Halden Zimmermann on eCommerce Best Practices

(Newswire.net — June 18, 2016) Huntington Beach, CA — Operating an eCommerce business can be extremely challenging. With so much competition online and availability of products through various vendors, it can be hard to stand out. Business strategist Halden Zimmermann understands that successful eCommerce companies put more focus on the customer’s site visits, providing the goods and services consumers desire but with an enhanced shopping experience that keeps them coming back for more. “It’s no longer enough to have products at a competitive price,” says Halden. “The truly successful e-commerce operations establish a personal, emotional connection with online shoppers.” The eCommerce site is a product in its own right and the mistake is not to treat is as so.

One of the ways eCommerce sites can make those connections with shoppers is to offer “functionality” or value added shopping tools along the customers buying process. A buyer goes through a transformation from the start of the buying journey until they end and become a paying customer. Understanding the specific steps on this journey and how your ecommerce model can assist or alleviate pain points is a way to create value. For example a customer really starts the buying process by having a problem and looking for information on how to solve it. Providing customers with excellent research tools and feedback that points them in the right direction for the best solution. This would be highly valued and can persuade customers to use your ecommerce platform as a priority. Each step in the process is an opportunity to add value. This is why it is also important to use market segmentation before you build your customer interface and platform. You need to know who your target customer is and how they like to be served.

Also, lets not forget some other tactics rarely thought of. The use of creative imagery to tell a story, for example.  A technique that works is to use images in the product introduction and description to improve conversion rate, then eliminating them from the task-oriented areas online shoppers use, like the checkout screens to avoid distraction.  Powerful, professional-produced images that show the products in use have the best impact.  It’s important to use text to tell a product’s story as well.  Detailed descriptions and even narrative stories of the products in action make a huge difference in establishing emotional connections with shoppers. “Simple product descriptions are great, but many shoppers are looking for more,” says Halden. “The more information a company gives to its customers, or the better stories they tell, the more informed of a purchasing decision those customers can make.” 

Another common technique many eCommerce sites use today is to capture visitor emails at the very first landing page, usually through a popup window. Halden, who has provided his expertise to dozens of successful businesses, suggests that this may not be the best way to go about collecting visitor information. “Let the user browse the site for a period of time before asking for emails,” he adds. A better technique than the popup is to use a floating fixed element or an unobtrusive text input field for users to fill out; these methods are seen as less obtrusive than a popup that blocks navigation.

Offering rewards along with the transaction can make the difference between attracting site visitors or converting those visitors into paying customers. Free or reduced shipping costs for larger orders is a time-honored tactic, as is providing a guarantee that is more comprehensive than those of a company’s competitors. Customers appreciate discount programs connected to loyalty when shopping, and having such programs in place tends to create a more positive experience on the part of the site visitor. 

One last point, and this is most vital. Building a great ecommerce platform is not the starting point for engaging your customers. The starting point really is your value proposition and how you communicate that value proposition to your target customer is. Therefore building a comprehensive market strategy that has a comprehensive plan to getting in front of the right customers is very important. eCommerce is one of the building blocks but not the first. To learn more about Halden and his experience in the eCommerce realm, visit https://ideamensch.com/halden-zimmermann/ or http://inspirery.com/halden-zimmermann/.