Connecting digital and real life

Being

Combine digital and real. Combining digital interfaces with tangible experiences increases e-commerce revenues and customer satisfaction.
The human touch matters. Integrating real human interactions in e-commerce, such as in-person conversations, increases customer trust and reduces cart abandonment.

Optimize with AI and data. Using AI for personalized recommendations and data from real-world interactions can significantly improve the e-commerce journey.

According to Doofinder, there are over 26.5 million e-commerce businesses, with about 14 million of them in the United States. To succeed, or even just keep the lights on, these brands will need to get creative and employ blended e-commerce strategies to guide customers through the sales funnel. Creating mixed e-commerce, digital and touch strategies is one approach that is already showing revenue growth and could be the key to future success.

Creating mixed e-commerce, digital and touch strategies is one approach that is already showing revenue growth and could be the key to future success.vovik_mar on Adobe Stock Photos

As REQ Marketing puts it: “An e-commerce brand is not just an online catalog offering products and services for sale. It must provide an experience at the edge of what a buyer would expect from a real-life interaction – only more convenient.”

Take the hotel industry for example. A large travel agency like Expedia is investing in artificial intelligence and automation to support users, while smaller vacation rental companies are investing in hiring locals to answer phones and call visitors to their websites to help them choose the best place stay based on their request. It’s not that these two business models compete with each other – they basically help each other in the bigger picture.

Gaining an advantage

By placing QR codes, welcome gift baskets and offering return booking incentives, vacation rental companies have the advantage of offering an IRL (real life) experience in addition to online booking options. By putting physical branded items (like beach balls and candy) in the hands of their guests, they create a satisfying and engaging experience, not just a visual delight on social media.

What’s interesting about Expedia’s approach to e-commerce is that it tries to take control of the entire trip, limiting the options (even before Google) to become a search source for finding information, planning and booking trips. Once within its reach, the company plans to use artificial intelligence to personalize recommendations and generative artificial intelligence to guide the user’s planning process.

But what if the human touch is still important?

Related article: How the right e-commerce strategy leads to a successful business

Human help in victory

From these interviews, it is clear that there is no magic formula for connecting e-commerce journeys between online and in-store contacts. This means that each brand will have to experiment on its own. But the one secret ingredient that seems to work every time is a skilled person – especially for a more complex purchase.

Companies can use the data they collect along their e-commerce journey to inform how a blended experience would reduce friction, meaning the experience would be smoother from start to finish.

Lucie Buisson, chief product officer at Contentsquare, which provides analytics to brands such as Sephora and Converse, also believes the opposite may be true. Businesses can use insights gained in real life or from chatting with customers to further optimize their e-commerce journey.

According to Contentsquare, the cost per e-commerce visit has increased by almost 10% year over year, which seems like a good reason to make sure your site isn’t suffering from technical errors or slow page loads. According to Contentsquare, most people browse on mobile devices (70% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices) but don’t make purchases there. Contentsquare says it purchases on desktop because the process of converting or purchasing on a mobile device is still not a pleasant experience for many people.

Related Article: 3 Steps to Integrating Your Digital Commerce Operations into Your Marketing Machine

B2C examples

Outreach

Eric Gunderson of PointKarting.com, a high-performance motorsports e-commerce company, started by randomly reaching out to customers who were already in the e-commerce funnel. No strategy, no goals, I just do it to see what happens.

“We did this via email at every step of the ordering process and ultimately resorted to phone calls to save time,” Gunderson said. “The response rate and return rate we achieved with these clients was noticeable and virtually all responses to our outreach were positive.”

His staff would introduce themselves during the call and explain why they were reaching out, even if there was nothing wrong with the order or inquiry – they were just providing “that extra warm touch.” Gunderson said he wanted to be direct, honest and show they cared about the order. He also mentioned that they are dealing with a supply chain changed by Covid-19.

“Ultimately, we were more segmented in this regard and ‘saved’ those calls for whatever opportunities we saw for upselling, cross-selling, or simply improving the shopping experience for a premium product,” Gunderson said. “But even when delays were beyond our control, simple outreach and proactive communication reduced cart and order abandonment (and returns) by approximately 65%.

Human support

Matt Little, director and owner of Festoon House, an e-commerce lighting store, doesn’t need research to say that customers want to have a mixed experience during their shopping journey.

“Let me tell you, running an online lighting store is not just about showing off your products and clicking ‘buy,’” Little said. “In today’s market, people crave human contact, even when browsing virtually.”

Festoon House supports your e-commerce journey through virtual consultations, online chats and showroom meetings. Specialists on staff work with buyers to provide expert advice and guidance, answer electrical questions and share design principles. Little said he has seen this type of support increase customers’ confidence in their choices.

“Since implementing these support measures, we have literally seen a noticeable reduction in returns and exchanges,” Little said. “This personalized support not only streamlines the shopping experience, but also minimizes the likelihood that customers will need to return or exchange products. It was a win-win for both our customers and us.”

Related Article: 7 AI in E-Commerce Trends Marketers Should Consider

B2B examples

Sure, B2C may be “easier” with mixed e-commerce strategies that include online and in-person touchpoints, but what about B2B funnels? Or maybe there is no store at all? These factors haven’t discouraged successful brands from finding ways to creatively use “warm accents” throughout the sales funnel.

A 3PL (third party logistics) company called Red Stag Fulfillment has multiple warehouses throughout the United States. However, he does not use any of them for personal experiences. These locations are used by their customers – e-commerce sites – to store and distribute their products. This can be an extremely complex decision-making process, which is why they consult with each customer to help them find the best areas based on their orders.

Colt agar, The head of marketing at Red Stag Fulfillment talked about how, after 14 years of working in e-commerce, supporting this journey in this way is basically a no-brainer.

Related article: Why e-commerce needs to evolve for Generation Z

No bricks and mortar? No problem

Almost every product or service on the market has many similar offerings from many different suppliers and brands. With such market saturation, online brands without a physical location are using voice calls, text messages and web chats, as well as direct messages on social media, to stand out from the competition.

“We focus on social media management, so when we see customers engaging with our brands, we are happy to send them a message and voice note to show our appreciation,” said Abbey Bruggeworth, owner of The All In Haus, a branding and agency marketing. “Sincerity in your voice expressing the support you have received will take your company to the next level. This can also be done via handwritten notes or video messages.”

Mixed e-commerce takeaway strategies

Research report on what works and what doesn’t for e-commerce brands on Amazon was recently conducted by SW & Associates. executive director of the company, Andy Bhatt found some surprising findings in the report, as well as some not-so-surprising results. When asked what he didn’t expect, Bhatt mentioned the potential of influencer marketing as a way to stand out. He also took into account the incredible power of customer reviews on Amazon.

“The report highlights the importance of positive customer reviews, highlighting that they are the gold standard for trust in Amazon,” Bhatt said. “This reinforces the need for exceptional customer service to cultivate brand loyalty and encourage repeat business.”

If one of the world’s leading e-commerce sites has a track record of breakthrough success using blended e-commerce strategies, similar business models should consider changing their approach to reflect one of these models, if they have not already done so. The trend seems to be heading in this direction.

Find out how to join our community of contributors.