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Conversational Shopping Trends

Conversations Are Becoming a Revenue Channel: The Data Proves It

Brands using AI-driven conversational commerce are seeing measurable gains in purchase rates, retention, and AOV. The data from 16,000+ ecommerce brands shows why conversation has become the new path to checkout.
By Gabrielle Policella
0 min read . By Gabrielle Policella

TL;DR:

  • Customer journeys are collapsing to a single conversation. The traditional browse-and-buy journey is giving way to AI-guided shopping that moves from discovery to purchase in a single exchange.
  • 79% of brands say AI-driven conversational commerce has increased their sales and purchase rates.
  • AI-only influenced orders grew 63% in a single year, from 2.7 million in Q1 to 4.4 million in Q4.
  • Brands treating conversation as a revenue channel. They’re not just a support function, generating higher AOV, shorter buying cycles, and stronger retention.

The page-based shopping experience dominated for decades. Customers would search, browse, compare, abandon, get retargeted, return, and eventually buy (sometimes). 

That journey is no longer the only option.

Shoppers are turning to chat, messaging, and AI-powered tools to find what they need. Instead of clicking through product pages or reading static FAQs, they ask questions, have back-and-forth conversations, and get answers that move them closer to a purchase in real time. The path to checkout has changed, and the brands that recognize this are pulling ahead.

Read our 2026 State of Conversational Commerce Report to learn more about conversation commerce trends from 400 ecommerce decision-makers and 16,000+ ecommerce brands using Gorgias. 

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The shopping journey has collapsed into a single thread

The traditional shopping journey was a solo experience. A shopper had a need, searched for options, browsed across sessions, and eventually made a decision — often days later, after being retargeted multiple times. Support only entered the picture after the purchase.

Side-by-side comparison showing traditional page-based shopping with multiple steps and drop-offs versus a streamlined conversation-led journey with AI guidance and fewer friction points.

The conversation-led journey collapses that timeline:

  1. A shopper recognizes a need and starts a conversation via chat, messaging, or a search-triggered prompt
  2. An AI agent asks clarifying questions about preferences, budget, and constraints
  3. The AI provides personalized product recommendations in real time
  4. The shopper validates concerns about fit, compatibility, delivery, and returns, all inside the conversation
  5. The shopper completes the purchase directly within or immediately after that exchange
  6. The AI picks up the conversation post-purchase for order tracking and proactive support
  7. A human agent steps in only when the situation calls for it

What used to take days now takes minutes. Discovery, evaluation, and purchase happen in a single thread.

Conversation is a revenue strategy, not a support upgrade

79% of brands agree that AI-driven conversational commerce has increased sales and purchase rates in their business. When brands were asked to rank the highest-return areas:

  • 38% cited improved customer support efficiency
  • 23% pointed to higher customer retention and loyalty
  • 20% saw improved purchase rates

Those numbers reflect something important: the value of conversation compounds. Faster support reduces friction. Better retention raises lifetime value. More confident shoppers buy more often and spend more per order.

The brands seeing the biggest returns aren't just using AI to deflect tickets. They're using it to create one-to-one shopping experiences at scale.

What the data shows about AI-influenced orders

Looking at AI-only influenced orders across key verticals like Apparel and Accessories, Food and Beverages, Health and Beauty, Home and Garden, and Sporting Goods, the growth across a single year was significant. 

Quarterly bar chart showing conversations linked to orders increasing from about 2.7M in Q1 to 4.4M in Q4, with a small share influenced by AI.
Quarterly bar chart showing conversations linked to orders growing from about 753K in Q1 to just over 1M in Q4, with a small AI-driven portion.
Quarterly bar chart showing conversations linked to orders growing from about 2.05M in Q1 to 2.82M in Q4, with a small portion influenced by AI.
Quarterly bar chart showing conversations linked to orders increasing from about 651K in Q1 to 978K in Q4, with a minor AI contribution.
Quarterly bar chart showing conversations linked to orders rising from about 322K in Q1 to 509K in Q4, with minimal AI influence.

Across industries, ecommerce brands saw AI step into conversations, reduce shopper hesitation, and drive higher QoQ conversion rates. 

Learn more about AI-powered revenue generation in the full 2026 Conversational Commerce Report.

Why brands are making this a strategic priority

84% of brands say the strategic importance of conversational commerce is higher than it was a year ago. 82% agree it will be mainstream in their sector within two years.

Statistics showing 84% of brands increased the strategic importance of conversational commerce and 82% expect AI-driven conversational commerce to become mainstream within two years.

That shift is registering at the leadership level because of what conversational commerce does to the buying experience. Creating one-to-one touchpoints earlier in the journey drives higher AOV, shorter buying cycles, and stronger purchase rates. Shoppers who get real-time answers to their questions are more confident.

What this looks like in practice: TUSHY

TUSHY, known for eco-friendly bidets and bathroom essentials, is a useful example of what happens when you take conversational commerce seriously.

Bidets aren't an impulse purchase. Shoppers have real questions about fit, compatibility, and installation. Those questions used to go unanswered until the CX team could respond, often after the customer had abandoned the cart.

TUSHY used Gorgias's AI Agent and shopping assistant capabilities to automate pre-sales support. AI Agent engaged shoppers in real-time conversations, addressed their concerns directly, and built confidence at the moment of highest intent.

This resulted in a 190% increase in chat-based purchases, a 13x return on investment, and twice the purchase rate of human agents.

How to apply this to your strategy

You don't need to overhaul your entire operation to start seeing results. The most effective approach is to start where the impact is clearest and expand from there.

A few places to begin:

  • Pre-sales chat. Identify your most common pre-purchase questions (sizing, compatibility, shipping timelines) and ensure your AI can answer them confidently and promptly.
  • Product page engagement. Use proactive chat prompts triggered by page behavior to start conversations before shoppers leave.
  • Post-purchase follow-up. Let AI pick up the conversation after checkout with order updates and proactive support, reducing inbound volume and building trust.
  • Human escalation. Define clearly which situations require a human agent – complex issues, emotional exchanges, high-stakes decisions. 

Want to see the full picture of where conversational commerce is headed in 2026? Read the full report to explore the data, trends, and strategies shaping the next era of ecommerce.

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min read.
Conversational Commerce Trends

The State of Conversational Commerce: 5 Trends Reshaping Ecommerce in 2026

Explore 5 key trends from The State of Conversational Commerce Trends Report in 2026.
By Gabrielle Policella
0 min read . By Gabrielle Policella

TL;DR:

  • AI is resolving tickets, not just replying. AI now handles 31% of customer interactions for ecommerce brands, and that number is expected to nearly double within two years.
  • Every channel is becoming a storefront. Conversations are replacing the traditional browse-and-buy journey, with 79% of brands reporting sales from AI-driven interactions. 
  • AI is shortening the buying cycle. 93% of AI-influenced purchases happen within the first 48 hours of the conversation. 
  • CX teams are changing, not shrinking. Ecommerce brands are actively hiring for more technical roles to implement, coach, and maintain AI. 
  • The winning model is hybrid. AI handles volume and speed, while humans handle complexity and judgment. 

The way shoppers buy online has shifted and customers are at the center. 

They no longer want to scroll through product pages, dig through FAQs, or wait 24 hours for an email reply. They open a conversation, ask a specific question, and expect a useful answer in seconds. Brands that can’t deliver these experiences at scale are seeing customer hesitation turn into abandoned carts and lost revenue. 

This shift has a name: conversational commerce. It's the practice of using real-time, two-way conversations as your primary sales channel, through chat, AI agents, messaging apps, and voice. 

What started as an experiment for early adopters has become a key growth lever, with 84% of ecommerce brands treating conversational commerce as a strategic pillar this year vs. last year. 

Bar chart showing percentage of customer interactions handled by AI: 31% in 2025 and 47% within the next two years.

We surveyed 400 ecommerce decision-makers across North America, the U.K., and Europe to understand how conversational commerce and AI are reshaping the ecommerce landscape. These findings are complemented by aggregated and anonymized internal Gorgias platform data from 16,000+ ecommerce brands.

The State of Conversational Commerce in 2026 trends report breaks down all of the findings, including five key trends shaping the ecommerce landscape. 

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Trend 1: AI is table stakes for ecommerce and it’s no longer just about efficiency

A few years ago, adding an AI chatbot to your site that could provide tracking links and Help Center article recommendations was a differentiator. Today, it's table stakes. McKinsey found that 71% of shoppers expect personalized experiences, and 76% get frustrated when they don't get them. 

Right now, most ecommerce professionals use AI, with 93% having used it for at least 1 year. Enthusiasm is accelerating quickly, with only 30% of ecommerce professionals rating their excitement for AI at 10/10 in April 2025. Similarly, while AI adoption rose steadily year over year, it reached a clear peak in 2026.

Bar chart showing ecommerce professionals using AI: 69.2% in 2024, 77.2% in 2025, and 96% in 2026.

The use cases driving this adoption are practical and high-volume:

  • Order tracking and status updates
  • Returns, exchanges, and refund requests
  • Shipping FAQs and delivery estimates
Bar chart showing AI use cases across ecommerce: customer support automation (96%), AI product recommendations (88%), automated tracking updates (69%), AI personalization (64%), inventory control (51%), dynamic pricing (36%), and order fulfillment (18%).

These are the tickets that flood brands’ inboxes every day. AI agents resolve them instantly, without pulling teams away from conversations that actually require human judgment.

Explore AI adoption and use case data in more depth in the full report. 

Trend 2: Conversations are the new path to checkout

The traditional ecommerce funnel, visit site, browse products, add to cart, check out, is losing ground. Shoppers now discover products on Instagram, ask questions via direct message, and complete purchases without ever visiting a website.

Side-by-side comparison of page-based and conversation-led customer journeys, highlighting AI-driven real-time recommendations, proactive information, and post-purchase support within a single conversation.

Conversational AI is actively increasing revenue, with 79% of brands reporting that AI-driven interactions have increased sales and conversion in their business.

Bar chart showing percentage of customer interactions handled by AI: 31% in 2025 and 47% within the next two years.

The practical implication is that every channel is becoming a storefront. Creating personalized touchpoints with customers earlier in the journey, through proactive engagement, is impacting the bottom line. 

Read the full report to explore how AI conversions have increased QoQ by industry.  

Trend 3: AI is accelerating the purchase cycle

Pre-purchase hesitation is one of the biggest conversion killers in ecommerce. A shopper lands on your product page, has a question about sizing or compatibility, can't find the answer quickly, and leaves. That's a lost sale that had nothing to do with your product.

Conversational AI changes that dynamic. When a shopper can ask a question and get an accurate, personalized answer in real time, the friction disappears. 

Brands using Gorgias saw this play out at scale in 2025. When AI Agent recommended a product, 80% of the resulting purchases happened the same day, and 13% happened the next day. 

AI chat interface recommending apparel items based on cart contents, alongside statistic stating 93% of purchases occur within 48 hours of an AI agent’s recommendation.

Brands are further accelerating the buying cycle through proactive engagement. On-site features such as suggested product questions, recommendations triggered by search results, and “Ask Anything” input bars drove 50% of conversation-driven purchases during BFCM 2025. 

Explore how AI is collapsing the purchase cycle in Trend 3 of the report.

Trend 4: AI is making CX teams more technical 

There's a persistent narrative that AI is making CX teams redundant. The data tells a different story. 62% of ecommerce brands are planning to grow their teams, not cut them. But the scope of those teams is changing.

Bar chart of expected headcount changes over 12 months: 21% increase significantly, 41% increase somewhat, 28% stay the same, 9% decrease somewhat, and 1% decrease significantly.

New roles are emerging around AI configuration and quality assurance. Teams are investing in technical members to write AI Guidance instructions, develop tone-of-voice instructions, and continuously QA results. 

CX teams are also bridging the gap between support goals and revenue goals, as the two functions increasingly overlap.

Donut chart indicating 77% of companies report at least some convergence between support and sales functions due to AI.

The result is CX teams that are more technical than they were before. Agents who once spent their days answering repetitive tickets are now spending that time on higher-value work: complex escalations, VIP customer relationships, and improving the AI systems and knowledge bases that handle the volume.

Learn more about the evolution of CX roles in Trend #4. 

Trend 5: The future is hybrid: AI-first, humans when it counts

Despite increasing AI adoption, data shows that ecommerce brands shouldn’t strive for 100% automation. Winning brands are building systems in which AI handles repetitive tier-1 tickets, and humans handle complex, sensitive cases. 

