The digital world nowadays is all about improving User Experience, also known as UX.
To put that in layman’s words, we aim to make the customer’s journey a piece of cake.
For that to happen, websites and apps use cookies and algorithms to assist the system or artificial intelligence to learn a few of the user’s habits while using that specific platform. This way, the website or the app can remind the client about their frequent purchases, related products or similar choices made by other customers.
You have probably seen something similar to it while using your favourite food delivery app service.
You have chosen your meal and clicked checkout, but before taking you to it, the app showed you a couple of extra options under the following headline - Customers who bought this item also bought.
When we talk about features like this one, our main concern is how to be helpful without being intrusive.
In some situations, you may find yourself having to skip to the next screen around three or four times before being able to place your order and it is a very irritating spammy customer experience.
Most of your online shoppers are time poor and is the main reason why they choose to do their grocery or liquor shopping online.
It’s easy to forget the simple things when we are so busy and there is nothing more annoying when you go to the grocery store and forget that one item you buy each week and have to go back, ironically it’s no different online!
Now, how to guarantee that you would not forget your favourite products or the ones you buy really frequently?
Have you forgotten?
At Myfoodlink we are always trying to improve the customer experience to make shopping weekly easier and easier.
We all have been through the situation where we have paid for our groceries and as you get home or just placed the order you have forgotten the milk or the sandwich fillings for the kid’s school lunches this week.
The Have You Forgotten feature scans the customers’ baskets and helps remind them of regularly bought items that are missing. It is a great way to increase customer basket spend whilst also improving the experience.
If one customer buys a block of cheese weekly but forgot about it this time, meanwhile another customer buys tomatoes and lettuce weekly, our system will remind each one of them about the products that are specific to them that they may have forgotten this time.
Now you have two loyal shoppers, extra happy for this additional bit of great online customer service.
Promote at Checkout
Talking about great customer service, what if you could also remind your shoppers about your great specials or new products right at the checkout?
Well, you definitely can!
It works just like in your physical store. The customer is in line and ready to pay, but they see a lolly, a drink or even a gift card right beside the checkout and decide to add that to their shopping.
The concept here is exactly the same, with the advantage of not being limited by quantity, size nor space like you would be in a physical store.
People usually impulse buy things that make them feel good and nothing makes you feel better than comfort food.
The best way to optimize this tool is by including all sorts of impulsive purchases in it. Confectionary, snacks, chips, dips and soft drinks are the best options.
Another great idea is to guarantee that your shoppers spot some great bargains. Put your great specials in here. Save 30% on something, or maybe a multi-buy 2 for $5.00 on Coca-Cola! It’s important to rotate these products often to keep them fresh.
How to improve your results
The best part of this feature is that it’s already included in your plan. All you have to do is start using it.
During August, some of our clients generated between 0.5% to 1% extra sales by activating it by having only ‘have you forgotten’ which is completely automatic. You can improve this further with some well-chosen products for ‘promote at checkout’.
As we’ve said before, impulse buys like comfort/snacking food, great bargains and special products work really well for getting those extra items in the basket. You don’t have to spend hours every day analysing what your customer’s buying habits are. Only 5 minutes a week of choosing the right products can get you those extra items in the cart!
If you remember that impulse buys are related to “instant gratification”, you will start understanding better how to get stronger results out of this feature.
Impulsive sales make up for 20% of the in-store buying experience, and customers, in general, are saying that they miss this side of the bricks and mortar store experience.
There’s a reason why it’s called retail therapy, and that is instant happiness.
