Four Quick-fix Solutions To Get Your Lost Online Customers Back

Attend any business seminar with a specific focus on retail e-commerce and you can listen to hour-long discussions on strategies to improve customer engagement. Meet an online buyer offline and she will tell you in less than five minutes what went wrong with the last shopping. In a digital age ruled by hyper consumers who are looking for best pricing and doing pre-purchase due diligence on the Internet, disgruntled buyers will impact any e-commerce brand – big or small. So let’s go through some real-life case studies to understand what your buyers want.

Do you follow up reminder e-mail?
Routine announcements of product arrivals and discounts won’t get those shoppers back who have been away for some time. So a Delhi-based flash sales site decided to call former buyers who were no longer shopping there. It takes some guts to ask your customers why they have left you, but mature businesses often take negative feedback as the positive measure to deliver better.

Bottom line: Pay attention if repeat customers suddenly stop returning. You might be getting thousands of likes on Facebook and phenomenal hits. But retaining old customers is as crucial as acquiring new ones, in the face of high customer acquisition cost. Also, how many e-com firms use key metrics like CLV to calculate customer worth? High churn and low loyalty are market realities, but a meaningful connection with your customers may save the day.

Orders messed up?
One fashionista turned livid when a pair of plus-size trousers she had ordered turned out to be the exact fit for a size zero. But the Delhi-based e-tailer insisted it was the right product as it arrived with the XL tag. Sites often fail to deliver what they display. Worse still, they fail to clarify things. We have come across measurement charts that specify the UK and the US sizes but none regarding the Indian size. It took us some extensive Googling to find out that the standard shoe sizes in India are equal to the UK measurements.

Bottom line: Make it meaningful for buyers. Most e-shoppers look for ‘actual size and colour,’ and require some handholding. A virtual trial room, focus on Indian measurements and video demo of products are bound to help. Also, give them tools like calculators and currency converters to help them out.

Too much of positive feedback?
Shopping for a toaster is no big deal and a buyer was delighted to find a near-perfect one. Best of all, most user reviews seemed to be gushing about the product. She bought it promptly but disasters started taking place as soon as it was turned on. Getting a replacement took so much time that the shopper finally got one from the local store and vowed never to buy that brand.

Bottom Line: Credibility matters. We found out that the particular brand was giving trouble for some time. Yet, most positive reviews were quite recent and one couldn’t help doubting their authenticity. Stop pushing brands at any cost and be loyal to your customers. That’s how you build a loyal customer base that makes up more than 50% of the sales.

Damned if they pay, damned if they don’t – is that your strategy?
Be it COD (cash on delivery) or e-payment, your customers could be doomed. Loads of sites don’t dispatch the goods even after confirming COD orders. E-payment can be worse at times as the money goes out immediately, but the delivery gets stretched. Also, those who have paid online are often asked to show government IDs for authentication, failing which they lose their purchase.

Bottom line: First-time buyers often purchase some trivial items to check out product quality and customer engagement. So make sure of a ‘positive’ first impression. Also, the person in charge of the last-mile delivery is the first face-to-face contact with your customer and should know how to tackle tricky situations tactfully. Train your logistics guys in soft skills, if necessary, and focus on zero-complaint, timely delivery for best results.