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Online customer experience is becoming more important than ever: How website feedback can increase your bottom line
In an article by Stuart Johnson titled, “Web Retail All About Customer Experience”, he states, “The report found that the customer's experience with a retailer's website is a key component in determining customer loyalty and an indicator of longer-term financial success…Interestingly, the users' satisfaction with their website experience was the most important criteria for consumers, rather than the lowest price.” Maintaining an effective website requires gathering continuous feedback from customers and employees on what they want to see and how they want it presented. Placing online surveys on your website presents the fastest and most efficient way to obtain this feedback. It allows you to immediately ask your current customers about their satisfaction, while providing you with instant results while the experience is fresh in their memory. Face-to-face interactions are becoming less frequent with customers and even non-existent for many eCommerce businesses. According to a recent Forrester Inc. research report noted in the article “2007 Trends: Consolidation, Customer-Centric Promotions” by Michelle Megna, website performance is one of large organizations’ main focuses for improvement. Posting areas for customer feedback, including surveys, blogs, product reviews and comments have also become prominent in the new website designs. Product development, market research, search engine optimization and revenue generation are all examples of areas that can benefit tremendously from online feedback, according to the article. Engaging customers by finding out what they want from your business allows you to implement changes more quickly, and in turn increase customer conversion and satisfaction rates. Monthly online surveys are a great way to keep data fresh, monitor any trends, and identify improvements and milestones, and are also the least intrusive way to collect feedback. They can be very short and can be posted or popped up on a website, they can appear after a particular website transaction or experience, and customers can be redirected back to the company website when the survey is completed. Enabling your website visitors to provide their opinions on your site also lets them know you value their opinions and that you really intend to satisfy their needs. This positive engagement in turn facilitates deeper customer loyalty. This loyalty is invaluable because its effects are exponential: it will create greater word of mouth, more customers, more sales, greater return on investment, and a much better chance for future financial success. Here are some recent articles on the topics of online experience and website feedback: Sources:
Web Retail All About Customer Experience
2007 Trends: Consolidation, Customer-Centric Promotions
Trend Setter: Social Commerce
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The online spending power of consumers has reached new heights as more consumers take advantage of shopping with their fingers rather than their feet. The boost in online retail, personal and professional blogs, and company websites is a direct result of the booming online world and the move to cater to this online demographic. With so many businesses moving online, if a consumer cannot quickly and easily find the product they are looking for, they can instantly search the Web for a plethora of other site options. In that sense, a website can be a company’s greatest asset or biggest liability when it comes to sales.
