COVID-19 is the largest epidemic the world has seen in at least 100 years, and certainly since the advent of modern business. Still in its midst, it may be hard to visualize life after the virus, but it’s important for potential and current eCommerce businesses to study customer demand and act now.
How can businesses ease customer transition from in-store to online shopping? It’s inevitable that some people are having negative online experiences. Here are some tips to eliminate negative experiences, ensure positive ones, and smooth the transition to online shopping.
Create a Unique Shopping Experience
As popular as shopping online is, for many people, it does not compare to the experience of shopping in store. People like to physically hold a product before buying it, especially when it comes to groceries. This is something that is impossible for online shopping to replicate. Instead, businesses can create entirely new experiences that may not necessarily replace the in-store experience but surpass it.
The key here is quality content. If a customer sees top-of-the-line product photos, videos, and descriptions, they are much more inclined to buy. However, this is easier said than done. According to a market study, at least 26 percent of customers abandon products due to poor image quality. As more people shop online, that number will only continue to increase unless businesses embrace quality, enhanced content.
One of the biggest assets sellers use to make their products stand out is 3D product modeling. With just basic product specifications, content agencies use today’s CGI technology to create fully interactive, 3D models that give customers the ability to view products from any angle, at their own pace. Models are compatible with augmented reality software that allows sellers to create virtual worlds tailored to specific products. This gives customers a good view of products in multiple environments, even their own home, boosting their confidence to purchase.
As innovators at the heart of the eCommerce industry, we create content that resonates with customers, and we’re going to show you how.
Once embraced, 3D models will likely replace traditional product photography entirely. In this rapidly changing world, the eCommerce industry’s most successful businesses are already embracing this technology to stay ahead of the curve. Consumers want it, they just don’t know it yet.
This is one example of how Tulfa uses 3D models to create stunning product imagery.
Offer More Convenience
Most people love online shopping simply for its convenience. Every business already knows this, so what is the key to make it even better? More convenience. This sounds like a joke, but it should not be taken lightly; to keep customers shopping online, sellers need to make them offers that they cannot refuse.
From cheaper prices, to sitewide sales, to free shipping, to vouchers, there are many proven ways to entice customers to buy online. Establishing seasonal or other timely sales, like winter or end-of-the-month sales, is a great way to keep customers looking forward and engaged with a brand.
Even more than sales, the most important aspect customers value is accessibility. If an online marketplace is not easy to engage with, most people will decide to shop somewhere else. Proper taxonomy management ensures that customers find what they are looking for and are recommended similar products that entice them to buy more.
Prioritize a Welcoming Digital Ecosystem
Convenience is already a huge deciding factor for the average person. Coupled with an engaging ecosystem that makes them feel involved and cared for, customers are much more likely to stay shopping online.
For years, online marketplaces, like Amazon, have been steadily growing into the primary platforms for shopping, forcing traditional retailers to either adapt or shut down. Due to COVID-19, most surviving retail stores are closed, and online shopping’s steady momentum has increased drastically. In China, retail stores have already re-opened, but many continue to lose profit, with sales plummeting 20.5% in January and February. This trend is likely to carry over to the United States. For retailers that primarily rely on in-store customers, like H&M, which closed 3,788 out of its 5,065 stores since March 31, the need for online sales and presence is now top priority.
With competition so high, businesses need to focus on maintaining consumer connection and loyalty to their brand with quality content. The most successful brands utilize email newsletters, videos, and especially social media to stay at the forefront of customers’ minds, on every platform possible. Marketing messages that address the current climate in a humanitarian way—such as “we’re here for you” or “stay healthy”—makes a positive impact.
Lead the Online Shopping Revolution
Customer demand is constantly changing, driving the eCommerce industry to change to meet it. Anticipating exponential change is a priority for any business that wants to succeed in today’s digital age. COVID-19 may be the most challenging crisis our modern world has faced in over a century, but with the right perspective, it is essentially a crash course for this very subject.
Online sales are at an all-time high, in-store sales at an all-time low—these are the extreme scenarios that we all knew would come eventually but have been prematurely spurred by the current pandemic. Changes that analysts previously predicted in five to ten years from now are already happening.
This is the time to be making large changes to your business, to be taking the risks that may have seemed impossible before this pandemic. More than just adapting to the current eCommerce climate, the important thing is to adapt to where it will be. This mindset keeps your business at the forefront of the industry as it rapidly changes.
Looking for Guidance?
We are here to help. The above points are some of the major ways to increase your online presence, but there are many smaller, but no less important, aspects that would be difficult to explain without direct collaboration.
