Monday, May 13

🗣 Running a B2B and want to reach 33,441 DTC Brands? Start here

Ask Ibrahim: If you need advice for your business, ask our DTC expert here

WHAT’S HOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The biggest edge you have when you’re launching a new DTC brand is YOU. Make the most of it, and make it fun! 🤩

Let the world see for who you are, and the people that can relate to you, will buy from you 💰

GRAPHIC DESIGN
#2 - Improve the way your clients see your online store

If you have designed your store by yourself or used a cheap freelancer, you are losing out on sales.

You maybe bootstrapped or running on a very limited budget - its understandable.

But there is a way to fix this with. Delesign is a cost-effective design solution that will take your branding to next level without burning a hole in your pocket.

You get a designer for as long as you need.

Screen and testing of designer is already done for you!

Delesign has helped 1400+ improve their ads, store design and branding.

HANDLING OBJECTIONS TO INCREASE E-COMMERCE

Effectively addressing customer objections is crucial for boosting conversion rates in e-commerce. Just like in face-to-face sales, online shoppers have concerns and questions that can influence their purchase decisions. By proactively responding to these objections on your website, you can streamline the buying process and enhance customer satisfaction. Here’s how to seamlessly integrate traditional sales objection handling techniques into your e-commerce strategy, ensuring every potential barrier to purchase is thoughtfully addressed.

Common Customer Objections in E-commerce

1. Price Concerns: "It’s too expensive."

   Solution: Clearly communicate the value of your product through price comparisons, breakdowns, and highlighting any promotions or discounts.

2. Value Doubt: "Is it worth the price?"

   Solution: Use detailed descriptions, customer testimonials, and case studies to reinforce value. Consider including professional reviews or endorsements.

3. Trust Issues: "Can I trust this company?"

   Solution: Build trust by incorporating SSL certificates, third-party badges, and well-known payment options. Include a section about your company's history and core values.

4. Product Quality Concerns: "How do I know the product is good quality?"

   Solution: Display high-quality images and videos, provide detailed product specifications, and feature real customer reviews that attest to the quality.

5. Need Justification: "Do I really need this item?"

   Solution: Educate customers on the benefits and applications of the product. Create content that highlights how your product solves common problems.

6. Comparison Shopping: "Can I find a better deal elsewhere?"

   • *In response, emphasize what makes your product unique and include comparison charts that demonstrate how your product compares favorably against competitors.

7. Fear of Missing Out: "Will it be cheaper later?"

   Solution: Use urgency tactics like limited-time offers, low stock warnings, or exclusive sales to encourage immediate purchases.

8. Payment Security: "Is it safe to pay on this website?"

   Solution: Ensure your checkout process is secure and user-friendly. Display security badges prominently and offer a variety of trusted payment methods.

9. Shipping Worries: "How long will it take to receive?"

   Solution: Provide clear, detailed information about shipping processes, costs, and estimated delivery times. Consider offering free shipping thresholds or loyalty perks to alleviate concerns.

10. Return Policy: "What if I need to return the item?"

    Solution: Maintain a clear, concise, and customer-friendly return policy. Make this information easily accessible and consider offering free returns to reduce purchase hesitations.

By proactively addressing these common objections, you create a more reassuring shopping environment that can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty. Each solution should be prominently displayed on relevant pages across your website to ensure that potential customers feel supported and confident throughout their shopping journey.

IBRAHIM’S NUGGETS

Heyy,

If you’re a Mother, or ever took on the role of a Mother, happy belated Mother’s day to you. Personally, I don’t think there’s anyone more powerful than the Mothers. They’re the actual heroes!

Now talking business, I had received a few questions regarding returns, so we’ll talk all things returns today.

Two questions you need to ask:

• How do I make sure my returns data is actionable?

• How do I leverage that data to lower my return rate?

Before we get into it, remember, CX shouldn’t just be a customer executive’s job, instead, should be every person’s job in the company.

Alright, let’s get into it..

