Netcel’s insider’s guide to ecommerce success

NETCELrsquoS INSIDERrsquoS GUIDE TO ECOMMERCE SUCCESSUseful tips and advice for managers in large organisations2016 edition

Whether your team is optimising an existing digital channel or launching new shops in multiple regions managing large eCommerce projects can be challenging

ECommerce is the fastest growing retail market in Europe and the USA

However the average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate is 6863 according to researchers at the Baymard Institute

There are numerous overlapping reasons for these lost sales

Common complaints from online shoppers include confusion over delivery options lack of customer support and uncertainty around price and selection

With this lsquoinsiderrsquos guidersquo we aim to demystify eCommerce to summarise some of the important lessons that wersquove learnt and to pass on a selection of our latest tips

At Netcel after many years of developing online experiences that delight customers and increase sales we recognise that for large organisations superficial optimisation methods though tempting have their limits

We prefer when necessary to dig deeper and to act from first principles

When transforming an eCommerce offer we recommend following a straightforward five-step process

NETCELrsquoS INSIDERrsquoS GUIDE TO ECOMMERCE SUCCESS 2

This brief guide will expand upon selected elements of the process We hope you find it useful

For more detailed information and advice please drop us a line at hellonetcelcom

1 ORIGINATION

2 FOUNDATION

3 ATTRACTION

4 OPTIMISATION

5 CONVERSION

ORIGINATION

Customers find decide and then buy

This means that when creating a path to purchase understanding customer behaviour is essential Being customer-centric is at the heart of successful eCommerce

The initial discovery phase of our five step eCommerce process is labelled lsquoOriginationrsquo

This phase ensures that wersquove identified customer needs and will often include

Digital strategy Business analysis UX and user testing Discovery and scoping Wireframes and IA


1

Takeaways from the Origination stage

Know your customers

At Netcel we aim to take a 360 degree view of our clientrsquos world Audience research in particular is essential to ensuring that the experience offered by a digital channel delivers the best possible results

For example when creating the award-winning Kenwood World eCommerce website the Netcel team began the project by gathering business objectives from multiple stakeholders and undertook extensive data analysis sentiment analysis competitor analysis and surveyed customer buying habits

For Kenwood we surveyed 100 people exploring their preferences and behaviours across a whole range of digital and non-digital aspects of life ndash not just their views on things related to the clientrsquos products Based on survey responses we were able to identify a number of distinct groups from which we could develop personae From these pen portraits we were then able to recruit a dozen archetypal users spanning the audience profile Their feedback on the current website experience allowed us to identify how best to serve their needs from a digital perspective in different scenarios

We then captured the usersrsquo thoughts feelings and opinions using a synchronised feed of webcam handicam and mouse-movement screen-capture footage (as well as over-the shoulder shots for smartphone and tablet journeys) After analysing the material we placed it in context with the other research and produced new designs honed to address the shortcomings of the existing website experience



From prototype to Minimum Viable Product

Research is used to inform website design Using a clickable prototype we can test designs with existing users and with a control group The use of a clickable prototype allows us to identify where therersquos still room for improvement and to refine accordingly

Although Netcelrsquos process captures small medium and long-term requirements a dynamic agile delivery plan is employed to provide added flexibility Identifying website requirements from the beginning builds confidence as an optimum budget can be described But a balance must be found Iterative development is recommended as it allows enhanced visibility of project progress giving clients opportunities to provide feedback to shape the next iteration

We also recommend the creation of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) whenever possible as it often allows an initial solution to be launched earlier with additional features released in future sprints An MVP can demonstrate return on investment sooner providing valuable information that can be used to hone the end eCommerce product

FOUNDATION Itrsquos important that the eCommerce basics are in place

Netcelrsquos lsquoFoundationrsquo phase includes the selection and development of elements such as

Design guide Customer experience management platform Commerce platform Community platform Systems integration App development


As Ogilvy Grouprsquos Rory Sutherland has said

ldquo I think you should optimise outwards from the transaction there seems to be a certain amount of logic in thathellip Until yoursquove perfected the areas like the last mile as you might call it donrsquot do any advertising When yoursquove perfected that stuff then advertiserdquo

2

Takeaways from the Foundation stage

Which eCommerce technology to use

The correct choice of commerce platform is crucial but unfortunately for those looking for a quick answer therersquos not a ldquoone size fits allrdquo solution When selecting technology we review the marketplace for solutions that are a good fit for our clientrsquos requirements Choice of commerce technology will depend on the complexity of the product catalogue the need for multi-territory sales and the rules around which products are available where and when The different kinds of discount models that may apply (ie 2-for-1 offers or a tiered scale of pricing based on customer profile) also need to be considered

