The panic that sets in when I am trying to navigate some online retail sites is genuine. It often amazes me that such big companies and businesses have such “customer un-friendly” websites!
The award-winning Babycupcakes® online retail gift store is a great example of how, without spending thousands of dollars on website design, and by using a little common sense, you can achieve a streamlined, secure and logical online shopping experience for the end user.
Here are my ten top tips:
- Use all the information you have in front of you to identify your customer needs and use this information to make informed design choices. Feedback from Babycupcakes® customers and staff over the past five years has been used to custom design and tailor our website to meet the specific needs of the end user.
- Develop thicker skin. Go out of your way to ask customers for feedback about their shopping experience with you. You need to be prepared to accept both positive and negative feedback, and be willing to implement any valid suggestions promptly.
- Use great images and descriptions of your products. Unlike a real shopfront, online customers cannot touch or feel the merchandise. They only have your description to go by. Make sure that your images and descriptions are accurate and do the products justice.
- Structure your online shopping cart to ask for information in a logical manner. Ask the customer which colour baby gifts they would like on the page that visually displays all of their options. Ask them if they would like to add something to their gift ( “Would you like fries with that?”) as they are viewing their cart and are in the virtual checkout. Give the customer a space to enter the name of the hospital… all these little things will add up to seamless, user-friendly shopping.
- Be transparent and easily contactable. As well as email, Babycupcakes® also has a 1300 telephone number with a customer service team ready and willing to answer questions or take orders over the phone. An online shopping experience is only as good as the pre and post sales support each customer receives.
- Make sure that your customer service team is familiar with all of the products and services your business provides, as well as the most frequently asked customer questions. From a customer’s perspective, there is nothing worse than not being able to have questions answered in a prompt, efficient and knowledgeable manner.
- Corporate credibility encourages customer loyalty and trust. Display your feedback. Acknowledge any industry awards you may have received. If you belong to any industry associations, let customers know.
- Tell the customer about yourself. You would be amazed at what a difference this makes. My business partner and I used to see ourselves as “separate” from the business, with our marketing and media tending to focus on the products and services we offered rather than anything else. When we received some great media coverage about our successful business partnership, we noticed a huge surge in business. People felt that they knew us, and therefore knew our products.
- Never consider a website or online store to be “finished” Our website continues to evolve, as does our business. Website suggestions and shopping enhancements are tabled at our monthly production meetings and are usually implemented within a week.
- Provide your customers with a remarkable shopping experience. Every time.
About the Author:
Baby Gifts by BabyCupCakes
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Ten Tips for Online Store Design
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