Although eCommerce players like Amazon and Walmart are big in the market, many customers are choosing to make holiday purchases from smaller and more “boutique” types of shops. Led by mobile shopping, these customers are finding their favorite products through businesses that are active on social sites like Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram instead of visiting other online retailers or even brick-and-mortar stores. To maximize your chances of thriving this peak season and increase customer satisfaction, it’s important to create a flawless eCommerce shopping experience from beginning to end.
Site Optimization
Did you know that your website speed can make or break an online purchase? Since most online shoppers are using mobile devices to make purchases, it’s crucial that your website is optimized to support those needs. This means ensuring your page designs easily convert from desktop to mobile view and your images and products take less than four seconds to load. Another optimization tip to consider is boosting your SEO efforts for holiday shoppers. Ideally, you want to include highly searched keywords and phrases that users are entering into search engines. The more relevancy you have, the higher your pages will rank in search results and the more traffic your site will receive.
Related Article: 2021 eCommerce Peak Season Trends and Challenges
Checkout Process
A smooth checkout process is crucial for holiday sales. Shoppers not only want to feel like they are getting a great deal, but they also want to ensure that their information is secure and that all of their purchases will arrive on time. A large percentage of online purchases are abandoned because of security and checkout concerns. You can ease this wariness by implementing a trust symbol on your site and installing verification into your checkout process. It’s also important to ensure there are no loading delays or high shipping costs in this process as well. Even a one-second lag time drops customer satisfaction and increases your chances of cart abandonment. If you don’t offer free shipping with clear information on when products will arrive, your customers will likely leave empty-handed. All of these pieces should work together to create a seamless checkout experience.
Personalization eCommerce Shopping
Whether your customer is shopping from your website, email, or social media, a personalized eCommerce shopping experience is key. According to a Harris Interactive study, 75% of consumers become frustrated when website content is unconnected to their shopping interests. By adapting your content to match user preferences and needs, you can significantly increase your purchases. To personalize, ensure that all of your advertising and sales work together. This means taking into account user demographics and search or purchase history. This allows your business to make a relevant recommendation to a customer via an ad, social post, newsletter story, or even popup on the website and direct them to that exact match in your inventory.
Product Listings
Incorrect product listings and descriptions are one of the top reasons customers make returns. It’s important to include accurate size and product information for all of your merchandise - especially during peak season. Adding a video to your products can also help shoppers make a faster purchasing decision. According to a recent Google survey, 50% of online consumers are more confident about their purchases after viewing a product video. If you don’t have access to product videos, user-generated content can also help with these purchase decisions. Companies that include UGC in their product listing experience an average 5% -7% increase in conversions. The more accurate information you can provide upfront, the fewer returns you will have to manage and the happier your customers will be.
Related Article: Holiday eCommerce Warehousing Tips
In addition to preparing your website and marketing, you also need to optimize your order fulfillment and eCommerce shipping processes. Whether you are fulfilling orders from your home or work with a 3PL, it’s crucial to eliminate any mistakes during the holiday season. Even one incorrect order can be detrimental to your sales and customer satisfaction.
At Rakuten Super Logistics, we are the experts in peak season eCommerce shipping and order fulfillment. We’ve been the leaders in the eCommerce industry for 20 years and have the strength and expertise to support your business during the holiday season and beyond.
Don’t trust just anyone with your business. Partner with the experts. Get a quote today!
Rakuten Super Logistics (RSL) is the leader in eCommerce order fulfillment services and freight management. RSL offers national fulfillment services and a network of fulfillment centers across the US, including Anaheim (CA), Atlanta (GA), Austin (TX), Carlstadt (NJ) Chicago (IL), Denver (CO), Houston (TX), Las Vegas (NV), Olean (NY), Reno (NV), Salt Lake City (UT), and Scranton (PA). RSL's fulfillment system allows for integration with popular shopping cart platforms and online marketplaces including Amazon, BigCommerce, Channel Advisor, eBay, Magento, ShipStation, Shopify, Volusion, Walmart Marketplace, and WooCommerce.
