How to Write a Business Case for Onsite Experience Software

Over 60% of website users say that if they don’t find what they’re looking for within five seconds, they’ll leave the site to look for alternatives.¹ That’s why it’s essential for eCommerce businesses to ensure that their website has an intuitive layout, engaging promotional features, and a streamlined path to purchase. 

One way to achieve this is with onsite experience software, which delivers promotions at optimal points in the customer journey and helps to facilitate cross-channel marketing.

In this article, we’ll outline how you can build a robust business case for onsite experience software — and explain what factors to look out for when choosing your software. 

Suggested reading: Read our free eBook, ‘What Winning Your Promotional Strategy Looks Like’, for more advanced promotions and eCommerce marketing tips.

What is a business case?

As most business experts will know, a business case is a project that explains and justifies the benefits of a potential investment. 

A business case should always be targeted towards solving a specific business challenge or problem, such as:

• Low conversion rates

• Coupon code misuse

• Poor promotion performance

If you’re currently planning a business case for onsite experience software, it’s likely you’re experiencing one of these issues. Alternatively, you might simply be updating an outdated website to ensure delivering the best eCommerce experiences for your customers.

Why is creating a business case so important?

A business case lets you demonstrate to your peers and higher-ups where and why a specific investment is needed. 

When it comes to software, a business case is also important because it allows you to critically examine what options are available, and judge whether your business will actually benefit from the investment. 

Setting aside time to develop a strong business case will serve you well in the long run, even if the project ends up not going ahead.

A good business case should be persuasive, well-researched, and proactive in answering questions the audience might have. Here are some of our top tips for writing a convincing case:

1) Identify your core business challenges

Even though 75% of people will make at least one online order per month, the online shopping industry continues to struggle with high bounce rates, cart abandonment, and low eCommerce customer retention.²

As you start to build a business case, choose three to five core issues you want to focus on. This will ensure the software you choose is suited to solving these specific problems. 

You should also place your project within a specific timeline, and demonstrate why it’s important to make the investment now rather than at a later date.

2) Explain how onsite experience software helps

‘Onsite experience software’ is a broad term that encapsulates a range of UI and UX tools. To create a convincing business case, you will need to focus on specific features and practically demonstrate how these solve your identified challenges. Consider:

• Creating a list of use cases

• Incorporating a software demonstration or trial

• Proactively identifying risks of the software and explaining how they can be avoided

This process will give your audience insight into how and why you have selected a piece of software, and help them visualise what it might look like in action. Key benefits of onsite experience software to discuss include:

• Increasing shopper engagement by recognising exit intent and sending popups or discount codes that encourage users to complete a purchase.

• Improving customer loyalty with email sign-up forms delivered at the optimal moment in the eCommerce customer journey.

• Increasing profit through targeted upselling and cross-selling capabilities.

• Growing your customer base by incorporating referral links and messaging throughout your site.

3) Evaluate options on the market

There is a huge number of software options out there — so how do you choose? 

The criteria will look different for every business, but here are some key questions you should always keep in mind:

• What challenges does it target? Does it solve multiple problems or just one?

• What risks does it pose, and are they significant?

• What have others said about the product?

• Will it enhance your promotion strategy?

• Will it provide a long-term ROI?

Don’t be too restrictive in which solution you select. The business case is only a proposal, and should be flexible to change. 

Pro tip: Looking specifically for promotion software? Read our article, ‘Writing a Business Case for Promotion Engine Software’, for more tips and tricks.

4) Provide a comprehensive product breakdown

Evidencing your research and knowledge on the subject of onsite experience software will add weight to your argument. 

Explore free online resources such as blogs, case studies, and eBooks to get a good understanding of the general benefits of onsite experience software. Then, you can begin to hone in on the features of your chosen solution.

Uniqodo’s onsite experience software, for example, is:

• Targeted towards specific user conversion points, such as arriving on the website, visiting a product page, or adding an item to their basket. This helps drive engagement and encourage shoppers to make a purchase.

• User-centric, aimed at delivering a streamlined onsite experience that is tailored to each user’s browsing behaviour.

• Compatible with a range of websites and other eCommerce marketing tools, ensuring minimal setup and management costs.

See it in action: Read the EE x Uniqodo case study now to discover how onsite experience software cut promotion costs by 95%.

5) Develop a software adoption timeline

An adoption timeline is one of the most important parts of a convincing onsite experience software business case. It shows that you’ve thought carefully about your chosen solution and are prepared to oversee its integration within the business.

Divide your timeline into the near, middle, and distant future, and make sure to cover:

• Upfront costs

• Staff resourcing

• Training requirements

• Progress evaluations and updates

It’s also beneficial to acknowledge which areas could fall behind so that you are prepared for changes to the adoption plan; embrace your business plan as an opportunity to foresee any potential issues and take steps to avoid them.

Enhance the customer journey with onsite experience software

Almost all eCommerce marketers will understand the importance of a streamlined onsite experience. With the right software in place, your customers will be able to:

• Seamlessly move from social media or email marketing channels to your website

• Receive engaging promotions that enhance their shopping experience

• Make use of offline coupon codes

All your business case needs to do is convey the benefits of your chosen software to the rest of your team. While this can feel daunting, the case for onsite experience software is clear — and there are lots of online resources you can use to supplement your argument.

If you’re currently looking for an advanced promotion engine or onsite experience tool, why not explore Uniqodo’s Promotion Experience Platform? 

Or, if you’re looking to learn more about its capabilities and use cases, book a free discovery call today.

^1. Top Website Statistics for 2023 – Forbes Advisor

^2. Top ecommerce statistics for 2023 | Adobe