Imagine you're searching for a new pair of headphones.
You click on a website and suddenly, you're met with a virtual assistant asking you about your preferred features — noise cancellation, over-ear, wireless — and your budget.
Based on your responses, the virtual assistant curates a list of headphones that match your criteria.
You quickly find the perfect pair, add it to your cart, and check out.
This is not a distant high-tech dream, but a common reality called eCommerce guided selling.
This strategy not only streamlines a company’s salesOps but also significantly enhances customer satisfaction by delivering a personalized and seamless shopping journey.
In this article, let's delve deeper into eCommerce-guided selling, understand its benefits, and how to implement it effectively.
Ecommerce guided selling is a digital marketing strategy that aims to mimic the personalized attention and advice provided by a store assistant in a physical retail store but in the online space.
For instance, when a customer is shopping for a computer online, guided selling might involve a chatbot or a questionnaire asking about the customer's specific needs — such as their preferred operating system, the primary use of the computer (gaming, work, general browsing), their budget, and so on.
Based on these responses, the system would suggest the most suitable options for that customer.
The process of eCommerce-guided selling can be broadly divided into six steps:
In the e-commerce landscape, businesses often grapple with challenges such as high cart abandonment rates, decision fatigue among customers due to a vast array of options, low conversion rates, lack of meaningful customer engagement, and high return rates owing to customer dissatisfaction.
These challenges can lead to decreased sales, reduced customer retention, and negatively impacted the brand's reputation. However, integrating guided selling into your e-commerce strategy can help overcome these obstacles and provide the following benefits:
A user-friendly design provides the foundation for customers to move seamlessly through the buying process, from discovery to checkout. If your site is complicated or challenging to navigate, customers may leave before they have the chance to experience guided selling.
To achieve a user-friendly design you can:
Chatbots and virtual assistants are AI-powered tools that simulate human conversation and assist customers in various tasks such as product discovery, problem-solving, or completing purchases.
H&M’s virtual shopping assistant | source
They are crucial in implementing guided selling in your ecommerce store as they provide instant, personalized customer service, and can guide users through the buying process in real-time, replicating the assistance provided by a salesperson in a physical store.
Incorporating chatbots and virtual assistants can:
Product recommendations in ecommerce are suggestions given to shoppers based on their browsing history, purchase history, or other demographic data. These can enhance the guided selling process, making the shopping experience more personalized and time-efficient for consumers.
When providing product recommendations, consider the following steps:
Upselling and cross-selling | source
Turning the checkout process into an engaging, game-like experience can help improve the shopping journey and potentially increase conversion rates. Consider these unique ways to gamify your checkout process:
Educational content provides your customers with valuable information that helps them understand your products, their benefits, and how to use them effectively. Sharing educational content not only positions your brand as an expert in the field but also aids guided selling by making customers well-informed and confident about their purchase decisions.
To leverage educational content in your guided selling strategy you can invest in:
Capitalizing on customer reviews is an often-overlooked yet powerful means of engaging in guided selling. It allows potential buyers to draw from the experiences of previous customers, easing their decision-making process and reinforcing their trust in your store and products.
Here are some practical actions to leverage customer reviews in your guided selling process:
Offering a product feature comparison is a strategic move in guided selling, assisting customers in their buying decisions by providing a clear, side-by-side comparison of different products' attributes. This is especially beneficial for customers who are undecided or confused about which product will best meet their needs.
Product comparison table on Amazon | source
Consider the following steps to effectively implement product feature comparison:
It's crucial to remember that your business is unique, and therefore the implementation of guided selling through the above tips should be tailored to your ecommerce store’s needs.
Assess your business objectives, audience preferences, and product range to determine the most effective combination of these strategies. Experiment, analyze results, and make adjustments accordingly to continually enhance your customers' shopping experience.
The incorporation of guided selling strategies can significantly enhance the ecommerce shopping experience for your customers, ultimately boosting your sales and customer satisfaction. The concept revolves around personalizing the shopping experience, providing value, and easing the decision-making process for your customers.
Ensuring a user-friendly design that simplifies navigation, incorporating chatbots and virtual assistants for real-time guidance, providing personalized product recommendations, gamifying the checkout process, sharing educational content to build trust, showcasing genuine customer reviews, and enabling feature comparison empowers customers to make informed decisions that align with their specific needs.
Remember, no two businesses are identical. It's important to tailor these strategies based on the uniqueness of your eCommerce store and continually experiment and adjust your strategy based on customer feedback and performance metrics.
About the Author -
Hazel Raoult is a freelance tech writer and works with PRmention. She has over six years of experience writing about eCommerce, technology, entrepreneurship, and SaaS. Hazel loves to split her time between writing, editing and hanging out with her family.