Optimize Conversion Rate with a Better Customer Experience

This blog was contributed by Tophatter partner ShipStation. ShipStation is the number 1 shipping software of online sellers.

There are definitely some situations where following your gut is the right approach to making a decision.

Optimizing your conversion rate is not one of them.

If your goal is to increase the number of visitors who become customers, every decision must be driven by data. And not just basic demographic details such as age, level of education, and income range — although those data points certainly aren’t insignificant.

But to create an exceptional customer experience, you need to understand and connect with shoppers on a deeper level. Here’s how:

Use Behavioral Targeting

We all heard it echoed throughout elementary school: “Actions speak louder than words.” And while the phrase was first popularized nearly three centuries ago, embracing it is a crucial part of effective modern marketing. The ways a shopper is introduced to and engages with your brand is a much better indicator of their interests, motivations, and pain points than their salary or degree.

At its heart, conversion rate optimization is a long list of “If this, then that,” (IFTTT) rules. And the first step is defining the “this”s. Start with determining the customer type. Is the shopper visiting your site for the first time? Or are they a repeat visitor?

Then, take a look at how they arrived on your site. Was it via one of your social accounts? A pay-per-click or email campaign? An organic search? Or perhaps referral traffic? Also, on which kind of device are they accessing your site? And which browser are they using? You need to also consider their geographic location. Are they local or international? From there, analyze their browsing behavior:

• If they’re a returning customer, what have they purchased from you in the past?
• If they’ve been to your site before but didn’t buy anything, what pages did they view?
• On which part(s) of your site did they spend the most time?
• What kind of search queries have they used?
• How many times have they visited the site previously?

You also need to observe how they interact with your brand on other channels. Do they follow you on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter? If they are a social follower, do they like and comment on your posts? Are they subscribed to your emails? If so, how often do they open them and click through?

The more “this’s” you know, the more targeted you can make the “that’s.” And applying the right IFTTT rules enables you to create the kind of customer experience that drives conversions because with the appropriate IFTTT rules, you can more easily deliver the right content to the right audience at the right time. And in this context, the right content is personalized content.

Personalize Your Content

Every bit of data you have about a customer helps you further personalize the experience, and personalization increases profitability.

Personalizing the customer experience can mean making small but impactful changes, such as displaying prices in a shopper’s local currency. Or it could be a little more elaborate, like offering deals based on the current weather in the shopper’s city. For example, you could give shoppers in southern states special discounts on coats during an especially chilly fall.

But the type of personalization most likely to encourage orders is the kind that shows shoppers you regard them as a unique individual. Your ultimate goal should be to create a customer experience that makes shoppers feel like the only person in the room, so to speak.

Instead of offering generic item recommendations, use the customer’s browsing and purchase history to make relevant, timely, and appropriately-priced product suggestions — that last element is especially important. Because suggesting a $2,000 wall mount to a shopper who recently purchased a $500 TV probably won’t lead to a sale.

Even if you know nothing more than the fact the person visiting your site is a human, there’s still plenty you can do to enhance the customer experience.

• Create user-friendly, easy-to-navigate, and as-descriptive-as-possible-without-being-overwhelming menus.
• Make it painless for customers to get answers by including FAQs and your contact information on every page.
• Ensure your website is mobile-optimized. Or even better, build a mobile app.
• Provide high-quality photos and accurate, detailed item descriptions for every single product on your site.
• Optimize the checkout process by offering multiple payment options and not requiring shoppers to register an account prior to purchase.

The Takeaway

There is an art and a science to creating the kind of customer experience that encourages purchases. If you want to feel like the Rembrandt of retail and the Edison of ecommerce, start by updating your strategy with the above tips.

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Callie Hinman is the Content Marketer & Writer at ShipStation, a leading provider of shipping software for ecommerce fulfillment. Callie is a proud graduate of the University of Texas and is staunchly committed to following Ann Handley’s Rule of FIWTSBS (“Find Interesting Ways to Say Boring Stuff”).