How to increase return e-commerce business
Attracting customers to an e-commerce website requires a lot of work. When those customers become repeat customers, the return on investment increases. These steps help increase the return rate of customers to e-commerce websites.
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Provide excellent service from the beginning
Make the first ordering experience as positive as possible so that customers want to come back:
- Provide a smooth ordering and checkout process.
- Send an order confirmation as soon as the order is received. Include relevant information in the confirmation, such as when the customer can expect the order to be shipped or the service to be ready.
- After the order is complete, invite customers to sign up for a newsletter or mailing list if you have one. List the advantages of subscribing, such as to receive special offers. Link to or describe your privacy policy, and make it easy for customers to skip this step if they aren't interested.
- Send updates when you have them, such as when the order has been shipped or reasons for any delays.
Solve any problems
- Have staff available to respond quickly and efficiently if the customer has any questions or difficulties with the service or product.
- Train your staff in providing quality customer service. Have them solve customers' problems and not give canned responses.
- If you can't satisfy some customers with the products or services they ordered, make it easy for them to get a refund. They still might be return customers at a later time if they can leave your website with a positive impression.
Offer a range of products and services
- A variety of products and services gives customers reasons to choose your company in the first place and to become repeat customers.
- Add new products and services periodically.
- Keep your website up to date, and highlight new offerings.
Follow up after the first order
- Email or (depending on what you offer) call customers after they've received their orders.
- Greet customers by name; be personable.
- Find out how the products or services are working for them. If there are any problems, solve them, and follow up again after you believe that the problem has been solved.
- In follow-up emails or at your website, suggest other products and services relevant to the customers' interests.
- Offer a reason to come back such as a discount on their next purchase or an opportunity to review the service or product.
Be available
- Include your website address and other contact information with the first order and with subsequent contacts.
- Have a toll-free number that customers can call during business hours.
- Respond to phone messages, emails, and helpdesk tickets as quickly as possible.
Be better than the competition
Trying to compete on price alone isn't usually profitable. Be better because of the combination of what your company provides:
- Offer reasonable prices for the products or services offered.
- Offer what some of your competitors offer and you can offer, such as free shipping.
- Have a money-back guarantee that gives customers and prospective customers confidence to order from you again.
- Do everything else described on this page.
See also
- Vital strategies to building a successful e-commerce store
- How to increase conversion rates at e-commerce sites
- Customer support
- How to handle an abusive customer
- Money-back guarantee
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