6 Ways to Deliver a Compelling Digital Customer Experience for Online Shoppers

4. Employ user-generated content

User-generated content is generally not used in brick-and-mortar stores. Online stores have a unique opportunity to show prospective buyers how other customers use their products or how happy they are with their purchase. This adds to your trustworthiness and can inspire new customers to want the same experience.

Add a hashtag to your website and encourage customers to post photos to their social media accounts. Alternatively, you can ask buyers to send photos to a dedicated email account. Make sure they know the images may be used in your marketing materials, and share the best ones on your website or through social media.

Bliss uses bright colors and arresting images to sell its cosmetics, so Instagram’s visual focus is a perfect marketing tool. Among the professional product photos are images of happy customers showing off a mask or smiling while holding a newly arrived package.

5. Focus on the role of overall site design in digital customer experience

Overall site design is like the decor of a brick-and-mortar store. It has to communicate what the brand is and who it’s for while also being easy to navigate. Just like a clothing store has to make sure customers can move around the racks and reach displays, websites must ensure that design aesthetics don’t make products hard to find.

A visually appealing site also encourages visitors to stay longer, making them more likely to purchase.  Expressing who you are as a company can help people fall in love with your brand, and they’re more likely to buy from a company they love.

Skullcandy’s website is a great example of a visually appealing and consistent site. Large, high-resolution pictures show off the products, and hovering over the Inside Skullcandy menu option displays black and white images of concerts and skaters that connect to customers.

There’s also the Mood Boost page that features music videos, limited edition products, and information about the company’s mission to boost mental health, which helps communicate what the brand is about.

6. Post-purchase emails

Don’t dismiss the importance of post-purchase emails in digital customer experience. While brick-and-mortar stores can give a smile along with a receipt, online stores get an invitation to their customer’s inbox. If you use the opportunity well, receipt and delivery notification emails can turn a new customer into a repeat shopper.

You can also use these emails for far more than receipts. Include a video on ways to use their new product, styling tips, or vouchers for their next purchase. This email from Burrow is long because it answers frequently asked questions, saving customers from sending an email or searching their website for information they need.

Don’t neglect your digital customer experience

Poor design, confusing navigation, or a difficult mobile experience may end up sending prospective customers to someone else’s site. The ecommerce customer experience must be at the center of your website design in order to meet shoppers needs and exceed their expectations. Happy customers don’t just convert, they go on to become repeat patrons who recommend your store and products to others.