When selecting an eCommerce solution one major trend to be aware of is that the relationship between content context and commerce is becoming increasingly important Apple for example has been working hard to deliver a seamless experience that offers transactional capabilities as part of a brand experience and product identification journey At Netcel we encourage our clients to develop ldquoomni-channelrdquo experiences because we know that the point at which someone is immersed in the product information is the point at which theyrsquore most excited about acquiring a product

If omni-channel is a priority we often recommend either Episerver Commerce technology which is integrated entirely with the CMS or Kenticorsquos complete CMS eCommerce and marketing automation suite with its single easy-to-use interface For Netcelrsquos clients Kentico and Episerver Commerce have demonstrated tremendous value-for-money both in price point and in time-to-market They allow our clients to roll-out eCommerce to new territories with minimal cost and effort


Wersquore also using currently using Kibo (the name for the merged Marketlive Shopatron and Fiverun) omni-channel commerce platform with Kentico Kibo allows manufacturers and distributors to operate an eCommerce offering but to channel orders through their retail networks to avoid damaging partner relationships Britax and a number of other brands already use this technology to circumnavigate the political issues associated with selling direct-to-consumer (D2C) online

Keep it simple

Whichever technology solution is chosen the customerrsquos eCommerce experience has to be as uncomplicated as possible

Effective simplicity is difficult to achieve but customers expect their shopping process to be intuitive At Netcel we aim to remove all barriers from making an online purchase

This is why itrsquos important to tackle the lsquoOriginationrsquo stage before building a digital product Effective simplicity can only be achieved with an in-depth understanding of the customerrsquos needs and an awareness of cultural differences in buying behaviour and expectations

For an example of simplicity in eCommerce design see the basket and checkout process that we created for Kenwood It uses Episerver Commerce technology and its effective conversion funnel is the product of evolution feedback and careful analysis



ATTRACTION

Customers are connected and have endless online opportunities to research and buy new products However this also means that the marketplace is noisy Attracting shoppers requires a smart coordinated effort

The lsquoAttractionrsquo phase in Netcelrsquos transformation process focuses as you might expect on drawing customers into the purchase funnel It includes elements such as

Digital marketing Social media SEO PPC Email marketing

3

Takeaways from the Attraction stage

Communities generate results

Market intelligence firm IDC predicts that by 2020 30 of all purchases will be made through an online community So you wonrsquot be surprised to hear that the Netcel team are especially interested in social commerce and the development of communities around specific products and brands

Where appropriate building a talkative community around products can yield increased sales Online communities offer a wealth of valuable information to bolster marketing efforts Connecting information about purchased products to customer interests (eg tutorial videos in DersquoLonghirsquos Coffee Club recipes in the Cooking with Kenwood community) provides multiple cross-sell and up-sell opportunities Also by rewarding users with points for every interaction within the online community and offering compelling ways to use those points itrsquos possible to achieve real momentum in brand advocacy

Be delightful

The use of Twitter collages and animated GIFs to tell brand stories is an interesting trend Tumblrrsquos Creatrs Network is one to watch For example Sam Cannon is a member of the Creatrs Network Her animated GIFs have been featured in campaigns by TRESemmeacute Universal Studios Lipton Converse Mastercard and more

Also look out for the use of image comparison sliders on product images Sliders allow customers to compare two images (often before-and-after) Itrsquos a device that has multiple uses in eCommerce and theyrsquore fun for customers play with


CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif

IDC predicts that by 2020 30 of all purchases will be made through an online community

Connect and coordinate

Googlersquos algorithms still set the benchmark for other search engines globally By ensuring that product data is organised appropriately products can be promoted in Google Shopping results These prominent results help users to make informed decisions about shortlisting early in the buying process When seeking advice about SEO look for Google Certification Netcel is Google Certified and also holds Googlersquos All-Stars Award-Winner status

However unless your social presence is strong your site is W3CDDA compliant mobile-friendly pages load quickly and so on search engines will not give your content the attention it might otherwise deserve

Itrsquos important to truly understand how search social and the other elements of your eCommerce offer relate to one another

As a full-service digital agency Netcel takes a holistic view of all of these facets



