When it comes to improving the customer journey, it’s crucial to start at the beginning. Consumers begin looking for things in the locations that they desire.
Of course, where a customer begins their purchase depends on who they are — according to Linnworks, 91 percent of Gen Z and millennials are more likely to begin their buy on a mobile device, while non-millennials are 68 percent more likely to begin their purchase on a computer. The idea is to be present where your potential customers spend their time and to make purchasing things on those platforms as simple as possible.
Customers may disagree with you if you believe your brand is already doing enough. It doesn’t mean your online store isn’t convenient just because it’s simple. Offering clients a smooth omnichannel shopping experience is one of the most undervalued aspects of convenience.
Consumers increasingly expect a smooth, cross-platform experience since they purchase across multiple platforms. The ability to shop from the same brand on many platforms is one of the most essential factors of convenience for consumers. Whether your customers are buying on their smartphones, computers, or tablets, make a commitment to providing an uninterrupted eCommerce experience. For example, if a customer adds an item to their basket using an app, they will discover that it is still there when they return to the store.
Customers are more likely to abandon a purchase if there are too many processes between them and the goods they want. To put it another way, if a customer is eager to pay, it’s preferable not to put them off by requiring them to fill out a form or create an account.
Allowing customers to check out as guests vs. asking them to create an account appears to be a trade-off. Sure, the latter will keep them as a customer and provide you with data for marketing purposes, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to explain as convenience becomes more important.
Customers also value the fact that they do not have to re-enter their payment or shipping information.
It’s impossible to overstate how much eCommerce is moving towards convenience. According to Linnworks, three out of four people say that they value it more than they did a year ago, with 78 percent citing COVID-19 limits as an inflection point for their preference.
These patterns coincide with a broader movement toward online shopping: Linnworks estimates that 84 percent of consumers will buy online more in 2020 than they did in 2010.
This trend is unlikely to reverse. According to Linnworks, 38 percent of consumers now expect convenience as the standard, indicating that the demand for convenient shopping has already been entrenched. Customers are also purchasing while “on the move” and multitasking, so an omnichannel experience that is seamless is even more vital.
