What makes good customer service in the e-commerce industry?

What makes good customer service in the e-commerce industry?

According to Shannon Ingrey, BigCommerce’s vice president and general manager in the Asia-Pacific region, today “online retailers are competing on so much more than cost”.

“Instead, they are required to both anticipate the needs of their consumers and exceed their expectations. Product delivery, therefore, becomes a key differentiator in the current retail landscape and impatient consumers have indicated they are more than willing to look around for the fastest deliveries,” says Ingrey.

BigCommerce has released the findings of its 2020 State of E-commerce Report, which questioned nearly 3,450 shoppers to find out what makes good customer service within the e-commerce industry, and examines how consumers behave while shopping online.

According to the report, some of the key features that make good customer service include:

• Offering live chat support;
• Offering both text and email alerts for delivery notifications;
• Offering more ways to pay;
• Offering competitive delivery fees;
• Ensuring all product pages have a fast loading time; and
• A knowledgeable customer support team that can offer personalised product recommendations.

Delivery

The report found delivery is, and will continue to be, a key point of differentiation in satisfactory customer service and for consumers deciding whether or not to make a purchase.

The survey found 43% of online shoppers will pay up to $20 for their preferred delivery option and 48% of online shoppers are satisfied with a delivery period between two and seven business days.

Still, same-day delivery is the most appealing delivery option, and 19% of shoppers are willing to pay for accelerated delivery. This cohort is expected to rise as working from home becomes the new normal.

Returns

Free returns make an impact and are forecasted to make an impact on customer conversion in the future. According to the BigCommerce survey, 62% of online shoppers say they would switch online retailers to access free returns.

Buy-now-pay-later

According to survey results, online retailers now need to provide consumers with access to at least six payment options to remain competitive, and to continue to grow their sales.

The survey found PayPal accounts for 40% of online shopping purchases, followed by credit cards (27%) and debit cards (19%).

Buy-now-pay-later options make up 14% of all online transactions, although its use varies across different age groups.

“It’s clear that in 2020, simply having an online presence is just not enough,” Ingrey says.

“Consumers are engaging with retailers on more channels than ever before — and they expect a cohesive, personalised and seamless shopping experience at every stage of the journey.

“It’s up to brands to tune into what their customers want — and deliver this through the platforms they use — otherwise, they run the risk of losing those customers.”

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