The Sale Isn't the End

When the Sale Isn’t Final

We get the point: your work pace can be overwhelming if you’re operating a growing ecommerce business. Just because you aren’t ringing up merchandise in a brick-and-mortar joint, that doesn’t mean you aren’t busting your behind making sure orders are processed, filled, and sent on their merry way.

Ecommerce joins the 21st Century trend of somewhat impersonal interaction. The customer doesn’t lay eyes on cluttered aisles in the midst of inventory re-stocking. She doesn’t stand in line at the register. But if that were all a part of your business model, wouldn’t you be curious to know how satisfied she was with her purchase? If you spotted her perusing around town, would you be tempted to send a friendly greeting her way and get a feel for whether she’ll be back in your store?
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Here’s where The New Era has advantages over traditional retailing. With access to an email address, your golden opportunity to reconnect with customers becomes essential. And in case you’re hesitant about this strategy, pay attention to these stats: Shopify.com estimates that fully half of all customers experience some form of second thoughts. Half. Make that work in your favor with a follow-up communication to ease their concerns.

The Human Touch

It’s no mystery that the relationship between vendor and purchaser reflects a human element. Trust and communication can resolve a lot of issues. A feeling of abandonment may be at the core of some buyer’s remorse, so why not take advantage of the opportunity to keep in touch?
Business gurus at The Balance lays out avenues for solidifying the precious connection and make return purchases more likely. They include:

1. Live Chat. This plug-in offers real-time communications with customers who revisit your site after a purchase. It’s a great way to determine whether they are eager to buy more, or are searching for refund policies.
   
   
2. Email. You will always want to use this for the duration of the transaction anyway, from order confirmation to tracking updates. Put it to good use by checking in after delivery and assure your patrons you are committed to their satisfaction.
   
   
3. Phone Support. It may seem costly, but it also may save tons on the sad saga of returned merchandise. Be available for calls and attempt to correct correctable issues.
   
   
4. User-Generated Content. It may sound scary to open up your precious web page space for input from customers, but studies show sales increase when potential buyers can read feedback and reviews.
   
   

If your preference is to tackle these yourself, have at it. For smaller and newer ecommerce players, especially, you may want more personal input. That said, there are programs and tutorials out there for everything, and some of them are tailored to shape a top-notch process of communication with customers at every point of a transaction. Check out Drop Ship Lifestyle for some ideas.

Think of post-sale contact as an insurance policy against obsolescence. You’re benefiting from the relatively low-cost flow of traffic available to you thanks to internet technology, but it won’t offer any guarantees that storefront merchants don’t enjoy. An expression of commitment and interest can make a customer for life.