Chart showing which inquiries are handled by AI vs. humans.

AI handles speed and scale. It resolves order-tracking requests at 2 a.m., processes return-eligibility checks in seconds, and answers the same shipping question for the thousandth time without compromising quality. 

Human agents handle conversations that require context, empathy, or decisions that fall outside the standard playbook. There are several topics where shoppers still prefer human support.

Bar chart showing customers prefer human support for order issues (54%), product advice (35%), and returns or refunds (24%).

Successful hybrid systems require continuous iteration, meaning reviewing handover topics, Guidance, and reviewing AI tickets on a weekly basis. 

Discover how leading brands are balancing human and AI systems in Trend #5. 

Where conversational commerce is heading by 2030

The 2026 trends are about expansion and standardization. The 2030 predictions are about what comes next.

Bar chart showing brand expectations by 2030: 89% expect AI voice purchasing, 29% expect AI multilingual support, and 19% expect proactive AI upsells and cross-sells.

Voice-based purchasing is the biggest bet on the horizon. Only 7% of brands currently use voice assistants for commerce, but 89% expect it to be standard by 2030. The vision is a customer who can reorder a product, check their subscription status, or manage a return entirely over the phone.

Proactive AI is the other major shift. Rather than waiting for a customer to reach out, AI will anticipate needs based on browsing behavior, purchase history, and where someone is in their relationship with your brand. Think of it as the digital equivalent of a sales associate who remembers what you bought last time and knows what you're likely to need next.

Explore where ecommerce brands are allocating their AI budgets in the full report. 

Start building your conversational commerce strategy today

The brands winning in 2026 are creating smart, scalable systems where AIhandles volume and humans handle nuance. They’re treating every conversational channel as an opportunity to serve and sell.

The data is clear: AI adoption is accelerating, customer expectations are rising, and the revenue impact of getting this right is measurable.

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min read.
72% of Gorgias Uses AI

72% of Gorgias Uses AI for Decisions: How We Did It

Most companies are still figuring out how to integrate AI into their daily work. At Gorgias, nearly everyone is using it.
By Howard (Greg) Gregory
0 min read . By Howard (Greg) Gregory

Four months ago, our analysts were dealing with a barrage of questions. "What's our ARR by segment?" "Build me a dashboard for this quarter's pipeline." Quick asks piled up behind complex deep dives. Stakeholders waited for answers that should have taken seconds, and analysts spent their time fielding requests instead of doing the strategic work that creates the most value.

Today, anyone at Gorgias can ask a question in plain language and get an accurate, contextualized response in seconds. Not from a colleague or dashboard, nor from a generic answer from the internet. But a response built on our business context. We call it Cortex, our flagship internal AI agent.

In two months, Cortex went from an idea to fielding thousands of questions every week, recommending actions across the business, and deprecating the need for manual dashboard creation. While most companies right now are treating AI as an initiative — at Gorgias, AI is already part of how we work. 72% of Gorgias employees use Cortex each week, and that number is only growing.

We didn’t achieve this by simply plugging a large language model into our stack. LLMs are a critical part of the equation, but they aren't the driving force — it’s everything else under the hood: the infrastructure, context, platform architecture, and the team that brings it all together.

The framing problem most companies get wrong

The instinct across many companies today is to start with the model, pick a provider to solve a specific challenge, or invest heavily in getting the data right. All reasonable starting points, but most of them solve for one use case. Underneath that approach is a framing problem: seeing AI as an initiative — something you assign and measure. Seeing AI as another tool your company uses versus how your company operates. 

We started somewhere different. Every company is built on four pillars: customers, people, product, and decisions. AI investments tend to place heavy emphasis on the first three. We started with the fourth. Our bet was that if we built everything around the need to make effective decisions first, asking what Gorgias needed to know to operate well, then our AI would become dramatically more powerful.

Cortex is that philosophy in practice

Cortex is our flagship internal AI agent, and the product where we established the tenets that now run through everything else we build: composable and modular infrastructure, governed context, and accessible from wherever decisions happen. Cortex lives in Slack, as well as across LLM vendors, in its own browser extension, and even on its own dedicated internal site.

Cortex doesn’t stop at answering questions. It can read and write to Notion, file Linear tasks, create HTML apps, automate signal delivery, and more. It operates across every layer of our stack, from dashboards to data pipelines, because we designed it as one integrated system. It is this connection that adds remarkable depth to what people can ask, and what they get in return.

A Sales Lead is pitching and asks Cortex for the full picture of the merchant. In a customized PDF, Cortex lists coverage gaps, pre-sale intent signals, and product fit options. Everything the sales lead needs to walk in with confidence.

A Senior Product leader asks, "How are we performing against OKR #1, and what can my team do to help accelerate it?" Cortex returns a full ARR breakdown, projected end-of-month attainment, segment-level findings, and connects it all back to company-level strategies. A suite of recommendations customized to the leader, the performance, and the signals that bridge how they can support our goals. The kind of answer that used to take someone a week to put together.

These aren't simple lookup queries. They require deep business context spanning multiple areas. Cortex handles these because its Decision Engine gives it the information to reason against governed data, metric definitions, and business context, turning a generic answer into a credible one.

Overnight, teams have built Cortex into how they work. They’re spending less time searching and more time finding answers, not because they were told to, but because Cortex reduced the distance between question and decision.

Flexibility as the foundation

Cortex’s modular infrastructure allows us to experiment and add new capabilities freely. We’ve already built two more internal AI agents made for entirely different use cases, but using the same Decision Engine as Cortex.

GAIA, our internal experimentation AI Agent, helps our customers identify opportunities in their AI Agent Guidance design. It takes institutional knowledge across our teams and turns it into a scalable system that drives automation and value to our customers. Our CEO, Romain Lapeyre, has been its most vocal advocate since day one. 

When we needed a platform for investor readiness and board preparation, we built Oracle. Our board decks and talk tracks are informed and built with the same AI, and our numbers are validated every step of the way. 

We’re continuing to expand new AI agents internally, exploring how they can create value for customers and our own teams.

AI has transformed how data teams create value, and we’ve already shifted to account for it

When AI handles thousands of analytical questions each week, the highest-value work for a data team shifts permanently. Late 2025, we repositioned from a Data Analytics function into a Decision Intelligence function — a structural change in what we own and how we operate. 

Today, our analysts focus on the most sensitive, complex, and forward-looking decisions and analyses. They partner more deeply with stakeholders by driving next steps from signals. They're even building entirely new capabilities that didn't exist in their role descriptions months ago. Things like AI skills for Cortex, context curation, and insight and recommendation delivery. The role of the analyst hasn't diminished. It's expanded to encompass the most meaningful work an analyst can do: driving outcomes and ensuring those decisions can achieve them.

The Decision Intelligence Operating Model
The Decision Intelligence operating model focuses the team on outcomes.

Our business support model has changed, too. Instead of embedding analysts and dedicated engineers within functional teams, we align capacity to the highest-impact company objectives and move fluidly across them. This model works even better because Decision Intelligence brings together both analytics and engineering teams under one roof.

Elliot Trabac leads our Data, Context and AI Engineering teams. The Decision Engine, Cortex, GAIA, and the platforms I've described exist because of the infrastructure his team innovated and built from the ground up. Noemie Happi Nono leads our Decision Strategy and Operations team, driving decision outcomes with stakeholders, advancing the development of Cortex skills and capabilities, and pushing into new areas of analysis every day.

Together, they're shaping what a modern data function looks like when AI becomes a standard building block for how a company operates.

What’s next for the Decision Intelligence team

The question of ROI is long gone. AI has opened the floodgates to more trusted and meaningful signals than ever. The natural next evolution is Proactive Intelligence, signals surfaced toward what you need to know, before you ask. And we're already building this because our architecture is designed to support it.

In the coming weeks, members of the Decision Intelligence team will go deeper into themes I've touched on here. Yochan Khoi, a Senior Analytics Engineer on our team, recently published a technical walkthrough of our context layer and will go further into building context strategies that scale. Others will cover infrastructure, analytical partnerships, evolving data assets into decision assets, and the cost and efficiency gains that make sustained AI investment viable.

AI hasn't changed the most important element of data and analytics functions — delivering outcomes — but it has raised the bar for what it looks like and how far we can take it. We’re just getting started.

7 min read.
Create powerful self-service resources
Capture support-generated revenue
Automate repetitive tasks

Further reading

Minimize Shipping Costs

8 Tips to Reduce Shipping Costs and Speed Up Delivery

By Jake Rheude
8 min read.
0 min read . By Jake Rheude

Anyone who recognizes that ecommerce customers have high expectations these days also recognizes that fast shipping is part of what keeps those customers happy. We’ve seen non-essential items on Amazon be delayed because of COVID-19, and that’s cause quite a bit of grumbling from both customers and ecommerce businesses. While guaranteeing fast shipping to your customers is definitely a good thing--16% of people have abandoned a shopping cart if the estimated delivery time is too slow--it’s a double-edged sword. Your customers will love getting their order in one or two business days, but it can also be cripplingly expensive. 

The solution is complicated. If shipping faster costs more, do you pass the cost along to your customers? Do you let it eat into your profit margin? Believe it or not, there are other options. Is it possible to  have your cake and eat it too? Yes, but you’ll need a crash course in logistics if you’re going to find affordable ecommerce shipping. Let’s dive in! 

1. Implement zone skipping 

If you’ve ever had to ship your inventory cross-country and had the accompanying jaw-drop when you discovered how expensive that was going to be, you’ve encountered shipping zones before. The further you ship your products, the more it’s going to cost -- obviously -- so how do you get around it?

The answer is zone skipping. To skip zones, you need to store your inventory strategically so that you can choose which location to ship from (and pick the closest one). For example, if you get an order from a customer in Los Angeles and you have inventory stored in Miami and Las Vegas, you’ll want to send them that product from Vegas to save a bunch of money on shipping (and ensure that the order gets to them speedily).

Whether you store and manage your own inventory or rely on a national fulfillment network of warehouses, zone skipping is a smart money saving solution. For example, you’ll probably keep some inventory in a warehouse in Miami, have a location in Pennsylvania to hit the northeast, maybe one in St. Louis for the midwest, and one in Las Vegas to cover the west coast. 

2. Consider dimensional weight

Shipping carriers don’t just measure the weight of your packages in pounds and ounces anymore - if this is news to you, this could be a major opportunity to decrease your costs. When a carrier determines the cost of shipping, they charge you the greater of the two weights - dimensional and actual. Actual weight is just what it sounds like, but dimensional weight measures the size of your package. The bigger it is, the more it costs to ship, even if it’s as light as a feather. It makes affordable ecommerce shipping tough for businesses with large or bulky packages, because they always get charged the dimensional weight.

The good news is if your dimensional weight is greater than your actual weight, you can decrease the size of the package to save money. The more you can minimize the volume of your package the more you can save. Think about how to streamline your packaging experience, whether it’s removing unnecessary infill, using boxes that are more specifically fit for your inventory, or getting rid of any bulky extras that you’re throwing in. Making any one of those changes, even if it seems small, can add up to be huge over time.

3. Determine whether to ship flat-rate or not 

For something that claims to simplify the costs of shipping, it is a lot more complicated than it seems at first glance. However, offering flat rate shipping has the potential to save you money, so let’s go over what kinds of businesses can save big with flat rates.

Each carrier has its own flat rate shipping system, so it’s well worth your time to check out a full explainer of flat rate shipping. However, it boils down to a few specific instances in which flat shipping could help you save big. 

The first is if your products are small, but heavy - this means you’re getting hefty shipping charges due to the actual weight of the product, and shipping in a flat rate box that doesn’t charge by weight could save you a lot. The second is if you ship from coast to coast frequently - for example, if you have a warehouse on the east coast but a lot of your orders come from the west coast. When you ship with UPS or USPS, the flat rate shipping charge doesn’t change depending on distance, so you’d likely save big there. It could also be a good choice if you need to charge your customers a flat rate, or if you fulfill your orders yourself (and then you could take advantage of the convenience).

If you don’t fall into the above categories, though, stay away from flat shipping. It will likely cost you more in the end.


