If you have an eCommerce store using Shopify, Woo Commerce or another platform there are a multitude of extra functions you can add to enhance your store’s functionality. Better than that they will increase your profitability and improve your customers’ experience so that they are more likely to return and purchase from you again.
To list every single type of app would take an entire book, and to name specific apps without testing every single one wouldn’t be fair. Instead we are going to tell about what the main functions you want to add to your store so you can research which specific app or plug in to use for your eCommerce store.
#1 Abandoned Cart
We’ve all done it and so do your customers, and that’s go through the process of adding items to the online shopping cart, and then for whatever reason, fail to click the checkout button. An abandoned cart app will remind the customer, either through pop ups, or emails (and sometimes both) that they haven’t checked out. You won’t get everyone to return but those that do add to your sales and profits.
#2 Customised Receipts
Rather than using the generic receipts that your eCommerce platform provides, you can create bespoke receipts with your logo, and branding. You can also use them to offer discounts on future products, and encourage your customer to share them, with a view to attracting new customers.
#3 Email Capture
Every online business should be collecting customer emails and then be using them to enhance the relationship by communicating regularly with advice, information, and promotional offers. This can add enormously to your sales especially when you announce special offers or time-limited discounts.
#4 Live Chat
Customers love it when they can get answers to their questions or problems resolved quickly. It promotes loyalty and will have them telling others about how good your customer service is. With a live chat app you can link it to your mobile device or your virtual assistant’s to communicate directly with customers in real time.
#5 Product Reviews
Product reviews can make the difference between a customer having the confidence to buy a product or not. Giving customers the opportunity to leave positive reviews about your products will firstly mean they feel loyalty towards you, and secondly gives others thinking of buying, the social proof that the products are worth it.
#6 Out of Stock
Think about how much profits are lost when one or more of a business’s products are out of stock. Products go out of stock for reasons that cannot be helped, but what you can do is instead of just letting customers click away, you give them the chance to pre-order it for when it becomes available again.
#7 Exit Offer
If a customer has been looking through your product pages but is about to click away without adding anything to their shopping cart, an exit offer app might just do enough to nudge them towards buying. It could be in the form of a one-off discount or a free shipping offer. They were leaving anyway so why not do it, and in time you’ll be delighted how often this is enough to make them purchase.
