Seven customer service insights that can boost your online sales

Here's how to get people buying your products, instead of having second thoughts, or buying the same item from somewhere else.

1. Manage your customer service online like a shopfloor: keep it neat, welcoming and customer-friendly

62% of B2B and 42% of B2C  customers will return to purchase again after a good customer service experience. Broken links, inadequate information, bad photography and a shoddy checkout process can drive away potential sales.

2. Revive abandoned shopping carts: be personal, be persuasive

Powerful, customer-focused product copy at the right point could recover up to 35% of abandoned shopping carts. Simplifying the process at checkout can also be crucial to your profits, and save you well over a third of shopping cart abandonments.

3. Respond to your customers’ shopping habits: get responsive across all devices

Over 40% of all global e-commerce transactions now take place via smartphone, so make sure your service suits the way your customers want to shop. A responsive website attracts buyers on smartphones and tablets as well as PCs.

4. Add value to customer relationships: build loyalty to build future sales

Introduce special discounts if a customer provides an email address, an offer for free P&P on the next order, and an easy returns process. Adding practical, fun or thoughtful additions to online orders can go a long way to retaining and increasing customer value.

5. Reap the rewards of social connections: profit from the power of ‘Like’ and Share’

Companies that have embraced social media generate roughly US$2.4m every minute through e-commerce. With an estimated 2.5 billion people on social media in 2018, a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram is a great way to harvest the benefits of that huge audience.

6. Be human online: connect meaningfully (and profitably) with customers

Adding live chat tools to your website can deliver 92% satisfaction with customer service. Engaging with online customers in real-time creates a level of personal trust that can enrich the online buying experience, giving the customer a sense of reassurance.

7. Show that you’re trusted: benefit from your online reputation

With 88% of people stating that an online customer service review had influenced their decision to buy, a good e-commerce reputation can really power up your profit. Third-party software such as Trustpilot can deliver free word-of-mouth marketing and help boost your business returns.