In the past, to build successful brands, firms needed great products. However, in 2020 great products alone will not help entice your customers. At present, we have entered what is dubbed an emotional economy where emotions play an essential role in the purchase decision. In this article, we will talk about practical tips that make your virtual print-on-demand store customer-centric.

When you visit your favorite retail outlet, you are greeted by a friendly salesperson that is ready to help you. They take an interest in your requirements, your budget and solve any query promptly.  However, to translate this physical experience to your website, you need to take part in the customer's purchase journey. As the e-commerce store continues to clutter, virtual store owners must develop new ways to enhance the customer experience. Whether you are a novice or expert in the field, building an effective e-commerce strategy which revolves around customers is a key to success in this competitive world.

Did you know that customer service is a crucial brand differentiator? Even after working hard to enhance the customer experience, e-commerce owners are guilty of spending time on less relevant tasks instead of designing a user-friendly website. Many firms know it's not an easy task to create a user-friendly website, but it's doable. All you need is the right strategy and you will receive the customer's appreciation.

How to make your website more user-friendly?

When we talk about customer-centricity, there is no one way of defining it. It is everything big and small a firm does to put its customers first. Customer-centricity is so valuable that customers are ready to pay more for a higher customer experience. Customer centricity helps businesses to develop an approach to enhance the customer experience. There is no doubt that a customer-centric experience drives revenue growth and increases loyalty. It's an antidote for virtual store owners to deal with low customer loyalty and cut-throat competition.

Now, the question is how you can make your e-commerce store customer-centric. Let's find out.

1. Create a mobile-friendly website: According to a recent study, mobile search query volume has surpassed desktops. 141.9 billion searches are carried out using a mobile; while 62.3 searches are conducted through desktops. Google also ranks mobile websites higher than desktop-only versions. Mobile-friendly websites have SEO advantages if the online store relies on organic traffic for sales. If you want to create a customer-centric website, the first step is to develop a mobile-friendly website. One good strategy to create a smooth mobile shopping experience that allows customers to checkout using their social media account. You can ask customers to sign in by using their social media credentials, rather than going through the daunting process of creating a new account. Make your checkout forms simple and easy to fill to avoid frustration.

2. Live support: Customers prefer online stores that resolve their order-related queries swiftly. This can be done by using live chat features on your website that sells custom design women’s clothing. By addressing customer order-related issues, firms get a higher ROI. Features, like live chat, help increase productivity as firms can use the platform to perform many tasks, such as tech support, upselling and answering basic questions about pricing and shipping. Live chat also saves time by creating pre-written responses to commonly-asked questions. If you are already using live chat, make efforts to improve the experience for customers further. Customers appreciate the personal touch and are ready to pay more for a more personalized experience.

3. Be transparent about pricing: For e-commerce, the most important thing is trust. To build this trust, be transparent with your pricing model. Firms can make use of personalized dynamic pricing so that you are upfront about what is happening. Be open in your operations and ask visitors the prices they are ready to pay for your products. Offer discounts to customers and personalized offers to loyal customers. Explain to others why you are offering discounts to VIP customers to motivate them to purchase products from your store so they can take advantage of heavy discounts and offers. If you are not using dynamic pricing yet, it's time to change your pricing model.

4. Use social proof: Social proof will help create reviews about your products and services to form a close bond with customers. It’s an exhibit of other people's choices, opinions and reviews about products and services. Social proof has a close relationship with customer-centricity. Customers always look for assurance to ensure the decisions they take are correct. They want to know the experience of other customers who have purchased the same products. Firms must learn how to use social proof properly to drive more sales conversions. Use customer ratings and reviews to show that your business respects customer's feedback and is ready to listen to customer's suggestions.

5. Quick checkouts: What’s the main reason customers leave their shopping carts abandoned?  It’s because of a slow and frustrating checkout process. The e-commerce checkout process should be simple and offer the right level of information to customers at the right time. The process should be divided into just two or three simple steps for enhanced user experience. Either create a one-click ordering process or create a seamless checkout process to make it easy for a customer to purchase their favorite products, like custom women’s clothing in the USA. A less complicated checkout process means less abandoned carts, which leads to higher sales conversions.

In addition to the above, conduct keyword analysis and pay attention to your mission statement, include a call to action on your website and embrace new technology to attract customers. Take as much time as you can to create a hassle-free, seamless user experience for customers. More time in the beginning will lead to higher returns in the long run.