4. Offer bulk rate shipping discounts 

Buy more, pay less. That’s the dream, right? It is when you can manage to get a bulk rate discount from your shipping carrier. If you’re selling a high volume of products and you haven’t looked into getting a bulk discount, you need to get on that ASAP. However, it can be kind of confusing to figure out how to get that discount, as it’s not exactly something that the shipping carriers freely advertise.

There are a few ways you can try to get discounts for more affordable ecommerce shipping from carriers. If you’re a small business and you’re fulfilling everything yourself, you’re most likely to get bulk rates by using a platform like ShipStation or Shippo. They’ll let you compare prices and figure out the cheapest way to ship your items as quickly as possible, and they’re able to take advantage of bulk rate discounts by negotiating with carriers on behalf of all of their clients. Shopify offers a very similar service through their own platform, called Shopify Shipping.

However, unless you’re an enterprise-scale company, the chances are good that the best rates are going to come if you partner with a 3PL fulfillment company. They typically ship a huge volume of packages and are thus able to negotiate a discounted rate - without you having to do as much work.

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5. Beef up your last mile options

The last mile - metaphorically speaking, anyway - is the last step between the warehouse and the customer. This last step can sometimes take the longest. If you’ve ever tracked a package on its way to your house, you may have noticed the significant gap of time between it being out for delivery and actually being delivered. That’s because this step is complicated and relies on a lot of different cogs spinning together as one machine. It can depend on the third party you work with, how busy they are, where their facility is located, what courier they use, and many other factors that are completely out of your control.

As you can imagine, cutting down on the time and cost spent in the last mile is critical. But how can you do it?

First, don’t be afraid to A/B test different courier services to see which one does better. Something like a drone delivery service, while very cool, is probably way too expensive. But trying different companies can help you find that sweet spot between costly and quick. While Fedex and UPS frequently outsource to USPS for the last mile because of their coverage, other options have popped up in the last few years. Just like Uber Eats or Lyft, drivers contract with companies and use their car to complete deliveries - in this case, getting your package to the customer’s door.

You can also consider a pick-up option, which cuts out that last mile entirely. Make the customer come to you! If you have brick-and-mortar stores, setting up in-store pickup is an easy choice. If not, you may even want to consider participating in something like the UPS Access Point program.

6. Encourage larger average order sizes

In general, the more items you can ship in the same box, the more you can save on shipping. And when you’re saving on shipping, you can give some of those savings back by offering upgraded fast shipping or free shipping. But how?

A common way to encourage larger order sizes is to offer free shipping once they hit a certain minimum (like $50). However, you can try a new take on that, which is to offer upgraded shipping once they hit the minimum, which will reward them for ordering more by getting it to them faster. To set your minimum, look at your average order amount and set it a bit higher than that, which should bring your overall average order amount up over time. To do a trial run, try doing a customer appreciation campaign with upgraded shipping at your new minimum to gauge the popularity.

Another option is to sell in kits or in bulk when you can. By packaging best-selling or complementary products together you can easily increase the size of the order (and it’s an easy upsell for your customer as well). Ultimately, the more items you can fit in one shipment, the cheaper it will be to get it there quickly. This is a great way to balance affordable ecommerce shipping with fast shipping speeds.


7. Minimize the weight of your product and/or packaging

Hot take: no one cares about your inserts. Not-so-hot take: the unboxing experience is a crucial part of the impression you make on your customer. Both are true; how?

It’s true that unboxing is a big part of your image, and it takes on a life of its own on social media. The problem is that when companies think of unboxing, they think the more the better - and that’s not necessarily true. Practically, those materials take up valuable space and weight in the box, leading to marginal increases in shipping cost that become significant at scale. They also take longer to assemble, and all of the inserts you throw in will be tossed in the recycling bin (or the garbage) eventually, even if they do bring in an extra lead or two. It’s not worth it.

What is worth it is designing smart. Your unboxing experience doesn’t have to be over the top and filled to the brim with extras - a smart, thoughtful experience is just as meaningful for your customers, and packaging trends are moving that way as well. Consider talking to a package design company to see how you can really wow with design and ditch the inserts, or think about how using less can actually be more effective (like moving towards a more environmentally-friendly image). 

8. Restrict where you offer fast shipping

Lastly, fast shipping does not have to be an all-or-nothing game. With the U.S. being the size that it is, at a certain point, you’re going to have to make some exceptions to where you can get to quickly. Just ask anyone in Alaska or Hawaii-- they’ll be the first to tell you that it takes ages for shipments to arrive. Finding fast and affordable ecommerce shipping for the entire U.S. is going to be pretty difficult, especially if you’re not working for a 3PL, so you’re going to have to make some sacrifices. Sorry Alaska and Hawaii.

To make conditional fast shipping work for you, you can set parameters that will allow you to offer fast shipping where it is reasonable and affordable to you. This could be within major urban zones, or areas within a certain radius of the warehouse(s) that store your inventory. You can consider shipping to more remote areas, or places a certain distance outside of your core shipping radius, to be like shipping outside the lower 48. Even if you can’t offer fast shipping to all of your customers, you can at least increase your conversion rate where you do offer it without breaking the bank.

Related: Our list of the 12 best shipping softwares for ecommerce.

Final thoughts

Fast shipping and low costs are a balancing act. With customers expecting everything faster than ever (and freer than ever) it can feel overwhelming to try to make everyone happy. In reality, you’re going to be best served by cutting your own shipping costs as much as you can, and taking advantage of any deals you can get by using special services. Hope that cake tastes good!

And if you want to learn more about ecommerce shipping, check out our list of essential best practices.

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Ecommerce SEO

Ecommerce SEO Guide: Rank Higher, Spend Less, Sell More

By Gorgias Team
7 min read.
0 min read . By Gorgias Team

TL;DR:

  • Ecommerce SEO builds long-term brand authority. Ranking organically establishes credibility, lowers acquisition costs, and creates compounding traffic that generates revenue after the initial work.
  • Keep products within three clicks of your homepage. Structure your site as homepage → category → subcategory → product so Google and customers easily find products.
  • Write unique descriptions with transactional keywords. Avoid copying manufacturer text. Target buying-intent keywords like “buy wireless headphones under $100.”
  • AI is changing search with zero-click results. Use structured data, comprehensive content, and trust signals to get cited in AI overviews.

Organic visibility is the difference between scaling profitably and burning through ad budgets just to stay visible. Every day, Google processes roughly 3.5 billion searches, and a significant portion are product-related searches with high purchase intent. Millions of ecommerce stores are competing for the same audience.

This guide covers the strategic foundations that matter most: keyword research that targets buyers, site architecture Google can crawl efficiently, on-page optimization that converts, and technical foundations that prevent traffic loss. Whether you're optimizing product pages or rethinking your entire approach, these tactics will help you rank where it counts.

What is ecommerce SEO?

Ecommerce SEO is the process of optimizing online stores to rank higher in organic search results for product and category searches. Unlike general SEO that often focuses on informational content like blog posts, ecommerce SEO zeroes in on people who are ready to buy. This means optimizing product detail pages (PDPs), category pages, and the technical infrastructure that supports them.

The core components include:

  • Keyword research targeting product terms
  • Site architecture that keeps products within easy reach
  • On-page elements like titles and descriptions
  • Technical optimizations for speed and crawlability
  • Content strategies that build authority

Although paid ads will attract more people as well, SEO will cost you a lot less and yield better results in the long run. Paid ads are hindered by things like ad blockers and ad blindness — and they only work when you're investing money into them.

How ecommerce SERPs differ from other search results

Ecommerce search results are visually distinct and designed for shoppers ready to buy. 

The key features of ecommerce SERPs:

  • Product carousels with images and prices
  • Shopping ads at the top of the page
  • Review snippets with star ratings
  • Dedicated shopping tabs for product comparisons
  • Zero-click results and AI Overviews that answer questions directly on the SERP

Ecommerce SERPs vs. informational SERPs

Informational queries (like “how to tie running shoes”) typically show blog posts, guides, and how-to content in traditional blue-link format. Ecommerce queries prioritize visual, transactional elements that push organic listings further down the page.

[img: A side-by-side comparison screenshot showing an informational SERP (left) vs. an ecommerce SERP (right) for related queries—for example, "how to choose running shoes" vs. "running shoes"—to visually demonstrate the difference in layout and features.]

Category intent vs. product intent

Search behavior also varies by specificity. A broad search like “running shoes” surfaces category pages from major retailers, while a specific query like “Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 40” pulls up individual product pages and direct purchase options.

Why ecommerce SEO matters

Organic traffic compounds, paid traffic doesn't. Every dollar you spend on ads stops working the moment you pause the campaign. But ranking organically? That's an asset that keeps generating traffic and revenue long after the initial work is done.

The first page of Google captures nearly all the traffic. A study by Chitika found that the first organic result on Google gets 95% of traffic. Positions one through three capture the majority of clicks, and anything beyond page one gets very little traffic.

SEO builds brand authority and trust. Customers trust organic results more than ads — they see you as a legitimate player in your space, not just someone paying for attention. This translates to lower customer acquisition costs (CAC) and higher lifetime value.

Impact on organic search vs. paid spend

Two key metrics show whether your ecommerce SEO is working: click-through rate (CTR) and how much you're spending on paid advertising. Here's how SEO directly impacts both.

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who organically see your listing in search results and click it. Paid spend refers to the money you invest in advertising, like Google Ads or pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.

When it comes to CTR, organic search consistently outperforms paid ads. While paid ads might get 2-5% of searchers to click, the top organic position can capture 25-30% or higher. The main difference is that each organic click costs you nothing, while every paid click comes with a price tag.

The advantage goes beyond individual clicks. When you optimize your site — whether through keyword research, improving product pages, or fixing technical issues — that work continues generating traffic for months or years. In contrast, paid advertising only works while you're actively spending. Stop the ads, and the traffic disappears immediately.

Category

Organic Search

Paid Ads

Cost per click

No cost per click

Pay for every click

Click-through rate (CTR)

25–30% CTR for top positions

2–5% average CTR

Effort required

One-time optimization effort

Continuous budget needed

Time to results

Takes time to see results

Immediate traffic

Brand perception

Builds long-term brand authority

Seen as promotional content

Customer trust

Higher trust from customers

May face ad blockers and ad blindness

ROI over time

Compounds over time

Requires ongoing investment

Keyword research for ecommerce

Keyword research is the foundation of ecommerce SEO. It's the process of identifying the exact words and phrases your potential customers type into Google when they're looking to buy. Get this wrong, and you're optimizing pages that no one is searching for. Get it right, and you're positioning your products exactly where buyers are looking.

The keyword research process has three phases: discovery (find potential keywords), intent analysis (understand what searchers want), and selection (choose keywords based on search volume, competition, and business relevance).

For ecommerce, focus on transactional intent or keywords that signal someone is ready to buy. These include phrases like “buy,” “best price,” “free shipping,” or specific product names and models.

Here are three practical strategies to find the right keywords for your store:

  1. Discovery: Use autocomplete and related queries from Google and Amazon
  2. Intent analysis: Mine competitor sites and Reddit communities
  3. Selection: Select keywords by intent, volume, and difficulty

1. Discovery: Use autocomplete and related queries from Google and Amazon

Start by entering a broad product term into Google — let's say “dog food” — and watch what appears. You might see suggestions like “organic dog food,” “best dog food for puppies,” and “dog food delivery.” Each of these is a potential keyword target that reflects actual search behavior.

Amazon's autocomplete is even more product-focused. The suggestions there tend to be highly specific since people are typically ready to buy. Compare “dog food” on Google versus Amazon, and you'll notice Amazon surfaces brand names, specific formulations, and package sizes much faster.

Pro Tip: Don't forget the “related searches” section at the bottom of Google's search results page. These are semantically related queries that help you understand the broader topic landscape and discover long-tail variations you might have missed.

2. Intent analysis: Mine competitor sites and subreddit communities

Competitor keyword gap analysis is one of the fastest ways to find opportunities. Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush let you enter a competitor's domain and see exactly which keywords they rank for that you don't. This reveals gaps in your own strategy and shows you what's already working in your market.

For example, if you sell camping gear and a competitor ranks for “ultralight backpacking tent under 2 pounds,"” but you don't, that's a clear opportunity to create or optimize a page targeting that specific query.

Pro Tip: People speak differently in communities than they do in broad product searches. Browse subreddits related to your niche — r/camping, r/fitness, r/skincareaddiction — and pay attention to how people speak. The terminology you find there often translates directly into long-tail keywords that tools miss.

