How to Create a Unique eCommerce Customer Experience (With Examples!)

07/14/2022

In 2022, it is no surprise that merely selling a “cool,” “well-built” or even “trendy” product is enough to keep your customers coming back.

With the advent of virtual try-on, personalized quizzes, and augmented reality, customers have begun to value a unique experience just as much as (or even more than) the product itself.

If you’ve nailed your niche but are looking for some inspiration on how to create a unique (and memorable) customer experience, keep on reading.

Why bother having a unique customer experience? ?

In order to keep your customers satisfied, coming back, and recommending your product, you will need to do more than just provide them with a quality good or service. In this day and age, customers have begun to value the shopping experience just as much as what they bring home.

Why? Here are a two main reasons:

1) Set yourself apart from competitors

Nowadays, there are so many options as to where people can buy things. The dropshipping business model has allowed more entrepreneurs to enter the market. Each of which brings a new and unique shopping experience – even if they sell identical products. Instead of merely sifting through a catalogue of goods, customers would much rather a personalized and interactive experience.

2) A unique experience provides a real reason for customers to come to your site

Products are merely a commodity and advertising becomes expensive. When you provide your customers or potential customers with an actual reason to come to your site, you save yourself a lot of marketing and advertising dollars.

With a unique experience, you own the customer journey. Whether you create a personalized quiz or push out quality content, you begin to have a rapport with your customers and they begin to view you as a trusted source of information. A unique experience helps you develop a relationship with your customers that goes beyond a single transaction.

What are some ways that you can create a memorable eCommerce experience?

Now for the inspiration. Here are some of our favourite examples of businesses going above and beyond to create a memorable customer experience (and believe us, it pays off).

1) Augmented Reality

In the past few years, many businesses have opted to invest in augmented reality to enhance their customer’s online shopping experience.

In particular, companies selling higher-priced products will invest in AR in order to reduce the risk that many customers experience shopping online. For example, many furniture stores like Wayfair and IKEA, leverage augmented reality in order for their customers to design their dream rooms, redesign their studios, or even outfit an entire home completely online and with minimal risk.

Normally, these companies simply have you input the dimensions of your space. Then, they will provide you with a drag and drop feature, so you can place, rotate, and style your space with your favourite items.

2) Personalized Quizzes

Personalized quizzes are a great way to offer a product or service that is especially fit for your customer.

Businesses specializing in hair care and multivitamins all the way to style boxes and sneakers have leveraged this tactic to make their customers feel like the center of their shopping experience.

IPSY, for instance, leverages a personalized quiz to reduce the buying burden. Instead of spending your money on numerous “risky” new beauty items each month, IPSY will put together a special box full of sample-sized items that directly cater to your tastes and interests.

Similarly, companies like Function of Beauty and SpoiledChild have you take personalized, in-depth hair care and skin care quizzes respectively. Depending on your answers, each company will put together a fully customized formula to best remedy your pain points and meet your goals.

3) Wishlists

Wishlists are a very simple to implement and easy-to-understand addition to your customer experience.

We have all browsed online when we aren’t quite ready to bite the bullet. Sometimes we are waiting for payday, and other times we are waitinf for our partners to get home from work in order to get a second opinion. Either way, wishlists provide a quick and easy way for you to favourite your items and return to them at any time.

Wishlists are particularly useful for companies like Urban Outfitters which have very large catalogues that span various categories.

4) Virtual Try-On

It is no secret that people prefer online shopping. In fact, more than 55% of Americans would rather online shop in 2022.

Features like virtual try-on effectively eliminate any benefits of in-store shopping. Years ago, buying a pair of glasses online, for example, would seem impossible. After all, who could possibly imagine buying a pair of glasses without trying them on first?

Clearly’s virtual try-on feature has allowed millions of Canadians to purchase anything from reading glasses to sunglasses worry-free. You can even record yourself and rewatch the footage to compare your favourites using your mobile phone on any mainstream browser.

By entering your pupillary distance (PD), you can even get a sense of size – not just style. Additionally, you can adjust your tint for an even more realistic experience.

5) Shopping Sprees

Shopping sprees are a great interactive initiative that allows customers to share a unique login with either their employees, friends, or family members and provide them with a fully expensed shopping experience.

For example, QC Office provides companies with unique login codes for employees to spruce up their work from home office. This gives employees the freedom to choose the items they desire on the company card.

Your customer’s eCommerce experience starts now

We hope that this article has inspired you to put on your thinking caps and arrange a brainstorming session regarding your customer experience. Putting in the extra time to create a memorable buying journey for your customer results increases customer retention rates and, thus, recurring revenue. What journey will you and your team create?

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