{"id":3934,"date":"2020-09-18T11:52:58","date_gmt":"2020-09-18T11:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/synder.com\/news\/?p=3934"},"modified":"2026-04-16T08:09:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T08:09:29","slug":"7-actionable-tips-to-increase-the-efficiency-of-an-e-commerce-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/synder.com\/blog\/7-actionable-tips-to-increase-the-efficiency-of-an-e-commerce-business\/","title":{"rendered":"7 actionable tips to increase the efficiency of an ecommerce business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are millions of people shopping online in the USA which creates favorable conditions for starting a small business. Moreover, starting an online business offers more opportunities like going worldwide. In this article, you will find e-commerce tips that actually work and will help you to grow your business. You don\u2019t have to follow all of them and choose only those that appeal to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Top<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Become mobile-friendly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As reported by Businessinsider<\/a> m-commerce is projected to reach $284 billion. It will account for 45% of the entire e-commerce market in the U.S by the end of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statistics show that people are more comfortable with using mobile devices to buy online. To convert visitors into paying customers, you should provide a high-quality user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What comes to mind when we first think of providing a mobile-friendly experience to potential customers? Maybe you need a website or a mobile app. But before you decide to create any of this, check the main online stores in your business area that you may compete with.Study the information or contact any app development company<\/a> to learn about the app usability, launching apps, marketing campaigns, how much does it cost to maintain an app, etc. Estimate your future project and keep in mind that custom software development<\/a> costs a lot of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If custom mobile app development is not your thing, consider a website or app builder<\/a>. They have advantages and disadvantages: for example, the templates you will use will be less unique and it will affect search results. But their pricing is quite affordable compared to custom development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also consider Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), which became popular among e-commerce websites. A PWA is simply built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and perfectly works with any browser. It meets the main online shoppers\u2019 requirements such as app-like navigation through a website, push notifications<\/a>, and modern interface. One of the greatest advantages is that a PWA can be updated easily without the need for users to download the update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the easiest ways is to sign up as a seller on a top-rated e-commerce website where all the processes, systems, and infrastructure are established for you and the only thing that remains is to set up your account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See how many ways there are to make your e-commerce business mobile-friendly? I\u2019m sure that among those options there will be something that corresponds to your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personalize<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

High quality items and fair prices are no longer enough to make online shopping comfortable for customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

E-commerce businesses should also try to make the most of personalization. What is personalization? Personalization takes into account all the information that an e-commerce store has collected about the customer such as their geographic location, product search history, shopping habits, birth date, and even clothing size, and then uses that information to make personalized recommendations and offers to the customer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to personalization email and SMS marketing<\/a> campaigns have improved considerably. Today you can personalize each campaign in multiple ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, let\u2019s take a look at abandoned cart emails and text messages. These types of messages are sent to users who signed up or logged in, added items to their carts, and then left before checking out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cart abandonment rates are high in every industry, but there is something we can do about it. If the items are still in the basket, you can send an email or a text as a reminder to complete the purchase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another personalization option is to send out up-sell and cross-sell emails and texts, which encourage buyers to purchase related products. Here\u2019s how you can implement this technique:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. A product follow-up<\/strong>: After purchase, you send an email or a text message offering products that are also frequently bought with the item the customer purchased. Check out the Amazon feature \u201cFrequently bought together\u201d for ideas on how this can work.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Category follow-up<\/strong>: Recommend items from related categories after purchase. For example, if someone buys a product from a \u201cLiving room collection\u201d, let your customer know you also have a \u201cBedroom collection\u201d to look into.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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      1. Receipt follow-up<\/strong>: Send a text or email with the customer\u2019s receipt that includes discounts for future purchases and asks for product reviews. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Another type of message to consider sending is a Promotional Offer<\/em>. You can send messages and notify your customers whenever you have a sale, offer discounts, or launch a new category of products that are related to purchases they\u2019ve already made at your store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Social media is your advantage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        Social media networks help small businesses build relationships and trust with the leads and convert them into customers. Beyond small businesses, an emerging B2B trend<\/a> sees businesses effectively utilizing social media to drive conversions and sales. Increasing customer loyalty to a brand over time contributes to engaging the customers for a long period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        By using social media you get a chance to be recommended to a person who is searching for goods. Also, someone who already bought products from you and was satisfied with the purchase, service, and quality will most likely recommend your store or brand due to the simplicity of the sharing process in social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Moreover, people will most likely buy products online from the stores or brands that have been recommended. And often customers trust the personal recommendations in social media.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

        Of course, not only recommendations play an important role in online shopping, there are also reviews that people will check before purchasing. And for this reason, it is important for any e-commerce business to ask for products and services reviews from customers as well as ask to share or recommend it. The idea of using social media is simple: the more people talk about your business, the more value you seem to have for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are handy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        There is so much excitement around AI and ML in every sphere it can be applied in, but how can artificial intelligence be used in e-commerce?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Imagine for a second that your e-commerce store is open 24\/7. For example, who would respond ASAP to your potential customer at 4 AM when you are sleeping, to a question whether you ship goods to Australia, or offer free shipping? Or you simply are off to a much-awaited vacation and there are multiple conversations at the time when you can not respond instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This is when chatbots become handy as the most accessible and affordable form of Artificial Intelligence. They will respond instantly to your customers, and with the help of machine learning will be able to process information, analyze the collected data and track user behavior which will result in personalized replies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        To make a proper connection with a customer, create a bot that will be an addition to your business, and will represent the same values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Provide high-quality customer service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        You can have many competitors that copy each other by selling the same products, announcing the same discounts, etc. But it is hard to clone someone\u2019s customer service. And the better it is, the higher the chance of turning a random customer into a regular one. This happens because customer service characterizes your business, brand image, and value. A happy customer will spread the word and you will get more people interested in your goods or services. \u00a0One way of enhancing satisfaction is by providing real time support natively within your ecommerce app. With the help of real-time support chat<\/a><\/a>, you can add this functionality without the hassle of making it from scratch yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Improve the checkout process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        All your hard work on the awesome design of your online store, on how amazingly your brand is represented in social media, or your impressive customer service is nothing if every second user abandons a cart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Why do users abandon carts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Shipping and delivery.<\/strong> <\/em>When a person spends a decent amount of time browsing and looking for goods to order and on the last step sees that the order won\u2019t be delivered on time or the delivery will cost too much, it only will cause frustration. This person will probably never come back and won\u2019t recommend you to anyone else. Be honest and inform customers about the delivery time and extra payments as early as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Sign up to make a purchase.<\/strong> Imagine you are excited about buying something right here and right now. Any step away from your main goal will be taken negatively. Especially because this step is not essential for making a purchase and takes time. The best way is to provide a guest check out option, or at least the ability to quickly log in via a social media account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Security.<\/strong> Mention what you use to protect customers and assure them that all the information they input will be safe. Due to data leaks on the Internet, people are wary of online payments. Customers are most hesitant about paying in e-commerce stores for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Connect more payment platforms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        You have to enable online payments made with credit and debit cards and bank transfers to improve your customers\u2019 buying experience. When you are looking for and comparing different payment platforms, there are a few factors to pay attention to, like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n