3. Selection: Select keywords by intent, volume, and difficulty

Once you've gathered potential keywords from the top search engines, you need to prioritize which ones to actually target. You can't optimize for everything. The three factors that determine whether a keyword is worth your time are search intent, keyword difficulty (KD), and search volume.

Search intent is what someone is trying to accomplish when they search. Understanding intent helps you focus on keywords from people ready to buy. The three main types are:

  • Informational: Learning or research (“how do wireless headphones work”)
  • Commercial investigation: Comparing options (“best wireless headphones 2024”)
  • Transactional: Ready to buy (“buy wireless headphones under $100”)

Prioritize transactional and commercial investigation keywords for ecommerce.

Keyword difficulty (KD) shows how hard it will be to rank based on competition. Most SEO tools use a 0-100 scale. If you're a new or smaller site, target moderate difficulty keywords (KD 20-40) where you can realistically rank within 6-12 months.

Search volume tells you how many people search for a keyword each month. A keyword with 10 monthly searches likely isn't worth targeting, but 500-1,000 searches could drive meaningful traffic — especially with low difficulty and high intent.

The ideal keyword combines transactional or commercial intent, moderate difficulty, and sufficient search volume.

Site architecture for ecommerce

Site architecture is how your website's pages are organized and connected to each other. Good architecture helps Google find and crawl your pages efficiently, helps customers navigate your store easily, and distributes ranking power to your product pages.

As a rule of thumb, keep all products within three clicks of your homepage. That means homepage → category → subcategory → product. Any deeper and products get buried for both customers and search engines. The number of clicks to reach a page from your homepage or “click depth” is important in signaling to Google how important a page is.

Keep navigation simple with minimal click depth

Structure your main navigation around your top categories. If you sell headphones, your structure might look like: Homepage → Headphones → Wireless → Onyx Wireless Over-Ear Headphones. Each level should be meaningful and help customers narrow their options.

This is also called breadcrumb navigation, showing users where they are in your site's hierarchy. It appears as a clickable trail at the top of a page, like “Home > Headphones > Wireless > Sony WH-1000XM5.” Breadcrumbs also appear in search results, making your listings more prominent. 

BestBuy breadcrumb navigation for iPhone Plans
Best Buy displays breadcrumb navigation at the top of their product pages.

Pro Tip: Avoid creating unnecessary subcategories just because you can. Every additional layer adds friction and dilutes your site's ranking power across too many pages.

Simplify product filters to avoid duplicate content issues

Faceted navigation refers to your website’s product filters for color, size, price, and brand. They're essential for user experience but create SEO problems if not managed properly.

The problem: Each filter combination creates a new URL. For example, filtering headphones by “red” and “Sony” might create “/headphones?color=red&brand=sony”. With multiple filters, you could end up with thousands of nearly identical pages. This confuses Google and wastes your crawl budget — the limited number of pages Google will bother checking on your site.

The solution: Tell Google which pages to pay attention to and which to ignore. You have two options:

  1. Use canonical tags to point all filter pages back to your main category page. This tells Google to treat all the filtered versions as the same page as /headphones.
  2. Selectively control what gets indexed. If certain filters are popular searches (like “red shoes”), let Google index those specific pages. For low-value combinations like sort orders or multi-filter pages, add a noindex tag that tells Google to skip them entirely.

This keeps your site organized in Google's eyes while still giving customers the filtering experience they need.

On-page SEO for product and category pages

On-page SEO is optimizing each element of a webpage to rank higher and convert better. Product and category pages are your revenue drivers, so they deserve the most attention. 

Focus on these elements: title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, product descriptions, heading tags (H1, H2, H3), internal links, and schema markup.

Write compelling title tags and meta descriptions

Title tags are your most important on-page element. They appear as the clickable headline in search results and in browser tabs. Include your primary keyword (stay under 60 characters to avoid getting cut off) and add modifiers that increase clicks like “buy,” “sale,” “free shipping,” or the current year.

Compare these examples:

  • Good title: “Wireless Headphones - Free Shipping on Orders $50+ | YourBrand”
  • Bad title: “YourBrand - Products - Electronics - Audio - Headphones - Wireless”

Meta descriptions appear as the summary text below your title in search results. They don't directly impact rankings, but they heavily influence whether someone clicks your result. Include your keyword, highlight benefits or unique selling points, and keep it under 160 characters. Think of it as ad copy competing against nine other results on the page.

Compare these examples:

  • Good description: “Shop premium wireless headphones with 40-hour battery life and active noise cancellation. Free two-day shipping on orders over $50.”
  • Bad description: “Wireless headphones 40 hour battery life” 

Use descriptive URLs and breadcrumbs

Your URLs — the web addresses for each page — should be clean and easy to read. Clear URLs help Google index your site quickly and help visitors understand where they are on your site.

Compare these examples:

  • Clean URL: https://www.suitshopping.com/blog
  • Messy URL: https://www.suitshopping.com/index.php?page=blog

URL best practices:

  • Keep URLs short and descriptive
  • Use hyphens to separate words (not underscores)
  • Include your target keyword
  • Follow a logical hierarchy

Add unique product copy with related terms

Using the same manufacturer's description that appears on 50 other websites gives Google no reason to rank your page over competitors. Thin, duplicate product descriptions are a major SEO problem.

A strong product description includes:

  • Core features and specifications
  • Benefits, not just features (explain what the product does for the customer)
  • Use cases or scenarios
  • Related keywords that match how customers search
  • Answers to common questions
Misen's product description page for their Carbon Nonstick™ Frying Pan
Misen’s description of their nonstick frying pan includes its features, benefits, and use cases. 

Pro Tip: Don't forget alt text for product images. Alt text is the descriptive text added to images in your site's backend. It helps Google understand what's in the image and improves accessibility for visually impaired users. Describe what's in the image using natural language and include your product name when appropriate.

Build internal links and add review schema

Now we're getting into the less visible parts of your website, or the behind-the-scenes elements that shape how both shoppers and search engines navigate your store.

Internal linking connects pages within your own website. When done well, it's invisible to shoppers but logically guides them where they need to go, like naturally suggesting “You might also like these running socks” on a running shoe page. Link related products together, category pages to featured products, and blog posts to relevant products to build up link equity.

Schema markup is like the infrastructure beneath a city — you don't see it, but it's what makes everything work smoothly. It's code added to your pages that translates your content into a language search engines easily understand. Think of it as labeling everything in your store so Google knows exactly what each piece of information means.

For ecommerce, the two most important types are:

  • Product schema – Tells Google your price, availability, brand, and SKU
  • Review schema – Displays star ratings and review count directly in search results

Review schema is especially valuable because those gold stars next to your listing significantly increase click-through rates. Most ecommerce platforms have plugins or built-in support for adding schema, so you don't need to code it manually.

Technical SEO essentials

Technical SEO covers the behind-the-scenes optimizations that ensure search engines can crawl, index, and rank your site effectively. Poor technical SEO can prevent even the best content from ranking.

Secure your site with HTTPS and optimize Core Web Vitals

HTTPS is non-negotiable. It's a confirmed ranking factor, and browsers now flag HTTP sites as "not secure," which destroys trust and conversions. If you're still on HTTP, migrating to HTTPS should be your first priority.

Core Web Vitals are Google's metrics for page experience:

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Loading speed
  • Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – Interactivity and responsiveness
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Visual stability (pages shouldn't jump around while loading)

Poor scores hurt rankings and frustrate users. Speed matters: 52% of mobile shoppers will leave if your site doesn't load immediately, and a one-second delay can reduce conversions by 7%.

Try these optimization tactics:

  • Compress images
  • Use a content delivery network (CDN)
  • Minimize JavaScript and CSS
  • Enable browser caching
  • Lazy-load images (load images only as users scroll to them)

Submit sitemaps and use canonical and noindex tags

An XML sitemap is a file (e.g., at domain.com/sitemap.xml) that lists all your important pages and helps search engines discover them efficiently. Most platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce generate sitemaps automatically, but you should still submit yours through Google Search Console to ensure Google knows about every product and category page.

Canonical tags consolidate duplicate content signals. If multiple URLs show the same or similar content (like filter pages), a canonical tag points to the preferred version and tells Google "index this one, ignore the others."

Noindex tags prevent pages from appearing in search results entirely. Use them for low-value pages like thank-you pages, account dashboards, and certain filter combinations. You want Google spending its crawl budget on pages that actually drive revenue, not administrative pages.

Content marketing strategies to drive demand

Content marketing for ecommerce is about creating content that captures people close to making a purchase, including comparison guides, “best” lists, buying guides, and educational content that positions your products as solutions.

Here are some strategies to create content that drives sales:

Comparison and “best” product lists target commercial intent keywords like “best wireless headphones.” These attract people ready to buy but just need help deciding. Structure posts with feature comparison tables, clear pros and cons, and direct links to your product pages. 

Product-led content features your products as solutions. Instead of "10 Best Leather Boots" (which could feature competitors), create "How to Clean and Condition Leather Boots" that demonstrates your leather care products. Or "How to Set Up a Home Office for Under $1000" featuring your desks, chairs, and accessories.

User-generated content (UGC) is social proof that includes everything from reviews and testimonials to customer photos. Reviews often include natural language variations of product terms you'd never think to optimize for. Encourage UGC by sending post-purchase review requests or asking customers to share product photos on social media.

Link building playbook

Link building is the practice of earning one-way hyperlinks from other websites to yours. Backlinks are votes of confidence — the more high-quality sites that link to you, the more authority Google assigns to your domain. 

While it’s one of the most effective techniques for improving search rankings, there’s a catch: many websites don't want to link to commercial product pages, so you need to get creative.

Here are proven link building strategies for ecommerce:

  • Claim unlinked mentions. Use tools like Google Alerts or Ahrefs to find when someone mentions your brand without linking to you, then reach out and ask them to add a link.
  • Get supplier and distributor links. Ask your suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors to link to your store from their websites.
  • Use HARO (Help a Reporter Out). Respond to journalist queries in your industry to earn authoritative press links from major publications.
  • Launch digital PR campaigns. Create newsworthy content like original research, data studies, or timely commentary that journalists want to cover.
  • Run backlink gap analysis. Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to see who's linking to competitors but not to you, then reach out to those sites.
  • Guest post on industry blogs. Write educational content for blogs in your niche and include links back to your site.
  • Partner with affiliates and influencers. Offer discount codes and run giveaways with influencers and bloggers to earn backlinks and brand exposure.
  • Fix broken links. Find broken links on relevant websites and suggest your content as a replacement.

Ecommerce SEO mistakes to avoid

Even experienced ecommerce teams make avoidable mistakes that damage their SEO performance.

Here are the key mistakes to avoid:

  • Thin content - Pages with just a product image and one sentence don't give Google enough information to rank you well.
  • Duplicate product descriptions - If you copy manufacturer descriptions word-for-word, Google will rank the original source instead of your store.
  • Keyword stuffing -  Repeating the same keyword over and over looks unnatural and can get you penalized by Google.
  • Indexing too many filter pages - Letting Google crawl every color, size, and price filter creates thousands of similar pages that waste your crawl budget.
  • Creating orphan pages - Pages with no internal links pointing to them are invisible to both customers and search engines.

The future of ecommerce SEO

Search is changing fast because of AI. Google now uses AI to create answers directly in search results by pulling information from multiple websites. When someone searches “best lipgloss” Google might show a comparison table with recommendations before anyone clicks a link. These are called zero-click results, where users get their answer without visiting your site.

To stay visible, focus on quality and authority. Structured data helps Google understand your product information clearly, so use it extensively. Your content should fully answer customer questions, not just brief descriptions. Trust signals like customer reviews and links from reputable sites matter more than ever. 

Above all, high-quality content still drives traffic even when the playing field has changed.

Quick-start checklist for immediate impact

  1. Set up Google Search Console. This free tool shows you how Google sees your site and alerts you to issues.
  2. Conduct keyword research. Use Google autocomplete, competitor analysis, and tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to identify 10-20 high-priority keywords targeting transactional intent.
  3. Audit your top pages. Run your best-selling product and top category pages through PageSpeed Insights and fix any Core Web Vitals issues flagging as "”poor.”
  4. Optimize title tags and meta descriptions. Start with your homepage and top 10 product/category pages. Include primary keywords and compelling language that encourages clicks.
  5. Build five pieces of commercial content. Create comparison guides, "best" lists, or buying guides that naturally link to your products.

