C2C eCommerce: What Is a Consumer Oriented Website?

Majority of us have had both great and horrible experiences with regards to eCommerce websites, where on some occasions, due to the experience alone, regardless of the quality of the product or service purchased, we swore never to buy anything from this website, ever again. That is usually a shame, as if the website was designed a bit better, first-time customers could be easily turned to returning customers, or even bring more business to the company.

In this article we will explain what does the term “consumer oriented website” stand for, and highlight the benefits of putting the extra effort in and ensuring that the C2C eCommerce website will not be the one to drive customers away.

The purpose of C2C eCommerce websites are to attract customers, lead to conversions, and overall increase the profitability of a business. However, in order to do so, a certain design and marketing strategy should be followed, otherwise customers will not be guided to fulfill the business’s goal. So far, there are three recognized website orientations, them being sales oriented, product (or service) oriented, and customer oriented. In the sales oriented website model, everything is about sales and conversion, without necessarily focusing on the quality of the product, or the customer experience. In the product oriented model, the main attention falls on the product (or the service), highlighting its features and superiority, but not necessarily including customers or the potential of conversions into the picture. Last but not least, the customer-oriented website design puts customers in the central spot, offering them an advanced customer experience, taking their feedback into account in order to further improve offered services, and trying to constantly identify and fulfill customer’s needs. When deciding on a website design strategy, more than one orientations could be used, especially during different stages of website navigation (from company introduction, to product selection, to transaction) in order to extract the best outcome for the company engaging in eCommerce.

A recent evaluation from Accenture revealed the top five websites with regards to “brand experience”, based on 33 criteria and nine areas covered in the evaluation (navigation, provided information, service, visitor engagement, number of visitors, relationship building, branding, eCommerce, and globalization). Those five top-ranked websites were Adidas.com, Nike.com, Ford.com, Google.com, and Microsoft.com, in no respective order. The only certain thing is that the websites of these highly successful companies are designed around specific company goals, and have such an orientation strategy, in order to deliver these goals. The evaluation revealed what each website was most successful at, and, in a nutshell, this was the outcome:

• Adidas.com: branding and high-impact positive brand experience
• Nike.com: engagement and relationship building
• Ford.com: product information
• Google.com: relationship building and simplicity
• Microsoft.com: engagement, value to customer

From this information, it is clear that all five websites had a specific orientation (and that in any of the cases it was the sale oriented website design model). Also, from this information, one can realize how important is the representation of the brand and the product, as well as the engagement of visitors and the customer experience. After all, a positive user experience, where customers are able to find what they want, and acquire it through a streamlined approach where they feel valued, respected, and pampered, is what will possibly keep them coming back.

Consumer-Oriented eCommerce: What You Need to Know

One of the most successful C2C eCommerce platforms is Amazon.com, offering a great customer experience. For those who have not engaged with the Amazon.com website, it offers “match-making” services, through suggestions and recommendations of products based on recent searches, products that are usually purchased together, spare parts or refills of products that are in your cart and so on.

Arguably, this personalized experience places consumers at the center of attention, making them feel unique, thought of, almost taken care of on a deeper level, creating the effect of “a mother advising their children to put their jacket on because she knows that it is cold outside and they will need to stay warm”. Purchasing the equipment you need, plus the suggested spare parts or refills, will save you the effort of repeating the process later and losing time of your busy day.

Also, a combined purchase could save you some money. From the seller’s point of view, they will achieve their goal of conversions, and most probably have you return back, as now you know that this company (through their website design), cares about your needs. Win-Win.

There are some tips and tricks a C2C eCommerce website should follow for customer-oriented eCommerce, some quite straightforward, and some more sophisticated. Herein we will cover the most important ones.

