Ecommerce quite simply is the buying and selling of goods over the internet. In our world, examples of electronic commerce include paying a subscription renewal, updating a credit card, and purchasing a new print or digital subscription.
By the year 2024, eCommerce is forecast to surpass all other forms of sales. Digital competition will only rise. We see this today with the bombardment of digital entertainment, information and news subscription brands. And brands within declining or unpopular industries will compete for customers more than ever before.
To flourish in the eCommerce world, you and your teams need to establish a specialty or be faced with finding new methods to prosper. Staying relevant in the always-on, 24/7, multi-screen world is the key. Engagement is king!
The eChecklist for today's eMarketer is featured in today's Insights column. It's all about personalization, removing friction, and injecting speed and efficiency in the checkout "flow."
I want more information on improving my landing pages
Shorten your Checkout Flow. A top reason for cart abandonment is a checkout flow that is entirely too long. Nothing should be on the checkout page that isn't absolutely necessary. You MUST prepopulate fields that are already known about the customer. Reduce the number of fields to only those items you actually need. Quite literally, the product type and credit card billing details may be all you need for a returning purchaser.
Total Order Transparency. Stick your landing pages by providing full details to the consumer upon checkout. A best practice is showing line items for activation fees, paper billing fees, premium editions billed in advance, and if it applies, state tax on a new subscription. Customers hate guessing; if they're not sure or confident, they will say no and abandon their order. You also need your eCommerce provider to push a thank you and confirmation page (web or mobile), as well as an email with the order details and a lightning fast, "Thank you!"
Don't Force Account Registration. At NSS, when we win new eCommerce clients we frequently hear about their current "system" with a klunky, uninspiring, user interface. Many systems "force" registration or demand the user to recall a username and password that has been forgotten or lost. This is no way to treat somebody hoping to spend money with you! To make matters worse, many of the klunky interfaces are several pages long and require insane amounts of information just to finalize the subscription orders. Remember to personalize, personalize, personalize.
Be the First to Know. Too many orders are lost and canceled due to very simple reasons. We discussed in last month's column how the first 100 days are absolutely critical to lifetime value success. Avoid the pitfalls:
Realize that you Must Personalize. The quickest way to close the deal is to show your e-buyers than you know and care about them. Don't treat them like a number. Your landing pages must reflect it.
Drive sustainable subscription revenue. At NSS we implement eCommerce solutions that drive amazing results. It's not about just doing eCommerce, it's about working with a partner who does eCommerce better.
NSS is passionate about continually delivering on promises to simplify subscription marketing with a broad selection of industry-leading customer experiences at every step of the subscription lifecycle journey.
I get that you're probably doing eCommerce already. If you're able to improve results by reducing abandons and improving conversion rate, that's a win. Who couldn't use more starts?
Thanks for reading "Insights" where we strive to create practical how-to advice, real-world case studies, and an entire network of audience professionals to help your subscription business grow. Your success is our success!
Until next time, happy selling and stick your landing!
Lon Haenel, Chief Client Officer, NSS
Lon@NSSLP.com
(608) 289-4070
*Podcast and Bag Lunch under construction. Until then, thanks for reading this column!
Connect with Lon Haenel, vice president, chief client officer, at lon.haenel@nsslp.com.
