Thanks to Adam Pearce for poking us to think about some uncomfortable truths of the e-commerce world, which we definitely couldn't deny.
Here's how we think they can be troubleshooted..
👀 Uncomfortable Truth 01: The customer isn't happy once they've had the purchase confirmation page. At best, they're optimistic.
👉 Solution: A personalized engagement strategy to keep customers engaged, informed, and excited about their orders until the moment they receive and unbox them. Use automated tracking updates, personalized recommendations inspired by their purchase history, targeted messages to reinforce the value proposition of the brand. A trend that can truly be leveraged to solve this is using chatbots and messaging apps to provide real-time updates and customer service.
👀 Uncomfortable Truth 02: The 'thank you' email in your post-purchase email isn't the most important. It's the 'you will receive your order on X'.
👉 Solution: Post-purchase emails that provide detailed information on the status of the order. Especially including the expected delivery date and the tracking information that helps build trust and keep the customer anticipating and not anxious. A trend that can be leveraged is the use of personalized video or visual content that keeps the buyer hooked to the brand for a memorable experience.
👀 Uncomfortable Truth 03: Asking for a review on a product as soon as they've received it pisses them off.
👉 Solution: A more strategic approach would be to wait a few weeks after the purchase and bundle up your review request with incentives. This not only helps improve the quality and quantity of the reviews but also minimizes customer annoyance. A trend that brands can bank on is the use of AI-powered sentiment analysis to identify and respond to negative reviews in real-time.
👀 Uncomfortable Truth 04: Receiving email campaigns with 'What's New at X' that include products or categories they've never shopped from REALLY disengages them.
👉 Solution: Data-driven personalization strategies to tailor email campaigns to the individual customer’s interests and behaviour. Include AI-powered product recommendations or segmentation based on past purchase. A trend that can really add to it is the use of dynamic content in emails that can adapt to the individual customer’s preferences and behavior.
👀 Uncomfortable Truth 05: Not having clear information on how to cancel a subscription product impacts on the ability to convert subscription products.
👉 Solution: Transparency regarding the cancellation policy. Provide clear information on how to cancel subscription products, including easy-to-use cancellation options without layering the message. It not only helps build trust but also reduces customer anxiety. AI-powered chatbots can provide real-time customer support for this problem and should definitely be leveraged.
👀 Uncomfortable Truth 07: Leaving out shipping times and costs until the checkout is a conversion killer.
👉 Solution: Providing clear and transparent shipping information, highlighting estimated delivery times and shipping costs. The information is most effective when established on the product page. It helps build trust and credibility for a long-term customer relationship. Using real-time shipping quotes based on the customer’s location and shipping preferences can truly enhance this.