See how Gorgias helps ecommerce brands optimize customer conversations for SEO and conversions. Book a demo to learn more.

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Ecommerce Influencers

Influencer Marketing for Ecommerce: Strategies & Tips for Getting Started

By Frederik Nielsen
9 min read.
0 min read . By Frederik Nielsen

Almost 50% of consumers depend on ecommerce influencers to guide their purchasing decisions.

Partnering up with an influencer your target audience resonates with can help you attract new customers, cultivate your community, and grow your sales.

We've discussed the benefits of social media for customer service, but in this blog we'll discuss using social media influencers to expand your brand's reach. Here’s what you’ll learn in this guide:

  • What influencer partnerships are all about and how can you use them
  • Why companies similar to yours choose influencer marketing
  • How to find the right influencers and get started on your first campaign

What is influencer marketing for ecommerce?

Influencer marketing is the process of working with social media influencers to advertise your ecommerce products on their social channels to their followers. Usually, you'll work with influencers whose followers are within your target audience.

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How to leverage influencer marketing

You know how it works, how to use it, but you’re still not sure how to create an influencer marketing campaign. Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated. 

Here’s what you need to know about launching an influencer campaign.

1. Create a marketing persona

You can’t pick a partner if you don’t know who you want to attract. That’s why creating a “marketing persona” needs to be the first thing you do. Determining what age, gender, and interests of your average customer can help you a lot. 

Let’s say you’re selling women's clothing. You do your homework and find out that most of your visitors are ladies in their 40s from North America and Canada. This knowledge narrows your search down. You need an English-speaking influencer that appeals to middle-aged women. 

That can get things going. 

2. Select social platforms

Once you get to know your audience, you’ll easily find out what are some of their social media platforms on the Internet. Consider platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

image
Social Media Examiner

If you’re looking for a universal solution, then you should reach out to Instagram influencers, since the platform has one of the most diverse user-bases. According to Social Media Today, Instagram is the most active influencer platform

3. Look for the right influencer for your store

You of course want a partner with a good reach. Contacting a person with less than 1,000 followers doesn’t make any sense, correct? That person can’t be even called an influencer. But you shouldn’t get stuck on every metric.

Engagement is what you’re looking for.

Sometimes, smaller is better. You might be surprised to know that micro-influencers are far more effective than big ones. In fact, an average micro-influencer gets 7X more engagement than a far-reaching one.

image
SocialPubli

4. Reach out to multiple influencers

As soon as you nail what type of audience you’re targeting and what kind of person would suit your store best, you need to start getting in contact with influencers. However, you can’t just reach out to one and hope you get a response right away.

You need to contact a few social media personalities at the same time. Using a platform such as FameBit, or #Paid you’ll be able to contact several influencers, sort them by followers, age, and other metrics that can be helpful for your marketing campaign. 

image
Unsplash

5. Evaluate your potential partners

As we keep saying, you need to find someone that your buyers will find relatable. Relatability is twice as important as popularity if you want to attract the right kind of people. 

Talk to the influencers, see what their values are, do they align with your values, and see whether or not they’d shop at your store if you didn’t reach out to them. 

6. Set the objectives for your partnership

Like any other form of marketing, your influencer strategy can and has to be measured. You can’t expect to have a successful strategy without some tweaks along the way. And you can’t really make any corrections to your strategy if you don't know how it’s performing in the first place. 

According to research from the Digital Marketing Institute, these are the biggest KPIs for measuring your effectiveness:

  • Reach and Awareness
  • Audience Growth
  • Referral Traffic
  • Conversion Rate
  • User Engagement

Your KPI choice depends on your needs and ambitions. Sit down with the rest of your team, discuss in which direction you want to take things, and only then select important KPIs. 

7. Select a platform to measure your campaign

For three-quarters of business owners, measuring ROI is the biggest challenge of an influencer marketing campaign. Nonetheless, measuring success should be one of the most important parts of your campaign. 

You need to have the right tools if you want to get the job done right. NeoRech can help you track referrals and monitor the effectiveness of every single influencer you have, while TapInfluence can help you measure your ROI more effectively. 

8. Launch your first influencer campaign

Once you have your influencers in place, your KPIs all set, and all of the measuring tools in place, you can give your partners permission to start the campaign. 

For the first couple of days, the surge of visitors might not be huge. However, after a month or so, you can expect to see some serious results from the campaign. 

9. Ask for testimonials 

This is a perfect opportunity to get some content for your website. You can always ask for a couple of testimonials from the people you’re working with and place the quote alongside their pictures on your website. 

Now your visitors can see who works with you.

Every person that visits your website will know that the influencer vouches for your store, products, and organization. That testimonial will allow you to build your brand, establish credibility, and boost trust among your consumer base.

10. Make the partnership mutually beneficial

Last but not least, try to make the partnership mutually beneficial for both parties. By that we mean, consider offering the influencer some discount codes or some of your products. 

The influencer can and will send a good number of users your way. That shouldn’t be a one-and-done deal. More than a third of influencers like to work with brands long-term. If the first campaign turns out as planned, why not do it a few more times? 

image

Why businesses rely on influencer marketing

A business can’t rely only on influencers to increase sales. You should look at this as an enhancement tool for your current marketing strategy.

It’s a great, cost-effective way of improving marketing efforts. Nearly 90% of marketers feel that influencer marketing has a better ROI than other, more traditional marketing channels. 

Let’s look at a few more ways influencer marketing can help your store…

image
Unsplash

They have real sway with their followers

While a niche influencer may not be able to reach millions of people, they can still have a lot of influence over a small group of users. Niche influencers attract are comprised out of users who share the same interests, buy the same products, and visit the same stores. 

Therefore, by working with an influential person, you’ll be able to reach that small amount of people and turn them into regular customers. You just need to find a person that caters to your target audience. For example, if you go into a random gym in your area, you’ll probably find someone wearing Gymshark clothing. The company is huge. At the moment, it’s valued at about $200 million.

image
GymShark

And how did the company manage to find the right influencers? By knowing their target audience

Their gym clothing was aimed at millennials. As soon as Gymshark launched a line of women’s clothing, they sought out young fitness influencers like Nikki Blackketter to team up with them. Soon after, their “Flex Leggings” became a huge hit among millennials. 

They're really relatable 

As we established, while celebrities may be influencers, they’re usually seen as spokespeople for certain brands and companies. Why is that? That’s because celebrities live completely different lives than 99% of us. 

Simply put, the average person can’t relate to most celebrities. Relatability is everything if you want your campaign to generate real results. Almost 90% of Gen Z-ers and Millennials follow influencers because they’re relatable. 

They can help niche or taboo businesses 

If you’re selling niche products that aren’t considered mainstream, you may have trouble finding success with mainstream advertising. For instance, anything that Google deems “dangerous advertising” is heavily prohibited. 

Everything CBD and marijuana-related products to martial arts equipment and hunting gear all fall into that category. Stores that sell similar products can get a healthy amount of visitors and brand exposure from influencers. 

Partner up to get your profits up

If you want to partner up with an ecommerce influencer to grow your online store, you should start by thinking about how that partnership can help your store increase sales and help your brand become more known. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Influencer marketing works perfectly on people who dislike traditional marketing
  • Social platforms allow influencers to make the most out of their connection with users
  • Continuously investing in influencer marketing can be beneficial for both parties 

And remember: even though influencer marketing is still new and always adapting, it’s just a regular marketing strategy that needs to be monitored and measured. For that, you need the best tools. Speaking of which, check out our post on the best social media integrations for Shopify.

If you are starting out with an influencer campaign, especially on Instagram you may see a spike in engagement on your Instagram feed. If those users are commenting on your posts - especially your products, don’t just ignore them, welcome them to your community.

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Customer Appreciation

10 Customer Appreciation Ideas to Grow Your Business & Retain Return Shoppers

By Ashley Kimler
12 min read.
0 min read . By Ashley Kimler

Your customers are the backbone of your business. Ask any successful entrepreneur and they’ll agree that your number one priority should be to nurture satisfaction with your shoppers. Show them some love and run a customer appreciation campaign. 

What is customer appreciation? 

A win-win for your shoppers and your brand, a customer appreciation campaign or a shopper appreciation campaign is a promotion that a company runs to celebrate its customers. It can include discounts, small gifts or freebies, contests, and more. The point is to delight your customers. 

You can run a shopper appreciation campaign annually, quarterly, monthly -- there are no set rules. But, one constant with all successful shopper appreciation promotions is that they show customers recognition and gratitude for shopping with the brand beyond a simple ‘thank you.’ 

A promotion like this will help you retain shoppers and increase eCommerce conversions

Customer appreciation ideas to show gratitude and retain loyal customers

Let’s explore some ideas to kick off your next customer appreciation campaign.

  1. Run a flash sale
  2. Feature customers in social media posts
  3. Make it an annual event
  4. Share brand promotions with your personal network
  5. Send handwritten notes
  6. Send free swag
  7. Follow up with your brand advocates
  8. Donate to a cause 
  9. Send a gift card
  10. Reward customers with a loyalty program
  11. Offer a price cut

1) Run a flash sale

This idea goes against what I mentioned earlier about letting shoppers know what you’re planning in advance (to generate hype). But, if you have limited resources and you think it’s time to show customers you truly care, a flash sale is a viable option. 

Above is an example from Hand-Picked, an online jewelry and gift retailer. For just four hours, everything in their store was on sale at a 40% discount. They announced the sale on social media for their followers, which created an atmosphere of exclusivity and urgency -- very appealing.

2) Feature your shoppers on social media posts

People love it when you love them. Show your customers appreciation by sharing their images on social media to your followers. Attention like this makes shoppers feel like they do when their new friend shares a photo of them -- like they’re someone to be proud of. 

Rianna Phillips is an accessories seller with a flair for glam. In the above example, they share a photo of their customer, @imb_amande, “looking effortlessly chic.” In this case, they’ve placed their product (a pretty, pink phone case) in a real-life glamorous-looking scenario while showing their gratitude for the purchase; this tactic appeals to the customer(s) you promote and onlookers who might want to try the product.     

3) Make it an annual event

One way to encourage customer loyalty is to make sure your shoppers have something to look forward to. Plan your promotions in advance and make sure your shoppers know that they can consistently expect exciting deals from your brand. 

[Image source: Plum Deluxe]

Above, you see a landing page that Plum Deluxe keeps up on their website all year long. A recent tweet with a product photo let their followers know that time was almost up to get in on the discounts for what has been their full month of gratitude. Follow their lead and keep your shoppers interested in you long-term. 

4) Share brand promotions with your personal network

Sometimes it’s beneficial to share your professional promotions with your personal connections. When you say thank you to your shoppers is one of the better times to do so. You don’t want to pitch your products and services to your friends and family because that’s annoying. But, there are ways to make brand shares tasteful. 

Amethyst Babe is an online boutique body product retailer. Behind the scenes, @theillestpisces runs the show. With her personal followers, she retweets her branded promotional tweet. Now, everyone knows, if they order, they will receive a surprise gift with their purchase. Which of your store’s posts should you be sharing with your personal network? 

5) Send handwritten notes

Thank you notes are a classic way of letting someone know you appreciate them. You send them to your friends and family. Why not send them to your customers? Consumers absolutely love handwritten cards because they give the shopping experience a tremendously personal touch. 

Casper is a mattress company that sends handwritten thank you notes with their deliveries. They keep them simple and welcome customers to their “family.” You can take this idea and run with it for nearly any product offering. If you couldn’t possibly write enough notes yourself, look into a printing alternative. 

6) Send free swag

Branded merch is a win for both parties because your shoppers will appreciate the gesture. And, if they choose to sport your gift, they’ll be marketing your company to their friends and family in the real world. It’s like a thank you note that serves as a commercial for your brand. 

Above, you see some free Beatles pins that are going into some packages as surprise gifts for Pizzawednesday’s weekend Etsy orders. What better way to get people excited about your products than send them a little extra? What unique swag could you use to delight your shoppers? 

7) Follow up with your brand advocates

When your customers check in with you on social media or they tag you in their posts, make sure to follow up. Engaging with advocates, both big and small, gives you an opportunity to make someone happy. Plus, it’s just good PR. Don’t just aim for influencers, either.

Every brand mention is a chance for you to deliver an exceptional experience to your customers. Love Always Claire understands the value in simply acknowledging shoppers when they have something nice to say. You never know what good can happen for your business if you ignore your patrons. 

