Business owners in the ecommerce sector need to work to make sure they are serving their customers’ needs. That can be tougher than with a traditional store because you do not have the opportunity to see your customers. They have no personal interaction with you unless they need something, and usually at that point, customers are upset. Still, there are some innovative ecommerce ideas you can use to help your website compete.
Be Available At Odd Hours
More people shop at night and on the weekends than during the day. If your job relies on people’s shopping habits, then it makes more sense for you to work during the times people are likely to shop. If your website is your fulltime business, rearrange your work schedule so you can have nighttime hours. Consider hiring someone to work around the clock if you can. Making a policy such as “responses to emails come within 30 minutes” will help you stand out.
When people are shopping online, they are looking for instant gratification of surf and shop. If you make yourself available to deal with any problems immediately, then customers are more likely to buy from your store. Waiting even a day can deter a customer from getting a product from your site.
Hire A Fulfillment Center
Doing everything yourself is tempting when you’re running a website. Doing more of the work yourself is something that will make more profit for you. The problem is that as your website grows, you cannot possibly handle all the work. The best way to deal with that problem is by hiring a fulfillment center. MultiChannelMerchant.com is a blog and website devoted to fulfillment centers with a focus on ecommerce ideas. People at fulfillment centers will pack your customers’ orders and deal with returns, which will send your orders out more quickly and allow you to focus on other areas of your business.
Offer A Free Electronic Product
E-books are a relatively simple product to put together. The tools to do so are available online, and many writers ghostwrite e-books within a few days’ time. One way to get customers to sign up to receive your newsletter or to register for your database of names is to offer a free e-book with sign-in. One site that uses this ecommerce promotion technique well is Cleure.com. The site is geared to people interested in wellness products, and with a quick sign-up, visitors can receive the e-book A Label Tells It All…or Does It? About food labels. The e-book is a bonus to people who sign up, and offering a bonus for signing up is a tested customer service idea.
Contact Loyal Customers With Thanks
Diane Tomb of MyCoupons.com shared recently that she makes phone calls to clients. Though you may not be able to do that with every client, an excellent way to show clients you care is to call the major clients at least once a year to thank them for their business. Holiday cards for repeat or large-order businesses are another way to get personal interaction with customers and win the ecommerce customer service game.
If the process of making calls is too expensive, look into Skype. Using Skype is a much more cost efficient way for you to make long distance calls to your customers. Also think about e-cards, sent no more than once or twice a year, to thank loyal customers. Another ecommerce idea you can borrow from brick and mortar stores and make work for you is to send emails to customers who have not yet returned to your store for a percentage off or a special deal. This type of personal attention is vital in ecommerce because you need to maximize contact with your customer whenever possible.
Offer Videos With Helpful Information
Sellpoint.net uses videos to grab customers’ attention. Of all the ecommerce ideas, this one is likely to reach the largest market. Lisa Shea, owner of BellaOnline.com, also has videos about her site available on YouTube. Shea also includes videos from her editors. These videos highlight the information readers will find on various BellaOnline.com sites. This ecommerce idea gives customers a way to see the people behind a website, especially if the service being sold is information.
Don’t just have videos for the sake of having them, however. Use the videos to share something useful. If you sell products, you can make videos showing a new line you are carrying or showing the best features of popular products. These videos will allow customers to see a real-world view of what the product looks like, rather than judging a product just based on its look from a picture. If you’re really into being web-savvy, you can have podcasts with pertinent information to help your shoppers. A women’s clothing shop may include fall fashion tips or dressing right for your body type as podcasts to give women something extra for visiting the shop.
Take Orders In Multiple Ways
Many retailers online put a PayPal link and assume all is well with their customers because PayPal allows credit card and bank account payments. While there is nothing wrong with PayPal, one innovative ecommerce idea is to offer multiple ways to pay. Other online payment options exist, such as Payoneer, and these choices can convince people who aren’t comfortable with PayPal to use your service.
Another option is to use a shopping cart system such as the one at GoEcart.com. This system has a built-in setup for taking orders by both phone and mail. For customers still leery of entering credit card information online, this option really can open up your customer base and show that you are committed to listening to your customers’ needs.
Getting customers to return to your ecommerce site really is a matter of making them feel they’re wanted. It’s easy online for customers to feel as if they’re only a confirmation number, and the best customer service will make people feel as if they are more than that to your company.
|
Business: 
