Website Improvements for More Successful E...
Transcript of Website Improvements for More Successful E...
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Website Improvements for More Successful E-Commerce
FROM LANDING PAGE TO SHOPPING CART
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Reminders for Today’s
Webinar
• Webinar recording & slides:
will be emailed to you within 48
hours after the event
• Discussion: visit the twitter
hashtag: #LandingtoCart
• Questions: type your questions
in the chat window to be
answered during the Q&A or
after the event
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Presentation Overview
• Successful online retailers – what are they doing?
• What are they doing on their websites that keeps their
customers coming back?
• Enhancements you can make
• Q&A
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Presenter Background: Erika Keirstead
Erika Keirstead
Product Marketing Manager, E-Commerce
Sitecore
• Extensive background in Web Content
Management and E-Commerce
• Focuses on improving the E-Commerce
experience at Sitecore from all sides
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
About Sitecore
• Leader in enterprise-class web content management
software (CMS) and marketing platform
• Presence
Offices in 10 countries worldwide, with Partners serving over 50 countries
• Customers
Over 2,500 customers managing over 30,000 websites worldwide
• Recognized
Gartner 2010 WCM Magic Quadrant “Leader”
Forrester Wave “Strong Performer”
Gartner “Cool Vendor in WCM” 2008
Microsoft ISV Partner of the Year 2003/2004, Microsoft Gold Partner
• Supported
Over 700 Sitecore Certified Partners worldwide
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Before We Begin
• Each online retailer is different
• From products they sell to size of
operations, countless differentiators
• Today is about website improvements for
more successful e-commerce
• Applies to all size, shape, and form of
retailer so…
• We’re simplifying things just for today:
– Online retailer
– E-Commerce site
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
E-Commerce Site Improvements,
Worth It?
• Forrester Research projects US e-retail sales will grow
by 10% each year to $279 billion by 2015.
Source: Forrester Research February 2011
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
E-retail Sales Totals (in $Billions)
$157B
$176B
$197B
$218B
$240B
$259B
$279B
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
A Tougher Customer
• It’s not about the lowest price anymore
• Shoppers expect more
• Deeper, more personal interaction
• Provide personalized and engaging shopping experiences
• As your customer I want to feel like you know me
• Remember me - show me products that would interest me based on my history
• It’s not e-commerce to your customer – it’s ME-commerce
• With that in mind let’s start talking about enhancements you can make to your site!
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Homepage
• Your virtual front door
• Visitors should be able to tell
what you are selling right away
• Make it memorable & unique –
this is your brand identity
• Don’t overload with text and
• Use white space to make
content easy to read
• Good design can lead to
conversion & add to credibility
• Differentiate yourself
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Homepage
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Product Information
• Product images – not too small!
• Multiple angles or 360° spin
• Zoom or enlarge
• Accurate descriptions
• Quick View – don’t leave the page – Short description
• Video – more engaging than static imagery
• Top Seller? Call it out
• Display ratings and links to reviews
• Include links for any documentation – Don’t make them search for a manual
• Display inventory status
• Security
• Cross-sell & Up-sell
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Product Information
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Personalization & Profiling
• Using personalization and profiling tools to
drive shopper satisfaction and retention
• They don’t have a crystal ball… or do they?
• Smart online retailers are using Web
analytics to get an accurate picture of their
customer
– Web analytics is just as beneficial to e-
commerce sites as any other web site
– Where are they coming from?
– At what point are they leaving?
– What are they looking for?
• The more you know about your customer the
better you can serve them.
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Consumers like personalization
• How useful do you find personalized retail websites
when shopping online?
• Useful 62%
• Neutral 32%
• Not Useful 6%
Source: Forrester Research Inc. based on 636 consumers who purchased a recommended product
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Personalization & Profiling
• The number of online retailers using personalization
techniques and tools to create more relevant shopping
experiences is increasing
• Everything you need to know in order to personalize
is right there in the actions a customer performs –
past and present
• “61% of retailers said personalization is among the
most important merchandising tactics in web retailing.” -10th Annual E-tailing Group Merchant Survey
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Personalization Works
• 1/3 of the Top 500
retailers used
recommendations last
year
• 1/2 do this year
Source: Internet Retailer magazine July 2011
0
10
20
30
40
50
2010
2011
% of Top 500 retailers using
recommendations
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
User-Generated Content
• Everything is social & shared
• Customers trust other customers
• Uploading photos or videos
• Writing a product review
• Commenting on a blog post or
news story
• Providing a rating for a product or
service
• If the customer can add it to your site…
it qualifies
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
User-Generated Content
• Once upon a time when we wanted
objective feedback on a product we’d
ask our neighbors, friends,
associates or even a passerby.
• Consulting product reviews and
other user-generated content is the
online equivalent of asking your
neighbor!