8) Donate to a cause 

On behalf of your most loyal customers and brand advocates, consider making a donation to a cause. This is one of the best forms of PR you can get. You’ll have a fanatic on your team who wants to share what you’ve done with the rest of the world, and you’ll make people feel great. 

On behalf of the Burst Southeast Team, Burst Oral Care donated $2,500 to the Wounded Warrior Project, for example. During your promotion, you can choose a charity to donate to or run a contest wherein the winner chooses which organization gets your donation. Just make it fun and relevant. Because of its nature, this tactic is always a success. 

9) Send a gift card

Another classic way to express your gratitude, a gift card can be an excellent promotional tactic. Depending on your budget, you can send a gift card for your online store or send your shoppers out to lunch or for a coffee. For the most impact, you’re best to execute this tactic as a surprise. 

For example, when a customer couldn’t find what they were looking for in their local store, Argos sent them a gift voucher to use online. In this case, they were making up for a mistake, but you don’t have to mess things up before you deliver a delightful experience. Try taking a look at your ten top-purchasing customers from the past year and send them a gift card. 

10) Reward customers with a loyalty program

A loyalty and rewards program is one of the best ways for an online store to create customer retention. And, it’s an excellent way to show your appreciation for the purchases made. in the eyes of your customers, make sure your rewards are worth talking about. If you do, they will share their story with the world. 

Above, Luisaviaroma created a hit with a “private sale” for special shoppers. They sent a huge discount to a select few on their luxury fashion, making at least one customer feel like the star of the show.  And, that is how a brand effectively shows their appreciation. 

11) Offer a price cut 

Sometimes a simple discount can get people excited and chatting. And, it doesn’t necessarily have to be 75% off to cause a stir. Find out how much you can afford to shave off your prices and start handing out savings to your loyal shoppers. It’s a simple offer and it works. 

Marshall Artist, modern tailoring online, offered a 15% discount for new shoppers and it got people talking. When customers were able to connect over their purchases, it created a sense of community in the Tweetosphere. And, people were connecting over the business in a positive light. You can mimic this tactic by offering percentage and dollar amounts off your prices for specific actions. 

Customer appreciation campaign best practices

Your customer base is inspired to shop when they feel like they’re getting something of value. To most consumers, there’s nothing more valuable than feeling appreciated. Follow these best practices when creating a campaign to acknowledge your gratitude. 

1) Start promoting in advance

Before your campaign commences, it is crucial to give potential shoppers a sneak peek of what’s to come. You need people to know that something big is about to happen so they can get ready to engage. Anticipation is at the heart of a successful campaign. 

So, run a pre-launch email series and let social media followers know what’s happening. You can also add a countdown bar to the top of your website or online store; try using it as a lead-generation tool by collecting email addresses of shoppers who want a notification when your promotion officially starts.

By letting people know what’s up in advance, you ensure more traffic to your store on the day of launch. 

2) Make it all about your customers, not your brand

If you want shoppers to promote you, you need to promote your shoppers. Don’t focus too much on your product or service. Instead, feature customers as the VIP of your party. You’re not exactly saying, ‘happy birthday,’ but you want customers to feel like you are -- you’re celebrating and it should be fun. I’ll bet you can come up with something just as clever while staying relevant to your products and services. Then, bring it to social media. 

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are great platforms to get shoppers engaged with your brand. So, call your customers to action on these social channels and thank them for joining in. 

3) Make every shopper feel important

To your customers, the engagement they have with your brand is one-on-one. So, keep this in mind when you connect with people. Don’t talk to shoppers as if you’re speaking to a crowd. Especially since your interactions primarily take place online, remember to keep the experience hyper-personalized. 

Encourage your customer support team to enthusiastically address each customer who engages with you on social media, email, live chat, and by phone. Then, try to enhance the experience by letting everyone know about the promotion you’re currently running.

4) Carry the vibes into the future

The fun shouldn’t stop here. In fact, you should use your promotion as a springboard for creating an exceptional brand experience all year long. Shoppers appreciate consistency. So, show them that you can consistently make them feel like a vital part of your business every single day. 

[Image Source: Sunski]

Use your customer appreciation campaign as an opportunity to launch a new, ongoing campaign. Here are some of the best types of long-term campaigns to start during a shopper appreciation week or day promotion: 

  • User-Generated Content (UGC) CampaignStart a hashtag promotion on Instagram, ask for product reviews, or ask your shoppers to submit certain photos of your products for a contest. Incentivize customer action with a discount or gift. Then, keep it going to continue generating interest in your brand each day of the year. 
  • Referral Program - It might be time to start asking for referrals. If so, you can use customer appreciation week as a starting point. Maybe you could offer additional bonuses during launch, but make sure your satisfied shoppers want to continue telling other people about your products. 
  • Loyalty or Rewards Program - A loyalty program can go hand-in-hand with your new referral program. And, it doesn’t have to end with your shopper appreciation day or week. 
  • Discount - Now might be the time to start giving shoppers a new shipping discount on sales over a certain price. Or, maybe you want to start offering markdowns on bulk orders in certain categories. The possibilities are endless.

Ultimately, you want to use your campaign to kickstart a new company lifestyle, not just a few sales. If you’re interested in making the processes easier on yourself, check out some of our favorite Shopify apps, which include platforms for ongoing loyalty, rewards, and other campaigns. 

5 Customer appreciation scripts to inspire your support team

Right now, customer appreciation scripts might be what your team needs to help set the mood when connecting with customers. During your campaign, share these scripts with your team to get them ready for the big push. They can use them as general guidelines to follow when communicating with shoppers. 

Script #1. Simple greeting

Hello there, I’m happy to help with whatever it is you need. Before we get started, did you know that we’re celebrating shopper appreciation week? To say thank you for your patronage, I’d like to offer you some exclusive perks. Some of them are super cool. Are you interested in hearing more? 

Script #2. Pitch a newsletter signup

Hi! I see that you haven’t signed up for our newsletter yet [Make sure this is true.]. As a way to say thank you, we post regular articles that can help you understand how to better understand your [Insert Product or Product Category] and other relevant [Insert Main Blog Theme] tips and advice. 

Right now, we’re offering [Insert Gift or Discount Offering] to anyone who signs up with their email address. Would you like me to subscribe you to our newsletter and show you how to redeem your reward? 

Script #3. Propose a contest entry

Hey there, thank you for reaching out/ stopping in! As a way to give back to you and our other shoppers, we’re running a contest right now. All you have to do is [Insert Customer Action(s)], and you’ll have a chance to win [Insert Prize]. And, just for playing, you’ll get [Insert Gift or Discount Offering]. Would you like to play? 

Script #4. Solve a general problem

[After the problem is solved...] I’m so happy I could help you, today! I sincerely appreciate your patronage. Before I let you go, I want to say ‘thank you,’ and let you know about a promotion we’re running to show that we appreciate you for being a part of our family. 

Today/ This week only, we’re offering [Insert Gift or Discount Offering] to anyone who [Insert Customer Action(s)]. Would you like me to send you more information?   

Script #5. Solve a problem for an unhappy customer

[After the problem is solved...] Whew, I know that was frustrating for you. I want to say that I’m grateful for your patience while we sorted through that mess. Your business is important to us.

 As a thank you, I’d like to offer you [Insert Gift or Discount Offering]. If you’re interested, all you would need to do is [Insert Customer Action(s)]. Would you like to proceed? 

###

The above scripts can be modified to suit your customer needs, brand voice, the skill level of your customer support team, and the nature of your promotion. The examples should be used as a starting point to get everyone’s wheels turning and the creative juices flowing. You might also like these customer service quotes to help keep your support agents motivated throughout the year. 

Final thoughts

When it comes to shopper appreciation, the bottom line is to make sure you find a way to show your gratitude to the people who matter most. You want to satisfy your customers and you wan to increase your sales. In the end, what matters most is the relationships you build. So, if you focus on that, you will certainly be successful. 

Remember to be authentic, transparent, and open in all of your ecommerce marketing campaigns. If you’re not, your brand will stick out like a sore thumb. There’s nothing people hate more in this day and age than a phony, especially when it comes to where they spend their money. What tactics have you used to show your appreciation for the people who visit your online store?


Shopify Live Chat Support Mistakes

11 Shopify Live Chat Support Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

By Ashley Kimler
8 min read.
0 min read . By Ashley Kimler

Your customer service is the lifeblood of your business. And, live chat is a central communication channel for your online shoppers. Live chat can make or break your business. When leveraged properly, Shopify live chat can have a tremendous positive impact on sales. You just need to make sure you’re not turning prospects away. 

This article covers a few points.

  1. Why live chat is crucial for your online revenue
  2. Shopify live chat support mistakes you need to avoid at all costs
  3. Actionable advice to solve these common issues  

Now, learn why your growth depends on your live chat processes. 

Why is using live chat on your Shopify store important?

If you don’t yet have live chat or you haven’t experienced the potential of optimizing your communication processes on this channel, you may wonder what the big deal is. Yeah, your customers want to talk to you at all hours, but is it really that important? 

Let’s look at a few facts about live chat so you can think about it.   

  • 38% of online consumers are more likely to make a purchase if a retailer offers live chat support (Crazy Egg). 
  • Site visitors who engage with your live chat are worth 4.5X more than those who do not (ICMI). 
  • Live chat has the highest satisfaction level of any other customer support communication channel at 92% (Inc). 

Now, here’s what might happen if you leave your shoppers dissatisfied. 

  • It can take 12 satisfying customer experiences to make up for a single dissatisfying one (Invesp).
  • 95% of customers tell others about their poor experiences with a brand and 87% share positive experiences (Customer Thermometer). 

Are you convinced? If so, it’s time to make sure you get it right. Avoid these live chat mistakes and ensure that you’re getting the most out of one of the most powerful communication channels for online stores. 

Avoid these live chat mistakes on your Shopify store

Now it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty. Here are the mistakes you need to avoid when implementing live chat on your Shopify store. And, below each problem is a simple and actionable fix. 

1. No automation  

When you don’t implement automation, you’re forced to have multiple support agents online at all times or miss the point of live chat altogether. Your customers prefer this communication channel because they want the convenience of self-service. And, without some level of automation, customers might as well send an email because it will take just as long to receive a response. 

The quick fix: Learn your chat platform’s macros or automation processes

Source: Gorgias

Live chat platforms are designed to enhance the workload of your support team. So, naturally, the brand you work with will have a knowledge base with detailed instructions about platform use. Make sure your support agents learn how to implement macros or automations.

2. Too much automation

Before you get too excited and try to automate your entire live chat workflow, stop and think for a moment. It is possible to fully-automate your live chat communications. However, with automation, you can’t always get the answers right. Irrelevant responses to customer queries can trigger immediate dissatisfaction.

The quick fix: Refer to the Pareto principle

In marketing, sales, writing, and even customer service, the Pareto principle, better known as the 80/20 rule can come in handy. This principle states that 80% of the effects for many actions come from 20% of the effort. Spin this just a bit for an easy solution. 

Find out where most of your effort is being spent (maybe 20% of the customer support workload) and use live chat macros to answer the most common customer questions first. Then, the rest of your support agents’ work time to reply to the unique and personal queries (perhaps about 80% of the customer support workload).   

See Also: Love Your Melon Has Automated 25% of Shopify Support Tickets

3. Excessive wait times

While it may not always be possible, especially from the perspective of a brand, up to 79% of consumers want immediate responses and expect answers within 10 minutes. If you’re making your shoppers wait longer than this, you may be losing sales.

One of the biggest benefits of live chat for customer support is its speed .You need to find a solution to accelerate your responses.  

The quick fix: Enlist assistance from other departments

Much of the time, excessive wait times are due to the fact that customer support staff must reach out to external departments and wait for answers before replying to the customer. Try what Nomad did to decrease first-response time by 78% and implement an all-hands support strategy. 

Require each department to directly respond to a number of tickets every day. And, there’s no need to go overboard -- just a few tickets a day from sales, marketing, and/or product teams can have a dramatic positive impact on response and resolution times. 

4. Ineffective language use

Do your agents sound like robots? Are your chat communications overly-formal? If so, you run the risk of turning people away. Consumers appreciate AI, but if they can have better conversations with Siri or Alexa that they do your customer support team, your conversations could use some work. 

