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It is a well-known fact among business owners that modern shopping trends all point to the Internet as the epicenter of customer growth. When it comes to attracting and retaining customers, the Internet has provided ample opportunity for businesses both large and small. Google alone handles 3.5 billion searches a day, and a large portion of those searches provides all sorts of conversion opportunities for businesses.
However, business owners need to be aware that customers are mere seconds away from clicking over to a competitor if their experience is unsatisfactory. With that in mind, it’s vital to understand the modern customer in order to succeed in the online marketplace. Here are a few tips on maximizing that success.
Respect (And Understand) The Data
Thanks to the Internet, there is more actionable data at your fingertips than you may know what to do with. Take advantage of it! Research competitors’ sites, services, and products, and take a look at what people are actually talking about in your target market. Browse forums and comment sections, and craft email campaigns and surveys for your own customers. Sharpen your focus on what customers are looking for, and what experiences they expect to have.
A wealth of data is available through customer interactions on your website too. What do your analytics and reporting tools say about customer activity? Is your shopping experience generating conversions? Are customers seeking out the services that you offer? High bounce rates on various web pages may indicate that you need to tinker with your site a little bit to improve the experience.
Reach Out
If you really want to learn more about your customers, you need to interact with them and understand their needs as they occur. Many customers want the instant gratification of person-to-person interaction, without having to walk into a brick and mortar store. How do you do that?
Leading online businesses set up dedicated customer service and technical support channels, so their customers can get the help they need when they need it. Services like live chat systems are excellent for this purpose. Chat systems are available on store pages whenever customers have questions or need help, just like talking to a customer service rep in a store. Customers can solicit personalized help instantly, and on their terms.
If you interact with your customers on a personalized basis, you can provide instant service to improve the customer experience, and then gather essential data for future interactions, which allows you to improve customer experience even more. Through these techniques and services, you will have an important advantage when you compete in the online marketplace.
The longer you wait to do serious research on your customers, and build chat and customer service systems to reach out to them, the easier it is for your competitors to attract their mouse clicks. Get started with a live chat system today!
Lance Waterly is an experienced web marketer, writer, and consultant who loves to share his knowledge with readers across the internet. Jeff is always after the next big trends in marketing and eCommerce technology from innovative live chat software to the latest CRO and SEO strategies.
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