Want to increase sales? Make your company easy to buy from

Given a choice, customers will typically spend their money with businesses that make it simple and quick to get what they want. According to Microsoft®, more than 50% of customers show little hesitation in severing a relationship if their customer service expectations aren’t met.

Incorporate these elements into your rebuilding plans for this year, and beyond, to make it easy for customers to access your products and services.

Refine e-commerce offerings

According to Digital Commerce 360, U.S. e-commerce sales grew 44% in 2020, making it more important than ever to offer online or mobile purchasing options.

• Your web pages should load quickly, so users won’t navigate away to a competitor.
• Make high-priority ordering buttons, such as “menu,” “products/services,” and “search,” large and prominent to speed up the ordering process.
• Offer multiple payment options, so that anyone who wants to buy online can find an option that appeals to them.
• Digitize order taking. This is convenient for customers, and it may help your company track buying trends and stay ahead of market developments.

A McKinsey® survey found that companies are three times likelier (than they were before the pandemic) to conduct at least 80% of their customer interactions digitally.

Improve your mobile experience

Buyers of all types are spending more time with their phones and tablets. In fact, eMarketer^TM reports that non-voice mobile usage in the U.S. will average over four hours a day, per user, this year. A good mobile experience means a customer can easily make a purchase, lock in a reservation, find your location, contact you by phone or email, and navigate to products and services with as few clicks as possible.

Create online/offline synergy

Customers expect the same level of service no matter where they interact with your business. If you operate both on and offline, make sure that your e-commerce and website business is fully connected with your physical store operations.

• Enable customers to check retail store inventory online. If your store has more product availability online, make sure in-store employees can order items online for customers.
• Accept returns for online orders at brick-and-mortar outlets and create coupons and special offers that translate from one channel to another.
• Empower employees to provide excellent service by giving them access to a full picture of your customers’ histories, including all in-store and online transactions and inquiries.

Prompt communications

When customers have questions about your business, they should be able to get them addressed — in the channel they prefer — as conveniently as possible. In some instances, chatbots, or live chat, can be useful for answering questions that don’t require much troubleshooting, such as instructions for recovering a lost password.

For more complex questions, some customers may still prefer phone support. But, no matter what channel you use, make sure your responses are as quick as possible. According to Sprout Social®, 40% of customers expect a response to a social media query within an hour of reaching out.

Digital payment

Buyer behavior changed in 2020, and many shoppers have grown to prefer the option to pay digitally, even if they are picking up their purchase in-store. Visa® reports that nearly 75% of small to midsized businesses expect consumers to continue to prefer contactless payments. Online payment options simplify the process for customers and make it easier for them to review and pay their bills on time.

• Tap-to-pay technology lets you accept payment when a card is either tapped or waved within a few inches of a terminal equipped with near-field communications (NFC) technology.
• Mobile wallet, or app tools like Apple Pay® and Google Pay®, store people’s card data on their devices, and, like tap-to-pay cards, let them make payments by holding their phone over a payment terminal.
• Stored cards are a convenient and contactless option for customers who regularly frequent your business and agree to let you keep their card on file.
• Peer-to-peer payment (P2P) options like PayPal®, Venmo®, Cash App®, and Zelle®, let two entities transfer funds between themselves using their bank accounts or credit cards via an app or online.