Chapters

Summary

This episode started with Geordie’s journey into digital marketing and ecommerce. His start in digital marketing was organic. Geordie was working at Curtin University as a customer service team member. He got interested in email marketing and web design while working at Curtin. Geordie then started to work at Bang Digital (he is currently the Head of Web & CX there!). This opportunity helped diversify his skill sets in digital marketing.

Geordie said he was attracted to the analytical side of ecommerce. You can see the one-to-one correlation between action and results. He was excited to see the effects of marketing strategies on sales and revenue. Geordie noted that leads are also exciting to gain, but converting leads to sales is more challenging.

Next, Simon asked Geordie to define customer experience (CX). Geordie answered, “It is the way that customers engage with a brand or business at every touchpoint and stage of the customer journey.” He added that its core is to solve the problem of the customer. It is a long-term strategy that is crucial for a business. Unfortunately, not a lot of companies seem to see it that way.

CX Optimisation involves improving the customer journey. Customer journeys are at the macro level, and you need to understand each component. Eliminate as many friction points as possible, and make the journey smooth for your customers. Also, remember that people may browse through your website instead of going straight to checkout.

Simon then asked how ecommerce owners can evaluate their CX. Geordie answered that the conversion rate is a metric to follow. 5% indicates that your product market is fitting or your CX is strong. Beyond conversion rates, Geordie recommended keeping track of customer lifetime value. If customers repeat buying products from your business, it likely means that they enjoy your services. When you want to know what you are doing well, conduct some customer surveys.

The next question was how to turn a negative CX into a positive one. Geordie said empathy comes first. The ultimate CX feels like a one-to-one personal interaction. One like you would expect in a physical store. Therefore, your challenge would be to replicate that in a digital store. Geordie also advised the audience to focus on negative feedback to improve their website. No negative reviews for a while could mean no one is on your website.

Next, Geordie shared his experience running an ecommerce store. His online store sells party shirts. Geordie himself is a tall man. He had difficulty finding shirts of his size. He did his research and found a market in that area. That’s how his business started. During COVID, he had to pivot his business like other ecommerce stores. One of his biggest learnings was to focus on one and not spread yourself too thin.

Simon continued to ask for other learnings. Geordie raised two more learning points. The first one was to get your products right. Geordie had a background in digital marketing. However, he didn’t have much experience in product development. This sometimes caused difficulties when he was trying to supply his shirts. Without a product, your ecommerce store won’t work.

The second point was the power of influencers. Geordie had tried an influencer campaign. The influencer that aligned with his brand had 50,000 followers on Instagram. Sales raised once the influencer posted a photo with Geordie’s shirt. The only regret was that Geordie was not ready for the Tiktok channel, as he didn’t have an account for his business.

This episode finished with Geordie’s call to action. He advised the audience to ask their customers more questions. What are your customers trying to achieve through engaging with your business? Try to shape your value proposition according to their needs.