Getting to the Heart of Returns

Return-slashers, let's get real about understanding why our products are coming back to us. Let’s go beyond the standard “I did not like it” reason and get some actionable insights.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to uncover the real reasons behind those returns:

The Personal Touch in Gathering Feedback

• Sometimes, the best way to find out why customers return items is to ask them. Directly. Send out personal (and simple) plain-text emails to customers who’ve made recent returns, and be genuine in your approach

• Ask them for specific feedback, such as, “Could you share more about what didn’t meet your expectations with X product?”

• This approach can uncover insights you might never get from a standard return form

• Offering a small incentive like a discount or a gift card in exchange for their time and thoughts can go a long way

• This method works particularly well for more complex or high-value items like mattresses or hearing aids, where understanding the return reason could significantly impact your product strategy

The Art of Crafting Effective Return Reasons

• As you gather feedback, patterns will emerge. Use these insights to refine the reasons in your return portal. Let’s skip the guesswork and get to informed choices. Start with broader categories and then drill down to specifics

• Implementing ‘Parent’ and ‘Child’ Reasons is my favorite way to keep this customer-friendly

• For instance, if you’re in the skincare game, a ‘parent’ reason like “Didn’t like the way it looked” can have ‘child’ reasons such as “Made my skin look oily” or “Made me look tired”

• This layered approach helps you pinpoint exactly where the product fell short for the customer

• It’s also worthwhile to regularly review the feedback and return reasons. Are they aligning with your initial hunches or early conversations? This ongoing analysis helps you stay agile and responsive to customer needs

• As you start seeing trends—adapt!

• If a significant number of customers say a product made their skin look oily, you might not even need to reformulate, but rather change the positioning and marketing, or the instructions for the product

• If your return rate is sky-high and most of the reasons are the same, yes, then it might be time to reformulate

• Most importantly, treat this as a continuous cycle of improvement. The more data you collect and analyze, the better you can adapt your products, descriptions, and even marketing strategies to reduce those return rates

Using Returns Data to Lower Return Rate

• Now you've got some solid returns data. But how do you use it to slash those return rates?

• When selling items online, it’s completely and totally on you to market right and deliver on expectations. When things don’t go right, and customers feel let down, they show up as a return

• The more we manage those expectations, the better chance we have to keep returns low. That might feel like an oversimplification, but keep reading..

• Let’s think about all the big moments throughout a customer journey when you can make promises:

  • The Ads: If returns data points to a mismatch in expectations set by your ads, it’s time to adjust. Change the creative, targeting, or copy to reflect better what you’re selling

  • The Landing Page: This is where you make promises. If customers return the product because the product doesn’t live up to these promises, here is where you need to change them. Be honest and clear about what you’re offering, and make it as transparent as possible

  • The Product Page: If your returns are due to something specific about the product, like sizing or material, make sure it’s loud and clear here. No hiding the important stuff in the fine print. And if it makes sense to introduce quizzes, please do! I personally use Presidio: Quiz Kit for this purpose, but Octane AI does a great job as well

  • Post-Purchase Communication: The crux of the post-purchase journey is the handholding from purchase to delivery, and beyond. Use emails or SMS to reinforce important product features or usage instructions. If your data shows that returns are due to misunderstandings about the product, address them here

  • Unboxing Experience: Continue managing expectations. Include guides, FAQs, or even a simple note in the box to reassure the customer about their purchase and an email to reach out if they are disappointed

Now, let me give you a practical example and show where I’d resolve it in the journey.

• Let’s say your data shows a bunch of returns because a sweater runs large. You don’t need to splash this all over your ads or landing page–it’s not a primary selling point

• But on your product page? Absolutely. Make it very clear—“Heads up, this runs large”

• Mentioning it in post-purchase communications or during unboxing is too late—the purchase is already made. It’s all about setting the right expectations at the right time

• Using return data to tweak your customer journey is like fine-tuning an engine. You're not overhauling everything; you're making precise adjustments for maximum efficiency!

Lastly, my favorite tool to use for this purpose is Loop returns (non-sponsored).

If you handle all things growth in your organization, please remember, if returns isn’t your problem yet, it should be. If majority of the customers you’re acquiring are returning the products, there’s a problem, and you should be a part of solving it.

Alright folks, that’s it for today.

Thank you.

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Have any questions that you need help with?

Ask here - and look out for Fridays Issue where Ibrahim will answer them.