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increase customer retention rates

How to Increase your E-Commerce Repurchasing Rate

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Acquiring a new customer costs five times as much as reselling to an existing or previous one. This reason alone should be enough to convince any business owner to start paying closer attention to their retention rates. According to a recent study carried out by one of the world’s leading marketing companies, 82% of business owners agree that retention proved to be a lot cheaper than the cost of acquisition. In fact, the likelihood of selling to a new customer is around 5 – 20% whilst the probability of re-selling to an existing customer is 60 – 70%.

As you can see, spending more time and effort on retention rates is more likely to increase your online conversions. Here are some of the best practices used by ecommerce websites to increase retention and conversion rates:

Award loyal customers with great discounts

One of the best ways to draw people back to your site is by awarding their loyalty with special offers. It helps if these offers are exclusive and given to your loyal customer base BEFORE making them available to the general public. This will make your customers feel as though their loyalty has been awarded, encouraging them to continue to purchase from your company.

Use Customer Accounts Effectively

Imagine yourself as a new customer about to make a purchase on your site. Before your checkout is complete, you are given the option to either set up an account with your company, or checkout as a guest. The majority of first time customers will click on the guest checkout option because it is less time consuming, whereas setting up a whole new account can come across as being an unnecessary and lengthy commitment. The best way to utilise customer accounts is to prompt consumers to create one AFTER the order has been completed.

Implement an Email Marketing Strategy

Encouraging your customers to sign up with their email addresses will provide you with the unique opportunity to re-target previous customers with personalised emails. This will help you to build a closer relationship with your online consumers. You may wish to seek professional assistance when it comes to email marketing. Getting it right can result in massive improvement with regards to your site’s conversion rates, but getting it wrong can be a horrific mistake. Bombarding your customers with too many emails can tempt them into deleting their account with your company, or blocking your emails altogether. You need to make sure your email campaign has the right balance.

Utilise social media to better connect with customers

As a business looking to boost retention rates, social media is one of the best tools at your disposal. It enables you to reach out to your customers and connect with them on a more personal level. You are no longer a giant corporation with a blurry face to your customers, instead, you transform into a living and breathing organization. Post to your social channels often and take time to connect with your followers. Update your channel with news updates, promotions, new products and upcoming events etc. to help generate excitement and enthusiasm around your brand.

Our team of digital marketing experts and web design Belfast and web design Newry teams can help with any digital marketingadwordsvideo productionsocial mediaSEO BelfastMagento or web design questions you may have.

online retail trends

Future Online Retail Trends: Have they gone too far?

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Online shoppers are more demanding than ever. They want quick check-out purchases, fast delivery (you’ll get brownie points if it’s free) and exceptional customer services without any unnecessary “jibber jabber”.

New online retail trends are expected to come into play within the next five years. Here are just a few online retail trends that are likely to make an entrance sooner rather than later:

 

1. Brands will Know A LOT more about You

Receiving personalised emails is nothing new, we’re well used to curated email marketing ploys. However, in the next few years’, brands will be able to take it a step further. E-Commerce brands will use Bluetooth low energy technology to find out more about your shopping habits.

Examples of the kind of information recorded includes: when (and where) you browsed for specific products  and how long your spent on each page etc. This is followed up by a reminder sent straight to your mobile or email address. Some reminders may persuade you to buy the product by using a special offer you simply can’t refuse.

 

2. Virtual Shopping is HERE

Virtual reality isn’t just for gamers. Online stores will soon implement augmented reality to give their customers an “immersive experience”. This means that you can try on clothes to see what they will look like on you before making a purchase. Such tools will decrease the chances of returning items to the store due to wrong fitting’s etc.

 

3. Advertising goes Mobile – again.

Mobile advertising will be the “norm” by 2019, with desktops expected to take the back bench. Texts with relevant and highly targeted messages will be a common sight in our future inboxes.

This type of in-app advertising will improve delivery services and customer satisfaction, making it easier to get in touch with brands to make queries and suggestions etc. Mobile payments are also expected to rise to over 2 billion by 2019.

