Customer expectations have no boundaries! They want more of everything – quality products, lower price, quicker delivery, hefty discounts, personalized experience, data protection & the list goes on & on.

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eCommerce businesses that exceed customer expectations never run out of business, even in the toughest business environment. They run highly successful businesses as they have met the four essential customer needs: fair pricing, excellent service, quality product, & making a customer feel valued.

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eCommerce has come a long way in the last decade, and most analysts believe it's the future of retail. As online businesses are growing at an exponential rate, the customers' expectations are also growing. Here are some of the high-demand customer expectations from an eCommerce store in 2024.

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1) Opportunities for free shipping

The word “free” has an amazing effect on customer behaviour in eCommerce. Are you aware that 90% of the customers view free shipping as the top incentive to encourage them to shop online more often? 93% of shoppers claim they will take action to qualify for free shipping by adding items to their cart.

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Another 9 out of 10 customers say free shipping is their biggest incentive to shop online. Today, customers have many options for eCommerce shopping, and they are more likely to go shopping with a seller that provides free shipping options than sellers that charge for shipping.

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Benefits of free shipping:

• Free shipping boost Average Order Value (AOV)

• Effectively counters shopping cart abandonment

• Customers who are offered free shipping are likely to become repeat customers

• Businesses gain a competitive edge over competitors who do not offer free shipping

• Free shipping decreases the chances of customers backing out from transactions, thereby increasing sales & revenue

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2) Personalized customer experience

Recent research in on-site personalization has revealed that nearly 9 out of 10 retailers accept that their visitors and customers expect a personalized user experience.

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Benefits of a personalized customer experience

• It helps provide focused & targeted offers to the customers based on browsing & on-site customer behaviour

• The customer's desire for personal attention is fulfilled, which used to be a crucial part of traditional marketing.

• Providing a personalized ecommerce experience can allow a user to feel as if they have control over their buying, which can positively influence their purchasing behavior.

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Effective strategies for a personalized customer experience

• Display recently viewed items

• Provide handpicked products specially curated for your customers

• Personalize email marketing – use customer name, celebrate customer birthday

• Make personalized product recommendations based on products in Add to Cart button

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Fynd Platform allows eCommerce websites to create a handpicked collection for customers that can be further segregated based on filter, brand, category, price, etc. It can be highly useful for customers looking for some of the best deals and specially curated products from fashion designers & brands.

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3) Hunt for special deals, discounts & coupons

A survey found that sales and discounts increase sales by making the customers feel smart. It also revealed 97% of respondents answered ‘yes’ when asked if they were looking for deals when shopping, and 92% said they were always looking for deals. 

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These days, every ecommerce seller is looking for ways to get more sales. You might have tried many different strategies and tactics, but nothing seems to be working as intended. But wait, there's a simple solution that can increase your ecommerce conversion rate - special deals.

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There is a science behind it, and we can prove why customers run after special deals, discounts & coupons? Researchers have found that coupon recipients who received a $10 voucher experienced a 38% rise in oxytocin levels (the happy hormones) and were 11% happier than those who did not receive a coupon. Another study says consumers, on average, deemed discounts and coupons to be ‘very important’ during their digital purchasing decisions. 

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Benefits of special deals

• Attract customers interested in shopping from every age group

• It boost the brand awareness & visibility on the internet

• Special deals can lower your shopping cart abandonment rate

• Customers love being rewarded when you offer exclusive offers to customers

• Special deals drive increased traffic & bring more visitors to your website

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4) Easy & free product returns

Easy and free product returns make the customers happy and increase their stickability to their respective brands! 78% of customers say they would buy more with a retailer over time if there were free returns. 86% of respondents in the research say having the possibility to return bought items for free makes them loyal and more likely to keep coming back to an online retailer.

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The above study shows that retailers that offer flexible returns and payment options are more likely to keep ahead of the competition, increase customer confidence, and convert them into loyal customers. 

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A flexible eCommerce return policy is a great way to increase a customer's chances to return products without the fear of not getting refunds. By adding this option, you can encourage customers to buy more products.

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5) Fair pricing & quality products

Customers have tasted fair pricing and quality products all these years on different eCommerce shopping platforms. They expect the same on every retail platform as these metrics are the number one differentiator in the eCommerce market. Customers compare pricing & product reviews across different eCommerce platforms before placing an actual order on the eCommerce website.

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If you want to stand out from the competition, you need to create a better experience for your customers for the same price, so they keep coming back for business. For example, The secret behind the success of e-commerce giants like Amazon & Flipkart is their pricing strategy and product quality. Flipkart & Amazon plan their pricing war games on different events & festivals like Big Billion day, the great Indian shopping festival, Diwali, New Year and more. 

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Sometimes Amazon is on the winning end due to the lowest price & sometimes Flipkart. To differentiate its quality product offerings, Amazon has created micro brand stores on its platform to convince the customers that they are buying directly from the brands at competitive pricing. 

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Flipkart does things differently as they have not set any shopping limit, unlike Amazon, and ship numerous products to customers completely free at fair pricing.  
Ecommerce is growing exponentially, and customer expectations will continue to grow along with it.

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Having a solid understanding of what your customers expect from you is crucial in providing them with the best service and products. With an ever-increasing number of alternate ecommerce platforms, you need to ensure that your business is headed in the right direction.

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Fynd Platform helps retailers launch an outstanding eCommerce website in merely 30 minutes. You are invited to become a part of our growing community of startups & entrepreneurs that are benefiting from launching an online business. To know more, schedule a demo or contact us immediately.