1. Entice people to create an account and track key metrics

The best way to learn about your customers is by understanding who they are. In ecommerce, that means gathering data about their behaviour. Ask customers to sign up to your site or subscribe to a newsletter. Track metrics such as browsing behaviour, clicks, and search history to identify common traits and create buyer personas. You can then use this data to personalise their experience, making them happier and boosting conversion.

2. Use personalised homepages, offers and product recommendations

Personalise the user experience by creating offers and recommendations based on how your customers shop. Use data to anticipate their needs and display the products and offers that satisfy them. Think of data like your bricks-and-mortar customer assistant, helping to provide a guiding hand to shoppers so they feel confident to buy. Up- and cross-sell on product-detail pages, showing shoppers similar or complementary products to the ones they’re already interested in, or use bestseller lists to inspire purchases.

3. Embrace conversational commerce

Conversational commerce is an approach where social tools like messaging apps, chatbots, live representatives, and voice assistants are used to sell products and services. Essentially, it makes the customer experience a two-way conversation. It should simplify shopping for your customer, increasing sales and their satisfaction. It also helps you learn more about them. A simple way to do this is by hosting a quiz on your site, so you can use a customer’s answers to understand their needs.

4. Send personalised emails and celebrate milestones

It sounds simple, but a personalised email can go a long way to making a customer feel special. And, by using what you know about them, you can catch their eye by providing links to pages or products you know they’d like. Whether it’s using their name when you make contact or sending them an automated email celebrating their birthday, it all helps keep your customers happy.

5. Look after your customers even when they leave

Make sure you’re giving your customers a reason to return to your site. Offer something when they’re about to leave or send a cart abandonment notification after a (sensible) length of time. If customers haven’t purchased in a while, use retargeting ads with discounts based on their purchasing history to entice them to return. By looking after your customers even when they’re gone, you’ll foster a more positive relationship with them for the future. For more, check out our guide to optimising checkout conversion.