E-commerce: how to engage customers in 2024

Management

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Key factors for engaging consumers in a mature market

Online shoppers have gained maturity. The lockdowns during Covid fostered new ways of using technology to consume and buy online. New users were pushed to e-commerce, and regulars became more experienced customers.

For online retail, all this means that online customers are now more demanding, more experienced and are looking for more than just a good deal. They want to be recognised, understood, amazed and pampered. And if brands want their continuing attention and loyalty, they must listen to this audience, ask for their opinions and spoil them with tailored experiences.

The entertainment industry is already familiar with this scenario: to retain users, streaming platforms now offer personalised content recommendations, raising the bar for what a user expects to see when visiting a website.

A better understanding of your customers

To engage your customers, you must first get to know them. Thanks to customer relationship management (CRM) tools coupled with artificial intelligence (AI), analysing the data collected at each interaction between a brand and its prospective customers helps provide valuable insight into their habits, behaviours and needs. This is the foundation for the truly individualised approach that, according to a recent study, customers now expect. In fact, 73 per cent of them want companies to understand their specific expectations, and 56 per cent think offers should systematically be adapted to their preferences¹.

To attract and convince customers, it is now necessary to deploy personalised marketing campaigns based on information from their browsing or order history, the responsiveness of the online shopper on social networks or to the receipt of an email, their exchanges with customer service and more.

Smooth and intuitive navigation

In a world where attention is a rare commodity, the quality of e-commerce interfaces is paramount. The interface should be easy to navigate, and load times should be fast: if a page takes more than three seconds to load on a mobile, the probability of bounces increases.²

Customers also want seamless, frictionless navigation, accurate search results, available content displayed at the right time in the right place, and simple payment processes. A well-designed site that’s optimised for smooth use on any device reinforces engagement by creating a pleasant and frustration-free user experience.

Create an emotional connection

Today, e-commerce is no longer limited to simple transactions. Luxury brands have set an example and shown it’s crucial to share a story. Talk about how the company began; its entrepreneurial project; who are its founders and its team. It’s also essential to communicate the values that your company and its commitments to social and environmental responsibility.

In response to climate issues, just over half (53 per cent) of buyers favour online stores with a lower environmental impact³. Any initiative in favour of, for example, carbon-neutral delivery, recycled packaging or local supply, helps to differentiate and establish preferences by creating a lasting emotional bond with customers.

“Traditionally, customer engagement in e-commerce used to be solely focused on the transaction,” says Miquel Joan Vidal – CMO at Materiales de fabrica & Habi tium. “Now the focus has shifted to personalisation and continuous interaction. Customers are looking for deeper connections with brands, meaning engagement is no longer just about selling products, but about building long-term relationships and offering personalised solutions.”

Efficient services

Well-targeted offers and effective services are decisive factors in engaging customers. Today, they not only compare prices and product quality, but also pay attention to shipping and return policies. Transparency on shipping costs and delivery estimates is key, and sharing this information too late in the purchasing process can lead to cart abandonment.

As for payments, this step should be almost invisible, moving from the cart to order validation in only seconds. A frictionless and secure experience that offers e-shoppers a comprehensive range of solutions is essential. Although traditional credit cards remain the most popular payment method, Apple, Google and PayPal electronic wallets are gaining ground. Deferred or split payments are also important trends to follow. These payment methods are particularly favoured by millennials and Generation Z and concern 75 per cent of users, according to CB Insights.

Nurture customer relationships

Customer relationship management is another pillar of customer engagement. Establishing close communication with consumers is essential at every stage of the purchase process and via all channels: websites, email, social networks or phone.

Technological innovations play a key role in providing fast and effective solutions, such as dynamic FAQs and chatbots that can offer instant answers to the most common questions 24/7. However, human customer service is irreplaceable in solving complex problems and demonstrating to buyers that they can get personalised care. Otherwise, customers may turn to competitors as a lack of personalisation proves to be the third most popular reason for them to leave a brand⁴. Optimised accessibility with a variety of available communication channels thus helps increase customer satisfaction.

Build loyalty

Customer loyalty makes it possible to build long-term relationships with customers if it is attractive and personalised. To be effective, the loyalty program must take into account the customer’s purchasing habits and preferences and offer exclusive and adapted offers.

Customer loyalty is not limited to promotional discounts. It is also necessary to encourage customers to come back with relevant content that promotes product use or consumption, arouse their curiosity by staging new offers, excite interest through a tone and style specific to the brand and, above all, play the recognition card by, for example, celebrating their birthday, their registration date or the frequency of their site visits. These conditions are required to strengthen attachment to the brand.

To sum up, engaging customers effectively requires a holistic approach. Online shoppers’ growing maturity brings about new expectations. Today’s consumers, across all generations, expect much more than just a product at the best price. They want a smooth, intuitive experience and efficient services, but most importantly, personalised offers based on shared values and trust.