Rethinking the E-Commerce Customer Journey in an Omnichannel World

Your customer journey can make or break your customer experience (CX). With more companies shifting to a multichannel approach, figuring out how each touch point impacts your target audience requires a bit more planning than when utilizing only one or two. Now that people are on multiple social media platforms, visiting your website, and reaching out via apps and email, it’s time to rethink your e-commerce customer journey.

1. Study the Competition

The e-commerce world is growing but competitive. EMERKETER estimates global e-commerce sales are at $6.3 trillion , increasing to $7.9 trillion by 2027. To create an excellent customer journey, you must look at what other brands in your industry do to create top-notch CX.

For example, if you sell clothing, does a competitor offer free returns by dropping the item at a shipping location near them or taking it into a sister store? You may not have a brick-and-mortar location, but you can still make the return process simple by tapping into multiple ways to send items back that are easy on the buyer.

2. Create a Seamless and Secure Experience Across Touch Points

Meshing all the interactions a customer has with your enterprise is crucial to a consistent CX. Spend time mapping each touch point to figure out how your audience shops. For example, do they start their journey on your website, collect information and then enter a physical store to make the purchase? Perhaps they buy online and return to a nearby location.

The more you know your customers, the better you’ll be able to reach them across different channels and serve their needs. 

At the same time, as you enhance connectivity across these touch points, it’s particularly essential to address privacy concerns that may arise. Customers today are increasingly aware of the risks associated with sharing their personal information, especially in an interconnected environment. 

The number of personal cyberattacks such as phishing — which accounts for about 90% of all hacking attempts and often targets individual consumers with tailored strategies — are skyrocketing, with the global cost of cybercrime expected to soar to $23.84 trillion in the next few years. With consumers increasingly worried about how their data is being handled in an omnichannel world, businesses must secure data effectively, educate customers on how their information is being handled across channels and implement robust security measures. By doing so, you can prevent data breaches and foster trust with your audience, ensuring a worry-free experience as they engage with your brand.

3. Use Attribution Modeling

Tap into the power of attribution modeling to determine marketing effectiveness throughout each touch point. Rather than focusing only on the user’s last click that led to a sale, you need to figure out the path they took to get there. Once you identify the most successful ways of driving traffic and converting users into customers, you’ll have a firmer grasp of which marketing campaigns work best to drive growth.

Lose any elements that don’t bring new business your way. Survey your customers to find out what touch points need improvement.

4. Offer Immediate Customer Support

One complaint shoppers sometimes voice about their e-commerce experience is having to wait to talk to a real person. When visiting a physical store, a sales clerk can answer questions or resolve problems instantly.

Smaller businesses can struggle to offer the same level of service online. Fortunately, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is making strides to improve digital customer support. Studies show that adding an AI chatbot to your site can increase customer engagement by 90% and improve CX.

Program the bot with similar responses as a store worker. Follow customer policies and transfer users to a live agent if the problem needs additional support.

5. Integrate Social Commerce

Most companies today consider the e-commerce journey as it pertains to their online store. However, a cohesive brand experience across different channels can lead to customer loyalty and more authority.

A user might engage with you on a social platform, hop to your website and visit a local brick-and-mortar store. Are they getting a similar experience in all three locations? The image, voice and customer service models should all tie back to a style guide that keeps everything cohesive.

Omnichannel E-Commerce Continues to Grow

As people become more comfortable using their smartphones to shop online and embrace the convenience of ordering without leaving their homes, companies focusing on an excellent customer journey will excel. Tweak your touch points now and perfect your brand messaging for maximum impact and the most benefit from digital shopping growth.