When you think of your e-commerce touchpoints, what comes to mind? Your website? Marketing emails and paid search? If your list ends there then you're missing opportunities to market and extend. E-commerce transactions provide numerous chance to engage customers, you just have to be aware of when and where you're doing it.
Remember, every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to market and improve your brand perception.
Think about that. EVERY interaction is an opportunity, whether passive or active. The first step in optimizing for engagement is assessing an inventory of your current touchpoints.
How to Inventory Overlooked Touchpoints
The best way to inventory your points of contact is to walk through example transactions and take note of every bit of communication and branding you experience in the process. Then compare this your interactions with competitors and 'best in class' counterparts in similar verticals. You might be surprised what do or don't find.
Simple Walkthrough Method
A simple walkthrough of an e-commerce process is a great way to understand where you're interacting with customers. For example: Surf through your web site and find a widget you would like to buy. Suppose that you'd like to get your friend's opinion, and select the 'send to a friend' option through the site to get their feedback. Assume your friend replies with a love it, but asks if it comes with a warranty. You don't see it in the product description so you call customer service to get an answer. After your interaction with customer service, you decide to complete your purchase online. During the checkout you check a box to receive emails about offers, exclusives and all that good stuff. A few days later you receive your product.
Walkthrough Analysis
Now look back at this experience and ask how you could have better communicated with. While this is a basic example, there are numerous opportunities to influence shoppers in this simple process. Ask yourself some questions like:
1. Did your send-to-a-friend email give the friend a chance to sign up for marketing emails?
2. Did customer service mention the widget carrying case?
3. Did customer service offer to complete the transaction?
4. Did you receive a welcome email with offers or incentives when you opted-in?
5. Did you receive an order confirmation email?
6. Did you receive a shipment notification?
7. What, besides your widget, was in the box when you opened it? Any marketing materials or incentives for future purchase?
Points to Consider
:: Transactional emails (order confirmation, order shipment) - one of the most overlooked opportunites. The primary focus of these emails is, and should stay transactional. But there's no reason you can't offer assistance if needed (questions, returns, shipping policies, customer service contact info). This is also a great opportunity for cross sell.
:: Customer Service: Customer service is on the front line of a shopping experience, the friendly voice (you hope) behind your brand. They have tremendous power to make or break a shopping experience. Make sure they're in line with what you expect your customers to experience. Have a friend call your customer service and rate their experience. They are a great source of information, can make upset customers turned evangelists, and provide a great opportunity for upsell.
:: Email list sign ups: If someone joins your list, they're clearly interested. Respond with a welcome, a thank you and an incentive that reinforces their decision to join.
:: Social Media: Facebook and Twitter help keep your brand top of mind. Don't expect to drive lots of sales through these channels, but keep reminding customers that you're there.
:: Send to a friend: Enable your shoppers to share with friends, engage them in the buying process and provide them a way to receive further marketing communications.
:: Product packaging: Extend your brand experience all the way through mail. Make sure it matches the feel of your website, products and other branding.
:: In-box literature: Reinforce a positive purchase experience with in-box literature mailed with the customers' purchases. Help them enjoy their purchase with useful tips or give them a reason to come back with an incentive or offer.
:: Email signatures with links: A very simple (albeit guerrilla) way to expose aspects of your company or group (website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) in the course of normal communication. Consider beefing up your email footer to espouse some basic virtues of your organization.
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