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Five Characteristics Great E-Commerce Sites Have In Common

Forbes Technology Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Roy Yamner

Technology has impacted every aspect of consumers lives. From the way we communicate with others to how we stay connected to the world around us to the way we shop. Nowadays, consumers don’t think twice about going online for everyday purchases, which has had a direct impact on brick-and-mortar. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, online retail purchases experienced a 16% increase in 2017 compared to 2016. This figure represents the highest growth rate since 2011.

While many businesses such as Amazon and Wayfair are thriving in the age of digital commerce, there are some industries that have yet to break the glass ceiling when it comes to capitalizing on consumer’s online purchasing behavior. Prescription eyewear is one such industry, which is why I know how important it is to meet consumers where they are. Changing consumer behavior is a challenge that can only be met by optimizing their online shopping experience. Here are five tips to help consumers gain confidence in the process and increase repeat customer ratios.

It’s All About The Experience

Providing a turn-key experience that enables your customer to easily navigate your site is one of the most important traits of any e-commerce site. Much of this can be implemented by learnings from sources like Google Analytics, which will help you track your consumer journey and identify where there might be roadblocks within your site that ultimately discourage the user to complete their purchases. It is also important to offer a complete in-platform experience that prevents the consumer from venturing off your site to acquire the information they need to buy the product they seek. For example, furniture retailer West Elm offers a room planner tool that helps consumers layout their room and visualize how the items will fit prior to purchasing. It is important to pinpoint what the barriers within your site are and plan on addressing them.

One key component of that experience is making the purchase process as simple as possible. According to Barilliance, a company that provides website personalization technologies, the cart abandonment rate surpassed 78% in 2017. There are several factors that can contribute to consumers not completing a purchase, and companies like Magento, which was recently announced to be acquired by Adobe, offer some tips on how to optimize the shopping cart experience, including offering transparency in pricing so consumers know exactly how much they will be paying for the item, including shipping options so that you can address each consumers’ individual urgency in shipping, and speeding up checkout by being able to save payment options and optimizing the experience for mobile. One way we have improved our customer experience is by offering a virtual mirror feature that allows consumers to try on any pair of glasses from the comfort of their keyboard and shows them how the frame will look on their face.

Design Matters

Enticing design, development and a well-thought-out consumer path to purchase should go hand-in-hand when establishing your brand experience. Your brand and web design should have a cohesive look and feel that is clean, concise and carried across the entire online experience. Nordstrom’s website design has made it simple for consumers to browse through the products they are looking for. For a site that offers a wide range of products, the filtering option allows consumers to easily hone in on a specific category’s selection without getting lost navigating a large selection. There is no one simple solution to addressing design, but it is important to understand your audience segments in order to identify the best approach.

Become A Resource

Your brand should stand for more than the product you sell. Consumers are looking for deeper connections to the brands they choose to purchase. Having content like a blog, video tutorials or a frequently asked questions section allows the consumer to get more in-depth information about a relevant topic and can make the difference in acquiring a loyal customer base. Brands like Patagonia are leading the pack in establishing a loyal consumer that is driven by the brand’s social stance to protect the environment. When visiting the Patagonia site, consumers are first greeted by the brand’s activity in environmental protection. The e-commerce part of the site becomes a secondary page, but one that can be easily found so it does not get lost in a sea of content.

Make It Easy To Have Human Interactions

There is nothing more frustrating than reaching a roadblock in the purchase journey and not being able to have easy access to a customer service representative. Make sure your “get help?” phone number, email and live chat options are easy to find within the platform. When shopping online, consumers want to have a similar experience to the one offered at traditional brick-and-mortar stores. This includes being able to ask for help when needed or being able to taste or try a product on before committing to purchase. A 24/7 assistant platform can be a differentiator in providing an optimized customer experience.

Provide A Platform For Reviews

Users want to know what other consumers think of your product. Make it possible for them to leave comments or provide a rating system on your site. This tool will also enable you to collect information that will help tweak an offering or product.

While the recommendations mentioned above are key to optimizing the customer experience, a cohesive strategy to boost your online business must be supported by activity on the backend, which includes knowing your way around analytics, improving your extension on mobile platforms and managing your marketing strategies and spend. Finally, e-commerce is always changing. Stay on top of new tools and strategies to help you offer the best possible experience to those visiting your site.

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