During and after a customer makes her purchase, successful ecommerce businesses are very strategic in their thinking. Below are the remaining five traits that the most effective ecommerce businesses share. No Registration Required for Browsing Many, many ecommerce websites require customers to register their information before they can even add their products to a wish list or shopping cart. It’s an understandable strategy: you want to retrieve your customer’s information as soon as possible so you can follow up with newsletters and glean important demographic data. However, forcing a customer to register before she is ready to will result in the loss of that customer. Allow your customers to browse at their leisure, and only ask them to register when click on the "check out" button. A Thank You Page and Confirmation Email Shipping delays can and do happen, and this is not your fault. It is your responsibility, however, to have a way to monitor these delays and communicate them to your customer. Once your customer has made her purchase, she will want to rest easy knowing her order is complete. This is why the confirmation email is so critical. Having a confirmation or thank-you page is often not enough; your customer will want a record of the purchase, complete with tracking codes and other important information, in the event of any follow-up questions. Put her mind at ease by automating an email confirmation after every purchase—and always remember to say “thank you!” Shipping Tracking and Status Notification Shipping delays can and do happen, and this is not your fault. It is your responsibility, however, to have a way to monitor these delays and communicate them to your customer. Most successful ecommerce websites have an integrated ERP system that can monitor shipping status and convey the information to customers. Delays happen, but keeping your customers in the dark about them is never a good idea. Customer Follow-Up Once your customer has made her purchase and received her product, keep her informed! Send your former customers newsletters advertising new products, sales, and promotions. Don’t harass them, and always allow them the option of unsubscribing from your newsletters. That said, successful ecommerce businesses don’t let their customers forget how awesome their ecommerce storefront is. Be memorable, and you’ll keep your customers coming back. An Excellent User Experience from Start to Finish This seems like an obvious point, but really think about it: consider all the steps your customers are going to take on your website, from the landing page to navigating through products to making the purchase and receiving the order. Is every single step of your website's design as smooth, streamlined, and user-friendly as it could be? Making a purchase online involves many steps, and each one is another chance to retain—or lose—your customer. Think of every step as another potential jumping off point, and do everything you can not to make your customer jump. Need more advice about your ecommerce business? Speak to a Clarity consultant today! Find out more about Clarity VenturesSee our Enterprise Web portfolio