• Ease of Navigation:
  When a website is designed in a simple, straightforward way, moving back and forth is easily achieved, there is guidance on which will be the next step, there are straightforward buttons for certain actions, and the interface is not too cluttered with information, then customers tend to respond better and this can possibly lead to more, or of higher-value conversions.
• Videos Explaining the Product or Service:
  Showing a complete product specification sheet (characteristics, ingredients, compatibility, etc.) is the absolute minimum a C2C eCommerce website should offer. However, conveying that information on a video format can be advantageous, as it makes the product seem more real and trustworthy, customers can get a better understanding of its features, and the presence of another person actually holding and using the product gives credibility.
• Responsive Design:
  How many times have you abandoned navigation or even gave up on purchasing a product because the website was not adapted for mobile navigation? Nowadays, customers tend to proceed to eCommerce through their tablets and smartphones far more often than through laptops and desktops, so ensuring seamless and responsive navigation on mobile outlays is imperative.
• Customer Service and Support:
  Similar to the previous point, having good customer service is an essential feature for a C2C Consumer Oriented Website. Customers knowing that the company “has their back” in case they need to sample a product, adjust or return their purchase, or even register their complaint are far more likely to proceed to initial conversions and keep coming back.
• Reviews and Case Studies:
  Taking Google reviews as an example, many people are checking available reviews for restaurants or other types of businesses before visit them. Seeing what other people think about a product or service gives customers faith on the quality of it, rather than blindly trusting the description found on the website.
• Relationship Building:
  Since customer is the center of attention on customer-oriented eCommerce, build a relationship with them should be one of the primary aims of the C2C eCommerce website (and the business behind it). Through building and maintaining trust and a good relationship with customers, conversions can increase, visitors can increase based on word-of-mouth, and company growth can be accelerated.
• Rewards:
  Many companies are offering rewords schemes, rewarding customer loyalty with little treats, birthday presents, and special discounts. What these schemes do is making customers feel valued, and as a result, there is higher possibility of increased conversions.

As shown from the previous paragraph, it might take some effort to create a customer oriented eCommerce website and maintain a positive user experience, but the benefits of such a website design are very big. Based on the (outdated) saying “happy wife, happy life”, we could argue that “happy customer, successful company”. Happy customers are more likely to purchase a product or a service, and stay loyal to a company, even if the specifications are not exactly matching their needs. Furthermore, happy customers can act as promoters, either by themselves, or on a rewardable basis. Especially for C2C eCommerce, having customers spreading their positive user experience is always advantageous, and can lead to a more positive online image through reviews and testimonies, and organic growth. An overall positive atmosphere from customers towards the company can also improve the perception of employees for the company, and enhance their productivity and skill development. Overall, satisfaction of existing customers, and attraction of future customers can lead to successful C2C eCommerce websites, with increased sales and possibly reduced marketing costs, as their happy customers can be their marketing strategy.

Clarity C2C eCommerce Experts

Setting up a C2C consumer oriented website is definitely a great strategy for a company, but there are a couple of issues one should have in mind. One of the major problems can be the initial cost, as it is generally recognized that it is much more expensive to attract new customers than retain existing ones. That means, that the customer orientation strategy will probably be initially expensive, before it leads to a “fan-base” and becomes rewording. Since customer oriented eCommerce is based around understanding customer needs and satisfying them, incorporation of feedback is key for continuous success. Strategies that might worked in the past might not be so well-received now, customers might offer suggestions for product alterations or introduction of new products, there might be complaints about product quality, website design might be clunky. If companies do not take into account such feedback in order to improve their website, products or services, or customer care approach, they are not taking advantage what is provided to them from those who actually hold the future of companies on their hands; customers.

Additional C2C eCommerce Information

• What is Consumer to Consumer eCommerce?
• Comparing the Pros and Cons of C2C eCommerce
• Creating Unique Content for your Audience
• C2C Consumer-Oriented Website Guide
• Expanding Your C2C Marketplace Audience
• The Rise and Marketing Impact of C2C eCommerce
• What does B2C eCommerce Have to do With C2C?