Improve your online sales

The world had been steadily shifting to online sales for the past decade, but the demand shot through the roof with the advent of the 2020 pandemic and the first lockdown last spring. People were pushed to shop online since going out meant possible exposure, and that was exasperated during lockdowns, when leaving your home meant essential runs only. But the pandemic is not all negative, since it cracked open a segment of online shoppers that was seemingly impossible to reach. 

With the inability to leave ones home, consumers who were previously unconvinced by online shopping had no choice, and soon understood the many benefits of shopping online, leaving them much more open to the idea of online shopping and opening up that previously closed segment of the market share. This has massively increased the demand for online shopping, and as the pandemic calms, a large percentage of those pandemic online shoppers will continue their online purchasing ritual, benefitting from the convenience, time-saving and safety elements of ordering to door.

Now that more people are shopping online, more businesses, large and small, are evaluating their online shopping experience and making improvements where they can. Here are some tips to get you started...

Upgrade that server

Servers are configured for different uses, so if you’re opening your website for online commerce, it’s important to look at your load capacity. No one wants a slow website, and it’s a nightmare when your customers are in the middle of shopping and the server crashes. It’s likely you will lose those customers entirely, so it’s vital to ensure that your server can manage your shopping projections and then some.

Audit and improve your user experience

Crashing servers are bad, but horrible user experiences can be worse. Invest in a responsive website design if you cannot afford a standalone mobile application. Test your website on multiple devices, even tiny screens such as the iPhone 5, for usability. Make sure your website is loading quickly and your pages and transitions are smooth. Iron out any smaller cosmetic issues, such as hard to read text or broken images, sooner rather than later.

Improve your online support with a chat for websites

Imagine if you’re about to buy an item that you need urgently and you have a pre-purchase question, but the only support the website has is a contact form that takes days to get a response for. That’s not great customer service, and it’s likely that customer will go to a competitor who has the information they need available. You can avoid this by installing a live chat for websites, as it will allow the customer to quickly get in touch with a customer service agent. This is a much better option for customer service than just a contact form alone.

Automate everything you possibly can

When we think of automation, we think of self-driving cars, but it’s not limited to that online. Automate your commerce emails where possible to reduce the administrative work and if possible, use an AI chatbot to automate as much of the online communication with your live chat for websites. Your customers will always have someone online 24/7 to answer their questions or help with website navigation, even when your human customer service team are offline.

Invest in reliable software

Many businesses waste money investing in the wrong software for their business and the only take away is a bad experience. Thoroughly look at suppliers before you deploy software that your business relies on, especially if they are based overseas. Look at their support levels, their privacy regulations and how they manage your data. With Click4Assistance, customers know that they are investing in a reliable, robust software solution that not only makes them more productive but saves them money. It’s a win win for all. If you’re interested in deploying Click4Assistance, the UK’s premier GDPR compliant live chat software solution, to increase your business’ productivity for 2021, give us a call on 0845 123 5871 or send an email to theteam@click4assistance.co.uk and one of our experts will be with you right away. Not ready to reach out yet? Discover how it works, try a demo, or better yet, try Click4Assistance completely free for 21 days.