So the pressure is now on retailers’ new flagship stores – their e-commerce sites – to not only sell inventory and generate revenue, but also to support, inform and reassure customers along the way.
It’s a delicate balancing act, but not impossible, so we’ve worked to identify eight strategies retailers can employ to provide their customers with relevant, frictionless, and useful shopping experiences right now.
1. Prioritize business challenges
Your team is likely inundated with requests and new ideas. But you can’t tackle cash app database them all at once. Prioritization is key. Evaluate whether there are aspects of your site’s messaging or design that are damaging to your brand or negatively impacting customer experience.
Tweak that first.
☛Things to consider include site performance and matching your marketing channels’ messaging to your site.
You may also want to look at ways to optimize customer support and promotions, as well as ways to manage volatility in site traffic and transaction volume. Focus on the projects that will create the biggest impact, then define how to measure success.
2. Optimize site speed
With store closures underway, more and more people are shopping online. And as online traffic increases, it’s critical that your retail website can handle increased volume. These tips will ensure you’re ready:
Check your content delivery network (CDN) providers (e.g. Akamai, Cloudflare, Google Cloud CDN) for settings that may allow for faster requests.
Many site resources do not require updates on subsequent visits. Adopt simple HTTP caching methods that improve loading times for returning users and reduce server load with minimal code changes.
Makes your site load faster by compressing your images and text, without compromising visual quality.
Implement font-display switching so that customers can read the text on your site even if the main font doesn't load quickly enough.
Remove unused tags from your tag managers, clean up bloated CSS and JS code, and remove other deprecated functionality.
Regularly check your site speed with tools like Test My Site and PageSpeed Insights.
3. Provide a seamless payment experience
Seventy-six percent of smartphone users are more likely to buy from companies whose sites or mobile apps allow quick purchases.
☛Ensure your payment processing system is fast and effortless.
☛Also identify ways to incorporate personalization enhancements, such as storing purchasing information or recently browsed items.
In short, your front-end and back-end framework and technology should provide the best possible experience. Work with your technology teams to map out the infrastructure and technology stack that supports your site and make sure they interact seamlessly.
