Telecommuting, meetings with friends, e-commerce... You know what they all have in common? Bingo, they're all 3 done online!
As imagined in science-fiction films, the future could only be on the Internet. As confinement has proved, all our daily activities can now be carried out from home. Working, shopping and even cycling with friends!
With the COVID pandemic, the Internet has been used primarily for online shopping, as evidenced by the boom in e-commerce in 2020. 112 billion euros in 2020, i.e. 10 billion more than the previous year!
But despite a steady increase in e-commerce, there are still some people who are reluctant to buy online. But what actually stops them?
# Fear of bank fraud.
Buying online means revealing our bank details. This raises concerns about how our data is stored. Not knowing who has access to this information makes users fear that their accounts could be hacked. Surprisingly, 50% of consumers say they fear bank fraud and 11% fear their bank details could be leaked.
# Physical stores remain attractive.
Physical retail will always have one key advantage over e-commerce: theexperience. When shopping, consumers seek a customer experience. The stronger the customer's experience with a product, the more likely they are to purchase it and the more they will like the brand. In a store, customers benefit from the advice of salespeople, a particular design, and music. All these elements help to provoke emotions that will make the customer inclined to buy, and may even encourage impulse purchases. However, online, on an e-commerce site, consumers find themselves in front of their phones with no related experience, except for good ergonomics. On their smartphone, internet users do not have the sound atmosphere of a physical store. They may also not have enough photos of the product to form an opinion. They only have product descriptions and customer reviews, which are not always accurate, to go on.
# The importance of authentic customer reviews
When preparing to make a purchase, the first step is research. Which product, why, but above all, what did those who have already bought it think? For nearly 9 out of 10 customers, reviews influence their online purchasing decisions. And yes, because without the product in front of them, reviews become a real reference point. When we look for an item, the main sense we use is touch. We pick up the item, examine its texture, which is a determining factor in the purchase.
Unfortunately, even if the items have a good rating, reviews do not allow us to form a real opinion about the item. Often the comments can be summed up as "great" or "really awesome," which does not allow us to understand why they really liked the product.
Furthermore, we don't always know if the reviews are genuine. Websites don't check whether the person commenting has actually made a purchase. As a result, some people may post comments with the aim of raising or lowering the brand's rating.
# Unattractive e-commerce sites for consumers.
Even if a website is only functional, it is still important to have good ergonomics.
When a website is not readable or easy to understand, consumers will go to a competitor's website to make their purchases. Consumers may feel uncomfortable on a website for several reasons: too much text in the product description, few photos available showing the item, text that is too small, etc.
Unfortunately, when creating an e-commerce site, some users are left behind. Sites are not designed for the elderly or visually impaired. This makes it difficult for them to use these sites, even though it is entirely possible!
# How can brands stand out from other e-commerce sites?
E-commerce sites must overcome these obstacles if they are to remain attractive to consumers. But how can they do this?
The first thing to do is to recreate the affective feeling that is generated by the atmosphere and ambience of the store. Online, these 2 notions are difficult to create: there's no background music, no sales assistants ready to describe the entire product to you, and if your friends haven't bought it, they can't tell you about it either. And yet!
Thanks to Ekoo, it will now be possible for the professional to tell the story of the products, the favorites of sellers and buyers.
When you see a product online, you'll be able to listen to the professional describe his or her product; why they chose it, how they created it, and so on. The same goes for customer reviews, where you can hear them talk about their purchase and why they liked it. Audio reviews have many qualities: a new shopping experience, authentic reviews from real customers, accessible to all. Audio has become such an important part of our lives that everyone uses it, and it could even dethrone the written word. Hearing passionate people talk about the product will recreate that missing emotion and affective bias.
So, are you ready to combat these obstacles and create a unique shopping experience?