 

4. Have your own Digital Personal Shopper/Assistant

Most online shoppers will have their own digital assistant to help them shop online. They will be able to filter our shopping experience in a more strategic and filtered approach.

For example, if you are shopping for a pair of jeans, your digital assistant will filter out incorrect sizes and pairs that are unlikely to be of interest, leaving you with a refined and targeted line up of potential products that are most likely to appeal to you.

 

Contact RYCO Marketing today to stay ahead of online retail trends and get the most out of your ecommerce store.
Our team of digital marketing experts and web design Belfast and web design Newry teams can help with any digital marketing Belfastadwords PPC Belfastvideo production Belfastsocial media BelfastSEO BelfastMagento or web design questions you may have.

Call Us TODAY: 028 9099 8106

 

 

ecommerce Northern Ireland

How to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment

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The shopping cart abandonment rate for online retailers, on average, is 67.91%. This rate is the ratio of the amount of online shopping carts abandoned to the number of completed transactions. Despite the average abandonment rate being 67.91%, it isn’t unusual for this rate to fluctuate, often reaching up to 80%.

So, why are so many customers abandoning their shopping carts and failing to cross the checkout finish line?

According to recent studies and surveys carried out in the industry, 57% of customers failed to complete an online transaction because they didn’t want to pay the shipping fees. 41% of online shoppers only added items to their cart for research purposes whilst 48% said the overall cost was a lot higher than they initially expected. With so many potential customers turning away from their shopping baskets, it can be a headache thinking of ways to make them stay. Here are a few of Ryco’s suggestions to reduce shopping cart abandonment rates:

 

Reveal Shipping Costs ASAP

The cost of shipping is the number one reason why most people give up on their online shopping spree. To help avoid this, it is best to make shipping fees as clear as possible and as soon as possible.

The cost of shipping should be revealed before the customer is prompted to give their payment information. By providing your customers with estimated shipping costs, you’re letting them know exactly what they are getting themselves into.

An even better option is to calculate the overall cost of the shopping cart (with delivery included), so that the customer instantly knows the total cost of purchased goods plus dilvery

 

Reinforce your Website’s Credibility

When buying online from an unfamiliar ecommerce website, it can be daunting to click the “complete purchase” button. Questions begin racing through your mind. Can I trust this company? Will they misuse my personal information? Etc.

To ensure your customers that your site is both trustworthy and dependable, it is a good idea to communicate the privacy and security of all of your customer’s information. This will not only help to reduce shopping cart abandonment rates, but it will also increase the credibility and reliability of your brand.

Make sure that your website includes relevant contact information so that customers can easily get in contact with you if needed. Don’t forget to communicate your return policy to your customers to help build trust.

 

Offer Special Discounts and Coupons

Shoppers are always looking for ways to save money and online shopping isn’t any different. If you want to persuade buyers to complete the checkout process, offer them something they can’t refuse.

Many websites offer free shipping or discounts to be applied when the customer has reached a certain milestone in their shopping spree. For example, “10% Discount when you spend over £50” etc.

These types of special offers and discounts will give your customers a nudge to complete their purchase.

 

Provide Guest Payment Options

There’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to make a quick purchase online and then being asked to fill out a registration form to sign up an account with the website.

Provide customers with a guest option and you will quickly reduce shopping cart abandonment.

To improve your online sales today, get in contact with RYCO (ecommerce Northern Ireland)

Our team of digital marketing experts and web design Belfast and web design Newry teams can help with any digital marketingadwordsvideo productionsocial mediaSEO BelfastMagento, PPC Agency Belfast or web design questions you may have.

For Ecommerce Northern Ireland services call: 028 9099 8106

secure magento ecommerce web design services belfast northern ireland

How a Secure E-Commerce Solution can help you Reduce Scam Risk

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Using a secure e-commerce will help to ensure that your site is never at risk of being hacked or invaded by members from a third-party. Valuable data must be protected from harm and intrusion and the only way to ensure constant protection from such scams is to use a safe e-commerce provider who will use their expertise on the matter to guarantee permanent safety and security. Here are some ways in which a secure e-commerce will reduce the risk of scam:

Providing a Secure E-Commerce Platform

Choosing a secure platform from which to host your e-commerce is the first step towards ensuring online safety. Ryco Marketing uses Magento as a secure E-Commerce Platform that is trusted by the world’s leading Brands. It is built to deliver high performance and is compliant with PCI (Payment Card Industry) and DSS (Data Security Standards) which helps to ensure that both your business and customer data is protected.

