Recent research* by Sellerdeck (www.sellerdeck.co.uk) found that the top reason given by customers for returning to an online store was a previous good experience, with the second most common reason being promotions, offers and loyalty schemes. These considerations were ranked well ahead of factors such as recommendations from friends and family and positive online reviews, Sellerdeck’s report found.

With this in mind, Sellerdeck advises online retailers to make sure not only that a new customer is impressed by the experience – with a site that is easy to navigate, offers plentiful product information and clear pricing – but to offer them carefully targeted deals after their purchase.

According to figures from the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), the estimated value of the UK online retail market in 2012 will be £77bn. In the peak Christmas shopping weeks (week commencing 3rd Dec and w/c 10th Dec) £4.6bn will be spent online in the UK.

This means many online retailers will be seeing an influx of brand new customers this festive season – in fact, most should already be seeing a growth in trade, with £6.7bn spent online during October 2012, which represents year-on-year growth of 14%, according to IMRG’s figures.

But for too many merchants, it’ll be the first and the last time that they see that individual customer. This doesn’t have to be the case, though, as every customer that buys something from a site leaves valuable information that a merchant can use to maximise the chances of repeat business.

“The email address that a first-time customer has provided in the run-up to Christmas is worth its weight in gold. A well-focused marketing campaign can work wonders, but don’t spam your customers to death. Keep these offers relevant and simple and don’t be tempted to take a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Phil Rothwell, sales and marketing director for Sellerdeck.

“A customer that has bought a kettle, for example, offer them toasters, food processors, juicers or descaling kits. If they purchased razors, send them a discount voucher on future purchases of blades. Try to get inside their heads and be careful – getting this tactic wrong could consign the marketing emails permanently to the junk folder, or lead to requests to unsubscribe.”

For more information about Sellerdeck, or to set up an interview with Phil Rothwell, please contact:

Ben Camm-Jones

ben@clarity.pr

+44(0) 20 7100 1333

+44(0) 7515 877 621

Sellerdeck, formerly known as Sellerdeck, will be testing version 12 of its software within Sellerdeck’s own community of online vendors and plans to launch the full version of Sellerdeck 2013 later in the year.

While the previous two versions of Sellerdeck’s products focused on streamlining the checkout process, customer service and SEO performance, Sellerdeck 2013 adds a swathe of enhancements that are designed to turn browsers into happy customers.

Vendors will be able to offer visitors an improved product search function with merchant-defined filters, meaning customers can quickly narrow down their search to items in an appropriate size or colour, for example. Dynamic pricing and product option features mean that visitors won’t be shown items that are out of stock and will always be aware of the price they’re paying – not getting a surprise when they reach the checkout stage.

Sellerdeck 2013 also improves SEO performance with its automated pagination feature, with merchants able to specify the number of products appearing on a page. Though these pages are automatically generated, they are static HTML pages with a proper filename, allowing search engines to index the page.

“While driving traffic to a website is often touted as the be-all and end-all of online marketing, in reality the biggest challenge to E-Commerce vendors is actually converting a visitor to their website into a paying customer. Sellerdeck 2013 will help online vendors achieve with its improved product search function and dynamic pricing features,” said Ben Dyer, CEO of Sellerdeck.

“We’ve also made sure that Sellerdeck 2013 is true to the same core values previous versions, offering ease of use, flexible designs, easy integration of services such as hosting, customer feedback and fraud protection, and giving merchants total control of their online assets.”

“Implementing Sellerdeck 2013 is a smooth experience, with only setting changes required – merchants won’t have to overhaul their databases or front-end design. This means that deploying Sellerdeck 2013 in good time for the Christmas rush won’t be a problem at all,” Dyer added.

For more details about the Sellerdeck 2013 Beta, an interview with Ben Dyer or images please contact:

Ben Camm-Jones
e: ben@claritycomms.com
t: +44(0) 20 7100 1333
m: +44(0) 7515 877 621

Easy navigation and detailed product information were found to be the most important aspects of an E-Commerce website from the customer’s point of view, according to Sellerdeck’s survey of 500 online shoppers.

The next most important factor affecting a consumer’s purchase is information about whether or not an item is out of stock, with a previous good experience with the retailer’s website in fourth place. Having a professional-looking website was ranked as the sixth most important factor in the customer’s buying decision, with positive feedback from other customers seventh.

Perhaps surprisingly, offering the cheapest prices is only the fifth most important consideration for an E-Commerce company, according to the survey, while having a fast-performing website is in ninth place. The ability to compare products side-by-side is rounds out Sellerdeck’s Top 10 Ecommerce Turn-Ons.

When it comes to the Top 10 Ecommerce Turn-Offs, though, having a site that looks insecure is the most likely thing to put off potential buyers. Bugs and technical issues with the site are the second biggest turn-off, while insufficient product information and product images come in third place.

Difficult shopping carts, long checkout forms and poorly-designed, slow websites also feature on the list of Top 10 Ecommerce Turn-Offs, with a lack of customer feedback and reviews, non UK-based retailers and poor choice of delivery options bring up the rear.

When it comes to retaining customers, though, providing promotions, offers and loyalty schemes was ranked as the second-most important factor behind a customer having had a previous good experience on the site, Sellerdeck’s survey showed.

“Ecommerce sites that get the basics of navigation and providing plenty of product information are best placed to succeed, while factors such as providing the lowest prices aren’t necessarily as important as some may think,” said Phil Rothwell, sales and marketing director of Sellerdeck.

“Although retailers may feel a lot of price pressure, providing it at the cost of customer service is likely to be a false economy. It’s much more important to make sure the site looks professional and feels secure, while offering customers a smooth experience from the minute they enter the site to the point at which they receive the goods. This not only means happy customers, but increases the likelihood of them returning again and again.”

For more information about the survey or to arrange an interview with Phil Rothwell, sales and marketing director of Sellerdeck, please contact:

Ben Camm-Jones

ben@claritycomms.com

+44 (0)20 7100 1333

+44 (0)7515 877 621