Jeweller - October 2022

BUSINESS
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Is your website sending customers
to your competitors
The COVID situation has forced many businesses to rethink their online presence.
SHANE O’NEILL offers some practical advice for improving your digital strategy.
Sales continue to increase year after year
as customers become comfortable with the
process of internet shopping.
And yet, so many retailers are hesitant to
introduce e-commerce to their business.
For these naysayers, the risks include
the ability to fulfill orders, inventory
management, and even concerns about
fraudulent purchases. If you’re one of
these hesitant few, it’s time to rethink your
understanding of e-commerce.
Brass tacks
Few people realise that e-commerce isn’t
restricted only to online transactions.
Most retailers have well below a 3 per cent
conversion rate for online sales. It’s about
the entire online sales experience that
leads to transactions, and in-store sales
that are secured by an online encounter.
Why are sales conversions under 3 per
cent? Many independent retailers market
their business within a specific radius
around their store. Customers can easily
stop in to see, touch, and try on the
jewellery, which most still prefer to do,
particularly with engagement rings.
Why is this important? It’s about customer
expectations. In an online shopping
experience survey, 36 per cent indicated
they would outright abandon a purchase
based on a bad experience and 30 per cent
would never return to that website again.
More concerning, 33 per cent would
immediately go to a competitor. It’s
important to understand that consumer
shopping habits have drastically changed
in the past 10 years.
What sort of functions can be put in place
to stop these customers from fleeing?
Customers are seeking robust image
galleries with product titles, descriptions,
and pricing, as well as wish lists, product
inquiry support, and, of course, the
convenience of finalising a purchase online.
Today people begin their shopping online,
exploring many different retailers for the
products they are seeking and before
Your customers want to see a product from all angles to really get a feel
for the piece – give them that experience!
reaching a final decision based on that
browsing experience. Now more than ever
before customers have made a decision
before they enter a physical store.
If you think you may be falling behind the
rest of the market, consider utilising the
following tools to improve your position.
Practical tools
The internet offers many powerful tools
that when used correctly, will not only
close an initial sale, but establish a loyal
relationship with a customer for years to
come. Evaluate your current online store
with the following ideas in mind:
• Current tech: Mobile responsive
websites are a must-have. Current
technology is focused on making the
shopping experience more streamlined by
eliminating consumer hesitation.
Automated systems that contact visitors
and users who have products in their
shopping cart are commonplace now.
• Product galleries: Offering high quality
images of products should be common
sense for all businesses, however,
unfortunately many jewellery retailers are
still offering half the effort required. Your
customers want to see a product from all
angles to really get a feel for the piece –
give them that experience!
• Details and descriptions: High quality
product galleries should be paired with
Now more than
ever before
customers have
made a decision
before they
enter a physical
store.
well-written details and descriptions,
however, far too many retail sites still fail
to provide this to customers. The more
information you can offer your customer
about a product the better. These are your
online showcases, make them fantastic!
• Opt-ins and communication: Make
sure it’s easy and straightforward for
customers to contact you, including opting
into email updates and appointment forms.
• Shopping cart and payment: It goes
without saying that you’ll need a shopping
cart system, but think about offering a
number of payment options.
Including an option such as PayPal is also
important, as many people feel secure
using this service. Offer all that you can,
within reason – it would be a shame to
miss out on a great sale because you don’t
offer a customer’s preferred payment
option.
• Reviews: Trust is crucial between the
retailer and customer. An overwhelming
source for new orders is referrals.
Reviews are the online version of personto-person
referrals. Consider platforms
such as Podium to quickly build your
review numbers.
Add another dimension
At the end of the day, website visitors need
to have a smooth experience to finalise a
purchase and an important part of that
experience is any e-commerce angle. The
truth is some customers would rather
shop from the comfort of their own homes.
Often, these customers have purchased
from you before and have a positive view of
your business.
Don’t let them down! There’s no way
around it - e-commerce will continue to
shape how people shop online and there’s
a chance the pandemic has permanently
altered foot traffic to physical stores.
SHANE O'NEILL is vice president of
Fruchtman Marketing, a consultancy
company specialising in jewellery .
Learn More: fructman.com
October 2022 | 71