The quick fix: Parrot your customers 

Compile some data from your chat sessions and look for patterns. Do you see any recurring words or phrases in your customer communications? If so, add them to your macros and your agents’ vocabulary. When you speak the same language with shoppers, they’re more likely to trust you. 

5. Unskilled or untrained support agents

Customer service agents never get as much credit as they deserve. Without a small army of satisfaction soldiers, you will lose the eCommerce war. So, the work needs to be taken seriously. If you hire low-skilled agents who can’t answer your shoppers’ questions, you will end up with low-quality support operations. Eventually, this mistake can kill your business. 

The quick fix: hire and train well 

Unfortunately, for this problem, there isn’t a “quick” fix. However, if you put in significant energy in the beginning, you may be able to kick up your heels later. Onboard well. 

Fist of all, learn the core skills that your support agents need like active listening and product knowledge. Then, hire like you know what you’re doing. Make sure to ask the right interview questions. And, when onboarding, create stellar customer service training materials. The resources you invest when you bring on new agents will pay for themselves fast. 

6. Emoji overload

Once in a while, if you throw an emoji out there in a live chat conversation with a customer, it can be fun. Emojis can help adjust the mood and keep a message lighthearted. Forbes says that emojis can be worth 1,000 words. But, don’t go overboard. Too many smiley faces and penguins will come across annoying and unprofessional. 

The quick fix: Just stop 🛑 

If it seems like your agents may be on emoji overdrive, just ask them to stop. Remove the use of smileys and strong arms from your operations entirely. It’s better to have no emojis at all than to have too many. Now, if this hasn’t become a problem internally, then don’t worry about it. Skilled agents typically know what’s appropriate and what’s not. 

7. Extreme focus on quantity

In eCommerce and business in general, decision-makers spend end a lot of time looking at numbers. In customer service, you strive for the fastest first-response and resolution times. While this is best practice, don’t let quantity overshadow quality. Some teams become so focused on their numbers that they lose sight of their actual customer satisfaction. Don’t let this be your team. 

The quick fix: Audit your operations 

Instead of playing a numbers game and obsessing about the clock, focus on quality. Customer satisfaction should be the number one goal of every support team and every business, for that matter. Periodically, run an audit on your operations and make sure your satisfaction levels are balanced with your speed. 

8. No data collection

A few weeks ago, I called out to online store owners on Twitter to ask for their experience using live chat to increase sales. I wanted to level the playing field and reach beyond our internal data to find others who had the same experience. And, while each respondent knew that live chat had a positive impact on their Shopify sales, they couldn’t provide real numbers. Instead, they shared anecdotes and vague descriptions and stories. There are two key problems with no data collection for live chat. 

  1. When you have no performance data and statistics, you can’t determine the exact areas where you need to improve your processes.
  2. A lack of customer data leads to a decrease in customer satisfaction. 

90% of consumers value when an agent knows their account history and current activity within a company. 

The quick fix: Use a full-featured live chat plaform 

If your live chat platform is designed to collect data from your agents and your customers, you can get all of the information you need to collect helpful internal statistics.

Measure customer support success with relevant KPIs

Keep track of tickets created, replied, closed, messages, time to resolution. Sort your data by agent or event. Use real numbers from your internal processes to power your customer support strategy. 

With the right reporting system, you can inform your future decisions about hiring, automation, processes, and more. 

9. Missing optimal chat times

Do you know when your website traffic spends most of their time on your website? And, are you making certain that your agents are online during peak times? If not, you will naturally see low response and resolution times. Plus, the people who reach out when nobody is online may never return to your site. 

The quick fix: discover your peak times & make sure you’re staffed 

Use a tool like Google Analytics to generate hour of day and day of week reports. When you have determined the most active times for your website visitors, check to make sure you’re staffed during these times. And, if you see that there are active traffic times that you don’t have anyone available, make adjustments to your staff schedules. 

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10. Ignoring sales opportunities 

Customer support is an avenue for your team to keep shoppers happy. And, happy shoppers evolve into satisfied, long-term customers. But, you may be missing opportunities to upsell your website traffic on current promotions and increase sales even more.  

The quick fix: Share your current promotions with shoppers

When you’re running a promotion, contest, or sale, make sure your support agents are aware. At the beginning or end of every live chat conversation (you’ll have to test to see what works best for your audience), give customers a link to a page with the information or briefly tell them about the promotion. 

11. Disconnected processes

A major problem for many support agents that can kill satisfaction is processes that are disconnected. Your staff can be forced to open multiple tabs to keep a conversation going -- email, social media, live chat, web store. This can take up precious time and also give customers the feeling that your company doesn’t know who they are or what their status is. 

The quick fix: Make sure your live chat is integrated with Shopify and your other communication channels

Gorgias's live chat platform connects with your Shopify data so that you can streamline the resolution on orders, shipping, tracking, and return tickets. Furthermore, it integrates with your email, phone, and social media messaging platforms so that you have access to all customer data, no matter which channel they reach out on. 

Final thoughts

Now you know exactly what not to do and how to fix what you’re doing wrong with live chat on your Shopify store. Apply this advice today and watch your support team nurture more satisfaction with shoppers. If you need a Shopify full-featured live chat platform that provides the data you need to scale your customer support operations and the integrations that can streamline your operations, find out what we have to offer. 

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Maximize Customer Lifetime Value

3 Ways You Can Use Transactional Emails To Maximize Customer Lifetime Value

By Sal Noorani
4 min read.
0 min read . By Sal Noorani

Transactional emails are usually sent when a customer has placed an order like shipping confirmation emails and order confirmation emails. But they could also include reminders for abandoned cart checkouts, lost password requests, or suggestions for future purchases.

A study by Experian found that transactional order emails average $0.75 per open compared to $0.13 for bulk mailings on orders. But how can simple notifications increase customer lifetime value? How can they drive repeat purchases?

Tips for upgrading transactional emails to boost sales

Try these three tips to use transactional emails to grow your ecommerce business.

  1. Leverage product recommendations to upsell customers
  2. Ask for reviews to build trust
  3. Drive repeat purchases with discount codes

1) Leverage product recommendations to upsell customers

One way you can maximize the power of product recommendations is to add them in your transactional emails. How effective are product recommendations in maximizing your profits? Intelliverse found that 45% of consumers are more likely to shop on a site that offers personalized recommendations and  56% of online customers are more likely to return to a site that offers product recommendations.

For example, Costco’s order confirmation email has product recommendations that are based on top categories. It’s nothing special, but it can drive repeat purchases.


Another tip is to send personalized product recommendations based on a consumer’s purchase history or behavior. This way, you’ll be upselling products that customers will likely be interested in. For example, Amazon’s order confirmation email includes recommendations based on a customer’s past purchase.



Adding personalized product recommendations in your transactional emails make a lot of sense because they have high open rates. In fact, transactional emails have open rates that are 3x to 4x higher than the regular marketing email. That’s because customers often check transactional emails to confirm the success of their transactions.

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2) Ask for reviews to build trust

Another type of transactional email you can use is the feedback email which is sent a few days or weeks after the customer has received or used the product. Why are product reviews important to your retail store? Reviews determine whether people will buy your product. Additionally, while writing reviews don’t directly lead to repeat purchases, they’re pretty effective at getting other customers to buy a product.

Numerous studies consistently found that star ratings and reviews have a big impact on sales. In fact, BrightLocal found that 44% prefer products with reviews within the past month and Reevo found that reviews can result in an 18% increase in sales.

And contrary to popular belief, negative reviews might do you some good. Capterra found that 52% of buyers trust a product more when they see a fewer negative reviews. After all, there’s no perfect product. You can ask for reviews by sending a simple feedback email like J. Crew:



Writing a review seems easy, but it does take some time and effort. That said, you should thank customers because any kind of feedback is useful for your Shopify store. Here’s an example of how J. Crew thanks their customers:



You don’t always have to ask for long reviews, sometimes a star rating might do.

For example, JCPenney asks for a star rating a few days after the customer has received the product. They also give customers the option to write a long review through clicking the “Write a Review” button.



They also incentive customers by giving them a chance to win $1000.

You can also provide other incentives like discounts and coupons in exchange for the review. After all, people are more motivated when they get something in return.

Related: Our guide to email marketing automation for ecommerce.

3) Drive repeat purchases with discount codes

Selling to your current customers is a lot easier and cheaper than converting a first-time customer. A study by Harvard Business Review found that acquiring new customers is about five to 25 times more expensive than selling to the ones you already have.

Of course, old customers are more likely to buy your product because they have experiences with your product or service. If they like what they purchased, there’s a good chance they’ll buy from your store again.

In contrast, first-time customers are a lot harder to convince. You need to get them through the marketing funnel and send ads, emails and other marketing content to convince them to buy from your store.

That said—how do you increase repeat purchases in your retail store? A popular trick is to send next purchase discount codes. Offer a small limited-time discount if they make another purchase.

Start customizing your transactional emails

The strategies in this post are an easy way to generate additional sales and revenue with some minor tweak. While Shopify doesn’t allow you to directly customize their transactional emails, you can start with an email template and then use a tool like Spently. Use their drag and drop functionality to add product recommendations, unique discounts and referral codes to your transactional emails.


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Ecommerce Shipping Best Practices

7 Ecommerce Shipping Best Practices That Keep Customers Happy

By Gorgias Team
10 min read.
0 min read . By Gorgias Team

TL;DR: 

  • Shipping can boost sales and loyalty. It influences how likely people are to buy, spend more, and come back again.
  • Set your free shipping threshold a bit above your average order size. This encourages bigger purchases without hurting your bottom line.
  • Smaller, right-sized packaging helps cut shipping costs. Avoid oversized boxes to save money on every order.
  • Show clear delivery dates during checkout. This gives customers peace of mind and reduces abandoned carts.
  • Offer easy returns and send automatic shipping updates. Customers stay happy and support teams get fewer “Where’s my order?” messages.

Your shipping strategy is more than just getting packages to customers. It's a revenue lever that influences conversion rates, average order value, and long-term loyalty.

Unexpected shipping costs are often the culprit when shoppers abandon their carts. When they return, it's because you delivered transparency and speed. 

This guide covers the tactics that turn shipping into a competitive advantage.

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1. Set a free shipping threshold 15-20% above your average order value

Free shipping is considered the number one factor in purchasing decisions. In fact, 73.9% say it's the most important factor when deciding where to buy, according to a 2024 Digital Commerce 360 data survey. However, offering it on every single order will be detrimental to your margins. 

The trick here is to set a threshold with a message encouraging customers to add more goods to their cart.

How to calculate free shipping: Calculate your average order value and then set your free shipping threshold 15-20% higher. For example, if your average order value is $60, offer your customers free shipping on orders above $75. By doing so, you encourage customers to make larger orders and don't have an extra cost burden of paying the shipping charge. 

2. Right-size your packaging to avoid dimensional weight charges

Carriers charge based on package size, not just weight — whichever costs more. This pricing means a lightweight item in an oversized box can cost 7x more to ship than necessary.

Audit your packaging and eliminate excess space. Use smaller boxes, vacuum-seal soft goods when possible, and minimize void fill. Every inch you cut from package dimensions reduces shipping costs without changing what you sell.

One brand saved 50% on shipping simply by reformatting their packaging strategy and reducing box sizes. That's money that goes straight to your bottom line.

3. Display estimated delivery times at checkout

People abandon carts because they are uncertain if the order will arrive on time. Showing clear delivery estimates at checkout is where building trust and reducing anxiety occur.

Give exact days of delivery such as, “Arrives by Friday, December 15” instead of “3-5 business days.” If you offer multiple shipping speeds, show the delivery date for each option so customers can make informed choices.

For international orders, set expectations about customs processing times. Surprise delays harm relationships more than longer shipping times.

4. Provide a range of shipping options with clear pricing

Offering two or three shipping speed options, such as standard, expedited, and express, will give customers control over their delivery experience. While not all customers require overnight shipping, those who do will cover the cost.

When feasible, use real-time carrier rates to show customers the exact cost of shipping and foster trust through openness. Use flat-rate pricing with distinct speed tiers if that is too complicated for your operations.

The secret is to match the urgency of the customer with their expectations. When purchasing a gift, someone needs it quickly. Someone replenishing necessities can wait. Give them a choice.

