Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Customer engagement 'helps online businesses to grow' | Skrill

The constantly evolving world of online business and growing number of platforms that allow consumers to shop in cyberspace means it is increasingly difficult for such firms to stand out from the crowd with a new and inventive product.

As the high streets continue to suffer the effects of the country?s financial constraints, it seems the majority of people are turning to the internet for more choice and cheaper prices ? but competition from larger companies could be holding some retailers back.

According to Jennifer Stenhouse, partner at consultancy service Mymediamanagement.com ? which gives advice on marketing, public relations and social media from businesses ? overcoming a shyness about engaging with customers is one of the most important things firms can do to enjoy more sales.

The expert acknowledged how personalising operations with the use of online video streaming can also provide a number of benefits for ecommerce companies.

?People prefer to buy from people, not a faceless organisation ? Also, remember to ask your customers what they like ? what they want.?

A growing number of companies are beginning to use this kind of feedback to improve their services, with some going the extra mile to design new items that meet the requirements of the target audience.

The latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index suggested online-only retailers may have done exactly that, as they enjoyed year-on-year growth of 13 per cent during February and managed to exceed multichannel companies ? which are those defined as having a virtual and ?bricks and mortar? presence? ? which saw only an eight per cent rise in sales.

Representing the second consecutive month internet shopping platforms have outperformed those found on the high street and online, February was certainly a mixed bag for ecommerce businesses, as some flourished due to Valentine?s Day gift purchase and others suffered as a result of ongoing economic constraints.

The results suggest more ecommerce firms have adopted a similar outlook to that put forward by Ms Stenhouse, as consumer confidence in lesser-known companies continues to rise.

Although the current economic climate has tightened the purse strings of a high number of businesses, the expert urged them to offer free items ? even if this comes in the simple format of tips and advice ? to help them gain a trusting user base and encourage customer loyalty, as it is a ?great way to build [a] reputation as a trusted supplier?.

?It is also important to keep the content fresh and to make sure you have a system in place to track your marketing performance, so that you can see what?s working and what?s not,? the expert added.

Last month, overall ecommerce figures experienced a year-on-year growth of just ten per cent ? which is the lowest level recorded since January 2010 ? as a total of ?5.4 billion was spent on online purchases by UK consumers during the 29-day period, representing the equivalent to ?106 per person.

According to IMRG, the gradual phasing out of heavy discounts and sales that were prominent during December and January were among the reasons for the slowdown.

Source: http://corporate.skrill.com/2012/03/customer-engagement-helps-online-businesses-to-grow-2/30132/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=customer-engagement-helps-online-businesses-to-grow-2

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