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Product Reviews
• 64% of shoppers typically read
reviews before buying
• 39% read at least 8 reviews
• 85% of consumers trust the shopping
advice they get on Twitter
* Source: The E-tailing Group
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Mobile Commerce is not Mini Commerce
• According to Barclays Capital the projected growth of
mobile commerce over the next 5 years:
– 2012 : $8.8 billion
– 2013: $14.0 billion
– 2014: $21.0 billion
– 2015: $28.7 billion
• Neilson Company predicts that half of all mobile phones
in use in the US will be smartphones by the end of 2011
• Poll Question: Do you have a mobile commerce site?
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Going Mobile
• Very different from e-commerce site
• Only way to know if it works well is
to view the site on each device
• Don’t go there unless you’re committed to
retaining the brand experience you have
on your e-commerce site
• Your customers perceive a mobile site
within the entire brand & company
experience – consistency is key
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Going Mobile
• As a colleague of mine says “Don’t shrink, rethink!”
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Going Social
• Social networks are an important part of e-commerce
• Between 1% and 2% of e-retail site traffic in November and December (of 2010) came from social media.*
• Public profiles on Facebook posted by consumers can be accessed by retailers
– Shopper brand & product preferences posted
• A Facebook “Like” is becoming a key factor in decision-making by shoppers
– No time to read all the reviews and ratings – this is a quickie thumbs up, a great to have
*Source: MarketLive
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Some Traits of
Successful Sites
• Simple & intuitive navigation
• Don’t lose them at the front door
• Accurate sitemap that makes is easy
to follow
• It’s called a map for a reason, lost
shoppers are hard to find again
• Never stop thinking like a customer
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Checkout: Worth Review
• It’s easy to forget how important the checkout process is to the customer
• Provide a Guest Checkout: 23% of shoppers will abandon when asked to register before checking out according to Forrester Research
•
• Don’t punish the Guest checkout customer! Provide ability to track and get order status just as you would a registered customer
• Aim for 4 or less steps at checkout
• Display SSL (secure sockets layer) certificates, security badges, customer & BBB certified links – these encourage trust with customers
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
How are Customers Paying?
• How customers are paying online (in billions)*
– Credit card $88.9
– Debit card $57.2
– Alternative payments $32.6
– Prepaid/gift card $13.6
– Store-branded credit card $12.2
* Source: Javelin Strategy & Research, 2009 data
Can you add some flexibility? It could mean more transactions.
PayPal | E-check | Bill me later
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Cross-sell & Up-sell
• Implementing a cross-sell and up-sell
strategy
• Just like the displays at store checkout
counters
– Entice the buyer
– Products must be relevant
• You may also like …
• Customers who bought …
• Discounts and free shipping can push
up-sell and cross-sell
• Benefit – increase AOV
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
E-Commerce
Success Criteria
• Personalized shopping
• Mobile & social commerce
• Online experience simulates in-store
experience
• Accurate and up-to-date product
information
Shopper-generated content
• Promotions and emails that are relevant
• More ways to pay and ship
• Real-time order information
• Intuitive and easy to navigate site
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Empowered E-Commerce
• Engage in a consistent dialogue across channels
• Guide the shopper with contextual offers at exactly the right time
• Prompt their route with suggested next stops
• Coordinate their journey in an organized fashion
• Identify and overcome customer interaction challenges
• Understand customer experience at an individual and segment level
• Regularly test offers & promotions
• Target tests against segments to refine promotions
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Step 1: Think
• Like a retailer, that is
• Start thinking like your
customer
• Go through your site with a
shopper’s eye
• What do you see?
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Improvements We Covered Today
• Using personalization and profiling tools to drive shopper
satisfaction and retention
• Attracting and engaging more shoppers across channels
with targeted offers
• Turning browsers into buyers with user-generated
product reviews and ratings
• Reducing cart abandonment and increasing average
order value
• Implementing a cross-sell and up-sell strategy
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Takeaways
• There is no silver bullet for e-commerce success
• Rather it’s a matter of testing and seeing what works best for you & your customer
• “Shop” your own site and pay attention to:
– Product descriptions & imagery – are they accurate?
– Page load times – what are they compared to what you expected?
– Checkout steps – how many are there? When is shipping displayed?
– Run a few searches – not simple ones - and note the results.
– Do you have a sitemap?
– Can you find customer service information?
– Does this site feel secure and protected from fraud?
• This is not an easy exercise but it will pay off.
Sitecore Customer Engagement Platform
Questions & Answers
• Webinar recording & slides:
will be emailed to you within
48 hours after the event
• Questions: type your questions
in the chat window to be answered
during the Q&A or after the event
• More educational resources: visit www.sitecore.net/resources for
white papers, eBooks, videos and more.