OPTIMISATION

Itrsquos been reported that Amazon relentlessly tracks its performance against 500 measurable goals of which nearly 80 relate to customer objectives

For Amazon and other major e-retailers optimisation is never-ending

lsquoOptimisationrsquo is phase four of Netcelrsquos five step eCommerce process Itrsquos at this stage that we focus upon elements such as

Content Personalisation Responsive behaviour Multiple languages Multi-variant testing Web accessibility

4

Takeaways from the Optimisation stage

The terrible top five Areas that usually require attention

A brief list of the obstacles to online purchase that we see most often and recommended solutions


Obstacle Requiring customers to register before completing the purchase

Solution Offering lsquoguest checkoutrsquo is increasingly popular

Obstacle Unnecessarily long checkout processes

Solution Reducing the number of pages in the process is recommended

Obstacle Not allowing shoppers to alter product attributes during the checkout process

Solution Design for human error Simplify as much as possible

Obstacle Unclear pricing

Solution Show the total cost of the purchase as soon as possible in the checkout process

Obstacle Poor follow-up communication

Solution Reminder emails can be an effective way to re-engage shoppers

1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve

We recommend multi-variant testing (MVT) to evaluate eCommerce effectiveness We often test different combinations of content and calls-to-action and to trial offers and promotions Personalisation should also form part of any such test There is evidence to suggest that personalisation can increase conversion anywhere between 70 to 270 though we still find organisations that are concerned their users will be put off by anything too suspiciously serendipitous

Small changes can lead to impressive results For one client for example we changed the way their online users accessed product information Instead of entering a product name or a part number at their point of entry as they had previously they simply chose their industry sector from a list ndash eg Pharmaceutical or Food amp Beverage ndash and were presented with a shortlist of applicable products This led to a 500 increase in individual product views with a massive reduction in bounce rates and a significant increase in dwell-time page-depth and engagement

For an independent publishing firm we were able to coordinate SEO work and PPC campaigns around a new site design It delivered an uplift of 470 in direct sales revenue without eroding the revenue generated through partner channels like Amazon

Wersquove also been impressed by lsquofaceted searchrsquo Dynamic filters that are automatically generated based on query results can have a huge impact on directing would-be customers to the correct product Get it right as Airbnb do and itrsquos an effective way to show users the options most suitable for them

Also if yoursquore using a translation firm to handle language variants be sure they have the expertise to handle the vernacular and donrsquot simply produce straight translations For example Car Insurance translates directly to Assurance Voiture in French though the terms actually used is Assurance Auto



CONVERSION

As wersquove noted too many websites put up too many hurdles for their customers to jump over However as wersquove also noted the creation of a cohesive eCommerce experience will lead to increased sales

The fifth final phase of Netcelrsquos eCommerce process is lsquoConversionrsquo It focuses on maximising sales and includes elements such as

Review and measurement ROI and web analytics Customer retention Loyalty management Cross-selling and up-selling

5

Takeaways from the Conversion stage

Measuring up

The beauty of eCommerce is that outcomes are more tangible and absolute than other forms of digital engagement The transaction happens or it doesnrsquot

Better still tools (such as ClickTale or the hugely popular Google Analytics) allow us to observe in granular detail where in the funnel prospective buyers were tripped up dropped out or where they opted for one product over another

Clicktale for example reveals consumer behaviour needs and intent - it allows us to see where users are dropping out and study those pain points in the context of any expectations that may have been set earlier in the journey

Reporting tools let us see at a glance the patterns in the data emerging around user journeys We can then combine that behavioural and session data with demographic information and place it all in context of external factors (eg weather seasonality) This allows us to make informed decisions about the offers to promote in every circumstance

Campaign management is also a feature offered in many eCommerce packages allowing the total spend associated with a campaign to be logged and tracked against performance targets calculating ROI automatically

Incentivise conversion

In the sales funnel itrsquos often the ldquonoisyrdquo early stages the efforts to build awareness and engagement that soak up time and attention However the importance of loyalty should not be overlooked

We recommend developing loyalty programmes alongside eCommerce propositions Information about a customerrsquos purchases behaviour and interests can be used to unlock cross-sell and up-sell opportunities - by associating purchase suggestions with targeted content for example

Warranty registration systems and aftercare platforms are also opportunities to improve the customer experience and encourage loyalty

With the right balance of web personalisation and marketing automation one-off or casual buyers can be converted into lifetime customers making regular transactions Getting the basics right is the first hurdle If you make it easy for people to buy from you that removes the most significant barrier to repeat purchase It really comes down to offering the right incentives at the right time

