How Buyer Behavior Can Help Your eCommerce Shop Bloom This Spring

Throw your jackets into your closet and throw on your pastel-colored polo shirts, because spring is underway! This winter was one for the books. With record-breaking snowfall, below zero temperatures, and a plethora of delayed order shipments, most of us are thrilled to walk outside with a t-shirt on for the first time in a few months. It’s time for a fresh new start, and Wiser’s new infographic can give you the fertilizer you need to help your store grow.

Think of your store as a seed, full of potential. Understanding buyer behavior can act as the fertilizer and water to help that seed turn into a beautiful flower. Luckily, Wiser has assembled the top influences of buyer behavior in one nifty infographic.

Shipping & Returns

One of the biggest obstacles that online retailers need to hurdle over is the fact that the shopper has to work with shipping costs and return policies. Online retail lacks the immediate satisfaction that comes with brick and mortar, but that doesn’t mean it has to lack the convenience entirely. Reducing shipping costs can cushion the blow a shopper has to face, and help drive sales for your business. A retailer called NuFACE added a free shipping threshold, and saw their orders increase by 90%.

Returns don’t have to be a hassle, either. When you think of convenience, do you think of waiting in a long line at the post office to send a product back? Cut out a couple of steps and simply implement in-store returns. Approximately 62% of shoppers want the flexibility to buy items online and return in-store anyway, so what are you waiting for?

Loyalty

All of your shoppers can remain loyal, and it’s one of the most important aspects to your business. Give them a reason to come back with rewards and loyalty programs. Roughly 54% of customers would consider returning to a retailer just for loyalty rewards. Maybe offer programs on your homepage to give them another reason to stay on your site and make a purchase.

So you have them hooked with a loyalty program, now it’s time to reel them in with some good old fashioned charm and personalization. Approximately 34% of customers will stay loyal if you provide exceptional customer service. Great customer service can help any shopper, new or old, stay on your site. One way you can create a better customer experience is by stepping up your live chat game. Live chat offers the highest satisfaction rating of any customer service channel, with a 73% satisfaction rate. Implementing live chat software onto your site can help answer any questions your customers might have, and seal the deal for a potential transaction.

Price

Shoppers spend plenty of time comparing prices for the same products on different sites. Use competitor data to find out where you stand in terms of price, and let the customer know that you have the lowest price (if you actually have it, of course.) No shocker here, but 94% of shoppers get a thrill from getting the best deal possible for a product. Advertise your price compared to competitor’s prices, and save them the time and hassle of price comparison.

It’s still important to remember that you will not always have the lowest price available, and that’s ok. Don’t sacrifice margins for customers. Instead, help them look beyond your price and instead use your services to add value to your store. Approximately 79% of customers would rather get free shipping than a discount, and since free shipping can save quite a lot of money, shoppers might ultimately be getting a better deal with you in the long run.

These are only a handful of ways retailers can influence buyer behavior online. There are plenty of other ways retailers can tap into their consumers’ minds and learn how to grow their business into a beautiful flower this spring. Wiser’s infographic has even more tips to help your business bloom, check it out below.

Contributing Writer: Brian Smyth