Customer satisfaction is such a key thing to aim for when running your business. If you can satisfy your customers, they will keep coming back for more. Similarly, consumer satisfaction is just as important. The terms are basically interchangeable, only consumer satisfaction mainly refers to people who are not yet customers. Therefore, the idea of satisfying them is to ensure they become paying customers.
Many techniques and methods exist to do just that, but we’re going to talk about one of them in today’s piece. As the title points out, we’re looking at the idea of convenience.
What is convenience?
Convenience refers to all the different things you do to make life easier for the consumer. This can relate to aspects of your physical business premises, your website, your payment methods, and so on. In fact, you will see plenty of examples of convenience as you keep on scrolling. We’re pinpointed certain things you should start doing to make life easier for the consumer, and why they improve satisfaction rates.
Express Checkouts
Technically, this can refer to both physical and online stores. In a physical store, express checkouts are the self-service ones where you can go and pay for everything yourself. Or, you see some shops where you’re able to scan as you shop, paying in seconds in the end. Either way, it’s so convenient for the consumer as they have a quick and easy way to pick what they need and pay for it – rather than waiting in line behind people with loads of items.
However, it’s perhaps even better when used online. Online express checkouts include things like PayPal Checkout whereby a consumer can use PayPal to quickly buy things on a different site. It bypasses the need to fill in contact details and get your bank card out – you can click a button and be done in seconds. This is far more convenient, satisfying consumers as they don’t have to wait around. Things like this are great as you are actively encouraging more sales due to the sheer convenience of paying for things via your store.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions are so incredibly convenient for the consumer. Why? Because they act as a sort of instant customer service method. The idea behind FAQs is that you list all of the most commonly asked questions people have relating to your business. You know what people usually want to discover, so you present a section on your website full of the answers. It stops a consumer from needing to email you or try to call you to get answers. Everything they need is right there in front of them, and they’ll love this.
As a consequence, they’re going to be very satisfied with this customer service. Again, it’s more likely that they contact you and become a customer because of this. You’ve made it simple and easy for them to find the answers they’re looking for. They don’t have to do loads of research, and they may have answers to questions that were holding them back from making a purchase or signing up for a service. With the FAQs laid out in front of them, they can make a quicker decision.
Automatic doors
Definitely a thing for physical premises only, but you’ll be amazed at how important they can be. Firstly, what do we mean by automatic doors? Mainly, we’re talking about the classic commercial automatic sliding doors that open as people approach them. They’re controlled either by pressure plates or motion sensors, but the idea is people can walk in without needing to physically open a door. It’s wildly convenient, but have you ever stopped to consider the impact this has on consumers?
Manually opening doors are inconvenient as they can cause lines and awkward situations where you’re waiting for lots of people to open and close the door at once. It puts you off going inside a shop, especially when it’s busy. Automatic ones allow for free-flowing foot traffic, which attracts more customers to your store. Also, automatic doors cater to consumers with disabilities. Someone in a wheelchair or on crutches will be unable to operate a manual door. So, having automatic ones means you don’t compromise a section of your target market. This makes them satisfied, increasing the likelihood of them purchasing something.
Saved for later
From something exclusive to physical stores to an online exclusive, ‘saved for later’ is a feature where consumers can put things in a digital basket and keep them for later. Well, they can either do this intentionally or not. The brilliant concept is that it keeps items in a basket when someone leaves the site or forgets to check out. People have short attention spans, so there are many instances where consumers add lots of things to a basket, get distracted, and forget to pay for anything. They remember a few hours later, only to return to an empty basket.
With the ‘saved for later’ feature, all of their items stay in the basket for a period of time. So, it’s very convenient when they return as they don’t have to go and find everything and add them all again. They bypass all of this and can check out right away. Having this option is great as it gives consumers a chance to browse your site, save things that interest them, and come back at a later date. The convenience of having everything saved will encourage them to return and follow through with the purchase.
In summary, all of these examples show how impactful convenience is on the consumer. By making people’s lives easier, there’s a better chance of them reaching positive decisions. Effectively, it’s all about removing obstacles in the way of them starting their journey and making a purchase. The more convenient the buyer’s journey is, the more chance there is of them becoming customers. If you continue to make their life easier after they’ve made an initial purchase, they are likely to keep coming back for more.