Physical touchpoints with customers or potential buyers have been severely limited due to the restrictions and lockdowns imposed by governments to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, it's understandable that when we talk about user research, conducting UX Research to optimize your e-commerce and innovate, words like "difficult" or "impossible" might come to mind, and you might even feel overwhelmed.
But don't despair, here we will show you some actions you can take by performing what we call Desktop Research, which you can also practice to implement the advice we shared in our previous article 8 tips on SEO positioning and UX Research for your e-commerce.
Desk research is a widely used method that relies on readily available data useful for an inquiry. It involves openly published reports and documents with data obtained from research, surveys, interviews, etc., which you can access through various sources.
And what sources can we use in the current context? There's the internet with an almost unlimited amount of information published as web pages or available for download. You can access it through:
- government agency and NGO websites,
- public libraries,
- universities,
- information media such as newspapers and magazines,
- millions of websites, blogs, and audiovisual channels of companies and professionals sharing their findings,
- and, of course, social media.
It is a very cost-effective method in terms of monetary cost and time invested since you don't have to travel around your city or country to reach the sources. And this method is entirely valid for conducting UX Research that allows you to understand your potential customers and thus adequately respond to their needs.
Understanding that we can continue researching even in a context of partial or total lockdowns, let's now move on to tips for practicing UX Research from your computer without leaving your desk.
Integrate research and observation into your e-commerce discipline. Maintain a permanent attitude of curiosity to constantly inquire about current market trends and observe what your competition is doing to attract their customers. With the latter, we are not telling you to copy others; on the contrary, we want to show you one of the many ways to approach UX Research and convey the importance of being aware of what other e-commerce businesses in your industry are doing, and then adapt and experiment with those actions you see are effective in reaching people.
Before writing your web content, product descriptions, social media posts, emails, ads, etc., you need to understand how your potential customers communicate. Through UX Research, you can study people who search for solutions online to satisfy needs and desires, to understand how they communicate, what language they use, and what type of messages captivate them. By observing those who follow your e-commerce and the competition, you will know how to offer them your solution. Facebook groups can be a good place for in-depth research, in addition to the interactions that occur on different social media platforms.
Assumptions are not useful for improving your e-commerce store's experience, and that's where UX Research comes in to investigate and obtain evidence of what potential customers want, like, or expect. Again, Facebook groups and interactions on various social media platforms are a good field for research. You could also look for data in messages received through your e-commerce store's contact form.
Product reviews and shopping experience feedback are a good source of information for understanding people, especially when you discover a trend in their opinions. Deploy your UX Research in the review sections of your e-commerce site, also observe what they have spontaneously posted on social media about your brand and products, and leverage the feedback they have provided through contact forms. How to encourage them to post reviews? Use your email marketing strategy, automating messages sent after product delivery, inviting them to review their purchase, and use the packaging of each shipment to include similar messages. If you can, offer a discount on their next purchase in exchange for a review on your e-commerce site.
Don't shoot at the flock. Each segment reacts differently to the same message. Experiment with two variations of a communication for a very narrow segment and see which one works best before launching your social media or email marketing campaign. Facebook segments are a good guide to understanding how audiences behave.
Making small changes to your e-commerce site, based on reliable information provided by UX Research, will help you increase your conversion rate and sales. But not only that, because in terms of metrics and business impact, you will also see a decrease in bounce rate, improved discoverability, and greater customer satisfaction, which will translate into loyalty to your brand. As you can see, the profitability of investing in user experience (UX) fully justifies allocating permanent resources to this area in your e-commerce.
Trends and algorithms from Google, marketplaces, and social media are constantly changing, so don't stick with your last learning for too long. That's why we told you earlier to maintain a curious attitude and always be inquiring through UX Research. Now we add another piece of advice: let the data tell you what works and what doesn't, and never stop experimenting.
What do you think of these tips? If you put them into practice, you will be doing UX Research that will undoubtedly allow you to make improvements to your e-commerce. If you think you need help with this task, evaluate the UX Research solution we offer to e-commerce entrepreneurs.
If you know more tips on UX Research for e-commerce that can be applied in the current context, leave us your comments.
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