is because as more and more data is being maintained in online databases and data centers, cybercrime is also increasing exponentially. It is a primary concern to ensure the safety of data that belongs to the eCommerce company as well as its customers. Guest data and credentials if breached or stolen can be misused by cybercriminals for their advantage.

As an eCommerce website owner, it is of utmost importance and it is your responsibility to safeguard all data during transmission and in storage. Many precautions can be taken to prevent unwanted incidents from taking place but the basic step that is needed is a website protected with an SSL certificate. Cheap Wildcard SSL certificate and other variants are an absolute necessity for any online business owner. Enabling SSL on your website helps customers trust the website as it is a certification of being a genuine website. Customers who trust the eCommerce brand are likely to invest in buying products from the website which will in turn increase business for your company.

Positive Exploitation of Social Media

Ecommerce in today’s world of increasing social media can also be boosted by creating a social media family around your company and its products. Give customers incentives for sharing your products online or sharing pictures with your products. This will lead to increased market presence as well as advertising. As more and more customers begin sharing your products online or sharing their stories or testimonials about your product online, it catches the attention of other social media users and encourages them to also take a look at your products and possibly give a shot at buying them.

Hence, not only did your company increase its social media presence, it formed an online family of its own and helped spread the word about your products. Also, when people share product reviews from their social media handles it gives a face to the reviews being given and is a way to assure the potential customers that the reviews given are genuine and not fake spam reviews given to paint a fake picture. Think of an interesting hashtag, ensure that your company has social media handles on all social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Be sure to have someone to handle these mediums and respond to those who tag your company name or products on various platforms.

Give equal importance to web apps and mobile apps

Many eCommerce websites undermine the importance of mobile-friendly apps or platforms for their users. A lot of traffic for eCommerce websites is indeed fuelled from web apps but it doesn’t mean that the value of mobile apps can be taken for granted. A large population of customers prefers mobile phones or tablets to access eCommerce platforms making it an absolute must to make this platform available to them as much as the website is. It is important to make an app that is fast, efficient and manages the traffic well so that this section of the customers are also catered too well.

The above tips are just a beginning to help the eCommerce industry be more of an immersive experience than merely a purchase centric industry. The personal touch and engagement are what will help the industry thrive for many years to come. So go ahead and try out these tips on your website to see the difference it makes for you and your website.

The post The eCommerce Industry Could Be a Lot Better — Here’s How appeared first on WebKu.

1. Indirectly grow your sales team

Most online entrepreneurs are either working alone or have a very small team. This means there is a lot to do and not a whole lot of time to market and sell your products directly. Affiliates do all of the leg work for you so you can sit back and handle the rest of your operation. They bring in new traffic without you having to do much beyond securing them initially. This makes it well worth paying the commission they take on each and every sale since you wouldn’t even be getting that sale in the first place if it wasn’t for them.

2. Multiple paths to conversion

There are multiple incentives you can employ to get affiliates interested in selling your products. You can have them get people’s email, fill out a form, download a pdf, or go in for a direct sale. Each type of incentive works better on certain customers so playing all of these angles is a great way to get more conversions from a variety of potential clients and consumers.

3. Improve customer loyalty

Return customers are more likely to spend the big bucks than a new face. Leveraging existing fanbases and converting them into your clients allows you to sell even more to them in the future. Once you have a list of past customers, you can begin offering them great products and use convenient features such as delivery date extensions to increase their likelihood of buying additional items or services.

4. Enhance credibility

Having a bunch of affiliates boosts your credibility since you can prove that many people endorse your products. Some potential customers are more skeptical and no amount of smart marketing is going to get them to pull the trigger. For these tough clients, you have to show that other people have enjoyed your product and found value in it. Once they see that others are happy they are far more willing to try out your offerings.

5. Better budgeting and ROI

You can really save on marketing costs by using affiliates. With a traditional ad, you pay for space or clicks that may or may not lead to actual sales. You only have to pay your affiliates when they actually make a conversion so you are guaranteed to make a profit.

6. User-generated content overload

For those days when you sit down to work but the creative juices just won’t flow, you can rely on your affiliates to create content that still generates income for you. Since they want to get paid as well, good affiliates will keep consistent content flowing that markets tour previous products so you can still rake in dollars as you struggle to plan your next move.

7. Develop brand ambassadors

Influencers can nudge their followers in the direction of your products and show that your brand is one worth taking into consideration. The best influencers flaunt your products by showing themselves actually using it in their daily lives. This strengthens your brand recognition amongst thousands if not millions of potential customers that will now turn to you when they need to make a purchase.

8. Speedy results

Traditional digital marketing takes on average 6 to 9 months before it breaks even and becomes successful. You can accomplish a whole lot in that time and some business owners don’t have the luxury of waiting that long. Affiliates can produce sales almost immediately since a majority of them already have established following and funnels with which to convert sales. Leverage their existing online presence while you build up your own in order to maximize your profits.

9. Develop your niche

Knowing your audience is a crucial part of any business and affiliate marketing is a great way to learn about those who would be interested in your products. When you partner with someone, you get to see firsthand what kinds of customers gravitate to your brand. Once you have an idea of who you appeal to, you can customize your campaigns to target more people with similar interests and needs. This leads to more conversions and sales since you have potential customers who are already proven to like what you are offering.

10. Tailored target audience

Digital marketing on sites like Facebook has come a long way. You can target people with very specific hobbies, interests, or geographic locations. However, there is no way to see for yourself if those types of people are actually seeing your ad. With affiliates you have much more control over where and whom your advertising is placed. This saves you both money and time since only the people you want to target are actually seeing your business.

The post 10 Surprising Ways Affiliate Marketing Will Transform Your eCommerce Business appeared first on WebKu.