According to recent research, 63% of US shoppers leverage eCommerce for furniture purchasing. In the competitive world of eCommerce, especially in the home furnishing sector, customer engagement is key to driving sales and building brand loyalty. As consumers have more choices than ever, creating an engaging eCommerce shopping experience is crucial. Here are some advanced strategies to elevate eCommerce customer engagement and ensure your home furnishing brand stands out.
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Starting with the end in mind – eCommerce Intelligence
The key to making the most of what you offer consumers is knowing what they want. Fortunately, a lot of information is available online on leading platforms such as Wayfair, Overstock, and Amazon. You can use automated intelligence tools or browse manually to see trending and top items in a category and collect competitive pricing information.
Understanding what makes top items perform by comparing them to other items is key to unlocking what is working for consumers. Is it just the low price? Is it the product range of colors or options? Is it the added images or videos or how the item strengths are described?
With this type of benchmark information, collected regularly to reflect the latest seasonal trends and consumer wants, you can know what to emphasize in your specific offerings—assortment, pricing, promotions, or digital marketing emphasis on images/videos, descriptions, etc.
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Managing a clear sales funnel
eCommerce sales go through a sales funnel like any other industry, only unattended for the most part. Ideally, you want to pay special attention to making sure your online experience is as easy as possible for an unattended journey:
- Layout product categories according to what is trending for the current season
- Make it easy to find products with search and navigation and easy-to-use categories
- Provide friendly and clear product information, not leaving anything uncovered
- Offering competitive pricing
- Making it easy to take the next step – buy, call, message, or visit a nearby store if appropriate
Monitoring the above can feed a continuous optimization loop for further improvement, but a clear experience highlighting on-demand / seasonal items is a leading factor to success.
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Community Building Through User-Generated Content
Fostering a sense of community around your brand can significantly enhance customer engagement:
Social Media Engagement: Encourage customers to share photos of your products in their homes using a unique hashtag. Feature these images on your social channels and website, creating a gallery of inspiration that showcases real-life applications of your furnishings.
Customer Reviews and Stories: Create a dedicated section on your website for customer stories and reviews. This will provide social proof and encourage other customers to share their experiences.
Online Forums and Groups: Consider launching an online community or forum where customers can discuss home decor ideas, share tips, and ask for advice. Online forums will position your brand as an authority in home furnishings while fostering customer connections.
To encourage consumers to contribute content, you can start with coupons or raffles. Later, as you gain momentum, some customers will appreciate the exposure on social media.
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Enhanced Customer Service and Communication
In many ways, eCommerce is about immediacy and ease of experience, and exceptional customer service and the ease of communication can set you apart. Here are some advanced techniques to ensure your service is top-notch:
Live Chat and AI Bots: Implement a live chat feature on your website to assist customers in real time. During office hours, your team can respond live, and AI bots can handle common inquiries during off hours, ensuring that potential customers receive immediate assistance.
– Virtual Consultations: Offer personalized virtual consultations where potential customers can receive expert advice on product selections, room layouts, and decor tips. This makes it easy to establish a personal touch at the beginning of the shopping experience.
– Make it easy to contact you: Clearly state on your site and on the site navigation how to contact you or find a store. If a potential customer has a question they want answered, make sure they find your phone, email, store address, and any other means of communication you offer
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Loyalty Programs and Incentives
Acquiring new clients is the hardest part. Once they are an existing client, you can leverage the relationship and rapport for a well-structured loyalty program to boost customer engagement.
Contact details: Collect and leverage all means of communication with customers as part of their initial purchase so you can leverage them later.
Cross channels communications: Different customers like to communicate on different channels, and this could change over time or by time of day, so make sure to communicate across all channels when you are offering loyalty programs – emails, messages, and on your website
Experiment with different offers: Different customers will respond to different offers. Make sure to offer something for everyone, change offers in every outreach and analyze what works afterward. For example, some customers enjoy early access to new collections, while others may respond to seasonal promotions.
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Content Marketing and Educational Resources
Customers are online today, and if you offer attractive and engaging content, they may spend their time online with you. Position your brand as an engaging and informational partner through valuable content:
– Blog and Video Content: Create a blog that offers tips on home furnishing, DIY projects, and design trends. Video tutorials showcasing product assembly or room styling can also provide added value.
Online Workshops and Webinars: Host online events featuring your experts discussing topics like interior design trends or sustainable furnishing practices. Occasionally, you can invite guest speakers. This not only educates your audience but also builds community.
Once you have content available on your website, it helps search engines rank you and find you better. You can also use this content on social media to boost your recognition and engagement on these channels.
eCommerce customer engagement requires innovative approaches, especially in home furnishing. By simplifying the shopping experience, leveraging popular communication channels like emails, social media, and messages, fostering a community, providing exceptional service, and creating valuable content, brands can significantly enhance customer engagement and drive more sales. Embrace these advanced tactics to elevate your eCommerce customer engagement strategy and ensure your home furnishing business thrives in a competitive market.