Read more: Ecommerce shipping made simple: Strategy, tools & tips

5. Use prepaid labels to make returns simple

Customers are deterred from making a purchase by a convoluted returns procedure. By making returns simple, you eliminate the largest obstacle to buying.

Give consumers pre-paid return labels so they can easily print, package, and deliver their returns. Yes, return shipping will cost you money, but you'll get repeat business and devoted customers. 

Use a self-service portal to automate your returns process so that customers can start returns, print labels, and monitor the status of their refunds without getting in touch with your customer service team.

According to Narvar, 91% of Fortune 50 retailers, 63% of D2C brands, and 52% of omnichannel sellers use online returns portals — making easy returns table stakes.

6. Send proactive shipping updates to reduce "Where's my order?" questions

“Where is my order?” (WISMO) tickets overwhelm support agents, consuming time that could be used to address more challenging issues. But when you take a proactive approach, these tickets are eliminated before customers think to ask.

At key moments of the fulfillment process, from order confirmation and shipping confirmation to the order being out for delivery, send automated notifications. Customers get their answers without the wait or hassle.

In the event that customers do contact you, use conversational AI to handle tracking inquiries instantly.

7. Use a multi-carrier strategy to optimize cost and speed

Don't make the mistake of always relying on one carrier for every shipment. Many carriers perform certain functions better than others. For example, USPS is great for lightweight packages, FedEx is best for express deliveries, and local deliveries are often provided by regional carriers.

We recommend shopping for the best rate on a per-order basis by comparing all of the rates offered by different carriers before making a final decision. You can automate this process with shipping software

As your shipping volume increases, be sure to negotiate rates with your carriers. Typically, increased shipping volume will result in lower rates. However, be sure to also have strong relationships with multiple carriers to protect yourself in the event that one of your carriers has unexpected delays.

Turn shipping into a competitive advantage

Great shipping doesn't just get products to customers—it builds trust, reduces support costs, and increases repeat purchases. Start with these seven practices, then optimize based on your customer feedback and order data.

Tired of WISMO tickets flooding your inbox? Gorgias automates shipping notifications and tracking updates so your team can focus on growing your business. Book a demo today.

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Ecommerce Payment

How to Choose Payment Options for Your Ecommerce Store

By Frederik Nielsen
11 min read.
0 min read . By Frederik Nielsen

TL;DR:

  • PayPal stands out as the best payment option for ecommerce because of its widespread use and easy integration.
  • Shopify Payments suits small businesses well with its easy integration and straightforward use on Shopify.
  • For enterprise businesses, Magento Payments provides a comprehensive solution to address complex payment processing needs.
  • Customers tend to prefer on-site payment processing because they can complete their purchases right on the website, unlike off-site processing which requires payment to be completed on a third-party website.

There are a lot of different ecommerce payment options to choose from when setting up your online store. This guide will help you choose the right ones for you and your customers.

We’ll cover:

  • The definition of payment gateways
  • The things you need to consider when selecting an ecommerce payment platform
  • 12 payment platforms for you to consider

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12 most popular ecommerce payment options businesses need to accept

To help you prevent high cart abandonment rates, we’ve narrowed down the best ecommerce payment options for 2023.

1. PayPal

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Image Source: PayPal.

Pros: Most popular payment processor, leads to higher conversion rates than other payment platforms

Cons: High fees, payments can be held for up to six months

PayPal needs no introduction. It’s the biggest payment processing platform on the globe, with more than 254 million active users. What’s more, ecommerce stores using PayPal have 82% higher conversion rates than their competitors.

However, like everything else, PayPal isn’t perfect. Unlike some of the platforms we have on the list, it isn’t free. PayPal has pretty high fees that will vary from region to region. Of course, with enough volume this can be negotiated.

PayPal is also known for holding payments for up to six months. They aren’t exactly the sellers’ first choice, but with such a high market share, customers trust them which is why we’re ranking them number 1 on our list of payment providers. 

2. Shopify Payments

image

Image Source: Shopify

‎Pros: Integrates with the most popular ecommerce platform,

Cons: Not available in all countries

Second on our list is the payment gateway developed by Shopify. Since it’s the most widely used ecommerce platform in the world, it only makes sense that the company would create its own payment system.

Similar to WooCommerce Payment below, you can access Shopify Payments from your dashboard. Shopify Payments keeps your customers on your site, and is included with your plan.

As Shopify continues to evolve, they’ve also rolled out Shop Pay. It’ll allow customers to store their billing and shipping details, and in turn, make the checkout process a lot quicker.

3. Magento Payments

Pros: Offers customization and flexibility for enterprise-level needs

Cons: May require technical expertise to unlock full capabilities

Magento has been around for more than a decade at this point. Based on their experience with online merchants, the company has launched Magento Payments, a platform that can help you reduce operational complexities, lessen costs, and improve conversions.

Furthermore, with a merchant account, Magento Payments gives you an all-in-one solution that streamlines the payment process for you and your customers. It eliminates the need for 3rd-party account management, additional expertise, or subscription costs.

4. Big Commerce

Pros: 55+ payment gateways

Cons: Varying transaction fees

With cost-effective price plans and customizable options, this SaaS platform works perfectly for small ecommerce stores and mid-sized business owners. It offers more than 55 pre-integrated payment gateways to ecommerce sellers from all over the world.

At the moment, the payment option is available in almost 100 countries. It’s also available in more than 140 world currencies. The setup is also perfect for beginners: you just need to click a single button, and you start accepting credit card payments from all of the major players. 

5. Visa Checkout

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Image Source: CloudApp.

Pros: Accessible to customers worldwide

Cons: Limited to users on Visa

If many of your shoppers are Visa holders, Visa checkout should be the most obvious payment solution for you. Considering the fact that there are more than 21 million Visa Checkout users across the globe, it’s a safe bet that some of your visitors might prefer this payment option. 

With this option, Visa users won’t have to fill in their personal information. They’ll be able to enter their credit card information, and they’ll be able to finalize the purchase. Visa Checkout can potentially increase conversions by 42%. A little convenience can go a long way. 

6. Square 

Pros: Well-suited for companies with brick-and-mortar and online stores

Cons: High transaction fees

Most users associate Square with POS payments, however, the company offers ecommerce payment processing services as well. By using their API, your website will be able to accept a number of payment methods from this list, including Google Pay and Apple Pay.

And that’s not all. Square can also make things easier for your customers additionally, by allowing them to create their own profiles. That means they won’t need to input their login data every time they want to purchase something from you. 

If you’re already using Square POS, adding them to your website may be a natural fit.

7. Stripe

image

Image Source: Stripe.

Pros: Low operating costs, suited for ecommerce stores

Cons: Day-to-day management requires more technical know-how

Besides on-demand marketplaces and crowdfunding campaigns, Stripe works perfectly for people that have their own stores as well. More than 1,000 of ecommerce stores have managed to build their business around Stripe. 

According to research commissioned by Stripe, companies using the platform have been able to increase their revenue by 6.7% during the first year of business. Compared to others, Stripe users also have 24% lower operating costs. 

Stripe is so trusted, that Shopify Payments is built on it. 

8. ProMerchant

Pros: Transparent pricing plans

Cons: Limited contactless payment options

This Massachusetts-based company offers a number of processing solutions to its customers. One of their most popular products is an ecommerce payment platform that's free to use. There are no upfront costs when you’re accepting card payments. 

The company uses Authorize.net as their payment gateway platform. This allows you to be as flexible as possible. With ProMerchant, your store will be able to accept payments from a number of different companies, including Mastercard, Visa, and Discover. 

9. Amazon Pay

Pros: Connects to Amazon, large customer base

Cons: Long registration process

Millions of people use Amazon to buy products every single day. There’s no reason not to try and turn some of these people into regular customers? By using the Amazon Pay platform, you’ll allow Amazon users to shop on your website without jumping through hoops.

For many people, the registration process takes too much time. They don’t want to enter their information, come up with a password, and wait for a confirmation email just to buy something. Remove all of these barriers with Amazon Pay. 

10. Apple Pay

Pros: Most accessible to North American customers

Cons: Limited to Apple users

Nearly two-thirds of Americans use Apple products. For most of them, their Apple product doubles as a digital wallet. Naturally, they use their Apple accounts to pay for products on websites that accept it. 

Apple Pay makes things incredibly easy for iPhone owners by leveraging touch identification and allowing users to pay for products with literally a single touch. If you want to get a piece of the action, then consider this platform.

Apple Pay, like Google Pay, makes mobile checkout almost instantaneous, and is already included with many payment providers. 

11. Google Pay 

Pros: Large customer base, easy payments for Android users

Cons: Not adopted by all merchants

Millions and millions of people already have their data saved on Google accounts. That’s why the biggest tech giant in the world has created its own payment platform. If you’re targeting a large user base, it can’t get larger than this.

Additionally, Google offers top-notch security that will make the consumers feel safe at all times. The platform can help you set up a loyalty program, offer gift cards, and various other discounts for most-loyal buyers.

12. WooCommerce Payment

Pros: Directly integrates with WordPress

Cons: Limited to US customers

Let’s round it off with a built-in integration. If you’re a WooCommerce user with no intention of changing your platform, then this could be the right solution for you. WooCommerce payment allows you to manage your finances swiftly and safely. 

You don’t have to learn anything new, either. You can safely use the plugin from the safety of your dashboard.

The benefits of payment gateways in ecommerce

Payment gateway technology is used by store owners to accept credit and debit cards from shoppers. In a traditional sense, the term refers to both physical, card-reading devices found in stores and payment processor apps, typically found on ecommerce websites. However, in this post, we’ll only talk about the latter. So any time we mention a payment gateway, we’re talking about an online application. 

Why do small businesses need payment gateways?

  • They make the checkout process easier
  • They keep customers’ information safe

1. They make the checkout process easier

Have you ever tried to buy an item only to find out that the purchase process is overly complicated and not worth your time? There’s a good chance you did. Most shoppers come across this problem more often than you think.

That’s why shopping cart abandonment rates are still considerably high. This March, more than 88% of shoppers in the United States have filled their virtual shopping carts, only to abandon them completely, before finishing the transaction. 

If you want to decrease your cart abandonment rates, allow your customer to make purchases easily, and improve your revenue, you need a good payment gateway. It will remove any possible barriers, make the process feel intuitive, and lessen the need for customer support.. 

2. They keep customers’ information safe

Every day, thousands of people have their credit card numbers leaked, identities stolen, their bank accounts drained. For that reason, most shoppers are mainly concerned about preventing ID theft.

Recent studies indicate that around 1 in 5 online shoppers have had their identity stolen at some point in their life. Because of this, around 40% of consumers will only buy products from well-known websites. 

If you want to attract new customers, you need to make them feel safe.

The best way to do that is to use a payment service that will keep their sensitive information completely safe. Your system needs to have proper encryption along with other security features. Being transparent about your security measures can also help. 

How to choose a payment gateway for ecommerce: 3 considerations

There are dozens if not hundreds of payment platforms for you to choose from. If you’re opening an online store for the first time, you’re probably not sure what to look for. We want to explore the common options you have to you.

When selecting a payment gateway for your ecommerce business, there are three specific things you should keep your eye on.

1. On-site and off-site processing

The first thing you need to think about is whether you want your shoppers to leave your website or not. 

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For example, PayPal, one of the biggest payment solutions out there, requires users to leave the merchant’s website in order to finish their payment process. You can pay a fee to make sure the payment is processed without requiring shoppers to go to an external site. We highly recommend choosing a payment option that will keep uses on your site.

2. Types of payment methods

Different companies have different payment methods. Besides debit and credit card processing, there are plenty of other options including gift cards, financing, cryptocurrencies, and many more 3rd-party options. 

In order to know what will work best for you, getting familiar with your consumer base is a must. See what payment methods your visitors prefer and only then make a choice. 

3. Customer protection and security

We simply can’t stress enough the importance of data protection. If the payment platform you’ve started using has experienced data leaks, then the consumers might not be too keen on doing work with you. 

Moreover, you should make sure that the platform you’re using doesn’t come with any hidden monthly fees. The safety of your consumers should be your number one priority.

Improve the customer experience

Now that you’re familiar with the best ecommerce gateways, you can improve the experience of your customers, help them finish their purchase in a matter of seconds, and grow your store, without managing cart abandonment rates all the time. 

So let’s recap:

  • Payment gateways are there to make the purchase process easier
  • Without the right payment platform, your shoppers will feel insecure
  • Select a platform based on your needs

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