{"id":16567,"date":"2024-05-27T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T01:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qashier.com\/sg\/?p=16567"},"modified":"2024-05-27T10:12:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T02:12:09","slug":"how-to-create-an-effective-ecommerce-customer-engagement-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qashier.com\/sg\/blog\/2024\/05\/27\/how-to-create-an-effective-ecommerce-customer-engagement-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create an effective e-commerce customer engagement strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting your feet wetter in the e-commerce landscape? <\/span>Get ready to propel sales growth with a strong customer engagement strategy!<\/span><\/p>\n

These days, managing an e-commerce business is a heavily demanding task. Selecting the best e-commerce platform to host your products and services while adopting modern payment methods is only a starting point. A recent report reveals that the Southeast Asian e-commerce market will increase by<\/span> 0.7 billion users from 2024 to 2029<\/span><\/a>. By 2029, e-commerce users hit a new peak of 2.18 billion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given the immense potential for e-commerce market expansion, with a saturated market of similar products and price offerings, how will you compete with other online retailers? The key to overcoming this challenge is adopting a customer engagement strategy and fostering personalised interactions with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this blog post,\u00a0 we will walk you through the proven ways of customer engagement strategies and how QashierPOS can help lock in repeated sales and loyal customers for your e-commerce business.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a customer engagement strategy?<\/b><\/h2>\n

A customer engagement strategy is a roadmap bridging emotional connections and positive interactions with your customers across all touchpoints. It aims to build long-term relationships, nurture customer preferences, and tailor brand-related experiences to meet and exceed expectations. This approach will elevate your e-commerce business beyond one-time sales, ensuring consistent sales growth with new and existing customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to increase e-commerce customer engagement\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

These days, customers expect your brand to anticipate their needs and seek continuous support at every stage of their buying journey. A highly engaged customer contributes more revenue than the average. What can you do to captivate shoppers and cultivate an enduring consumer-brand connection?<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Provide consistent omnichannel customer engagements<\/b><\/h3>\n

Customers often begin interacting with a brand on one channel and continue conversations with others. <\/span>In Asia, the survey below indicates that some consumers browse products on websites and then purchase them in retail stores. Conversely, consumers from other countries prefer to find and buy items directly online.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Provide
Source: Omnichannel retail usage in Asia as of November 2023, by country, Statista<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The omnichannel customer experience (CX) involves unifying all customer interactions across various touchpoints –<\/span> website, social media, mobile apps, SMS\/ messaging apps, emails, physical stores, kiosks, live chat, video calls and voice assistance. <\/i><\/b>From the customer\u2019s perspective, typically Gen Z and Millenials, 9 out of 10 desire an omnichannel experience with e-commerce, from browsing to booking or buying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why has omnichannel e-commerce become a top priority as a customer engagement strategy? Foremost, your brand can deliver consistent messages to all visitors or customers receiving the same messages on every platform. Active customer support should be available on all channels, including your website, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Line, and email. If possible, avoid redirecting customers between channels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On top of that, understanding the customer journey allows your business to personalise their buying experience. Personalisation is essential for omnichannel customers, who typically have a 30 per cent higher lifetime value than those who purchase through only one channel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of how many touchpoints are involved, your customers perceive their buying experience with your brand as one cohesive experience. This perception highlights the importance of implementing a solid customer engagement strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Dynamic onsite customer engagement – live chat & chatbot<\/b><\/h3>\n

Your physical retail store is likely renowned for its superb customer service, with staff greeting and assisting customers with everything they need in the store. The same goes with an e-commerce live chat – a plugin integrated directly into the website to allow visitors to chat with sellers in real time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

E-commerce retailers without live chat support on their websites may risk losing business to competitors who offer this service. Live chat, which<\/span> boasts a satisfaction rate of 73 per cent<\/span><\/a> for providing immediate support, is one of the most effective tools for managing unhappy online shoppers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

95 per cent of customers<\/span><\/a> value high-quality support more than speed. When customers can resolve their issues in real time, their trust and reliance on the brand increase, ultimately leading to significantly improved conversion rates. 63 per cent of them are most likely to become repeat customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dynamic
Source: Chalawan Asia<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, manpower has limitations. Consider integrating live chat with a chatbot to provide instant responses to customer queries.\u00a0 This method can automate up to 80 per cent of routine inquiries, allowing your customer support team to focus on more complex issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although chatbots may not match human intelligence, they can efficiently handle high volumes of support requests and generate leads. Chatbots can reduce operational costs, cross-promote new products, and, most importantly, retain customers through strong engagement with 24\/7 availability. <\/span>See the image below<\/span><\/i> for chatbot conversion rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chatbot
Source: Chatbot Conversion Rates<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Seamless checkout process<\/b><\/h3>\n

How often do your customers click the buy button, and you find them abandoning their cart at the last moment? The checkout process is the grand finale for your e-commerce store after customers finalise product choices, select add-ons, confirm shipping options, and provide payment.<\/span><\/p>\n

A recent statistic indicates almost <\/span>70 per cent of potential sales loss <\/span><\/a>due to online shopping cart abandonment. How can you optimise the shopper\u2019s journey from awareness to the finish line?<\/span><\/p>\n