E-commerce

How to stay ahead in the e-commerce battle for customers

Online retailers haven't had it easy in the past year or so, but they're really going to have their work cut out for them in Q4.

Photo by istock.com

November 26, 2021 by Jason Rosenbaum

Online retailers haven't had it easy in the past year or so, but they're really going to have their work cut out for them in Q4. As a result of the pandemic, the already-crowded marketplace is shaping up to become even more competitive as the holidays approach.

When sales plummeted last year, companies that relied on business partners to sell their goods to consumers (B2B2C) were forced to take drastic steps to survive. Many opted to cut out the middleman to trim costs and boost profits. This wholesale shift in marketing strategies spawned a host of new direct-to-consumer (D2C) retailers - all vying for the same customers.

Since consumers have more choices than ever, it's imperative for web retailers to make sure their online storefront stands out in the crowd. That takes a powerful, seamless user experience (UX) backed by a solid technical platform.

Here are some strategies that can help you keep customers knocking to your digital door.

Focus on the user experience

Make sure the welcome mat is out when consumers enter your online store. Look at your site critically, as a first-time visitor might. What's the first impression? Does it align with your brand as a company? Is the design intuitive, friendly and functional? Ease of use is an absolute must. Customers need to feel comfortable, not intimidated and overwhelmed by choices. Newcomers especially should be able to find what they want quickly and easily.

The main focus should be on the feature set that addresses and solves the business use case while serving the customer. Whether your designers are in-house or outside contractors, their main focus is to keep your customers' needs front-and-center.

Personalization is key to making visitors feel welcomed, appreciated, and encouraged to come back. A relevant, dynamic user experience that adapts to your customer's preferences and selections will ensure they're not overwhelmed with irrelevant information. Some of the best ways to do this is through initiatives like conditional content, custom content for each site visitor, and progressive profiling, which is a data gathering tool to learn more about your customers with each site visit.

Stress stability and scalability

The technical platform of an e-Commerce site is just as important as a solid, customer-centric design. Today's users have come to expect speed, performance, and stability. No matter how much consumers like your products, they want pages that load immediately, with interfaces that allow optimal ease-of-use when placing an order. Even your most passionate followers will give up if they are asked to wait too long when interacting, let alone if the site crashes when traffic peaks.

Ensuring the alignment between strong design and technology requires a lot of work behind the scenes, especially as a business grows. The technical infrastructure must be able to support current operations and offer scalability to allow for expansion. Many retailers don't have the in-house staffing or specific expertise to handle this on their own. That's where an experienced digital partner comes in. An expert in the field who knows best practices and is aware of potential pitfalls can be invaluable in helping you plan for today's needs as well as tomorrow's growth.

Be wary of vendors offering proprietary solutions that require time-consuming custom programming or costly upgrades. Open Source-based Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) decrease the demand for custom code and provide greater flexibility than proprietary solutions. This is what enables a business to quickly respond to changing needs.

Open Source solutions offer other advantages, including the ease in which they are integrated with legacy systems and apps, which often represent a hefty investment. That's a major plus for businesses that want enhanced performance but can't afford an entire overhaul of older systems that don't offer the speed and agility they require. Further, with Open Source, the code has already been proven secure and scalable, and is continually enhanced at no cost to the retailer.

Share data to support analytics

E-commerce offers a wealth of information, including customer behavior, the cost of customer acquisition, CRM functionality, and lifetime value, to name just a few data points. Data is often siloed in different departments, so it's necessary that all systems can communicate easily, including both legacy and new systems.

An Open Source DXP can serve as the connecting point, integrating data from across the organization so it can be organized and analyzed. High-level analytical data, accessible in real time, can inform strategies and support actionable decisions in a fast-paced marketplace.

Managing product inventory

Properly managing inventory is key to retail success, but it is also a major hurdle. It can be challenging to have accurate and up to date information on your inventory, especially if the data is not connected or set up to sync to one system. The ideal framework has a single source of truth for all product information no matter the location of the data: multiple databases, website, and storage location.

A single source of truth for product inventories allows teams to make updates more easily, reduces overhead and maintenance costs, increases accuracy and allows for scalability. Custom API integration can enable databases to sync all information into a centralized website experience automatically. This facilitates updates to your product line and new product additions.

Choose a partner carefully

Businesses without an army of programmers and designers can achieve these goals by choosing the right digital partner. Look for those offering specific expertise to ensure that integrations and customization are done properly, with an emphasis on flexibility and scalability. A partner versed in Open Source is often the optimal choice for these sorts of digital engagements.
Whether your site is established or just taking off, the ability to deliver an incredible experience while providing the right items to prospective clients quickly will help you develop a loyal following and build more business — no matter how competitive the market becomes.

Jason Rosenbaum is the COO of Crowd Favorite

About Jason Rosenbaum

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With a focus on business administration and growth strategy, his restructuring of small businesses, managing multi-disciplined teams, and expertise in integration activities has led to success in building companies and delivering enterprise client services. Jason’s passions include sports (especially golf), reading, movies, and politics.

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