How To Create A Great Magento Ecommerce Experience For Customers
As the popularity of ecommerce continues to soar, how do you create a great Magento ecommerce experience for your customers? Keeping your customers happy and attracted to your website is a top priority. Imagine the malls of the 1990s. Every business had to have an appealing storefront, comfortable layout and friendly customer service to get people inside, spend money, and come back. Fast forward to the 21st century and the Internet has partially replaced the shopping center, and instead of “cruising the mall” customers are surfing the Internet. This is the latest ecommerce trend.
So what will make your customers bookmark your website and look at your products first? All shoppers have 2 to 3 stores they visit first at the mall, and the Internet is no different. The buying behaviors are quite similar, so your approach to satisfying your customers should be similar as well.
Once an online shopper has a great experience, they will come back for more.
How To Create A Great Magento Ecommerce Experience?
Here are some tips on how to create a great Magento ecommerce experience for your customers:
Fast Page Loading
When customers are in shopping mode they don’t want to wait—for anything. If your homepage or product pages take too long to load, consider your tab closed and your competitor’s site open. Research has shown most online shoppers leave a site after waiting three seconds.
Always test your site, especially if you add new content. It is imperative to operate at top speed even with high traffic or during a new deployment. When you’re in-store and want to see an item you can simply pick it up right away; the same goes for when an online shopper wants to open a product page.
Clean Product Images
Shopping online is convenient and offers great deals, but one element of in-store shopping is obviously missing: holding or trying on your product. There is no replacement for the sense of touch, but if you provide large, clean pictures of the item, your customer will get a clear view of the product—and ultimately buy with confidence.
Logos and brands should be easily identifiable as if they were on racks in a store. Shoes, for example, should be laid out in all available colors and have images from all angles. You want to replicate an in-person experience as much as possible, and quality ecommerce product pages will do just that.
Proper Customer Service
Upon entering a store in person, a polite “Do you need help finding anything?” reassures you an employee is there to help. However, if the salesperson follows you around and asks you two more times, chances are you are going to walk out. There is a fine line between “I’m here to help if you need me” and being in a customer’s face.
It is always a good idea to have one customer service pop-up, but after that, let the customer decide if they won't help. Make sure your live chat and click-to-call icons are visible at all times, but don’t be too pushy. Design your online customer service to feel like a polite employee waiting for your inquiry within a comfortable distance.
Allow Guest Checkout
Although “Sign Up” should be the prominent feature of your checkout process, give your customers the option to check out as a guest as well. The best practice is to make the “Sign Up” side of the page more appealing with bigger buttons and larger text. Always place this section on the left side of the page and highlight the discounts and benefits of being a member.
But remember, not everyone wants to spend five minutes typing in their personal information for a pair of jeans. Some people don’t want to give you their information and will question why you need it. Either way, you can lose the sale at the cash register. If paying customers just want to pay, let them do it.
Reassure Transaction is Complete
Simplicity is your #1 goal for a fast online checkout, and once the transaction is complete you must provide a transaction number, receipt number, and shipping information. Unlike the satisfaction of leaving the store with a bag in hand, online shoppers need some reassurance their item is paid for and on the way. These details will allow them to take mental ownership of the product.
Your return policy should be straightforward, too. Certainly, you don’t want customers returning purchased merchandise, but if you have a complicated return policy, they may never come back again. Don’t lose a lifetime of business for one bad return experience. If you make the return easy, the customer will return—it’s as simple as that.
What Do You Think?
What tips do you have to create a great Magento ecommerce experience for your customers? Share your tips in the comments below!