Having worked in technical roles at NASA, Mark Lewis, CEO of Netalico, moved to ecommerce development due to the growing demand in the space.
In this exclusive MarTalk Buzz interview, Mark discusses the impact of COVID-19 pandemicOpens a new window on ecommerce businesses and ways to improve the online shopping experience. He lists top strategies for online customer engagementOpens a new window and spend allocation tactics across channels to best connect with customers online during a time of crisis.
Mark also shares tips for marketers to help build their online presence through email marketingOpens a new window and social media and prepares them for what is next.
Key takeaways from this Q&A on improving online shopping experience:
- Top tips on UI/UX or customer experience (CX) changes to undertake now
- Best practices finding out-of-the-box opportunities as buying patterns change
- Insights into ecommerce customer experience trendsOpens a new window for 2020 and beyond
Here are the highlights of our conversation with Mark Lewis on improving online shopping experience:
1. How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting ecommerce businesses and how can digital marketers improve the online shopping experience?
We have seen cases of revenue up 1000%, flat, or down 60%. Products that support this new lifestyle of being home all the time, such as home workout equipment and cooking tools, are doing well. Products that support travel, apparel, and luxury goods are generally seeing a decrease.
Even in these uncertain times, marketers can always be working to improve the online shopping experience and adapt to their customers needs and desires. From more relevant targeted ads to a personalized landing experience, implementing best practices to improve UX and conversion rate, and user testing, there are tons of opportunities in this new economic climate.
Learn More: 10 Best Practices to Make Virtual Events Stand Out During COVID-19Opens a new window
2. What are the top 3 strategies for ecommerce customer engagement during a time of crisis?
First, the regular rules for discounting products do not apply during a crisis. We have seen lots of brands running sales successfully to help offset the decrease in revenue and encourage visitors to buy now.
We also think it is important to communicate with visitors about what is going on behind the scenes that may affect their order. Some companies have shut down, Amazon has seen huge shipping delays, and the situation is changing by the day. Messages showing that you are still fulfilling orders and what sort of shipping times visitors can expect will help them feel more comfortable making a purchase. Consider adding a date to those messages so visitors know information is up to date while things are changing daily.
Secondly, be real and be human. Messaging that does not align with what is going on is going to feel tone-deaf and fall especially flat on your customers. Especially with products that one might consider non-essential or luxury, consider donating a portion of sales to a charity thats relevant to your customers, such as a cooking tools shop donating to a charity that supports restaurant workers who have lost their jobs or a food pantry.
3. What challenges are marketers facing on how to allocate spends across channels to best connect with online customers during the crisis?
Peoples habits have changed as they are home more, unsure about the future, and have had to shift their routines. This means channels that have been performing consistently may have changed overnight, while other channels that may not have been top performers could be doing better. Ads that have been split tested and optimized may feel tone-deaf or irrelevant now. It is basically like hitting reset: where marketers may have had some channels on autopilot, they are now having to rethink their strategy with just a couple weeks worth of data.
Learn More: 5 Tips to Quickly Shift from Traditional Sales to D2COpens a new window
4. Where can marketers pivot their ecommerce marketing strategies and find out-of-the-box opportunities as buying patterns change?
We have seen ecommerce stores pivoting to focus more on building their base rather than building sales. For instance, using content marketing to build up their email list for later. Some are delaying new product launches and considering ways to introduce products that are more relevant to the landscape today. Others are developing ways for customers to pay overtime with zero interest.
But the biggest change we have seen is in discounting: almost every ecommerce store seems to have a sale running right now, to boost their conversion rates and encourage visitors to buy more.
Learn More: D2C Content Marketing and the Roadmap Ahead for MarketersOpens a new window
5. Which top three factors are affecting brands across industries and how can marketers prepare for what is next?
First, differences in visitor behavior. Visitors are online more than ever, but they are spending differently. Marketers need to learn how and what visitors want and adapt to how customers are buying online now.
Second, supply chain disruptions are an issue in this global pandemic. Fulfillment disruptions are also creating shipping delays, with fewer people able to come in to work. Marketers need to make sure the information of inventory availability and expected shipping delays are accurately communicated to customers to set expectations.
Third, instead of spending money on exhibitions and industry shows, which usually has a higher marketing budget than online marketing. Marketers are needing to switch and allocate more marketing budget to SEM.
Its hard to know how to prepare for whats next because this situation is unprecedented. Hoping for a fast recovery but planning for the worst is about all we can do.
6. With respect to the ecommerce industry, which tools will aid long-term planning effectively to make up for the impact of the pandemic on business goals?
User testing, HotJar, Google Analytics, making sure your website is optimized and easy to ease, and doubling down on low-cost marketing tools.
Learn More: Meet Searchers Where They Are With Headless E-CommerceOpens a new window
7. Can you provide few tips for marketers to help build their online presence through email marketing and social media?
First, content marketing is a great opportunity now. Use keyword research to find topics that align with intent to purchase your products and create great content on those topics. Then, offer your visitors something in return for giving you their email address: a discount, a free download, or something else.
Try doing live streaming for big announcements, use paid advertising like Facebook and LinkedIn ads, make sure business hours are updated and accurate as well as moderate comments to remove misinformation.
8. What kind of UI/UX or customer experience (CX) changes should marketers undertake to their digital storefronts during this time?
It is always a great time to work on optimizing your store but improving your conversion rate may be even more important now than ever. In general, we recommend that ecommerce stores start optimizing where the money is, then move up-funnel: checkout first, then the cart, product page, category, and so on. This helps ensure any changes you make to other parts of the site multiply out, instead of being hampered by a bad checkout or cart. To know what changes to make, consult UX best practices for ideas, from sources such as the Baymard Institute or Nielsen Norman. Ask your real customers to review your site, offering a gift card or discount in exchange for a voice-guided walkthrough through their eyes via TrymyUI or User Testing. Start some split tests using Google Optimize (it is free) to see what design or copy resonates with visitors. There are a ton of ways to work on optimizing your site.
Learn More: Is E-Commerce The Next Digital Marketing Frontier?Opens a new window
9. Whats shaping ecommerce customer experience trends in 2020?
Mobile is still growing, and ecommerce companies are learning that mobile may need a different UX from other devices, not just responsive design. More brands are offering subscriptions, as well as more quick pay and pay-over-time payment methods that help meet customers where they are.
Thank you for sharing your insights on how to improve online shopping experience amidst economic uncertainty. We hope to talk to you soon!
About MarkOpens a new window LewisOpens a new window :
Mark brings with him over 15 years of web development expertise and over 8 years of eCommerce development experience working with Magento, Shopify, and WordPress design. Prior to founding Netalico, Mark worked for multiple web development agencies, startups, Hewlett Packard and NASA.
About NetalicoOpens a new window :
Netalico Commerce is hands-on, merchant-focused ecommerce development agency that helps Magento, Shopify, and BigCommerce merchants build, maintain, optimize, and grow their online stores through smart, scalable code; data-driven, conversion-focused design; and quick, personal support.
About MarTalk Buzz:
MarTalk Buzz is an interview series where marketing leaders and marketing technology companies that are making a difference, connect with us and share their stories. Join us as we talk to them about their product journeys, insights on the categories they serve, what works for them, and some bonus pro-tips.
Did you find Netalicos tips for improving online shopping experience interesting? Tell us in the comments below how ecommerce businesses can improve the shopping experience during and after COVID-19. For the latest news and trends update in the world of marketing, follow us on TwitterOpens a new window , Facebook, Opens a new window and LinkedInOpens a new window .