7 Customer Account Page Best Practices
Many merchants swear by personalization to drive customer retention and repeat purchases, yet some neglect the personalized customer account page. This is crucial for all businesses because it serves as a database for post-sales interaction.
There is no denying the power of personalization:
- 63% of consumers will stop buying from brands that use poor personalization tactics. – Smart Insights
- 71% of consumers feel frustrated when a shopping experience is impersonal. – Segment
- More than 50% of consumers are willing to share information on products they like to get personalized discounts. – Retail TouchPoints
So, what features should you be adding as a matter of priority?
Must-Have Customer Account Page Features
Effortlessly create account
If your customer registration process involves filling in a lengthy signup form instead of a quick and smooth process, it can often prevent a new visitor from signing up. Email logins work well, as does a one-click login allowing you to connect via a social media platform.
Social login
Provide the option to log in with just one click using social media accounts. Information sourced from social profiles can help you optimize your marketing strategies to personalize your shopper’s experience and drive higher conversions. Moreover, you obtain authentic leads as shoppers must sign up with their real email IDs and profiles.
Incentives like store credits and first-time purchase discounts can motivate shoppers to sign up for accounts using social login.
Order history
Display a detailed log of all past orders. Include:
- Order number to look up past orders.
- Current order status, such as processed, shipped, or delivered, so customers stay up-to-date on the progress of their orders and ensure timely delivery.
- Item name to locate the order in the history.
- Item total ordered in case there are missing items when the order is delivered.
- Quantity of each item ordered.
- Thumbnail of the product for easy recognition without clicking on the product page.
- Order details with customer’s addresses (for multiple addresses), contact, and other required information to cross-check whether correct details have been added.
- Cost breakup and payment mode for customer awareness.
Browsing history
This is a great way to re-engage returning shoppers and nudge them to revisit the products they may have browsed but did not purchase or wishlist. In addition, it can save them time searching and makes it easier for them to make product comparisons. Customers may decide to buy something they browsed recently instead of adding it to their wishlist.
Save items
Allow customers to save to a wishlist or shopping cart for future reference. This way, they can keep track of items they are interested in and encourage them to purchase later.
Re-order button
Make it convenient for customers to quickly purchase products they have previously bought and enjoyed with single-click add-to-cart functionality, reducing your sales cycle. This is especially true for periodical products like skincare, healthcare supplements, or food items, but it would be wise for other stores to follow suit. In addition, businesses can increase the likelihood of repeat business and gain valuable insights into customer preferences and purchasing patterns.
Follow these 7 best practices to leverage one of your store’s most frequently visited pages.
Customer Accounts Page Best Practices
1. Make it mobile responsive
Create a mobile-responsive customer account page that provides a great user experience on all devices.
Responsive layout: Use a flexible grid system, CSS media queries, and fluid images that adjust to the screen size of all devices.
Simplify design: On a smaller screen, there is less space available. Remove unnecessary elements and use a clean, uncluttered design.
Navigation: Make sure the navigation is easy to use on a mobile device. Use a hamburger menu or another mobile-friendly navigation system.
Form fields: Make sure the form fields are easy to use on a mobile device. Use a vertical layout for the fields and input types optimized for mobile devices (such as date pickers).
Copy: Use clear copy in short paragraphs and include bullet points to make the text easier to read and understand.
Test: Make sure to test the page on different devices and screen sizes to ensure good functionality and presentation.
2. Include rewards program performance
By including your loyalty program performance on the account page, you can help to increase engagement and repeat purchases.
Dedicated section: You can create a dedicated section to showcase your loyalty program. Include information such as the customer’s current loyalty status, the number of points earned, and any rewards they are eligible for.
Loyalty program benefits: Highlight the benefits of being part of your loyalty program, such as exclusive discounts, early access to sales, free shipping, or other perks. By displaying these benefits prominently, you can encourage customers to join or continue participating in the program.
Progress towards rewards: If your loyalty program includes rewards earned through point accumulation, consider displaying the customer’s progress towards those rewards to motivate customers to continue engaging with your brand.
Access to program information: Ensure that customers can easily access information about your loyalty program, including the program terms and conditions, how to earn and redeem points, and any limitations or restrictions that may apply.
- Current points
Display the customer’s current point balance and information about how those points can be redeemed.
Integration: Integrate the loyalty program with your website so that customers can earn and redeem points online.
Current point balance: Display the customer’s current point balance on the customer account page using a simple text display or a visual representation, such as a progress bar.
Point redemption information: Provide information about how customers can redeem their points. This could include a list of available rewards or a link to a separate page that explains the redemption process.
Point redemption: Allow customers to redeem their points directly from the accounts page via a form or button that links to the redemption process.
