Getting and using consumer feedback is important to growing any business. Consumers communicate with you not only by choosing to buy or not buy your products, but also by leaving a trail of data across your website that you can track. It may be through responding to your surveys or even by sharing their experience with your website and products on their own channels. Harnessing that information and implementing useful feedback is an ongoing responsibility.
User Journey Data
Understanding the path the consumer took through your site before they made a decision to purchase helps to identify site features that might not have been conducive to following through on a purchase.
The first thing to track is what terms customers are searching to get to your site and, when they get there, what terms they search to find the product they want.
Did the term they typed in lead them directly to what they wanted, or did they have to make additional clicks through related items? If they did have to click through related items, how many did they see before they found what they wanted? A loyal consumer may be more willing to click through multiple pages than a new consumer would be.
User journey data can help you identify the parts of your website getting a lot of traffic and focus on fleshing those out more. On the flip side, it can help you identify parts of your site that aren’t serving their intended purpose and streamline your offerings.
“User journey data combined with other sources of information gives us a way to understand what’s driving a wide variety of customers, ranging from those who are tech-savvy and buy from the company frequently to those who are new to the site,” said Roland Gossage, CEO of GroupBy Inc., a Canadian-based company providing eCommerce solutions that helps companies better connect with their customers by providing a more relevant user experience.
User-Generated Content
As a business grows and develops a loyal consumer base, those consumers become more likely to proactively provide feedback on other channels. Engaging with consumers’ posts on social media, regardless of whether their posts are positive or negative, shows a brand is responsive and engaged and introduces the company to potential new customers in the buyer’s network.
“As consumers post content online, this opens a direct chain of communication with retailers in which they can listen, learn from and react to consumer feedback,” Gossage explained to Multichannel Merchant. “In turn, this will prove that retailers listen to each and every shopper and value what they have to say on an individual level.”
Follow relevant influencers and hashtags to make sure your business is being mentioned among its competitors and to be ready to respond or add to the conversation.
Surveys and Focus Groups
An obvious way to get feedback is through surveys. Retailers often send messages asking buyers to rate their experience and the product they purchased following a successful conversion. Making sure you send it via the method they prefer, whether it’s email or text, can encourage more responses and show the consumer respect. It’s smart to target your surveys toward specific issues you’re learning how to address. Several companies, including SurveyKing and Alchemer, can help you design short surveys that are manageable to complete but still provide valuable insights.
For frequent consumers who are invested in the success of the business and the product, a virtual or in-person focus group might be worthwhile. Offering incentives to participate can drive more participation and can encourage buyers to participate multiple times, giving ongoing feedback on changes you implement. Potential incentives could include a discount on a future purchase or membership in a consumer feedback program.
