Global E-commerce Sales are Up 63%: How Can You Get Your Piece of the Pie?

During the Coronavirus pandemic, brick and mortar stores shifted the business operations online in hopes of keeping their sales numbers stable. This was a very good decision since e-commerce statistics show a significant increase in the number of purchases. Global sales are up 63% since the crisis began and sales in the US increased by 45%. Interestingly enough, global luxury sales were also up by 21% which is also a sign of increased economic activity.

Since e-commerce sales are up, it means that more people are visiting your site and requesting information or asking questions about particular items. Providing quality customer service will help you continue such an upward trend and enable your company to grow in such a difficult business climate. Let’s take a look at how you can provide exceptional customer service in the post-pandemic era.

Keep Your Customers Informed

Always maintain stable communication between your new and existing customers. This can be something as simple as reminding them that you are open for business or that you have new promotional offers available. Put their fears to rest by letting them know about all of the safety measures you are taking to ensure a secure working environment and that you are sending out clean products. Most importantly, never forget to thank them for their continued support. Be proactive with your communications and don’t forget to sprinkle in some relevant details.

Reinvigorate Your Social Media Presence

During the lockdown period, people have flocked to social media to the point where we are seeing an unprecedented rise in the screentime. Engagements on Instagram and TikTok were up 25% and we witnessed an astounding 72% increase in #ad content by influencers. Since your buyers are on social media so often, you have to use this medium to reach them. Instead of posting outright promotional content, try selling your products or services by providing people with some value by offering informative and engaging content.

Implement Live Chat

While people are browsing through your products online, they will undoubtedly have some questions about certain items. The faster you provide answers and customized experience for each shopper, the more likely you are to convert visitors to customers. If you have not done so already, start offering the opportunity to chat with a live customer service representative. According to a recent report, where they surveyed more than 2,500 customers, 60% of them said that one minute is too long to wait on hold. With an increased number of consumers calling in during the quarantine, you can expect the percentage to go up.

You Have to Give Back

Giving back to the community that supported you even before the crisis is always important, but it’s even more crucial nowadays since a lot of businesses have closed up shops and people have been left without work. Even if you do not have a whole lot of money to donate to charity or worthy causes, you can make a difference by volunteering, giving something away for free, or supporting fellow entrepreneurs who have taken a hit as a result of the pandemic.

Enhance Your Customer Service

It is very important to have empathy and place yourself in the customers’ shoes. They are going through a tough time right now and you need to cut them some slack. Try extending the return and exchange time frame, eliminating the fine print on your website by clearly disclosing all of the terms, and calculating the expected delivery date right on the checkout page. Your customer will really appreciate all of the steps you are taking to ease their discomfort and will repay you by coming back again and again.

Mindy Support is Here to Help You Provide Top-Notch Customer Service

Some of the things that were mentioned above such as using live chat, being more active on social media, reducing customer hold times all require additional people to perform these jobs. We understand that right now budgets are tight which is why we offer companies the opportunity to assemble a customer service team at a fraction of the cost. You will have full control over the size of your team and can scale up or down as needed. As time goes on, you will start viewing your offshore team as an extension of the one you have in-house.

Posted by Il’ya Dudkin