Crush 2018 by Investing in Your Strengths

There’s no way you could have gotten to where you are today without the unique strengths that set you apart. The problem is, many retailers are so overwhelmed by trying to grow and improve their marketing efforts, they forget about the most important strength of all: their customers.

The victors are those whose strengths most resonate with their market. With the victory medal constantly in play, if you want to keep your edge and crush 2018, you must continue to invest in your strengths.

2017 was undoubtedly a pivotal year for ecommerce as record numbers of shoppers preferred to buy online as opposed to in brick and mortar stores.  In fact, over $100 billion was spent online this past holiday season, a nearly 14% increase from last year alone.  This shift makes it crucial for you to identify your ecommerce business’s strengths. One of the most crucial ways to gain a better understanding of your strengths is through substantial customer feedback.

Only with a solid understanding of your customer’s needs can you be assured that your marketing campaigns are catering to your customer’s unique shopping habits and that you are also creating memorable experiences along the way.

By conducting customer surveys and providing superior customer service, you will find that consumers will speak glowingly about your high level of responsiveness.  It turns out that such personal, consumer-focused care is uncommon and could be what sets your business apart from the pack.

The fact is, there’s no other way to consistently drive incredible returns without creating even more occasions to truly listen to and empathize with the people who buy your products.

For 2018, retailers will want to double-down on this tactic by:

• Maintaining strong, proactive customer feedback mechanisms so your listening skills are as thorough, relevant, and unobtrusive as possible.
• Understanding and documenting customer success stories in the context of the entire buyer’s journey.
• Investing in additional feedback channels such as webpage feedback forms, AI-powered chatbots, and reaching out directly via telephone and usability testing.

The retail and ecommerce landscape is rapidly changing, and while no two retailers are alike, engaging with your audience and improving all aspects of the customer experience are essential to any ecommerce business.

With customer feedback in hand, it is far easier to identify your unique strengths and areas of opportunity. Using this information, you will be able to determine a prioritization plan for the new year that will lead to even greater ecommerce success.

Here’s to a phenomenal 2018!

Tagged buyer’s journey, Customer, eCommerce, retail