The 3 Crucial Points of Customer Engagement That Yield the Most Conversions

This is a guest post from our friends at Abandonaid:

 

Ecommerce merchants have to be on top of a lot of moving pieces. Whether you’re a one- or two-man show, running a side business, or a larger online retailer with a dedicated staff, you’ve got so much on your to-do list!

 

You worry about stock management, shipping solutions, site design, marketing, driving traffic to your site, and so much more. So when it comes to actually converting that browsing online shopper into a buyer, where should you begin?

 

In my experience, all of the above points are necessary to run an online business, yet what seems to be the most cost-effective and significant way to drive more sales tends to be the most overlooked.

 

Cart abandonment is – dramatically yet accurately put – an epidemic. Online sales grow exponentially year-to-year, yet so does cart abandonment. Let me put it this way: for every $100K sold online, another $200K was left behind in virtual shopping carts.

 

That’s crazy! While merchants focus so much effort and resources on everything else, the majority of their traffic is not buying on their sites. But think about it. A shopper who abandons a cart was interested enough to browse your site, take a look at some products, and actually click on that golden button that says ADD TO CART. And then you lost ‘em.

 

Here are 3 crucial ways to engage the shopper that will yield the highest conversions:

 

1. On-site engagement

 

A shopper adds a product to her cart. She’s clearly interested, so on-site engagement is key to preventing abandonment and optimizing the shopper’s experience. Popups are a tried and true way to engage with shoppers and help them find their way to the checkout while they’re on your site, and if you use popups that are highly-targeted and behaviorally triggered, then the messaging is received as a customer service courtesy, unlike annoying popups that don’t really meet the shopper’s activity or needs.

 

 

2. Cross-device and mobile engagement

 

Cross-device and mobile shopping account for over 20% of online purchases, yet the majority of e-tailers are not optimized for these channels. A shopper may add something to his cart on his smartphone while on the train, but then wish to purchase on his laptop when he arrives home later on. Allowing shoppers to save and email their carts to themselves, while providing a persistent cart link so that no matter what device they return on they can still view their products, is absolutely key to closing a sale. Imagine how frustrating it is to return to an empty cart! While persistent cart links and saved carts are not standard in eCommerce, there are solutions that can provide you with cart re-population features so that you can make that returning shopper’s experience as frictionless and seamless as possible. Especially for sites that may sell products with longer sales cycles, it’s essential to have an “email me my cart” option for the shopper who may need more time before purchasing. Don’t lose them altogether, help them find their way back, and make it easy for them to buy your products upon their return.

 

3. Off-site engagement

 

While many retargeting and email solutions exist, it can be difficult to track a clear ROI with such campaigns, and most are neither comprehensive nor cost-effective. Engage with abandoning shoppers via email, which still remains the strongest marketing channel, by using tools powered by presubmit capture so that you can remarket to up to 40% more shoppers – and be sure to send your campaigns in real time so you can reach out while the sale is still warm.

 

When a comprehensive strategy that engages with shoppers at these three crucial touch points, on-site, cross-device and mobile, and off-site, is implemented, merchants can increase their daily sales by 25% or more.

 

To learn more about these strategies and how to implement them on your online store, check out our free, on-demand webinar that will give you the 10 Must-Have Tips to Turn Shoppers Into Buyers:

Watch the Webinar!