What makes an online store great?
This is a great question, and it seems like one with objective answers, at first glance. We can debate that we all value different things when shopping and searching online. For some, how a website looks is what makes it great. For others, it’s about the site’s technical qualities, loading speeds, and ease of use. To be frank, what makes an online store great is all these qualities combine.
When it comes to customer experiences, a website’s functionalities play a role as important as its features and aesthetic. There is also something about an online store that authentically represents a brand well. Everything online needs to work together and work at optimum levels to compete in today’s business world.
How to differentiate yourself from your competition
A true industry leader understands the connection between what their website offers (i.e., products/services, experience, functionality) and how satisfied their customers are. It is once you master customer satisfaction that you can enjoy higher customer loyalty and a powerful competitive advantage within your industry. You can make your online platform standout amongst your competitors by:
- Offering quality customer service
- Making site easy to navigate and efficient
- Streamlining checkout process
- Ensuring site is aesthetically pleasing
- Creating personalised experiences
Let’s dive into each of the above points.
1. Offering quality customer service
Great experiences make loyal customers. Customer experiences online, however, extend further than just how your website looks and how fast it loads pages. By you interact, assist, and generally serve customers should be your top priority online as it is in real life. Once you achieve that, the good news will spread, and more customers will find greater joy in buying on your site than your competitors.’
2. Making site easy to navigate and efficient
Have you ever been on an annoyingly confusing and disorganised website that made you dislike the platform altogether? Such experiences stick with consumers and deter them from using certain websites or services in future. To shine amongst your competitors, you need a website that’s simple and enjoyable to navigate, plus runs efficiently.
3. Ensuring site is aesthetically pleasing
On top of being easy to navigate, your website needs to visually represent your brand well. Yes, look and feel may not be the most important thing on your criteria, but it is very important. From your website’s look alone, consumers can decide to either stop engaging with your website or exploring it further. Make sure your site reflects your brand, but also ensure the design is seamless, professional, and well executed.
4. Streamlining checkout process
What happens at checkouts determines whether you’re succeeding or struggling with your online sales. With high cart abandonment rates being a reality, it is crucial to simplify, streamline, and secure your checkout processes. You can do this by adding certain buttons/options on your site, such as Add to Cart, offering different payment options, and allowing purchases without the need for registration.
5. Creating personalised experiences
According to SlideShare, 80% of consumers have a higher chance of buying from a brand that offers them personalised experiences. If your business provides no personalisation, you are already falling behind. However, to excel past your industry rivals online, you need advanced personalisation that extends over multiple platforms.
Getting a competitive advantage with Digitrade
Digitrade is an eCommerce solution created by experts for the benefit of your business and all businesses alike. For advice and assistance with eCommerce success, contact us. Click here to learn more.