Think you have your complete ecommerce experience well planned out? Not so fast: There's a side of the online shopping equation that may be falling below your radar – and it could be costing you customers.
By now, most online retailers are well aware that they need to optimize their digital storefronts to serve the needs of mobile consumers. And many businesses have even developed rich, robust mobile apps that streamline the sales process and offer added value for their most loyal, engaged customers. Yet, despite having caught up with the need to produce a mobile-first shopping experience, many of these companies still exercise legacy thinking when it comes to providing optimal customer service on these devices.
As this article from VentureBeat points out, mobile ecommerce is all about being in the moment: the ability to capture consumer interest, answer their questions, fulfill their requests, and help them complete their purchasing process as quickly as possible – at the exact time and place they choose to shop.
But what happens when shoppers have a question or concern that requires immediate attention? If your mobile site or app requires them to send an email and wait for a response or, worse, expects them to spend their mobile minutes waiting on hold to speak to a service representative, you may be putting your customer relationship at risk.
Creating experiences that are organic to the platform they are delivered on is just one of the ways we demonstrate our commitment to stellar customer acquisition and retention. In fact, all of the ecommerce experiences we develop for Prove clients are based on customer-first thinking. This means we tailor our initiatives so that they account for every possible consumer touch-point – not just the final point of sale.
Options like in-app messaging, third-party chat services, or instant messaging interfaces may help your business be more responsive to the needs of your mobile customer base. Let us know if we can help you evaluate the potential of options like these, or explore other means of supporting your customers, wherever and whenever they want to connect with you.