online specialists and e-marketing consultancy

Christmas Shopping Made Easy?

noreply@blogger.com (J Roman) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:03:00 +0000

I was talking to a lady yesterday who said she'd done most of her Christmas shopping already. She'd got it online because as she said, "It's cheaper and more convenient." But how convenient is it really?

I also do most of my shopping online. I was sold a long time ago on the benefits of ecommerce sites. I order everything from organic veg boxes, to clothes, to furniture for my office.

The problems with online shopping
I was recently standing at the front of the queue in the sorting office collecting a package. There was a queue of people behind me, getting more and more fed up. Every few minutes post men and women were arriving with bags full of parcels. There were parcels from several ecommerce websites including Amazon, Buyagift.co.uk and I Want One Of Those.

I couldn't help thinking about these ecommerce companies. They have overcome the perception that online shopping is risky. They have met the needs of the people visiting their sites.

The reality for online consumers this Christmas
These people will most probably fight their way through the rush hour. Finally make it home. Put their key in the door. Open it and see the card on their doormat from the post office, saying: "We've tried to deliver but the parcel is too big for the post box."

I'm not having a go at the posties as they do a sterling job. I know they will redeliver on another day. But most people aren't at home during the week and so have to stand in line at the sorting office on a Saturday morning. All quietly fuming, but being British, waiting patiently to pick up their parcel!

Supermarkets have got ecommerce right
In my opinion, the supermarkets have got ecommerce right. The online shopping experience really is convenient. The service doesn't stop at the checkout. They know that people work during the week. So their answer is to deliver in 2 hour slots (so you don't have to hang around all day) and up until about 11 in the evening. For example Tesco Direct has a premium delivery on some items, in some areas, which works on the same basis as the grocery delivery service.

The hassle factor
If you put yourself in your customers shoes. Would you blame the delivery company or the business with adding this additional hassle to your life? Would it put you off buying online or not? For me, the benefits outway the issues with delivery. However, for your customers this may not be the case.

If they only buy once from you
It may be worth getting in touch with customers who only shopped once from your store. Ask them why they haven't returned. If the website isn't to blame, it may be the delivery. Fix the problem. For example, offer a Saturday delivery (on a time basis so they don't have to wait in all day).

Show them you care
It costs more to attract a new customer than to get an existing customer to make repeat purchases. Make your web customers' lives easier. Show them that you care about their needs. Add text to your website and send out an email, telling your customer database that you've taken action: "We've listened to what you want and now have a (Saturday delivery) to make taking delivery of our products easier for you."

Keep the competitive advantage
Don't let your competitors entice your web customers away because they make the shopping experience more enjoyable. Listen to your web customers. Get a handle on the hassles they experience when buying online. Imagine the journey they go through on your website. Reveal how you are working hard to make that journey as hassle-free as possible. Tune into what they want and give them more reasons than your competitors to buy from you.

I Love Books

noreply@blogger.com (J Roman) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:55:00 +0000

I love books. I love going to bookstores holding a book in my hand and browsing through it. I don't always buy the book I go in for. I always go into Waterstone's and have a cappuccino before I make my purchase and spend an hour or so in this high street store. I also now buy my books online.

Why?
The books are much cheaper. It's an easy option when I'm busy. I shop at Amazon because I like the "people who bought this book also bought�?�" so that I can move to a related version easily. I like reading the reviews by customers - and it influences me to buy when I see it has been given 5 stars. I can send gift wrapped books with a personal message to my family and friends. I feel secure buying online and I know that their focus is on customer service and that I'll receive my books in the post the next day. (They keep me informed if not).

What Would Make You Move Online?
Think about why you would move a buying experience you do offline to an online shop. Notice what feelings would need to be satisfied. Think about how you felt when you first started making credit card transactions online/over the phone. How safe did you feel about the transaction? What would have made you feel securer? I know plenty of women who will happily give their card details over the phone, but won't buy anything online.

Now Figure In The Differences In Gender
Think about the times you've seen the bored husband sitting outside the changing room waiting for his wife to change into her 100th dress! What does he do when he buys clothes? He probably just picks a few off the nearest rack and walks up to the checkout. Do you know how people like to buy online? This is an excellent article by Webcredible if you don't.

http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-usability/online-persuasion.shtml

Make The Site A Personal Experience
How do you feel when you walk into the bank and the cashier says "Hello Mr �?�" (well you feel good if you're not overdrawn!) Use your site to interact and keep in touch with your customers it will both help you to develop online loyalty and will enable you to give them what they want.

Also make it as 'human' an experience as possible. Enable your visitors to ring your staff by clicking on a 'call me' button. Write articles about the people in your departments and include photos. Keep the content fresh and select lines and products that suit the demographic profile of your customers. Write to your customers saying that you thought they might be interested because of " �?�.." i.e. a need that is unique to that customer.

It Pays To Listen

noreply@blogger.com (J Roman) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:36:00 +0000

It Pays To Listen, but how many of us do? When I first became a financial adviser, I didn't have a clue how to relate my products to my customers. I baffled them with industry jargon. I turned them off by not asking them what they wanted, before presenting them with my solutions (notice I said 'my' not 'their' solutions). I didn't empathise with them.

So what did I do? I met with successful advisers and asked them what there secrets were. I read books, I listened to tapes. I rang more customers and made more appointments and six months later �?�. I still wasn't earning more money! I started believing that the successful advisers must have an extra ingredient that I was missing.

"Selling" A Pension
Until one day I actually listened to a customer. I listened as he told me what he wanted (not a pension but enough money to play golf, live comfortably and to retire earlier than at 65). The solution I then recommended gave him the emotional reward he was seeking (not the product) i.e. I became more customer rather than product focused.

Simple
However, I also needed to integrate all the other advice and tips and success stories and business skills I'd learned into my meetings. My sales skills enabled him to take action. My telesales skills enabled me to contact more customers to make more appointments, and to target new markets. My communication skills enabled me to build customer loyalty. I still spent time with mentors and successful advisers to learn new sales skills and to develop new ideas. I also continually developed my financial knowledge and awareness of what was going on in the marketplace.

So What's This Got To Do With My Web Site?
When I started my web site I forgot all these principles. Because I got lost in the world of 'banner ads' and 'click through rates' and 'hits' and 'visitors' and 'contextual merchandising'. Why did I lose my focus? Because I forgot the basic business principle that I'd learned five years earlier. It wasn't until I started to think more about my customers rather than my products that I began to be successful.

Helping You To Figure It Out To!
I now pass on everything that I have learned through this blog. Along the way you will find referenced websites, examples and information to help you. I hope you enjoy reading about the savvy web solutions that I have discovered over the last 10 years!