Top 5 Online Marketplace Features to Boost Customer Experience

According to statistics, the value of the fashion industry reached $1.55 trillion in 2021. In 2022, it is expected to reach an astounding $1.7 trillion. By looking at the numbers, it is clear that this is one of the most competitive industries in the eCommerce world. But what can you do as an online fashion retailer to stand out in such a highly competitive and challenging landscape?

This article will discuss five features that will boost customer experience and help your business stay ahead of the game.

‍

What’s Trending in the Fashion Marketplace Space?

Experts agree that the pandemic has accelerated the use of digital and believe that the opportunities that have emerged during the crisis will persevere after it passes. Companies will interact, engage and communicate with customers in new ways. Another thing that is changing is that consumers are now looking for sustainability and purpose, which makes a company's mission more important than ever.One thing that remains persistent as a trend throughout the years is that shoppers choose to purchase from retailers with personalized offers. For this reason, more retailers are turning to AI and AI chatbots. 

‍

5 Features to Boost Customer Experience for Your Online Fashion Marketplace

If you’re looking for a list of the best features to boost customer experience, you’ve come to the right place! Below, we’ll present a couple of online fashion marketplace features used by some of the most popular marketplaces. We should mention that every online fashion marketplace has a unique set of features tailored to its target audience. However, there are plenty of features that are common for successful businesses.

Let’s go through them!

‍

#1: Personalized Offers

On average, 71% of customers feel frustrated when they don’t get a personalized shopping experience. By using AI and tracking user behavior with product recommendation engines, you’ll be able to provide every customer with a customized shopping experience. 

‍

‍

Personalization solves the following issues in the shopping experience:

• Relevance - Shoppers want to discover products that are relevant to their style and preference
• Speed - Customers expect to receive fast product suggestions, and through personalization they can find what they’re looking for almost instantly
• Re-targeting - After they’ve made a purchase, customers don’t want to see ads for the item they’ve already bought 

‍

#2: A Solid Search System

A comprehensive search system is essential for every marketplace. The search process must be simple and quick to give your customers the best experience. The chances are that there will be many items in your marketplace. Given that, your search functionality must be impeccable. 

When implementing a search system, make sure that users can:

• Use images to search for products - Uploading a photo and getting a list of the exact or similar items can be incredibly helpful for customers. 
• Use several filters and labels - Filters and labels will help customers who have little knowledge or aren’t sure about their preferences buy the correct item.
• Expect a search bar that completes their search query automatically - With predictive search, shoppers don’t need to browse a long list of items that aren’t relevant to them. 

‍

#3: Descriptive Product Pages

When it comes to fashion, we all can get a bit picky. Often, it’s hard to make a purchasing decision without knowing all the details about a product. For this reason, it is vital that you create a detailed product page for each item that you offer. You can improve the customer experience through a product page, such as offering a 360-degree view or videos of your products. Attract your buyers with real high-quality photos that will boost their level of trust. 

Don’t forget to offer a detailed description of your product, including important information related to the item's color, fabric, style, and features. Consider using an AI description generator to ensure your product descriptions are both accurate and engaging. Ensure that the description section is as informative and straightforward as possible. 

‍

#4: Product Comparison

One of the online marketplace features that can notably improve customer engagement is product comparison. With product comparison, shoppers are able to compare different items based on their characteristics and price, and they can avoid using third-party review sites or doing any research. Through comparison, shoppers can get a clear picture if a higher priced product is a better value based on features and specification, which will deliver a better customer experience and boost conversions.

‍

#5: Smooth Checkout Process

Many shoppers abandon a website because of a complicated or inconvenient checkout process. To reduce this number, you need to optimize the checkout process of your marketplace. 

A shopping cart is one of the essential features of an online marketplace, and you need to make sure it contains the following information:

• Type of shipping, whether it’s free or paid
• Possibility to change the number of items
• Option to remove an item
• Option to add notes to the order

Adding a guest checkout option would also be a brilliant idea since many shoppers don’t like to be forced into registering an account. Allow users only to enter their email and finish checkout. Once they’re done making a purchase, you can offer them the option to sign up. In addition, an excellent alternative to registration is letting your customers sign in through social media networks. All they need to do is choose the icon of their preferred social media platform and sign in. 

‍

Final Words

When the competition increases daily, it becomes harder to retain customers and keep them satisfied. Even if you have the most excellent products, if you’ve been in the eCommerce world long enough, you’ll know that’s only half the battle. You have to improve your strategy and work with innovative technology. In this article, we’ve touched on the essential fashion marketplace features. Effective fashion marketplace management involves leveraging the right features and technologies to create an engaging and personalized shopping experience. Make an effort to understand the needs and behavior of your shoppers. By doing this, you will deliver a great customer experience, and you will drive repeat purchases for your business. 

Try out the free live demo and find out what Pixyle can do for you and your business! 

‍