5 Must Include Value-Added Services for Your Ecommerce Business

Based on statistics, there are about 1.3 million eCommerce companies in the USA and Canada, as well as around 12 million to 24 million eCommerce websites in the world. With the growing competition and the presence of large ecommerce marketplaces, it would be hard to capture the attention of people and get them to consider buying things on your ecommerce website.

To encourage more people from purchasing your products, you can offer them value-added services. Value-added services are just like add-ons or additional benefits that you can provide to your customers, allowing your business to stand out from the rest of the competition. If you want to deliver the best experience for your customers, here are some value-added services that you should not fail to offer:

1. 1. Free returns

   Though online shopping has gained popularity, there are still several people who are hesitant on making online purchases since they might receive a defective item. You can’t blame them because there are many instances where customers receive broken items which are often due to improper freight handling. Oftentimes, the logistics company will only pay you a fraction of the amount for the damages that you’ve incurred. While offering free returns can drain your company’s profit, it can help to build trust between you and your customers. To prevent your profit from draining extensively due to free returns, you may partner up with some 3PL companies or third-party logistics providers like Red Stag Fulfillment that offer zero shrinkage allowance and responsibly reimburse their clients in case the items are lost or damaged while in their care.

2. 2. Excellent customer service

   To keep up with the other players in the eCommerce industry, it is recommended that you offer 24/7 customer service especially if you have an international business. If you can’t be there for your customers round-the-clock, that is still absolutely okay as long as your customer service representatives respond to your customers’ queries in a fast and timely manner. By providing excellent customer service, people will be more likely to trust your business.

3. 3. Spread your presence on various social media platforms

   Aside from building an eCommerce website, most businesses make themselves available on different social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If you make your business reachable on various channels, you’ll be able to provide different ways of how customers can communicate and connect with your eCommerce business.

4. 4. Create an amazing mobile shopping experience

   Today, most people do their online shopping through their mobile phones. If they have a negative experience on your mobile website, they are less likely to buy from you. To provide your customers with a great mobile shopping experience, invest in a mobile responsive design. By making your eCommerce website responsive, its layout will be automatically changed depending on the device that is used for viewing. A responsive design makes your website’s text more readable in mobile format and it arranges your photo and video elements in an uncrowded manner.

5. 5. Special discounts and promotions

   To entice more customers to buy your products, it is recommended that you offer special discounts and promotions from time to time. You may opt to run a "buy one, get one free" promo, early payment discounts, free shipping offers, flash deals, seasonal discounts, wholesale prices, and many more. If your eCommerce business is just new and a bit unstable, the discounts and promotions could wait.

Offering these value-added services may require your eCommerce business to exert more effort. However, when used effectively, these will help you stay in the competition, gain more customers, and improve your revenue. But you shouldn’t limit your business with these value-added services. If you have thought of other ways on how to provide more value to your customers, feel free to do so.

Jaylin is a Staff Writer for Bizmaa focusing on business analytics, business systems, gadgets and other small business news. She has a background in information and communications technology coordination.