Progressive profile building is increasingly popular piece of this puzzle - itrsquos when questions are asked explicitly to build up a better picture of the customer to better inform the ability to target personalised offers and to incentivise conversion

Profiles are constructed from information such as the dates of birthdays among friends and family or tracking which products have been viewed or added to basket and not bought


Loyalty Points mean prizes

Loyal customers are valuable because they no longer shop around Such is their trust for your brand and their delight at your process they have no reason to look elsewhere

As wersquove already mentioned in our experience a points scheme is one of the best ways to encourage loyalty For example 150 points for a purchase 75 points for a warranty registration 100 points for a product review Types of rewards should vary until a way is found to elicit a positive response from customers

In essence every interaction should deliver a positive brand experience but itrsquos important to note that over-regulation and inconvenience will soon cause goodwill to evaporate Where possible give the customer the freedom to control the journey let them for example specify where and when their points can be spent

For fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies the use of a points system that allows customers to bid for money-canrsquot-buy prizes has proven to be especially successful

To advocacy and beyond

Customer loyalty is invaluable but it shouldnrsquot be forgotten that customer retention isnrsquot always about direct repeat purchases

The online customer as advocate playing an active role in convincing others to buy is increasingly seen as the norm for our clients

However levels of brand advocacy directly correlate to levels of customer service

Itrsquos when customer advocacy is sought or even expected that the importance of a process (such as Netcelrsquos five eCommerce phases) comes to the fore

Advocacy rarely emerges by accident - itrsquos the result of careful considered planning


CONCLUSION

Netcelrsquos five step process is a useful structure as it places the customer firmly at the heart of eCommerce operations

After all in a landscape with so much choice and so many noisy competitors itrsquos the customer experience thatrsquos often the biggest differentiator

The smartest way to increase sales is to be truly customer-centric every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to build a stronger relationship

For a chat about transforming your eCommerce offer or more detailed information please contact Sophia or James on 0203 367 2234

wwwnetcelcom

London 24 Greville Street London EC1N 8SS

0203 367 2234 hellonetcelcom

St Albans 45 Grosvenor Road St Albans Hertfordshire AL1 3AW


Whether your team is optimising an existing digital channel or launching new shops in multiple regions managing large eCommerce projects can be challenging

ECommerce is the fastest growing retail market in Europe and the USA

However the average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate is 6863 according to researchers at the Baymard Institute

There are numerous overlapping reasons for these lost sales

Common complaints from online shoppers include confusion over delivery options lack of customer support and uncertainty around price and selection

With this lsquoinsiderrsquos guidersquo we aim to demystify eCommerce to summarise some of the important lessons that wersquove learnt and to pass on a selection of our latest tips

At Netcel after many years of developing online experiences that delight customers and increase sales we recognise that for large organisations superficial optimisation methods though tempting have their limits

We prefer when necessary to dig deeper and to act from first principles

When transforming an eCommerce offer we recommend following a straightforward five-step process


This brief guide will expand upon selected elements of the process We hope you find it useful

For more detailed information and advice please drop us a line at hellonetcelcom

1 ORIGINATION

2 FOUNDATION

3 ATTRACTION

4 OPTIMISATION

5 CONVERSION

ORIGINATION







1


Know your customers

















2








Keep it simple







ATTRACTION




3





Be delightful




CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif









OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom





ORIGINATION







1


Know your customers

















2








Keep it simple







ATTRACTION




3





Be delightful




CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif









OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom






Know your customers

















2








Keep it simple







ATTRACTION




3





Be delightful




CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif









OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom
















2








Keep it simple







ATTRACTION




3





Be delightful




CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif









OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom











2








Keep it simple







ATTRACTION




3





Be delightful




CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif









OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom












Keep it simple







ATTRACTION




3





Be delightful




CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif









OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom






Keep it simple







ATTRACTION




3





Be delightful




CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif









OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom






ATTRACTION




3





Be delightful




CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif









OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom









Be delightful




CLICK TO VIEW

Slider

CLICK TO VIEW

Animated gif









OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom












OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom






OPTIMISATION





4















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom



















1 2 3 4 5

Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom





Test learn improve








CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom






CONVERSION




5


Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom






Measuring up


























CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom

















CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom





CONCLUSION





wwwnetcelcom





Documents

Netcel’s insider’s guide to ecommerce success