Today's online shoppers are more socially active than ever, always keen on participating in conversations that allow them to share their knowledge and learn from others. Brands, too, are more open to speaking to customers in an informal and open way – most of the world's biggest retailers are active on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, allowing customers to contact them directly.
These off-site communities are powerful in that they give customers a platform to express their opinions, but the next step for retailers is having an online community built directly into their site.
Apple, for example, has successfully created a community within its online store that allows shoppers to ask questions and has thousands of active conversations going on at any one time. This service enhances loyalty by giving customers a place to candidly discuss products with fellow enthusiasts, and prompts repeat visits by giving them a good reason to return to the site.
So how can retailers successfully create an online community that engages shoppers and boosts sales?
Engage
The first aim of building an online community is to engage the audience and encourage repeat visits to the site. To achieve this, retailers should ensure users can express themselves, that they can easily see what others are up to and that they feel contributions are valued.
Letting users create profiles is a simple baseline for individual expression and lets them feel part of a network of like-minded people. It also gives the community a distinct look and feel. Retailers should let users follow things they find interesting – this is a powerful way for them to create their own network of interests. Regular email updates about their interests will also bring them back to the site.
Users must feel that the content they post is valued – people like getting likes. Feedback mechanisms such as upvotes, likes or reputation points are all effective methods at showing users that people value their contributions.
Collaborate
Online communities can be miniature societies where shoppers and staff members sit alongside one another to share their wisdom. They should be friendly, social environments that offer impartial and expert answers to customer questions, while also making the brand seem approachable. Retailers should ensure staff are available to answer any questions. Swift responses add to the customer's sense that they are participating in a conversation, and support their perception of a retailer's product expertise.
The community can then be used to bridge a gap between online and bricks-and-mortar stores; when a customer shops on the high street, the retailer's staff are on-hand to assist with questions or problems. An online community replicates this experience.
But it also offers something that can't be replicated on the high street: the mix of expert staff and genuine customer opinion. This is a strong combination that gives shoppers more reason to visit the retailer and makes communities easier to develop.
Socialise
Although the retailer's website is the hub of community activity, it shouldn't end there – spreading the community further allows a wider audience to become involved in the conversation, while also exposing potential new customers to the brand.
Social media sites should be used to support the community. Letting users log in to the community with social profiles facilitates the sharing of information, and share buttons ensure users can spread content across their social networks. Retailers should also actively feed content into their own social media sites so that their off-site communities support their on-site one. This creates a broader base of experience by drawing in insights and opinions from a wider group of people, and so creates a better network of expertise.
Retailers can also steer shoppers towards the community area at natural engagement points, such as product pages or search results. This keeps users engaged if they haven't found what they're looking for and stops them going elsewhere to find that information.
Analyse
A great benefit for retailers having an online community is the information it offers; it acts as a gateway to customer data, which would otherwise need to be market researched. It gives retailers a unique insight into the sentiment of their demographic and allows them to improve their services accordingly.
In light of this, once a retailer has established a successful online community, they can begin to use it as a valuable research and development tool. For instance, if recurring questions crop up about a particular product, this could suggest that the product page information needs improving to increase conversion.
Phil Woodward is the CEO of HipSnip, which tweets as @HipSnip
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