eCommerce is set to account for almost 21% of all sales this year — and this figure is expected to increase to at least 24% by 2026.1
eCommerce is also a highly competitive environment, characterised by conversion rates of just 1-4% and average basket abandonment rates of almost 70%.23 Standing out from the crowd requires optimised eCommerce experiences centred on:
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Engaging promotions and product sales
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Well-designed, personalised websites
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And simplified user experiences (UX)
These must each be implemented according to a refined promotions and customer experience strategy.
In this article, we’re going to explore examples of what the best eCommerce experiences look like. In particular, we’ll consider the power of promotions and the crucial part they play in creating a lucrative online strategy that gets you seen and selling. Let’s get started!
Suggested reading: Read our free eBook, ‘What Winning Your Promotional Strategy Looks Like’, to learn more about the impact of a successful eCommerce promotions strategy.
What is an eCommerce experience?
‘eCommerce experiences’ refer to the journey of any eCommerce customer who interacts with or shops with you online.
In contrast to what many marketing specialists might think, the online shopping experience doesn’t begin and end on your website. Rather, it starts from the moment a customer first learns about your brand and continues right through to after they become a buyer.
So, eCommerce experiences involve your:
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Social media accounts
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Website or online store
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Post-purchase emails and offers
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And all advertised sales, promotions or product recommendations
What impactful eCommerce experiences look like
48% of consumers have made a purchase elsewhere because of a poorly curated online experience.4 The experiential element of your eCommerce customer journey can make the difference between a successful business and one that fails to drive shoppers through to sale.
An impactful eCommerce experience should have:
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A streamlined cross-channel journey: With a smooth transition from social media to your website and back again.
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Personalised promotions: Personalised offerings both on your website and within follow-up emails can increase sales and encourage repeat purchases.
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Engaging onsite journey: Simple, intuitive layouts and promotions such as gamification and personalised offerings can pique and hold customer interest from end to end.
Of these features, promotions are potentially the most important. They help develop great promotion experiences that give shoppers an additional incentive to make a purchase or visit your website.
In the following examples, we’ll show how you can seamlessly integrate promotions and subsequently improve your promotion performance to simplify and enhance the customer journey.
5 industry-leading examples for 2023
These industry-leading eCommerce experiences provide examples of what works, why, and how you can implement that knowledge on your eCommerce site.
1. Ovo Energy’s streamlined cross-channel eCommerce experience
Ovo Energy was struggling with a lack of onsite promotional code capabilities which was costing them sales and preventing cross-channel custom. Uniqodo injected promotional codes for specific sign-up flows, enabling Ovo Energy to offer tailored discounts to cross-channel consumers dependent on their URLs.
By applying a bill of credit to live supplies after code redemption, Ovo was also able to keep discounts active without further consumer input. This ensured streamlined experiences that significantly improved eCommerce conversion rates.
What we can learn
Streamlined online experiences make it far less likely that customers will shop elsewhere. By making the transition across channels as smooth as possible, you can ensure shoppers stay engaged with your brand and don’t move over to competitors sites.
2. Simply Be impresses shoppers with personalised discount offers
Simply Be was lacking the capability to target exclusive discounts to customer loyalty program members. With Uniqodo, they were finally able to offer fully-trackable discount codes based on the browsing data of loyalty program sign-ups.
Over six weeks, individual offers were presented exclusively to members. These discounts increased in value with the number of purchases made. This increased loyalty sign-ups, as well as enabling Simply Be to improve the experience of their most loyal customers.
What we can learn
By considering browsing data and consumer habits, brands can take steps to personalise their site and engage customers throughout the sales funnel. This then increases the chances of sales, repeat custom, and higher customer satisfaction levels.
Read the full case study here.
3. BT Shop achieves 50x normal demand levels with a gated onsite journey
BT Shop wanted to create gated release-day PS5 product pages aimed at their existing customers.
Uniqodo provided single-use promotional codes that were sent to customers’ BT accounts. These unique promo codes led to a gated PS5 product page that ensured loyal BT customers were able to purchase their PS5 on the day of release.
The traffic that this promotion created resulted in 50x increases in normal demand and a 10x incremental conversion rate throughout the promotion.
What we can learn
Website optimisation is essential for ensuring performance during high levels of demand. This will ensure the eCommerce experience is seamless, even when the website is under significant pressure.
Experimenting with exclusive gated page access and a/b testing to measure performance can also help you to identify the strongest and weakest aspects of your site. In the long term, this allows you to develop more informed acquisition and engagement strategies.
4. Firezza’s seamless eCommerce experience and promotion delivery
Firezza needed to overcome the setbacks of promo code abuse that they were facing with their bulk voucher codes. Their two key requirements were to:
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Increase new customer acquisition
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And deliver promotions that reactivated previous consumers or email sign-ups
Uniqodo helped Firezza to produce and manage more secure and trackable discount codes. These included regular campaigns and exclusive offers for email subscribers.
Consumers were required to enter a friend’s email at checkout to activate a code that both they and their friend could utilise. The scheme received notably more opt-ins than Firezza’s traditional email marketing sign-ups.
Thanks to their new, streamlined promotional journey, Firezza enjoyed a 78% increase in customer acquisition and a 29% increase in active customers.
What we can learn
Single-use coupon codes should be implemented alongside a range of marketing tactics and creative applications for the best results. Even better if the promotion is delivered based on different activations, such as exit intent, browsing behaviour, or cart value.
Read the full case study here.
5. Avis makes the path to purchase easier with onsite messaging
Avis required clear end-to-end engagement to capture consumer interest and secure sales. Uniqodo helped Avis to implement onsite personalised welcome messages and personalised discount offers to existing consumers. Discounts based on browsing history were also auto-applied at checkout.
This enabled Avis to drive engagement by 36% across all eCommerce customer journeys. Auto-applied discounts reduced basket abandonment rates, optimising the customer experience and increasing conversion rates.
What we can learn
The best eCommerce experiences focus on the whole sales funnel, including web optimisation from the first click to the checkout stage. If you apply promotions without thinking about the wider eCommerce journey, you’re at risk of losing shoppers along the way.
Want to get started? Read our recent article, ‘The 5 Best eCommerce Promotion Engines on the Market’, to discover the top promotions tools available today.
Meet modern customer expectations with an optimised eCommerce experience
Modern eCommerce experiences must be personal, streamlined, and user-friendly. While this might seem obvious, you’d be surprised at how often it gets forgotten. In the excitement of trialling a new marketing tactic or social media strategy, it can be easy to leave the overarching online customer experience behind.
By integrating promotions into the overall user experience, you can create a more intentional customer journey that optimises the chance of eCommerce conversions. This might include:
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Cross-platform offers
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Personalised discounts
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Auto-application of promotions at checkout
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And much more
Uniqodo has extensive experience helping brands build on the power of well-placed promotions. Our Promotion Experience Platform is a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate tool that uses techniques like personalisation, intent-driven popups, and multi-channel distribution to boost promotional effectiveness across channels.
Book a discovery call with our team to find out what we can do for your customers’ eCommerce experience today.
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