The Ecommerce Blog

Podcast #3: Using social media to build meaningful relationships with customers

Published on March 11th, 2010 by Mitchell Harper

Length: 14:43
Overview: A step-by-step guide to using social media tools to build relationships with customers that offer value to both you and them.

Description: In this, episode 3 of my podcast, I talk about our over-arching social media strategy which we use to keep in constant communication with our customers. Topics include using Twitter as a support intermediary, using Facebook as a feedback loop, building a community with a focus on continual improvement and idea generation and how to turn negative feedback into a motivation tool. I also touch on the upcoming BigCommerce 5.6 and 6 releases at the end of the podcast.

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How to Write a Profitable Returns Policy

Published on August 21st, 2009 by Mitchell Harper

profitable_returns_policyReturns policies are extremely important when selling online. If you sell expensive products or if you’re a new store looking to build up your customer base quickly, the best thing you can offer new customers is a lenient returns policy.

In this post we’ll look at a few things which should be included in your returns policy. If you’re using shopping cart software that doesn’t let you create or display a returns policy, give BigCommerce a try – it has a built-in returns policy which can be customized as required.

Anyway, on to the list:

  1. The longer the returns period, the greater your sales. Most online stores have a returns policy that expires after 30 or 60 days, but what if your returns policy lasted for 90 days, 120 days, 365 days or even for a lifetime? Buying online is all about risk for most people. They’re thinking to themselves “If I buy from this website and things don’t work out, will I lose my money or can I trust them to honor their returns policy?”. Extending your returns policy for as long as you can will make more than it will cost you, because the overwhelming majority of your customers will NOT act on your returns policy – they just want to know it’s there for peace of mind before they place their order.
  2. List all conditions and be up front about them. If you’ll only accept returns to a certain address or when the box is marked with particular details about the item being returned then mention that up front and provide examples to help your customers out should they ever need to return something to you. Ideally, however, your returns policy will have few (if any) conditions attached to it.
  3. Include testimonials from refunded (happy) customers. If customers do return an item and there’s really no other way around it then be cheerful and friendly about it. Process the return immediately and ask for a testimonial about their experience. Take their testimonial (and name+photo if you can) and add it to your returns policy page. When shoppers see the testimonials they’ll be even more likely to whip out their credit cards and buy from you.
  4. Offer store credit instead of a cash refund. Depending on what you sell, a lot of returns can be because the customer simply chose the wrong model number or product size. Because of this you should include two options in your returns policy: a) a cash refund or b) the issue of store credit. If the customer wants a cash refund then of course you should give it to them, but a surprising number of customers will be just fine with a store credit.
  5. Find any problems and fix them. This might sound obvious, but you should always ask the customer why they’re returning an item they bought from you. Keep a list of reasons and if you spot any trends then try to stop the problem in its tracks.
  6. Promote your returns policy like crazy. Most of your competitors wont even publish a returns policy, but if you’ve listened to the tips above and you sell good quality products then you should promote your returns policy everywhere you can: on your home page, on your shopping cart and checkout pages and even in your newsletters and promotions. Remember, winning your shopper’s trust can send your conversion rate soaring through the roof!

Hopefully these six tips can help you craft a compelling returns policy for your online store. Take a look at the Zappos returns policy for an excellent example of how it should be done – and for some ideas of your own!

Customer Service Tips for the New Online Store Owner

Published on August 1st, 2009 by michelle

customer_service_bannerHaving the faith to spend a little more time with your current customers and a little less time getting business can be hard, but it’s the right thing to do.  If you take care of your customers, they will be more inclined to both come back and send you referrals when you ask them to. Here are some ways to make sure you can always do a good job so your customers will always stay loyal to you:

  1. Offer live chat on your site. People are going to have questions about your products.  If you offer live chat on your site, you can answer these questions for these customers.  If many customers have the same question, you can include this information on your site so as to help others coming in.
  2. Be clear on your return policy and/or terms and conditions, and make these clearly visible on your site.  Misunderstandings happen.  You might think these will scare away, but they will prevent situations that could cause serious issues that take up both your and your customer’s time.
  3. Use surveys.  A lot of the time, your customers will voice their opinion if you just ask them to.  Email surveys and including a link to a survey on emails or receipts may offer the feedback you need to really impress current and future customers.  You could even include a “comment box” on your website with a contact form the same way brick-and-mortar merchants do.
  4. Use personal touches.  Sign emails with your name.  Include a hand-written note with every order.  Customers should know that you aren’t just a shop looking for a cheap buck.  Let them know you care about their satisfaction with your products.
  5. Take your complaints seriously.  A lot of companies dismiss complaints and figure they’ll make it up by getting new customers.  Guess what?  Word-of-mouth can be very powerful, so choose your words wisely.  What could be an opportunity for you to step up and make someone very satisfied can just as easily turn into hateful reviews across the web.
  6. Be accessible.  Have your phone number on your site as well as a contact form.

It can be hard to keep a customer’s best interest in mind when they are mad, but doing so can turn enemies into advocates.  Using these tips can ensure your customers always stay loyal to you and tell their friends that you can be trusted.

The Pages People Generally Forget When Setting Up an Online Store

Published on July 15th, 2009 by michelle

shopping_cartProducts generally don’t sell themselves.  People want to know who they are buying from and what the terms are.  Establishing your own credibility is just as important as the credibility of your products.

Here are a few pages people tend to forget when setting up an online store that help establish credibility:

  1. Return Policy.  According to Practical Ecommerce, returned orders cost online retailers more than $20 billion in 2008.  Putting up a return policy will help you prevent costly returns as well as establish trust with your customer.  You will need to consider how many days a customer has to return or exchange an item as well as the terms for a return (why and how a customer can return something).
  2. An “About Us” page.  Unlike real life, a customer can’t see your face or what neighborhood you are in.  Your “About Us” should tell a story about you and your mission behind your store.  If you aren’t wanting to put yourself out on the internet, consider a MarketingSherpa study that concluded personable “About Us” pages increased conversion 30 percent.
  3. A “Contact Us” page.  People have questions about your product, so you’ll want a way for them to email you easily straight from your website.
  4. Depending on your industry, you may want a Facebook page.  Setting up a Facebook page is free and using one means your customers can share with their friends that they like your products.  If you advertise on Facebook, it will display your ad and show a person’s friends that they are a fan of yours.
  5. A phone number.  This obviously is not a page, but it is something people often forget.  Many sites chose to put their phone number in the upper right hand corner of their website.

Remember, your potential customers probably don’t know anything about you when they see your site.  You could be some scam trying to take their money.  Taking the time to establishing who you and why people should trust you can go a long way towards converting sales.