eCommerce : Make it Easy on Your Customers

When designing an e-commerce website, the most important thing to remember is what your customers need. This does not apply just to your products and the information you are offering them. It also applies to the way you let them interact with your site. Quick and easy should always be the rule. And to make it quick and easy - you have to apply knowledge you already have: how your customers shop in the real world.

Depending on your industry, there can be many different ways your customers could interact with you. Here are some examples:

Shopping Cart

Shopping cart applications are a wonderful asset to your website when your customers need to select a variety of items that you sell directly to them or for which they would require a request for quote from you. If you typically receive orders from customers that include multiple items, then a shopping cart system is right for you.

Users will be able to browse your product and add items as they shop. You can also offer features such as saved carts, which would allow users to retain cart information for repeat offers. If a customer frequently replenishes their stock through you, why not make it as easy as possible?

And remember, a shopping cart does NOT mean that you have to have online credit card processing. Many businesses receive the cart information from their customers in the form of a request for quote. The key is to allow them to know what they need quickly and easily, whether the transaction is completed online or off.

Flexibility and Control with a Shopping Cart Alternative

If the products you sell are so specialized that a customer would only ever select one product category to make a purchase or request for quote, then there is another alternative available to you.

Depending on your business, your customers may be coming to your site looking for the solution to a specific need that your products or services can meet. In those cases, a shopping cart could overwhelm your customers, and cause a lot of extra clicks that nobody needs.

In those cases, consider custom forms. When a visitor arrives at one of your solutions, one click will bring them to a page where they can inquire about that specific thing. No "checkout&" required. The user simply enters their contact information into the form, asks their question or makes their request, and they are done.

The form should retain the information regarding the product or service the user was viewing when they submitted the form. Also, if the service has particular options available to it, the form can and should allow the user to check off the ones that apply to them. This allows your personnel receiving the lead to know exactly what the customer needs, and empowers them to get back to the lead quickly.

General Contact Information

Perhaps your customers need to talk to you on the phone about their specific needs. The more complex the product or service, the less likely an online for is to be helpful. If your customers shop with you that way, then you need to accommodate for that on your website as well.

Every website needs to inform visitors, but you also have to give them a way to act upon that information. Does your website make it easy for people to contact you? Does your contact form allow your users to let you know if they prefer to be contacted via phone or email? Do you ask for enough information to qualify the lead, but not so much that the user gives up?

Offering users a simple way to let you know they need you can be as powerful as a full blown e-commerce system. If that's how they shop, then you can make it easy for them, which is a big step toward earning their business.

Conclusion

Converting your visitors into customers cannot occur without offering them a way to engage you. Knowing how your customers shop for your products is the key to making sure your site allows them to do it. More features on your website are no substitute for the right features.

As with everything else in your business, your website should be based around the customer. Meet their needs, and they will be happy. Make sure your website is as devoted to customer service as your staff is.

Industrial Web Solutions develops custom applications for a variety of business tasks. An online product catalog can be customized to suit the needs of your particular product inquiry or ordering process. Contact us to learn how a customizable online product catalog can help your business to grow.

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