5 Things Customers Expect From Your E-commerce Store

things customers expect e-commerce store sales

There are plenty of things you can do to improve your e-commerce business. You, your team members, external stakeholders, and thought leaders may have plenty of ideas on how to achieve this. But it is the people that directly bring in your business’s revenues that are the biggest game-changers. 

While there aren’t cut and dry rules that apply to every e-tail outlet, there are some broadly-defined elements that almost every eCommerce business should include in their system. Here are five things eCommerce customers expect from your business. 

1. Personalized Recommendations 

With artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data, you can leverage information collected from your store to learn more about your visitors. You can use the data to promote certain products that are likely to be viewed and purchased, create cross-sell and up-sell suggestions and provide personalized shopping experience

Although you may not be able to create a personalized experience for all your customers, it is possible to customize parts of your store on the basis of data collected from your customer’s previous visits. 

One way of offering a personalized experience is by incorporating smart recommendations on your website. Recommendation options include store bestsellers, cart recommendation, recently viewed and featured recommendations and who bought this also bought. 

2. Exceptional Shopping Experience 

E-commerce businesses often focus on the buying experience instead of zeroing in on the shopping experience. A study conducted by HubSpot found that a whopping 89% of customers would stop doing business with a company following a poor customer experience. The study also found that only 1% of customers feel their expectations for exceptional customer experience are met. 

In today's highly competitive retail environment, it is important that online retailers focus on convenience and eliminating friction for their customers so as to improve customer service and user experience. Some ways you can improve eCommerce customer experience include having a user-friendly website, creating a seamless checkout process and providing product support. 

3. Special Deals 

Offering promotions and special offers is a great way to keep your customers from hunting elsewhere. A survey by PwC found that 56% of customers are more likely to buy from an online store than a brick and mortar store when the prices are lower. 

Types of discounts and offers you can give your clients include percentage-based discounts, freebies and samples, free shipping and free gifts. 

4. Flexible Delivery Options 

Flexible and reliable delivery are key components of eCommerce. A research conducted by MetaPack shows that the delivery options offered by an online business determine whether a customer clicks the “buy” button at checkout. About 50% of the shoppers surveyed admitted to abandoning carts due to unsatisfactory delivery options. 

To ensure customer satisfaction, provide a wide selection of delivery options including pickups at local store and lockers. 

5. Easy, Shenanigan-Free Product Returns 

With a physical store, it is easy to go back to the shop with a receipt and return products purchased. However, the same process is a bit more complex for virtual retail. Customers may be required to print a return package label by themselves or contact the store to ask for a return package. PwC’s study found that this complexity and inconvenience make consumers prefer to purchase products offline. 

To close more sales, make sure your return policy is easy and buyer-friendly. Delivering what consumers want is very important in today’s retail environment. Prioritizing these five customer expectations will help you get the most out of all your customers.

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