At our recent CommerceNow’24 event, five industry experts shared powerful strategies for driving business growth in 2024.
From Karl Gilis’ focus on boosting sales through UX principles to Irina Vatafu’s lessons on customer retention, each session provided practical insights to help businesses succeed in an increasingly competitive market.
These sessions got us excited about:
- Applying lesser-known UX principles to increase conversions
- Leveraging CRO beyond conversion rates with advanced payment metrics
- Improving growth and retention through data-driven customer success strategies
- Using behavioral triggers to boost customer responses,
- Leveraging 3 essential strategies eCommerce businesses should focus on in 2024
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The speakers offered straightforward, actionable tactics to help you engage your customers better, convert more visitors, and position your brand for long-term growth.
Below, we’ve highlighted the key takeaways you won’t want to miss.
Optimizing User Experience to Drive Conversions
What’s the quickest way to lose a customer? Make it hard for them to find what they’re looking for.
Karl Gilis stresses that even small tweaks to your website’s user experience (UX) can be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.
The Power of Simplicity
Karl Gilis emphasizes one clear message: simplicity wins. When users land on your website, they need to find what they’re looking for without friction. Karl compares the customer experience to navigating a store. If a customer can’t find what they need easily, they leave. The same applies online.
In line with this, Karl discusses two key principles: “Don’t Make Me Think” and “Less is More.”
“Don’t Make Me Think” centers on minimizing the cognitive effort required from users. Your visitors shouldn’t have to wonder where to click or how the process works—it should be obvious.
Remember: every additional second a customer spends figuring things out is an opportunity lost.
Similarly, “Less is More” stresses the importance of removing clutter and distractions. Whether it’s a busy layout or an overwhelming number of options, too much information can lead to user frustration and decision paralysis.
Karl shares an example from Carglass, where a text-heavy page with clear calls-to-action outperformed a sleek, visually appealing design. This success wasn’t based on flashy graphics, but rather on ensuring users had quick access to the information they needed to book an appointment.
As Karl puts it, UX isn’t about showing off your design skills—it’s about removing obstacles and guiding customers to their goal. The fewer clicks, the better.
He also warns against features like carousels and sliders, which may look good but tend to confuse users rather than guide them. Instead, businesses should focus on:
- Keeping the layout clean and clutter-free.
- Using clear and prominent calls-to-action (CTAs).
- Reducing the number of clicks it takes for customers to find what they need.
By prioritizing simplicity, businesses can increase engagement and, ultimately, sales.
Looking to discover more actionable strategies to optimize the user experience and boost your online sales? Then makes sure to watch Karl’s full session here.
Leveraging Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
To truly maximize sales and customer satisfaction, businesses need to go beyond a user-friendly design. This is where Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) comes into play, refining every step of the customer journey for optimal results.
Beyond the Basics: Optimizing the Checkout Process
Cristina Molina Maestro focuses on a critical area of the user journey: the checkout process. As she explains, the final moments before a customer makes a purchase are where many businesses lose sales.
Whether it’s hidden fees, unclear pricing, or a lack of payment options, even minor friction can lead to cart abandonment.
Cristina highlights how Verifone clients have seen a direct improvement in conversions by:
- Offering localized payment methods,
- Providing transparent pricing upfront,
- And streamlining the checkout process to make it quick and easy.
These small adjustments can prevent cart abandonment and ensure a smoother checkout experience.
Improving Payment Authorizations for Increased Sales
Beyond the checkout flow, Cristina stresses the importance of improving payment authorization rates. Small gains in this area can lead to significant revenue increases, especially when businesses are processing large volumes of transactions.
Some of her tips include:
- Handling network declines: Ensure you have secure, up-to-date payment networks with failover systems to prevent unnecessary declines due to temporary network issues.
- Fraud screening and prevention: Implement robust fraud prevention tools like validation keys and device fingerprinting to avoid legitimate transactions being flagged as fraudulent.
- Reseller models for cross-border payments: Use local acquirers and processors to improve authorization rates in cross-border transactions, reducing issues like currency conversion problems.
Re-Engaging Customers Who Abandon Carts
Cart abandonment is a common challenge for eCommerce businesses, but it doesn’t have to mean lost revenue. Cristina points to the effectiveness of follow-up emails in recovering abandoned sales.
Businesses that implement targeted email strategies, offering incentives or simply reminding customers of the items they left behind, often see significant recovery rates.
Christina emphasizes:
- Timing: Send the first follow-up email within three to five hours after the cart is abandoned.
- Personalization: Tailor the content of follow-up emails to make them more relevant and engaging.
- Incentives: Consider offering a discount or reminder to nudge customers toward completing their purchase.
These follow-up strategies are an easy win for businesses looking to turn near-purchases into completed transactions, giving customers the nudge they need to come back and finish the process.
Get more tips on enhancing your conversion rates by watching Cristina’s full session here .
Enhancing Customer Retention Through Strategic Customer Success
Optimizing the customer experience is only half the battle. Keeping those customers loyal requires a proactive approach.
Irina Vatafu draws from her experience working with over 500 customer success teams to share key strategies that help businesses build lasting relationships with their customers.
Data-Driven Retention Strategies for Long-Term Growth
Understanding why customers churn can feel like solving a puzzle. Irina explains that the answer lies in data. Too often, businesses treat all customers the same, missing key details in their needs.