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Although eCommerce players like Amazon and Walmart are big in the market, many customers are choosing to make holiday purchases from smaller and more “boutique” types of shops. Led by mobile shopping, these customers are finding their favorite products through businesses that are active on social sites like Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram instead of visiting other online retailers or even brick-and-mortar stores. To maximize your chances of thriving this peak season and increase customer satisfaction, it’s important to create a flawless eCommerce shopping experience from beginning to end.
Site Optimization
Did you know that your website speed can make or break an online purchase? Since most online shoppers are using mobile devices to make purchases, it’s crucial that your website is optimized to support those needs. This means ensuring your page designs easily convert from desktop to mobile view and your images and products take less than four seconds to load. Another optimization tip to consider is boosting your SEO efforts for holiday shoppers. Ideally, you want to include highly searched keywords and phrases that users are entering into search engines. The more relevancy you have, the higher your pages will rank in search results and the more traffic your site will receive.
Related Article: 2021 eCommerce Peak Season Trends and Challenges
Checkout Process
A smooth checkout process is crucial for holiday sales. Shoppers not only want to feel like they are getting a great deal, but they also want to ensure that their information is secure and that all of their purchases will arrive on time. A large percentage of online purchases are abandoned because of security and checkout concerns. You can ease this wariness by implementing a trust symbol on your site and installing verification into your checkout process. It’s also important to ensure there are no loading delays or high shipping costs in this process as well. Even a one-second lag time drops customer satisfaction and increases your chances of cart abandonment. If you don’t offer free shipping with clear information on when products will arrive, your customers will likely leave empty-handed. All of these pieces should work together to create a seamless checkout experience.
Personalization eCommerce Shopping
Whether your customer is shopping from your website, email, or social media, a personalized eCommerce shopping experience is key. According to a Harris Interactive study, 75% of consumers become frustrated when website content is unconnected to their shopping interests. By adapting your content to match user preferences and needs, you can significantly increase your purchases. To personalize, ensure that all of your advertising and sales work together. This means taking into account user demographics and search or purchase history. This allows your business to make a relevant recommendation to a customer via an ad, social post, newsletter story, or even popup on the website and direct them to that exact match in your inventory.
Product Listings
Incorrect product listings and descriptions are one of the top reasons customers make returns. It’s important to include accurate size and product information for all of your merchandise - especially during peak season. Adding a video to your products can also help shoppers make a faster purchasing decision. According to a recent Google survey, 50% of online consumers are more confident about their purchases after viewing a product video. If you don’t have access to product videos, user-generated content can also help with these purchase decisions. Companies that include UGC in their product listing experience an average 5% -7% increase in conversions. The more accurate information you can provide upfront, the fewer returns you will have to manage and the happier your customers will be.
Related Article: Holiday eCommerce Warehousing Tips
In addition to preparing your website and marketing, you also need to optimize your order fulfillment and eCommerce shipping processes. Whether you are fulfilling orders from your home or work with a 3PL, it’s crucial to eliminate any mistakes during the holiday season. Even one incorrect order can be detrimental to your sales and customer satisfaction.
At Rakuten Super Logistics, we are the experts in peak season eCommerce shipping and order fulfillment. We’ve been the leaders in the eCommerce industry for 20 years and have the strength and expertise to support your business during the holiday season and beyond.
Don’t trust just anyone with your business. Partner with the experts. Get a quote today!
Rakuten Super Logistics (RSL) is the leader in eCommerce order fulfillment services and freight management. RSL offers national fulfillment services and a network of fulfillment centers across the US, including Anaheim (CA), Atlanta (GA), Austin (TX), Carlstadt (NJ) Chicago (IL), Denver (CO), Houston (TX), Las Vegas (NV), Olean (NY), Reno (NV), Salt Lake City (UT), and Scranton (PA). RSL's fulfillment system allows for integration with popular shopping cart platforms and online marketplaces including Amazon, BigCommerce, Channel Advisor, eBay, Magento, ShipStation, Shopify, Volusion, Walmart Marketplace, and WooCommerce.