Did you know that 40% of the entire world population has shopped online at one point or another? That staggering number is evidence that eCommerce is one of the most lucrative business initiatives the world over. Of course, landing these customers for your own benefit is only half the battle. Retaining them on a long-term basis is the ultimate goal. That being said, let’s take a look at a few tips for keeping your eCommerce customers happy and coming back for more.

Optimize for Mobile – Billions of people have smartphones, and the majority of them use these devices to access the internet for everything from checking email to – you guessed it – shopping online. If your site isn’t optimized for premium performance on mobile devices, you’re most definitely losing sales as a result. In addition to investing in responsive design, you should also consider the following guidelines:

• Use fewer images to improve load time
• Make pertinent information, such as how to make a purchase, quick and easy to find (and, of course, clickable)
• Optimize mobile forms to be shorter and less cumbersome than desktop ones

Invest in SMS – Texting has provided businesses with the ability to reach their prospects exactly where they are at the perfect moment, thereby dramatically increasing the chance of conversion. Capitalize on this by using SMS for any (or all) of the following:

• Customer Service – Offering customers the ability to ask questions and provide feedback via SMS makes it much easier for them, which means greater satisfaction levels.
• Exclusive Deals/Promotions – Keep your customers informed and increase the chance of repeat business by sharing exclusive deals and promotions only for your SMS subscribers.
• Order Tracking – Make it super easy and convenient for customers to get the status of their order by texting updates, like shipping and delivery notifications.

Leverage Social Media – Another powerful tool for keeping existing customers engaged and connected with your eCommerce brand is to engage them over social media. For best results, make sure your profile is optimized with keywords for maximum searchability and consistently share quality content that your target audience will find valuable.

Focus on Reliability – Perhaps the single most important way to retain eCommerce customers is to ensure that the experience they have with your brand – from start to finish – is satisfactory. This means offering as many options as possible, such as expedited shipping, and also working with trustworthy third parties, like delivery services, to ensure a seamless, problem-free experience. The more people feel as though they can rely on you, the more likely they’ll be to stick around.

Of course, all of this should be built upon a foundation of exceptional internal operations and impeccable inventory management processes. By focusing your efforts on these key areas, you’ll be able to position your company at the head of the competition, both now and well into the future.