How should you treat gourmet customers online?
Online gourmet customer
That is an excellent question that has a complex answer, not because it is difficult but because it arises from a series of actions that make it different from offline sales. Let’s discover them.
Those of us who like Gourmet products (the Gourmands) have always wanted personalized treatment when we go to a store full of Delicatessen products. To be pampered, to have the differences between products explained to us, to hear the individual stories behind each one, to be allowed to taste them to understand what we’re being told… in short, to feel unique, like all those wonderful products.
I remember the series Frasier when Niles Crane shopped in a Gourmet store and was feted by its owner, French of course, with his gastronomic wonders (by the way, among them prosciutto — oh my, if there had been jamón ibérico de bellota! How that would have helped internationalization), and Niles’s father, not a gourmand, was enticed by some gourmet canned dog food, and as the shopkeeper explained its uniqueness and virtues, he ended up convincing the retired policeman to buy them.
We took these examples of caring for our customers to the utmost when creating Made in Spain Gourmet.
Customer treatment: you need to define it
It’s obvious that online treatment could not, and cannot, be the same as in-person treatment — fortunately, it never will be. But it also doesn’t have to be as cold and automated as buying a piece of clothing or tickets for the theater or cinema. So, how can you make the online experience resemble the in-person one? By looking for new formulas for online experiences.
What’s clear is that a consumer needs stimuli to enter the website and then to browse it. Getting them to the site is already a victory — that means the page is attractive and well positioned (a sine qua non condition to survive in this market) — but inside there must be stimuli (Calls to Action) that convince them to keep browsing and take an interest in the products on offer.
Imagine a store like ours, which has more than 600 products, and for most of them their brands are not well known because they are not easy to find in physical stores… so you have to convey that they are not alone and won’t be left to fend for themselves. And that they will always be advised by the people who are part of Made in Spain Gourmet.
Keys to persuading users on your gourmet website
1.- Offer wide-ranging, stimulating, and useful content. Show that you know what you’re talking about. If you are a recommender of those products, you must convey that you have tried them, that you have an opinion about them… and take a stand — in other words, give an opinion. People want to know, and they don’t want to be the first to try something. Include videos and articles about the products, the producers, the designations of origin, the regions where they are produced… in short, make the shopping experience broader and more rewarding. Because if you can make them feel moved, you’ll have gone a long way.
2.- Make them feel special. We all like to feel unique and well treated. Since we can’t have them in front of us to talk to and listen to, you must highlight their presence in our digital environment. Here the key is to stimulate the wallet, because a purchase ultimately becomes a mix of something rational and something irrational. Free shipping on a reasonable order is, without a doubt, the most important barrier you can overcome, and therefore the most likely to result in a completed purchase. Be careful to make sure the numbers add up (you must know your commercial margins very well to run these promotions and not end up losing money). Make it easy for them to get to the deals section if you have one — if you don’t, you’re overdue (weekly or monthly deals).
In our case, it works very well for customers to ask their questions via the WhatsApp button, or for longer inquiries by email, but for the more daring we encourage them to call us, because there are always people behind it and we answer very willingly. And it never fails: the more time spent in conversation, the greater the chance that the purchase will be expanded. For this action to be satisfactory, the people in the Gourmet shop must know all the products perfectly. Whoever sells premium products must also be able to offer premium services.
3.- Care for shipments as if they were for you. All of the above is worthless if at the moment of packing the same level of care is not maintained. You must prepare everything very well and have it perfectly packaged. There is no worse experience than opening the box and seeing everything poorly organized — it kills the desire to buy again. And of course, include a company card with an emotive message that conveys your passion for what you do. There are always unforeseen events, for example the carrier might break one of the boxes. The important thing is to face the issue quickly and offer a solution. Customers want solutions, not complaints that go back and forth.
4.- Ask customers to leave reviews. If we want to keep improving and for new customers to see what others think about us, it is very important to have reviews on our site. The more the better. That is why you should incentivize customers to leave reviews (for example, a discount or gift for the next purchase).
5.- Inform your community promptly about promotions and new products via newsletter. It is very important to communicate with your community. If you want to incentivize purchases and have your community be willing to share your site with their own networks, you must be consistent in your communication. At least twice a month (ideally once a week) via a newsletter. Make it not dense, easy to read, and with attractive Calls to Action to increase conversion to purchase. Address it in the first person and speak to them sincerely and non-intrusively.
If you do it well and offer interesting information, your community will look forward to your newsletter every week.
[caption id="attachment_20631" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
How to treat the online gourmet customer?[/caption]
In short, although an online customer may seem very different from a physical one, in reality they are not. They need the same care; the difference is that you don’t always know when your attentions will be appreciated. But it is true that you have to make much more effort in the online world. The positive side: you can reach a lot more people without having to see them all the time. So, if you do it well and convey that you enjoy it, it’s a wonderful business, because you can, as we did, reach 16 countries in 18 months without leaving Spain — fascinating!!