Selling Products Online – Why Pricing Strategy is Not As Important As Customer Service and Delivery
23/01/2017 | Share:
Finding the right price point for the goods in your ecommerce store is essential – it’s one of marketing’s ‘4 Ps’ – product, price, place and promotion. However, evidence now shows that it comes second to customer service and delivery. We examine why and look at how you can make it your priority.
Price is important but…
No doubt, as an ecommerce retailer, you’ll have developed your pricing strategy with great care, considering your margins, your USP, your loss leaders and your incentives. However, many retailers in your position are now realising that price is not the beginning and the end of their success and that a customer’s negative experience is far more likely to be shared on social media than a positive one.
As Maya Angelou said, “You may not remember what a person said to you … but you will never forget how a person made you feel.” If you’re overlooking how your ecommerce store makes your customers feel, you’re missing out on possible sales. Because retail is not a science, it’s an art, and like all great art it depends on your customers’ emotions and desires.
Given that customers are prepared to pay a premium for the best possible customer service, it makes sense to include the following approaches to customer service and delivery strategies into your marketing package:
A quick response time: from product enquiries to complaints, make sure that you respond quickly to all your customers when they contact you. Whether it’s on the phone, through your website, via an email or on social media, customers like to feel their questions and concerns are being taken seriously. And nothing demonstrates that they are important more than a speedy response.
Own your mistakes: if you delivered the wrong product or it arrived damaged, say sorry and find a way to make it up to the customer. This atonement can either be by way of a full refund or a product replacement. The best ecommerce stores will also pop a little something extra into the replacement parcel by way of a sincere apology.
Make returns easy: few customers will be happy about having to go through a lengthy, inconvenient (and possibly expensive) process if they have to return an item. Make sure that your returns process is simple and doesn’t cost your customers money.
Billing and tracking: it’s vital that your customers can access their accounts easily on your website and that these include various payment methods which they may like to use, the status of their pending orders, and their billing history.
Say ‘thank you’: in business, as in life, manners are everything, especially when you’re competing against the multi-nationals. A personalised and heartfelt thank you to your customers for their patronage will endear you to your customers and earn repeat business. Also consider a feedback request about the various aspects of your business so you can improve on any areas that don’t get 100% positivity.
Effective customer service and delivery are a vital component in the success of your ecommerce business and can be the dividing factor in a customer’s decision to purchase from your store. It can also increase brand loyalty, word of mouth recommendations and lead to higher value sales per transaction. So what are you waiting for?
