The articles in this month’s round-up remind me of a quote from Derek Sivers, “Customer service is the new marketing.” When we take a moment to learn about our customers’ needs and wants, we can better serve them, making higher returns.

Today, let’s learn from The Marketing Sherpa, who shares case studies about understanding a customer’s journey from issue to remedy. You will appreciate the Guess the Test article about eye-tracking research. Invesp talks about Shopify Apps and Omniconvert talks about customer effort surveys.

Did you know 72% of customers will share a good experience with over six people? What do your customers say about your company?

Funnel Analysis Case Studies

https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/funnel-analysis

This informative article from The Marketing Sherpa presents case studies at three different funnel stages. An e-learning provider adds WhatsApp to their call to action, a sock company tests ad spending with Facebook’s machine learning algorithm, and a real estate firm improves privacy to improve conversions.

The first case study was eye-opening. The Britannia School of Academics noticed more than 2,000 paid clicks visited their website weekly, and only a few would convert; this was a concern. Unfortunately, this is a problem too many companies see daily, many visitors but few who turn into conversions. What did they do? They chose to integrate a WhatsApp contact feature. You can see it near the top on the photo below.

Image source: MarketingSherpa

What happened?

• A conversion rate of 405% was achieved using WhatsApp.
• Of those who used this CTA, 91% enrolled.
• Compared to the 18% conversion rate with live chat.

Continue reading as this case study goes into great detail.

Form Designs – Open or Closed Fields?

https://guessthetest.com/test/which-form-design-won/

It may seem like just a form, but customer forms are essential for lead generation. In this controlled test from Guess the Test, we see whether flat and open fields appeal more to the eye than traditional closed-form fields. What form do you think won?

Image Source: Guess The Test

Yes, version A. Here is a breakdown of those results.

• The conversion rate using the open fields was 2.96%
• The conversion rate using the closed fields was 2.78%
• Saving the company, a -5.8% drop in conversions

In this A/B test, the Call To Action button was also moved from the right side to the left. According to eye tracking research, most users scan a document in an “F” pattern or a “Z” shape. In either pattern, the user will eventually see the bottom left.

Image Source: Guessthetest.com

You can check out eye tracking or heat mapping data to gauge whether users see the most vital information you need seen. Learn more about reading patterns in this informative article.

11 Best Shopify Apps to Use in 2023

https://www.invespcro.com/blog/best-shopify-apps/

Shopify is becoming the most popular e-commerce platforms available today. It’s easy to see why so many business owners start here. Did you know that 1.75+ million businesses globally use Shopify?

Shopify has over 7000 apps designed to assist you in creating a successful store and help net you serious profits.

This article from Invesp breaks down the 11 best apps you need to use. The number one on their list, is the Point of Sale (POS). This app is a must for any Shopify user, allowing your users to pay for purchases. Your users deserve a streamlined and hassle-free shopping experience; this app does that.

Another app from Shopify worth mentioning is Instafeed. This app lets you showcase your Instagram feed directly on an e-commerce store. Even if you are not social media savvy, this is a great, easy way to create that interactive customer experience that drives conversions.

Image Source: invespcro.com

Be sure to check out the other suggested Shopify apps for 2023.

Customer Effort Score

https://www.omniconvert.com/blog/customer-effort-score/

Before we begin, let’s answer what customer effort score means. The CES represents a customer’s effort to interact with your organization. This article mentions that getting an issue resolved efficiently while reducing customer effort is high on the demands of today’s users.

To calculate the customer effort score, you need to send out score surveys after consumer interactions. Typically, these surveys use a rating system from 1-10 on how strongly you agree vs. disagree to what is being asked. To calculate, subtract the percentage of consumers responding positively from those who responded negatively. Below is that formula.

CES Formula=

% of Positive Responses – % of Negative Responses

Here are some ways a customer effort score (CES) could positively influence your business.

• After the transaction
• After solving a complaint or customer interaction
• Customer milestones
• After an inquiry

This article goes into great length about creating your CES survey, the proper way to send them, what a good score looks like, and more.

In Summary

Remember, customer perception must be your reality. It is through a better understanding of our users that we grow. 

We hope this month’s line-up was both informative and eye-opening.

Until next month.

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