General Information Archives

Receipts Go Digital; Make the Most of Them

More and more retailers are turning toward digital receipts. I’ve seen some of the more popular retailers, including Macy’s and Walgreen’s, offering receipts to be emailed to customers. For someone like me, who tends to dislike paper that ends up in the bottom of my purse, this is a great option, especially when purchasing gifts or items that may need to be returned.

There’s another benefit to offering digital receipts – retailers have a unique opportunity to engage with customers after the purchase transaction is complete. Aside from simply offering a receipt with purchase detailers, consider incorporating any of the following:

1. A link to a one or two question feedback survey. This is a great way to get quick feedback. Depending on the system, you can tie the response to the purchase. Over time, trends can be gleaned by location, items purchased, time of day, or any other key factors that can help you make some decisions on improving the overall experience.

Furthermore, having this type of link to customer service can assist in starting conversations when things aren’t great. It makes it easy for the customer to share their concerns or issues, and gives retailers a way to provide excellent problem resolution in a streamlined fashion.

2. Social media links. By including these likes, it gives retailers a way to draw exposure for their social media sites while allowing customers the opportunity to easily connect with your brand after the transaction. This can be effective in gaining followers and building loyalty.

3. Offer discounts on future purchases. Include a “thank you” for making a purchase with your company and offer a small discount on a future purchase. This can be effective in gaining additional revenue through future visits, and gives the customer a sense of being rewarded for shopping with your brand.

As things turn more digital, as I expect the trend to continue, retailers will need to find ways to get the most “bang for their buck” when it comes to streamlining the shopping journey and managing the customer experience.

How Amazon Turned Customers Into Salespeople

Most companies know that product reviews can make or break a sale, and that customers have come to rely on word of mouth reviews, feedback, and opinions when making purchasing decisions.

Amazon has taken this a step further and turned to their customers to provide that much needed information that can push customers to making a purchase.

Their “ask a question” feature allows customers browsing items to ask a question that will be answered by people who have purchased the item. When looking at products on their site, you’ll see a “ask a question” or “XX number of questions answered” for each product:

Clicking on the link allows customers to ask a more detailed, “nuts and bolts” type question that might be the one factor in deciding to purchase or not, and customers who have bought the item can respond.

In the example of above, questions ranged from “Does it play DVD’s that have been burned?” to “Does this DVD player remember where you left off”” to the more technical, “I have an old Panasonic TV. Will this work with it?”

Amazon realizes the importance of product information and providing enough information, in as many ways possible, to educate and encourage sales.

Of course, customer buy in to participate by answering questions is an important component – if customers don’t reply, potential buyers may not get the information they need. Similarly, they could get the perception, based on the lack of activity in this area, that the product is not popular or one that many people purchase. One way Amazon tries to prevent this is by routing these questions, as they come in, to customers who have purchased the item. Often times customers will be happy to share their feedback. As an added benefit – those customers may become more loyal to Amazon, as they company turns to them for insight and feedback on a personal level.

While not a new feature, it is one that is picking up steam, and is a great example of finding new ways to encourage sales and engage customers, as well as potential customers.

Virtual Dressing Room: The Next Big Thing?

Are internet retailers competing with the brick and mortars by trying to provide the in store experience, namely trying on clothes, online?

It seems that some retailers are trying this. Known as “virtual fitting rooms” several retailers are adopting a virtual way for consumers to try on clothes from the comfort of home.

This article highlights some of the ways this is being integrated, from consumers entering their measurements to create a prototype to try outfits on, complete with alerts that clothes may not fit properly, to the most interesting one of all – the webcam fitting room:

From the company’s website:

The Life-Styler wardrobe stylist makes it easy for you to see which styles of fashion suit you. All the clothes have been categorized by our body shapes – so whether you’re an Audrey ruler body shape, Isabella apple body shape, Sophia hourglass body shape, Eva pear body shape or Grace inverted triangle body shape – we have fashion outfits that will suit you.

Select allow so that the webcam can connect to you
Choose to watch the simple video which explains how the virtual wardrobe works
Then choose clothing based on your body type
Watch the chosen outfit come up on your screen and re-size to fit you!
Share to social media and get your friends opinion

So, will this work and become the “next big thing” in e-commerce? While it seems very interesting, and something that might help e-commerce in increased sales, the jury is still out, for several reasons:

1. Webcam security: consumers may be a bit wary yet of having the webcam aspect of the experience, especially when the site reminds you that you have the allow the webcam to control your computer. While it is definitely cool, some of the images on the website showing the virtual fitting room look a bit like the colorform dolls I played with as a child – those paper/plastic dolls with the clothing options with tabs that you can “dress” the doll. It’s a good visual as a starting point though.

2. Time consuming: for those virtual sites that require a consumer to enter their measurements, this may not work. I have no idea what my measurements are, and might think it’s time consuming to try and figure that out. Others might not think so though, so this might be more effective, and less intrusive, than the webcam option.

3. Security/data concerns: consumers may wonder if their measurements are being collected in a CRM database, to be used for personalized promotions, or for other reasons. While this is more widely accepted in online shopping, there are still some consumers that may be concerned about the data they’re entering and what companies will use it for.

4. Accuracy and return rate: I recently tried a virtual site for glasses, as I know the time is coming for me to need them. I thought that uploading a picture of myself to try on various frames was a great idea….unfortunately, the site was clunky (or it could be user related, I’ll admit it) and I had great difficultly making the frames fit my picture. When it worked, the superimposed frames were cartoonish in nature, making it difficult for me to visualize myself wearing the frames. After some attempts, I grew increasingly frustrated and gave up.

Bottom line, online retailers are continually looking for ways to compete against the brick and mortars, or even try to complement their consumer experience by offering these virtual experiences in addition to their in person experiences. As with anything new, I fully expect that, if this trend continues, technology will be enhanced as time goes on, potentially making this a viable option for consumers.

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