In 2019, eCommerce succeeded to raise 3,53 trillions of US dollars. However, big profits also mean big competition since everyone tries to set up their own eCommerce shop. It is easier than making business offline after all.
In order to be always on top, you have to be unique and engaging. If you are all that, customers will engage with you as much as possible. It is the only way to make your eCommerce business grow and remain profitable. Otherwise, you will just drown among other similar shops.
So how do you know the level of your customer engagement? There are specific metrics that allow you to do so. Yet, there are always just so many things to measure, it is easy to get lost. You obviously can not keep track of everything so we highlighted XXXXXX metrics that should be enough.
Do not forget that measurement is not your only action plan though. Metrics and KPIs were made so that one can see and acknowledge the problems that they have. So the main function of them is to make you improve, do not forget that. If you see that any metrics are becoming worse, look out for reasons!
Top 4 Ecommerce Metrics That Increase Your Performance if Used Correctly
#1 Conversion Rate
It is clearly one of the most relevant metrics in the eCommerce world. Attracting traffic to your shop is obviously extremely important. Yet, making them stay is a much harder task. Users may visit your site and view the pages but it does not mean that they will necessarily buy something or engage your site in any other profitable way (subscribe to a newsletter with monthly sales, fill in the form about customer experience or lead generation, download VPN app for iPhone, free or with the paid subscription, etc).
Conversion rate helps you to know whether your product is useful enough for the customer and who your target audience is. People from any area or background can visit your site, you should focus on ones who actually buy. Thus, you will know exactly which customers you should try to attract more and what areas are the most profitable. This information influences your advertising completely.
In order to calculate the conversion rate, this formula is used:
Conversion rate = (conversions / total visitors) * 100%
There are also some tactics to make conversion rate higher, such as:
- focus on specific audiences
- create a selling landing page
- make reviews from the customers visible and easily accessible
- create an easy shopping process
- offer a sale and put countdown for it
#2 Average Order Value
There is no much profit if a customer buys a 10$ product and leaves. We are sure that you had to spend a bit more money on advertising to make yourself visible to this client. In order to avoid such situations, marketing experts are trying to make average order value go up.
AOV is also vital at the moment since it is harder to attract a new customer. There are too many businesses with more affordable prices opening up every day. Thus, it is good to make the most out of a single customer that you succeeded to attract.
In order to calculate AOV, use this:
AOV = Total Revenue/Number of Orders
Source: optimizely.com
There are some common ways to make every customer more valuable to your eCommerce store:
Cross-Selling and Upselling
Try to add a “Frequently bought together” or a “Related” section. Customers will see what complementary or related products can come in handy which will also make their customer experience better.
You can also go for suggesting your customers buy a slightly more expensive but better product. Adding a sale for the more expensive product can be a nice touch.
Higher Prices
Putting a higher place is the simplest solution among them all. However, you have to be very careful here. Do not put prices so high that no one can afford your product anymore. People also can go look for something cheaper and they are likely to find it. So do it only with your best selling products that are known for their superiority and value and make it still accessible. Experiment with price change rate.
Offer Free Shipping
If one buys a product, trick them into buying more by offering free shipping that starts from X$.
#3 Cart Abandonment Rate
A customer has already added products to the cart and you expect a good income but then something happens and they just leave your site without buying a thing. This happens more often than you think.
However, it is not a reason to give up on that customer. You can always reconnect with them. Here is how:
- create a follow-up email that will remind them of your product
- make them see your ads on Facebook once again
- allow customers to check out without registration
It may seem like quite an inconvenient option for you because you cannot get their email to send them information about new products and upcoming sales. However, it is an amazing option from the customer’s perspective. The easier the shopping process is, the better.
You can still give an option to subscribe to your newsletter after they have already finished their shopping. You can offer some benefits to creating an account as well.
Source: forbytes.com
#4 Retention Rate
You truly know that a customer enjoyed their shopping with your eCommerce store if they came back. It means that they liked your site, checkout process, delivery time, and a product itself.
Retention is much more useful and cheaper than attracting new customers. The customers who already bought some goods from your brand are 40-50% more likely to buy from you again than the new ones. By making your customer come back, you create a long-lasting relationship, attain a positive brand image, and gain loyal customers. Loyal customers are less likely to look for something new and usually recommend your store to others.
The calculation formula of the retention rate looks like this:
Retention Rate = ((CE-CN)/CS)) X 100.
CE = number of customers at the end of the period.
CN = number of new customers acquired during the period.
CS = number of customers at the start of the period.
In order to boost your retention rate, take care of:
- customer service
- good and user-friendly design
- delivery companies and duration
- package
- loyalty schemes
Conclusion
These 4 simple and understandable metrics will allow you to develop, grow your revenue, and get loyal customers. You do not have to worry about attracting new customers all the time but you will make more money by trying to keep those who already saw your store. Less effort and bigger revenue – what a dream!
Source: e-pepper.com
