Delighting customers offline is easy. But does the digital side of that experience measure up? There’s an increasing urgency for brands to deliver a great eCommerce customer experience. According to a PwC study, 32% of customers said they would not shop with an online store again after a single negative experience.
A great customer experience (CX) is the secret to a highly successful eCommerce brand. It can propel your business to new heights and establish you as a leader in your niche.
It’s also one of the most underutilized marketing tactics—several eCommerce businesses don’t have a CX strategy in place. Without this important component, your sales could flatline.
So, how do eCommerce stores provide a valuable customer experience? Let’s find out.
What Is the Customer Experience for a B2B Online Marketplace?
Customer experience or CX is the entire journey or experience a B2B buyer goes through with your product and brand. It includes every touchpoint of your brand. Each step of your B2B buyer’s journey impacts their overall experience, from visiting your website to buying the product.
Simply put, customers will return if you give them a positive experience. In fact, 95% of B2B buyers feel great eCommerce customer service is essential for loyalty to an online store.
So, what can your brand do to deliver on CX? Make the user journey as flawless as possible.
B2B vs B2C Customer Experience
When it comes to B2B vendors, their customer journey is a bit more complex compared to B2C. The biggest difference is that a B2C customer often buys only one product at a fixed price and spends little time on research.
B2B vendors, on the other hand, mostly buy in bulk on behalf of their company. This means their workflow is a bit complex, and they spend a lot of time in the early discovery phase of their customer journey. They also have a long sales cycle and different purchasing patterns.
Remember, purchasing is someone’s full-time job in a B2B scenario. You would need to make their job easier and create a flawless journey. For instance:
- Tailor your touchpoints to customize their purchasing experience
- Help them assemble their orders seamlessly
- Provide up-to-date information on inventory
- Offer relevant substitutes in case a product is unavailable
When you deliver a good B2B experience, you can expect an increase of 10–15% in revenue.
What Makes a Great Customer Experience?
A great eCommerce customer experience goes beyond offering attractive products in your store. It also includes website speed, better response time, and an overall design that can make a customer’s journey easier.
Here are a few things to consider for a great eCommerce customer experience:
1. Usability and Responsive Design
Good design and usability are directly related to a positive B2B eCommerce customer experience. A good user experience (UX) provides a clear path to help customers achieve their goals. Effective UX design means thinking like the end user:
- How easy is it to interact with the product?
- Does the site offer recommendations for similar products?
- How smooth is the checkout process?
These factors can help you understand user pain points and what you can do to ensure they don’t abandon their purchases.
Detailed product descriptions, clear images, interactive design, and good graphic design are keys to a good eCommerce customer experience. Responsive design is also an essential part of UX. Your website should be mobile-friendly and work responsively on every device.
2. Personalization
Investing in effective tools can help you create a personalized experience for your eCommerce store. Give your customer an immersive experience along with the option to choose from several paths to arrive at their decision.
For example, create an option to search for a product based on its technical specifications. Or add customizable product lists.
3. Reduced Friction
Any B2B or B2C customer desires efficiency and a simple, intuitive experience. Lay out simple workflows to reduce friction: organize your product catalog logically, make your search more robust, and simplify your site navigation. The customer should be able to find what they’re looking for in a few clicks.
Also, look for bottlenecks that may hinder the final sale.
Why Does a Customer Experience Matter?
A positive customer experience increases customer loyalty and leads to more sales. It increases the retention rate along with the lifetime value (LTV). This means satisfied customers keep returning, buy more frequently, and spend more annually.
Moreover, having a good customer experience also increases brand recognition. For instance, brands like Apple and Netflix have almost flawless customer experiences. As a result, these brands have a high recall and a loyal following.
Customer experience is all about solving user problems. Success is a side effect.
Leveraging eCommerce Software to Improve Customer Experience
User experience is so powerful that it contributes directly to sales, retention, and other key metrics for success. This is where Zobrist can help make your store more agile and easier for a user to navigate.
One tool, Smart Merchandiser by Zobrist, provides you with simple drag-and-drop capabilities and an extensive set of features to manage your eCommerce store. This helps you deliver a successful eCommerce customer experience.
Give Your Customers a Better Experience
If you don’t have a customer experience management (CXM) strategy yet, you are already falling behind your competition.
Delivering a stellar B2B eCommerce customer experience can be a complex task. After all, customer behaviors and technology are constantly evolving. As an eCommerce business owner, your focus should be on easing your customers’ pain points so they keep buying from you.
Ready to see our smart tools in action? Book a demo today.
