How can 404 error pages help your eCommerce business?

07/11/2019

Angela de la Vieja

The 404 error page is one of the most feared pages for any online vendor. This is the error displayed to the user when the page they’re looking for doesn’t exist. Maybe it was deleted, the product is no longer sold, or, simply, the URL in the link is incorrect, for example. A priori, this is nothing more than one of the classic support pages. But nothing could be further from the truth. There are ways to exploit 404 errors in your eCommerce business to help you take advantage of every last sales opportunity.

To go along with this, it’s necessary to clarify that the precise challenge of these pages is to awaken and maintain the interest of the user who, for whatever reason, has landed on one of these error pages.

When it comes to 404 error page design, these three pillars must be taken into account:

The design
The content
The options offered

In terms of design, more and more eCommerce shops have been joining the trend and adding some of their essence into their 404 error page. This is because appearance is important when personalising a 404 page. While on this page, you want the user to feel that they’re still in the store, reduce any feeling of uncertainty about the error, and even give it a touch of humour – why not?

This is becoming so popular that there are already web designers that specialise in this task. You can even find inspirational channels and Instagram accounts that collect examples of the most original specimens out there.

In regards to content, in this case, it’s about polishing your message and, above all, not making the user responsible for the error. It may seem unlikely, but not choosing the right words could make the potential client feel as if they made a mistake along the way. This means that their next action (on a high percentage of occasions) is to exit the eCommerce page.

When deciding on the copy that will accompany the outstanding creativity showcased in your 404 error page, it’s important to keep in mind the tone that you want for your brand. Casual, more formal, intimate, with a fun message… No matter what the case, the most important thing is to explain what happened (not all users are computer scientists) and what options they have. Escaping the classic “404 Error – Page Not Found” is already the right thing to do. Doing it with style, grace, and utility for the user is what will really make the difference.

How can you take advantage of this page? As we mentioned before, it’s important to know beforehand what you want the client to do when this error occurs in order to know what alternatives to offer them. What options are there?

Offer to take them to a similar web page, if it’s possible for the website to identify one.
Provide a link to a highlighted page within the eCommerce website that is of special interest to the business.
Suggest visiting the category page associated with the page that could not be found.
Contact the eCommerce site's customer service (which will allow you to search for any possible leads at the same time).
Return to the home page, plain and simple.

All of these options will allow the eCommerce store to find new sales opportunities. As a kind of parallel with cart abandonment, recovering a user who has become lost navigating the store can offer even more value through the help and support that this implies for the potential client.

Choosing the options offered to the user now that they’ve landed on a page that doesn’t exist within the store is the responsibility of the eCommerce business. When it is time to make this decision, making it easy for the user has to be number one. It’s also important for the marketing and sales teams to decide beforehand what user experience technique should be applied to achieve the goals of the business.

11/11/2022

Consumer behavior: How can behavior tracking be effective for setting the right pricing strategies?

Behavior tracking is becoming massively popular today. As a result, pricing strategies born from studying consumer behavior are a merchant's dream come true. If done right, it can conquer every market for the business quickly. With abundant data available, the strategic makeover of the pricing models is becoming easy for companies.

What is behavioral tracking, and how is the data beneficial in pricing?

For a quick understanding, behavioral tracking refers to gaining in-depth knowledge and insights into consumers through their web data. Their browsing habits, spontaneous decisions, shopping interests, and preferences come under behavioral tracking.

How can enterprises use customer behavior data?

Companies can use customer behavior data as a tool to strengthen their hold on the market. A customer’s preferences, values, and tendencies allow businesses to work in sync with them through the collected data. Apart from this, customer behavior can also aid in:

Tailoring customer needs for customer retention

Personalization is becoming the heart of a company’s growth. No matter in which area an enterprise is functioning, tailoring the services, products, and solutions is becoming increasingly crucial. Uniqueness and personalization attract the crowd like no other.

Increasing the overall value

One of the best ways customer behavior data affects a business is by upgrading the value of customers for the business. The customer’s characteristics allow the company to target the people that match the business prospects well.

Optimizing every type of content

Everything that is up for digital display requires content. You must have seen companies unveiling their products or services through advertisements and making the initial public appearance. Two essential sales strategies – upselling and cross-selling comes through content optimization.

Pricing Strategy

Last but certainly not least is the influence of customer behavior data on the pricing strategy. The pricing strategy essentially constitutes content derived from data analysis. Companies need to have a dynamic approach to the pricing system to attract the right customers.

17/02/2015

Saint Valentine’s Day, always a good opportunity

V-Day is looming, a long-awaited date for all and also a good occasion for the eCommerce. According the study conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, it is forecasted the average consumer expense that day will be the highest in last years. Furthermore, 25% of them will buy online, which means an increase of 4% regarding 2014 (The US department of Commerce). This is, therefore, a key date where market competitiveness increase and which could be assumed as a big opportunity for our business or, a big fail if we do not adopt the correct strategies.

How to turn this event into an opportunity? To achieve this goal, we need to adapt our prices to this hostile environment, i.e. we need to develop an appropriate Dynamic Pricing strategy that allows us to adapt our prices to the variations produced in supply and demand and to position us ahead of our competitors. In V-Day, the frequency in changes will be higher, carrying it out each hour or even each minute. It is estimated that 65% of leader retailers have the ability to respond quickly at these variations, such Amazon. For this reason, it acquires great importance the correct use of a software specialised in price motorisation of competitors. Do not miss the time and adapt your business to new adversities.

28/12/2022

Which are the best footwear marketplaces to sell on?

Footwear marketplaces are booming. The last decade has seen the launch of new specialized marketplaces with millions of different users. Among them are Spartoo, Sarenza and Farfetch, portals with international reach. Their main value is that they unite hundreds of footwear brands, as well as offering clothes and accessories. Although each has its own characteristics, they are all vertical marketplaces, i.e., they focus on a specific area, and their sales categories are interrelated. For sellers, these portals provide an opportunity to expand sales channels and drive the globalization of their e-commerce business. We explain how to sell on these footwear marketplaces so that you can assess whether they align with your plans for the future and then start defining a possible pricing strategy.