Protects your E-Commerce from Invasion

Avoid loss of important and essential data by using a secure e-commerce that allows you to constantly check the condition of your website for viruses that may have seeped into the site. A secure e-commerce site will reduce the chances of this occurring in the first place which means your site remains protected from threats. Ryco Marketing for instance, uses professional software packages that carry out regular vulnerability assessments to determine how exposed your site is to potential hackers, thus allowing for immediate action to take place in order to stop un-welcomed third-parties from entering the site.

Highest Possible Security Measures

Having a secure e-commerce in place ensures that only the highest quality of security measures are in place. Regular software updates are carried out to confirm that the site is continuously updated with the latest and best forms of security software. The use of high tech encryption software secures all types of data, most importantly financial information and confidential data. Putting up firewalls is perhaps the most basic mode of security and any e-commerce site worth its name should be expected to have a powerful firewall in place to stop attackers dead in their tracks before they have a chance to breach your network and get their hands on essential information.

Employ Additional Security Systems

Using various levels of security is something that a good e-commerce will do to provide you with the highest possible mode of online security. They employ a security alert system that will instantly alert you to any suspicious or strange behaviour on your site (such as multiple transactions coming from the exact same IP address). Installing a card and address verification system will also give your e-commerce that extra layer of security to reduce the chances of having any deceitful charges.

Our multi-award digital agency Belfast and winning marketeers/developers are also waiting to help with any digital marketing, adwords, web design belfastsocial mediaSEO Belfast or Magento ecommerce web design questions you may have. We also provide training for third party SEO software tools such as MOZ to ensure you can clearly monitor progress and ensure your campaign is of the highest quality.

 

SEO Strategy

Ecommerce – Planning For A successful Ecommerce Website Design

By | Blog

Deja vu is a very useful experience to draw from when planning to design your ecommerce website. The pitfalls are many for the uninitiated and for the entrepreneur looking for a quick fix design set up the mistakes made in haste are humbling and very often irredeemable.

The message to anyone thinking of creating a design for their website is to consider the challenge in terms of (a) finding the right designer to create the desired solution and (b) communicating effectively with that designer so they know exactly what you want and can implement the requisite system to deliver your requirements.

Primarily, finding an empathetic, skilled designer with a proven track record is your first challenge and there are a number of ways to secure the best. You can contact successful ecommerce businesses and ask if they could recommend their designer or design team. Very often the best designers are referred from one customer to another, as long as your business is non threatening in the competitive commerce arena. You basically require a designer who can create a customised system to drive your business. At the point of selecting and commissioning your website designer it is necessary to know exactly what you want them to do for you. Most entrepreneurs will want the designer to create the web design and work through a complete process with continual consultation throughout the project. This eliminates anomalies, buts and maybes and enables the designer to deliver exactly what you want. From initial designs to completed project the key concept is engagement. The more consultation the more successful the outcome and the more economical the process will be. Be careful to select your designer on past results and not necessarily price. You can find affordable designers with flair and integrity who will give you what you want as long as the second challenge is fulfilled. Constant communication between the ecommerce entrepreneur and the website designer will negate any disasters that might otherwise arise in the design process. Designers are not mind readers and can only work with the remit they are given – so the more detailed and precise the design concept is in the planning stages, the more successful will be the outcome. With your feedback your designer can review their designs and provide you with a selection of designs for your consideration. Your final choice can then be made so the design sign off stage of your project is accomplished to your total satisfaction. This pre empts the horror stories you hear about other disastrous website designs.

Our multi-award digital agency Belfast and winning marketeers/developers are also waiting to help with any digital marketing, adwords, web design belfastsocial mediaSEO Belfast or Magento ecommerce web design questions you may have. We also provide training for third party SEO software tools such as MOZ to ensure you can clearly monitor progress and ensure your campaign is of the highest quality.