How providing an amazing customer experience with self-service editing benefits your Shopify store
Self-service order editing on Shopify
We're all on the quest for that holy grail - a seamless, satisfying customer experience that earns not just repeat sales but also elevated word-of-mouth, glowing reviews, and a following of loyal customers that would make any competitor envious.
A strategy you should try? Give your customers the edit button and offer self-service order editing. It might seem counterintuitive, but it’s becoming essential in ecommerce thanks to Amazon.
The ability for customers to edit their own orders—it’s not only crucial but also a win-win. And if you aren't already offering this sort of self-service to your customers, you’ll want to after reading this post.
How self-service order editing shapes the customer experience
Picture this: A customer, let's call her Lola, places a hurried order for a decor item. Moments later, realizing she's picked the wrong finish, Lola sighs deeply and preps for a tedious cancellation process. But wait! Instead, she promptly corrects her mistake with a simple click on the 'edit order' button. A sigh of relief replaces the groan of frustration, and Lola's irritation dissolves into an appreciation for the company that was thinking ahead about her needs as a customer.
This is the power of self-service order editing.
Self-service order editing is the silent superhero that can eliminate headaches for both you and your customers. Offering it can dramatically transform the customer experience in several ways:
Empowerment and control
With order editing capabilities, customers have greater control over their purchases. They can easily correct a mistake, change a product size or color, or even add an item to their existing order. This ability to independently change their orders empowers them and enhances their shopping experience.Less frustration and reduced return rates
Self-service editing reduces the risk of customer frustration that can come from realizing a mistake too late. Plus, it's likely to reduce return rates as customers can adjust their orders to suit their needs before it's shipped.Improved satisfaction
The convenience that comes from self-editing orders leads to a better customer experience overall. This can improve the overall satisfaction rate and foster customer loyalty.Quicker resolutions
Since customers can make changes immediately, they are likely to be more satisfied with the speed of resolving any potential issues. They also avoid waiting for customer service interaction to rectify a simple mistake or make a change.Customized shopping experience
Self-order editing bolsters a personalized shopping experience. The freedom to change order details according to personal preferences or unexpected changes imparts a deeply customized shopping experience that customers appreciate.Increased trust
Finally, when customers feel you trust them to self-edit their orders, they reciprocate that trust towards your brand, leading to an improved customer relationship.
Redesign the experience for countless shoppers; you're no longer merely an ecommerce business. You're a customer-centric brand that values their time, understands their occasional blunders, and offers them the freedom to easily fix mistakes. The result? Satisfied customers' experience amplified from 'just fine' to 'absolutely fantastic!’ They feel empowered, they feel in control. It’s in the little details where the big difference comes in.
What about self-service order cancellations?
Self-service order editing can mean self-service cancellations. In a recent survey of 85 customers, 68.2% cancelled their orders to make corrections. They weren’t jumping ship; they were coming back to fix things. Smaller proportions cancelled to add items (12.9%) or because of a genuine cancellation (18.8%).
Over 80% of order cancellations had customers immediately repurchasing their items with modifications like adding their discount code or gift card. Without self-service order editing, you’ve probably seen support requests for ‘order cancellation’ or ‘modification’ queueing in your inbox.
We’ve explored Shopify order cancellations in-depth with self-service editing stats based on our proprietary data using Customer Portal. Overall, we’ve found that self-service order cancellations allow brands to:
Lower costs by reducing returns
Reduce routine tickets and allow your team to focus on high-value work
Boost customer satisfaction
Benefits of using Customer Portal
Good design is not just about aesthetics; it’s about function too. An easy-to-use interface can make the experience of editing an order a breeze. That’s where Customer Portal comes in.
So far, we've charted the benefits of enabling order editing and how it can reorient your brand and provide an amazing customer experience. Now, let’s look at how to use Customer Portal to get exactly what you want.
Need to reduce cancellations? Customer Portal does that.
Want to make sure fraudulent orders can’t be edited? Customer Portal has you covered.
Its proactive approach and customizable settings mean you can bid goodbye to up to 42% of your order cancellations. Customer Portal only allows simple order changes that can reduce unnecessary support interactions. Customers can serve themselves, but you control the rules and time limitations.
Customer Portal lets your customers make the following order changes:
Change size, color, or other variants
Increase or decrease item quantities
Remove an item
Change shipping address
Cancel their order
Add an item to their order
Merchants are in control
As a store owner, how can you make this a reality? Firstly, know that it's okay to let customers edit their orders. It sounds like a radical idea, but trust me, it’s a revelation that will lead you into new horizons of ecommerce happiness.
Merchants define the rules and windows for customers to modify their orders. Flexible preferences allow merchants to specify whether a customer can cancel an order, update their quantities, and when they can edit it. Merchants can allow customers to edit their orders within 15 minutes or up to 7 days after placing an order.
To better understand why and how often your customers are hitting that cancel button, offer an open-ended text field. Don't limit them with drop-down options. Remember, empathy is a business strategy; when your customers feel heard, they feel cared for.
Editing final sales and fraudulent orders
Merchants control which type of order can be changed. You can adjust the settings to disallow order changes based on specific tags. For example, if you add the #finalsale tag, any order tagged #finalsale will not have editing allowance.
Fraudulent orders are also taken care of, with multiple security measures that allow you to limit changes to shipping details and maximum item quantity changes. Customer Portal can also check for fraud risk before allowing customers to edit their order and prevent them from editing.
The future of ecommerce
One simple edit could be the difference between an unsatisfied customer and a delighted one. Incorrect orders, added discounts, wrong items, shipping changes, even a slight shift in payment type—imagine if all these issues could be resolved by the customers themselves. And you’ll get to enjoy an increase in repurchasing rates.
The cherry on top? Your most valuable resources—your team—can shift from damage control to growth and development activities. Rather than being a cleanup crew, they are the architects—crafting enhanced user experiences, reaching out to potential customers, and generally scaling up your ecommerce empire. Your customer service team will thank you. Less customer queries to handle, less tears to dry. You are investing in a “sigh of relief” button for your customer service team.
The future of ecommerce is not about who can rack up the most orders but who can provide the best customer experience. When your customers have control over their orders, they feel more connected to your store, and you’ll hold a special place in their considerations next time they shop.
