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Your customers’ digital journey- 2 size
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How to improve your customers’ digital journey

The world has changed a lot over the years, and technology has an impact on almost everything we do in our daily lives. The rise of e-commerce has changed the way we shop, and research shows that the number of South African adults who shop online increased by 40% in 2022 (Gilbert 2023).

Whether you run an online business or are looking to create a website for your existing business, it’s important to understand how to create a digital customer journey that will keep people coming back for more. 

Here are 6 tips to improve your customers’ digital journey:

 

  1. Know your target audience: in order for you to create a tailored digital customer journey, you need to understand the needs and wants of your customer base. Creating buyer personas will help you put yourself in your customers’ shoes to see their perspective and identify what a compelling digital experience looks like to them. It would also be worthwhile for you to look at competitor sites to make notes of what they get right versus what they get wrong in order to ensure you don’t make similar mistakes.
  2. Make sure your site is mobile friendly: the rise of online shopping has a lot to do with the convenience it provides customers. People like being able to shop on the go, so your site needs to accommodate that need. This may mean taking a less is more approach when it comes to your website, i.e. keeping copy short and punchy and ensuring that images do not take a long time to load on mobile devices.
  3. Have secure and easy payment methods: one way to ensure that customers come back is to create a smooth check-out process. It has to be as easy as possible for customers to purchase your product or service online, so make sure you provide secure payment options and, if possible, have a live chatbot to offer support.
  4. Make sure you are monitoring your analytics with the right tools: tracking analytics on your website can help you with consistently finding new ways to improve and refine your digital strategy. Tools such as Google Analytics can track which features and pages are most popular with your clients and which features and pages result in them abandoning their purchase.
  5. Give customers the option to provide feedback: making your customers feel seen and heard is a great way to strengthen the relationship with them. You can have a section that allows customers to leave reviews or, alternatively, a short survey that allows customers to send compliments or complaints directly to you or your customer care representatives.
  6. Stay up to date on the latest digital strategy trends: technology is constantly evolving, and as happens, new trends arise. You need to know what trends are influencing customers so you can adapt your digital strategy when necessary and stay connected to your audience. 

As a business owner, the relationship you build with customers is crucial to your success. Customer experience begins from their first impression with your brand and is strengthened by ongoing positive interactions, which include having a seamless online shopping experience. Make sure that you have the right team to help formulate your digital strategy and make sure that you constantly adapt it to stay ahead of your competition.

 

References

Gilbert, P. 2023. ‘Online Shopping Growing in South Africa – World Wide Worx, Mastercard’. Connecting Africa. [Online] Available:

https://www.connectingafrica.com/author.asp?section_id=761&doc_id=783756&#:~:text=The%20Online%20Retail%20in%20South,number%20of%20people%20shopping%20online (Accessed 23 May 2023).

Schiff, J.L. 2015. ‘12 Ways to Improve the Customer Experience for Online Shoppers’. CIO. [Online] Available: https://www.cio.com/article/246791/12-ways-to-improve-the-customer-experience-for-online-shoppers.html (Accessed 23 May 2023).