By diving into customer behavior, product usage, and feedback, businesses can discover why customers leave—and more importantly, how to keep them.
As Irina says, one client, for example, saw significant improvements in retention after segmenting their customer base and personalizing their support.
Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all approach, they started addressing each customer’s specific needs and goals, leading to stronger relationships.
Irina’s advice?
- Use data to understand customer pain points and behavior patterns.
- Segment your customers to provide personalized support that addresses individual needs.
- Track the results to continuously refine your approach.
Proactive Engagement to Prevent Churn
Even happy customers can leave if their broader business goals aren’t being met. Irina recalls a client who lost two “healthy” customers—those who regularly used the product—simply because they didn’t check in beyond product usage. No business reviews, no progress tracking, no celebrating successes.
This is where proactive engagement makes all the difference. Irina recommends scheduling regular strategic reviews to discuss how the product is impacting the customer’s overall business objectives.
It’s not just about making sure they’re using the product—it’s about reinforcing the value your product brings to their bigger picture.
Key actions for proactive engagement:
- Strategic reviews: Discuss business goals and how your product is delivering value.
- Success celebrations: Acknowledge milestones to keep the relationship positive.
- Regular check-ins: Stay ahead of potential issues by engaging early and often.
By staying connected to the customer’s bigger picture, businesses can reinforce their value and prevent churn before it even becomes a risk.
Learn more about customer loyalty by watching Irina’s session here.
Leveraging Behavioral Insights to Increase Customer Engagement
Retaining customers is crucial, but getting them to take action in the first place requires understanding what truly drives behavior.
Nancy Harhut reveals how subtle psychological triggers can turn passive visitors into active customers, significantly boosting response rates.
The Endowment Effect: Making Customers Value What They Already Have
Nancy explains that people tend to place higher value on things they already own—a phenomenon known as the endowment effect. This insight can be a game-changer in marketing.
For example, instead of offering a discount, some companies frame the promotion as a credit the customer already has. It feels more personal and immediate because people are naturally inclined to protect what’s already “theirs.”
Nancy shares a real-world example: a company offering customers a $15 “credit” in their account rather than a simple $15 discount. This subtle change taps into the endowment effect, making the offer feel like something the customer already possesses—and they don’t want to lose it.
Creating Urgency with Scarcity and Exclusivity
Scarcity is one of the most effective psychological triggers.
Nancy explains how making something feel limited or exclusive motivates customers to act quickly. She points to companies that use phrases like “only one day left” or “limited stock” to create a sense of urgency.
These small tweaks in messaging can push undecided customers toward making a purchase.
Nancy also highlights the power of exclusivity. Offering early access or sneak peeks at new products makes customers feel special, tapping into their desire to be part of something unique. When people believe they’re getting access to something others don’t, they’re far more likely to engage.
Actionable strategies for behavioral triggers:
- Use the endowment effect: Frame promotions as something the customer already has, like a credit, to make it feel personal.
- Create urgency: Use time-sensitive offers or limited availability to push customers to act quickly.
- Tap into exclusivity: Give customers early access to products or content to make them feel valued.
Mastering these psychological triggers not only helps convert more customers but also builds a deeper, more compelling connection that turns interest into action.
Don’t miss out Nancy’s full session to discover all the surprising customer behavior triggers that increase response.
Future-Proofing Your eCommerce Strategy
Chloë Thomas emphasizes three key strategies that can help any eCommerce business thrive: building trust, layering marketing, and using promotions strategically to drive profits.
Building Trust with Your Customers
For Chloë, trust is the foundation of lasting customer relationships. She suggests businesses focus on:
- Being transparent with pricing and policies.
- Showcasing customer reviews and testimonials.
- Partnering with reputable organizations to build credibility.
Chloë points to a UK-based bird seed company that strengthened customer trust by sharing real customer feedback and aligning with respected wildlife organizations, allowing them to stand out.
Layering Your Marketing for Greater Impact
Chloë advises against relying on a single marketing channel. Instead, businesses should layer their marketing efforts by combining paid ads, email campaigns, and social media engagement.
This approach creates multiple touchpoints, ensuring your message reaches customers at different stages of their journey. Successful brands keep their messaging consistent but adjust their content to fit each platform.
Using Promotions Wisely
Promotions shouldn’t be limited to quick sales. Chloë explains that well-timed offers can serve multiple purposes, such as clearing out excess stock or encouraging repeat purchases.
One company she worked with used exclusive offers for loyal customers, increasing both sales and long-term loyalty without simply cutting prices.
By focusing on strategic, well-timed promotions, businesses can drive growth while building lasting customer relationships.
For more insights on hyperscaling your eCommerce strategy, check out Chloë’s full session.
The Road Ahead: Dive Deeper with CommerceNow’24
The tips shared in this article offer just a glimpse of what CommerceNow’24 covered. From user experience and customer retention to conversion optimization and behavioral triggers, these insights are essential for thriving in 2024.
But there’s so much more to uncover. To gain in-depth practical strategies you can apply in your business, we encourage you to watch the full sessions from CommerceNow’24.
Hear from industry leaders like Karl Gilis, Irina Vatafu, Cristina Molina Maestro, Nancy Harhut, Chloë Thomas, and many more as they share expert advice to help you future-proof your brand.
