Technology impacts businesses of all sizes by reshaping the way customers and companies interact and influencing how consumers evaluate and purchase goods and services. Accessing the Internet on a mobile device enables customers to buy products online and keep an electronic record of their purchase. Buying and selling goods and services through the Internet is electronic commerce, referred to as e-Commerce.
A Pew Research Center national survey found that an estimated 79 percent of American adults made an online purchase. Fifty-one percent of Americans made purchases on their cell phones, and fifteen percent purchased something by clicking a link posted on a social media site. Many people shop online, so it’s crucial for e-Commerce business owners to revamp their online stores and ensure they can meet customers’ needs.
Create An Accessible And Informative Website
E-Commerce business owners must ensure their websites load and run smoothly. Online shoppers use various devices to make purchases, so e-Commerce sites should be accessible on all mobile devices and computers.
To raise brand awareness and lead online shoppers to an e-Commerce site, business owners can implement digital marketing methods.
Digital marketing uses search engines, social media, and other channels to reach consumers and encourage two-way interactions with them. Examples of digital marketing campaigns include email marketing ads, search result ads, and promoted posts on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Eighty-two percent of Americans surveyed said they consult online product reviews and ratings when making initial purchases, and 65 percent said they tend to compare online prices with prices listed in brick-and-mortar stores (Pew Research Center, 2016). For this reason, it’s essential to include product descriptions, product photos, and product prices on web pages, so customers know what they’re buying.
Improve Customer Service And Customer Engagement
A great way to impress online shoppers and increase customer satisfaction and retention is to personalize products to fit customers’ specific needs and preferences. To gauge customer satisfaction, companies can conduct customer feedback surveys via social media, email, or phone. Companies can benefit from incorporating customer feedback into customer service operations and the production and sale of goods.
Business owners can invest in technology that empowers them to reach many customers simultaneously to optimize customer service operations. The innovative customer service call center software created by Bright Patten, for example, equips businesses with a unique omnichannel communication platform that connects customers to company agents via phone calls, live chats, emails, and SMS. Such artificial intelligence-assisted technology enables businesses to use virtual assistants and bots to provide 24/7 customer service and self-service options, optimizing the work of human agents, and increasing call center productivity.
The omnichannel communication platform eliminates call transfers to multiple agents and long wait times, making it easy for customers to have their concerns addressed. Many people can communicate over the platform simultaneously without fear of interruptions or congestion. Bright Pattern’s software enables companies to monitor and record customer service calls and analyze their call centers. Detailed call center analysis allows business owners to observe and evaluate customer-company interactions and agent performance.
E-Commerce businesses should strive to provide pleasant calling experiences for customers, as customer service experiences can influence purchase decisions, impacting the company’s sales.
Increase Security
Online stores must have a web page for customers to purchase products with credit cards, checks, or other valid payment forms.
Like physical stores, online stores should have financial protection methods. Business owners can write checks online, and print and mail them with ease by implementing accounts payable solutions and payment services offered by a company such as SmartPayables. SmartPayables provides clients secure ways to outsource check payments and document printing and mailing.
Offering features such as the positive pay tool, password-protected controls, signature security, and encrypted data streams, SmartPayables helps companies prevent check fraud. Businesses can consult SmartPayables to have checks printed with unique watermarks, designs, chemical sensitivities, and other features to avoid counterfeiting and fraud.
Websites should implement privacy protocols and security that protect shoppers’ and clients’ data. E-Commerce businesses should prioritize customers and provide them with easy-to-access products and safe ways to purchase them.