- Points toward the next tier or reward
Display the customer’s progress toward your loyalty program’s next tier or reward.
Criteria: Determine the criteria customers must meet to reach your loyalty program’s next tier or reward. This could be based on earned points, purchases, or other actions.
Progress: Use a progress bar or a text display that shows the percentage of points or actions completed towards the next tier or reward.
Information: Provide information about the benefits of reaching the next tier or reward, such as discounts, free products, or other perks.
Motivate: Provide information about how customers can earn more points, whether by making purchases, referring friends, or completing other actions.
Incentivize: Offer incentives to reach the next tier or reward, such as bonus points or discounts for reaching a certain threshold.
3. Make it a loyalty card
- Create a digital loyalty card for easy identification
Design: Create a design for the digital loyalty card that is visually appealing, incorporates your brand identity, and includes essential information, such as the customer’s name and account information.
Integrate website: Integrate the loyalty program with your website so that customers can access their digital loyalty cards from the customer account page.
Unique code or barcode: Create a unique code or barcode for each customer that can be scanned or entered at the point of sale to apply loyalty rewards or discounts.
Accessibility: Ensure that the digital loyalty card is easily accessible for customers. You can do this by providing a link or button on the account page that leads directly to the card or by sending customers an email or SMS message with a link to their digital loyalty card.
Promotion: Promote the digital loyalty card through your marketing channels, and encourage customers to use it to earn and redeem rewards. You can also offer special promotions or discounts for customers using digital loyalty cards.
4. Show current personalized offers
Create a more personalized and engaging shopping customer experience.
Customer data: Collect customer data to create personalized offers relevant to each customer.
Segmentation: Segment customers based on their behavior and preferences to create targeted offers tailored to each customer group.
Personalization: Use customer data and segmentation to create personalized offers through discounts, promotions, or exclusive content unique to each customer.
Display personalized offers: Create a section on the page that is dedicated to personalized offers, or integrate the offers.
Track performance: Monitor the performance of the personalized offers to see how effective they are at driving sales and increasing customer engagement. Use this data to make adjustments to improve their effectiveness.
5. Provide omnichannel purchase history
Integrate sales channels: Integrate all your sales channels, such as your online store, brick-and-mortar store, and mobile app, into a single system via a centralized order management system connecting all your sales channels.
Order history: Display the purchase history on the customer account page by creating a dedicated section or by integrating the history into the customer’s past orders so that customers can view their purchases from all your sales channels in one place.
Returns and exchanges: Provide the option for customers to return or exchange items purchased from any of your sales channels by creating a returns and exchanges section where customers can initiate the process.
Data accuracy: Ensure the purchase history is accurate and up-to-date by regularly syncing data from all your sales channels to help prevent errors and discrepancies in the purchase history.
6. Opt-in and opt-out of communications
Respect customer preferences by only sending communications that they have explicitly opted-in for. Avoid sending unsolicited communications or bombarding customers with too many messages.
Communication options: Clearly display communication options, such as email newsletters, promotional offers, and product updates. Depending on your communication channels, you can also include SMS or push notification options.
Opt-in: Provide an easy-to-use process for customers who want to receive communications from your business by including a checkbox or toggle switch allowing customers to opt-in or out of specific communication types.
Opt-out: Provide an easy-to-use process for customers who no longer want to receive communications from your business. Providing an unsubscribe link in your emails or an option on the customer account page will allow customers to opt out of all communications.
Communication preferences: Provide an easy way for customers to update their communication preferences on the account page by allowing them to manage their communication settings, where they can update their preferences anytime.
7. Manage subscriptions
Subscription management options: Clearly display subscription management options, such as the ability to view current subscriptions, update billing information, and cancel subscriptions.
Subscription details: Display subscription details on the customer account page, such as the subscription name, billing frequency, and next billing date, to help customers keep track of their subscriptions and ensure they are up-to-date.
Billing information: Provide a billing information section on the customer account page where customers can update their billing information, such as their credit card information or billing address.
Subscription cancellations: Provide an easy-to-use process for customers to cancel their subscriptions immediately or at the end of the billing cycle. Include a cancel subscription option on the customer account page, where customers can initiate the cancellation process.
Confirmation emails: Send confirmation emails to customers when they update their billing information or cancel their subscriptions, so they are aware of any changes made to their customer accounts.
The Customer Account Page Takeaway
Neglecting the customer accounts page can be a missed opportunity for businesses to fortify customer relationships and improve their bottom line. On the other hand, by investing in a well-designed and functional customer accounts page, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction and create a more personalized shopping experience.
With bLoyal, you can set up these high-converting features and monitor how customers use their account page, optimize the shopping experience, and use this data to personalize marketing messages and on-site tactics for dramatic improvements in conversions.
