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eCommerce Strategy: How To Design Experiences that Inspire Conversions
DynamicWeb
Looking to increase conversions and rise above the competition? Read on to learn how to demonstrate value and create memorable experiences.
eCommerce has grown to such an extent that customers can choose products from hundreds of different competitors at any time. Most companies follow some standard eCommerce best practices so customers can easily compare and shop. But when all the product data is ubiquitous, and there are so many similar products online, brands have to do more to not only get in front of customers but to engage with customers and truly win them over. So, when brands are already following best practices, what else must they do to set themselves apart?
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Demonstrate Value Beyond Product Data
One of the top ways brands can rise above the competition is to go beyond simply selling quality products enhanced with rich product data and expand value through experiential marketing endeavors.
Define Your Brand Voice
This dynamic marketing process involves developing customer personas, aligning the brand voice with those personas, and allocating marketing resources to create the experiences that those personas desire. When products and product details are incredibly similar, shoppers can rely upon the emotions and fulfillment brand experiences provide to dictate their buying decisions.
Meet Emotional, Social, or Economic Aspirations
When customers shop, they seek more than just products that meet specific, quantitative criteria. The product information and details matter but are not the driving force for decisions. Customers want to purchase products that meet their needs from brands that align with their values and fulfill their desires. Here are some emotional, social, and economic aspirations brands can activate to inspire purchases and loyalty:
- Adventure
- Social status
- Trend setter, innovator
- Making friends
- Finding a partner
- Reducing stress
- Enjoying life
- Getting rich
- Tough, capable
Build In-Context Commerce Experiences
Another facet of experiential eCommerce marketing is cultivating differentiation through the buying journey and shopping experience by providing in-context experiences. Today's shoppers are pickier and more savvy than ever before. By creating whole experiences around products that recreate the environment in which the product would live, shoppers can gain confidence in their purchasing decisions and feel more motivated to finalize a purchase. Consider the following examples of in-context experiences:
- Try-Before-You-Buy or Sampling emulates online shopping experiences, blending the line between in-person and online shopping benefits.
- Guided Selling Tools or Quizzes supplement the experience of consulting with in-person sales representatives online and help buyers conduct product research.
- Virtual Tours or Walk-throughs are like Google Maps Street View but for products or product experiences to give a more immersive experience with the product.
- Virtual Placement uses Augmented Reality (AR) to illustrate where the product will sit and what it will look like in real life.
- Contextual Dimensions demonstrate how other relevant items scale to the size of the product. For example, it can be helpful to see the product in an actual use case in real life with a person.
- Content Resources are interactive tools and guides to products that support those resources and ideas. The resources provide helpful information and help upsell and cross-sell.
- Free Returns are not precisely an experiential marketing method, but the policy is essential to supporting the kinds of shopping experiences that customers desire.
Social Proof and Community Building
Companies are doing more to get engaged with their market overall beyond just running an eCommerce site. Here are three examples of ways companies can demonstrate social proof and facilitate community building:
- Create Helpful and Inspiring Content like articles and guides that provide customers with profound value.
- Social Media Groups or Hashtags are a digital form of word-of-mouth marketing that leverages user-generated content to help products get recognized and build a community around the brand and products.
- Customer Reviews are critical in the eCommerce environment. In fact, 95% of people are more willing to buy a product after hearing a positive review!
7 Tactics To Immediately Boost Onsite Conversions
1. Enrich the customer experience through website personalization based on the client's past purchases or current shopping behaviors.
2. Ensure all images are high-resolution so customers can see and enjoy the product images without interference or distraction.
3. Stay up-to-date with the latest web design standards, including accessible graphic design standards outlined by the ADA.
4. Create abandoned shopping cart campaigns to
5. Utilize competitive targeting to reach the right audience at the right time and place.
6. Prominently display trust signals like security badges on the checkout page to demonstrate trustworthiness.
7. Tailor your website and strategy to vertical requirements to ensure your delivery matches the target audience's needs.
Learn more
To learn about this topic in more detail, watch our recorded webinar of the same name, “eCommerce Strategy: How to Design Experiences that Inspire Conversions.”