How to improve customer experience in e-commerce

Essential to the success of any retailer or virtual seller, customer satisfaction is influenced by a number of factors such as product quality, presentation on the website or point of sale, delivery, deadline, among others.

The combination of all of them is crucial for a good shopping experience, while a failure, even a small delay in delivery, can result in a bad experience and cause the customer to never buy again in the store. 

A recent survey conducted by the Ovum Institute (an English consulting and research organization), found that 82% of respondents stop buying from a brand when they have a single bad experience.

There are many negative aspects that affect the user experience in the and e-commerce. Among some of the elements that most displease consumers during the online purchase process are: high price, expensive freight, failures and poor use experience on websites and applications, lack of product options, restricted payment methods, long terms and limited delivery forms, etc.

For virtual stores, one of the most critical points is logistics, because delays and losses in packages cause a bad customer shopping experience.Faced with this, it is clear that efficient logistics, with a quality delivery, is essential to customer loyalty, and therefore a competitive advantage that can not be ignored.

Punctuality, cordiality in service and flexibility are the three determining points for efficient logistics, since the consumer who buys over the internet wants to receive their goods on time (or even before, if possible) and expects a humanized and personalized service, as well as flexible delivery and payment opportunities.

The logistics operation has a direct influence on the consumer's perception of the store where he placed his orders. However, you need to think from end to end. This is because having the best storage structure and good inventory control, for example, does not guarantee that the customer will leave satisfied.

On the other hand, having a good planning to reduce the delivery time can be a great differential. After all, having the products on hand as soon as possible is one of the main desires of those who consume in virtual stores & ARE willing to even pay more expensive for it.

Below, I list the six main practices in the area of customer service that can be a reference for companies that work with online sales and that want to promote a humanized and efficient service:

• Continuous training: regular training of the team in empathy techniques, problem solving and personalization in service, reinforcing the proximity with e-commerce consumers.
• Proactive problem solving: adopting strategies that identify potential problems before they impact the customer
• Customer journey analysis: identifying friction points in the customer journey to implement specific improvements.
• Custom action plans: development of targeted solutions to reverse experiences, work on continuous improvement and increase retention.
• Metrics monitoring: use of indicators such as CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) and NPS (Net Promoter Score) to measure the satisfaction and impact of the actions taken.
• Multi-channel channels: phone, chat, social networks and digital portals, allowing customers to choose the most convenient channel for their interactions.

When well planned and executed, efficient logistics in e-commerce can work as a tool to increase the conversion rate, both loyalty and attracting new customers.In addition, it can enable more affordable freight and attractive delivery times for the consumer.