With time, the trends in the world of online shopping have changed tremendously. No matter what products it is, the aim of sellers is to create an experience that is close to retail for the customers. And in many cases, eCommerce is even better than the traditional brick and mortar stores. The point is that in today’s world the customers want to be addressed personally. They want to buy products that cater to their needs, and not everybody’s. For sellers, the only way to get through these is to adopt ecommerce personalization strategies.
Have you ever been to a store where you just entered and had to go through it all by yourself? This means finding the products you’re looking for, reading the tags and features and just roaming around finding what fits best in your need? Must’ve been enhausting! In a different scenario, you enter a store and then a salesperson greets you. They ask you about what you’re looking for, your needs and your budget. Then based upon your answers, theys suggest the best products for you. Isn’t it intuitive which experience was better? Exactly!
This is the difference that eCommerce personalization strategies can create for your business. The idea is simple, if you want to stay competitive amidst the cut throat market competition, you’ve got to address your customers personally. Be it curating your marketing copies or setting a tone for your business. Remember that personalization is the king.
Whether you want to retain your customers, increase sales or kick start your ecommerce business in 2021, ecommerce personalization strategies are the answer. So, if you want to make a difference to your business, you’re at the right place. We’ve gone ahead and brought the top proven ecommerce personalization strategies you need for excelling. Read on to find out more-
What is Personalization in eCommerce?
Statistics suggest that as many as 74 percent of the customers who visit your website abandon it if they don’t find your content relevant to them. Isn’t it surprising? It shouldn’t be if you step into the shoes of your customers. Your customers want to see something that they want to see. Why will they waste their time going through content or looking at products that they don’t want to buy? So, there’s something that you as a seller should do something about.
eCommerce personalization refers to the nature of the dynamic content that is displayed to the customer through the medium of your website. This means that you are providing your customers with an individualized feed. It is in a similar manner like social media platforms. Remember how when you click on an advertisement or look at a certain type of content, your feed gets flooded with the content in the same niche? This is what personalization looks like.
For an ecommerce store, personalization can mean helping the customers find products they have in mind. This personalization could be provided in terms of the buyer’s geographical location, demographics, shopping history, browsing habits as well as their overall behaviour in your store. When you take one or more of these factors into account, you get some inside facts about the customer. And once you have this information, you can appeal to precisely what they want.
Undoubtedly, the best personalization experience today is provided on websites like Amazon and Myntra. Once you start interacting with the store and generate some history, you’re flooded with product recommendations that you like. They suggest items from the category you have browsed or those that compliment your past purchases. For example, if you buy an espresso machine at Amazon, it is obvious that you would be looking for instant coffee. Why not add that as a product recommendation? Well, this is how Amazon makes 35 percent of its sales!
Why Say ‘Yes ‘to eCommerce Personalization Strategies?
eCommerce personalization strategies are a game changer for your business. If you’re not personalizing the experience for your customers, you are wasting a wonderful opportunity. Contrary to what sellers thik, personalization does not require a heavy technological investment. With simple tactics they can be executed well within your business. Take a look at some of the advantages of adopting it for your business-
More Sales
Sales are at the heart of eCommerce. Personalization can help you make the most of your sales. When you recommend products to your customers, they are more likely to buy them. With this you are telling them that you have these products available with you. Sometimes customers cannot find any complementary products to go with their purchase. Or they might need it, but forget buying it at the last moment. However, if you personalize your customer’s shopping experience, they are more likely to find it in plainsight and make the purchase.
Better Customer Retention
Retaining customers is one of the perks of ecommerce personalization. You can retain your customers by providing them with a positive and fulfilling experience. The idea is that if you provide them with a personalized journey, they will engage more with your business. This means that they are finding your brand interesting and like spending their time on your store. Such customers are more likely to make purchases from you in the long run.
Superior Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is fundamental for any business. If you are not providing your customers with satisfaction, you aren’t doing the right thing. Because this is what earns you the reputation and drives your revenue. With ecommerce personalization strategies, you can provide much superior customer satisfaction for your customers. Your customers will find products they are more interested in and be positively impacted by this.
Higher Engagement
Customer engagement and personalization are directly proportional. If you want to keep your customers engaged, personalize their experience. This way they will keep on finding the products interesting to them and spend time on your store. Not only this, but when you send them notifications about the products they are missing out on, most customers can’t help but find and analyze more products suited to them.
eCommerce Personalization Strategies to Implement Today
Now that you know about eCommerce personalization, let’s hand you the strategies. Take a look below-
Create Pop-Ups
Start by creating pop-ups for your customers. Pop up menus can help you grab your customer’s attention almost instantly. A pop up menu is a small menu that instantly appears on the screen out of nowhere. These might be displayed when the customer reaches the button of the page. The idea is to keep them engaged on your website instead of letting them leave. You can create personalized pop ups for your customers. For example, if they are browsing a specific product category, send them a discount coupon code that is tailor made for the products they are eyeing.
Recommend Products
Nothing works better than recommended products. Make sure you recommend the products to your customers to increase your sales and drive engagement. Sometimes customers forget to buy one of more products. Other times, they generate a need when they find something useful. Product recommendations can help you capitalize on these facts and provide your customers with more shopping options. For example, send them the recommendations of your best selling products. Or you can also recommend products that compliment their last purchase.
Create Social Proof
Another one of the effective ecommerce personalization strategies is to reinforce your customer’s faith in the products they are buying. This can be done with the assistance of reviews and testimonials. For example, if your customer is browsing the product pages of a washing machine that you sell, you can add a quick review or testimonial of the customer there. This way your customer sees that other customers have also purchased the product and found it with the value. Remember that your customer might not believe you as much as they believe other customers.
Send Targeted Emails
Emails might be old school but they still create the magic when it comes to marketing. You can send personalized email campaigns to your customers depending on their behaviour on your website. For example, if your customer has signed up to your store but hasn’t purchased anything, keep a track of it. Then send them an email saying that it’s been X days they haven’t been on your website. Also send them a discount coupon so that they can go ahead and buy what they came looking for. When you mention the specifics to the customer, it creates an impact and makes them feel more valued. Similarly, you can send the customer an email about their empty cart or abandoned purchase.
Provide Category Specific Discounts
Has your customer been constantly browsing products from a certain category? Why not send them a discount coupon exclusively? You can find this data from Google analytics on your website. If you have customers who are eyeing particular products or categories, send them exclusive discount vouchers. This will push them to make a purchase at their advantage.
Detail Your Search Results
The search option on your ecommerce store must be detailed. In other words, one of the most effective ecommerce personalization strategies is to provide your customers with personalized search results. Give them choices relevant to their search. This will help them find the products more easily and even look for more options related to their initial search.
Personalize the Checkout Option
Checkout is the final stage of your customer;s ecommerce journey. But before they hit the payment option, why not show them a few additional products? How about a ‘You Might Want These’ menu before they go. For example, if you are selling food items, you can add beverages or desserts to your recommendations before the customer is leaving. This way, the customer can complete their purchase or at least take a look at some other products they might be interested in.
Conclusion
eCommerce personalization strategies can be a real game changer for your business. It prioritizes the needs of your customers while helping you get to know them more profoundly. Once you know your customer, all you have to do is reach out to them with your best products. Having said this, you must try out the strategies for your business. Let us know in the comments section below what world best for your business.
Tried ecommerce personalization strategies that were not mentioned in our top 7? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll spread the word to our readers!
