Make Your Web Store Sticky and Win Loyal Customers
“Sticky” is a funny little word that can sometimes have negative connotations. It might conjure up a memory of gum stuck to the bottom of your favorite running shoe or maple syrup spilled on your kitchen table. But for the online store owner, being sticky is a desirable goal. With thousands of competing sites available at the click of the mouse, web stickiness is all about keeping visitors at your web store longer and ensuring they return again. This article provides tips to help you increase web stickiness and build a following of loyal web customers.
Provide Meaningful Interactivity
Simply offering the latest web chat room feature, snazzy Flash® presentation, or similar “bell and whistle” is the wrong approach to making your site stick. This is especially true if these features don’t work properly or require gobs of time to develop and support. Be sure to offer a level of interactivity that is relevant to your site.
Some examples of meaningful user interactivity include:
An online shoe store that gives customers the option to view a pair of shoes in variety of styles and colors
A real estate site that offers 360° virtual tours
A finance site that offers dynamic loan calculators and repayment schedules
Offering customers a way to rate their experience on your site is another great way to build trust and add credibility. Similarly, including real-time features like a shipping cost calculator and live order tracking will encourage customers to revisit your site—and potentially even make another purchase!
Extend the Experience
A great way to extend the stickiness of your web store to your customers’ email In-box is to offer a free email newsletter. The newsletter could be used to inform customers about changes on your site, to advertise your products, or to promote upcoming events (e.g., a clearance sale). This provides the customer with relevant information about a topic of interest, and it also serves as an ongoing reminder for them to re-visit your site. In the same way, you can let your customers extend the shopping experience to their family and friends by offering “Tell-a-friend” functionality.
Offer a Personal Touch
In today’s competitive ecommerce environment, online customers want and expect to be treated in a personalized manner. One way to achieve this is via an option that allows to customers to register on the site. After a customer registers, the site can be configured to “remember” the user the next time they log in. For example, “Welcome back, Mary!” could appear on the home page. Features like this help to make customers feel included and part of a larger experience.
Additional ways to offer a more personalized experience include:
Offering advanced product catalog search options that let users search on criteria most relevant to their needs
An express checkout option that remembers customer shipping and payment information so they don’t need to re-enter it every time they visit your site
special promotions targeted to a subset of customers
Help Customers Feel Secure
More than ever, customers are concerned about online security. As a storeowner, it is vital for you to establish credibility from a security perspective. Assure your customers that their data is secure by participating in a secure sockets layer (SSL) secure logo program from a trusted security provider such as GeoTrust® or VeriSign®. Web store owners may also want to consider commissioning a third-party security threat assessment service. These services audit the overall security integrity of the storefront and also supply you with results that can be placed on the site.
Content that Matters
By all accounts, content is still king on the web. Therefore, you should provide information that helps customers research your products and services effectively. The content on your site provides a great opportunity to help establish yourself as the expert in your field. Providing links to relevant articles, product reviews, and even original content about your products and services helps to:
Enhance your credibility
Set you apart from your competitors
Increase the likelihood of a purchase
The Bottom Line
Make an effort to get to know your customers and make their experience on your site relevant, valuable, and enjoyable—and you will win customers that stick with you for life!
