How Businesses Are Adapting to an Increasingly Online Existence

In our modern world, life is increasingly lived online. No longer is it enough for businesses to have a token presence on the internet; rather, they’re expected to offer a complete and comprehensive customer experience for those whose only contact with them is through the world wide web.

Naturally, this poses certain challenges, yet successful businesses are nothing if not creative. Many have adopted a number of innovative and forward-thinking approaches to help them meet this novel need, with the aim of creating an online experience to rival that which is available in the real world.

We asked the experts how successful businesses are responding, and here’s what they had to say.

Creating an authentic user experience

One of the biggest challenges facing modern businesses is how to create a high-quality user experience when face-to-face interaction is not possible. It’s not only that members of staff aren’t on hand to advise customers, but also that companies cannot use their stores or showrooms to craft a certain type of environment and/or deliver a particular experience.

This can lead to a real sense of disconnection, but successful businesses are responding in a number of innovative ways, foremost among them being video live streams. Some use these to provide a virtual tour, for example; others, to connect and interact with their customers.

A great example of this in action is offered by online gaming and the advent of live betting. Existing solely in the abstract, internet bookmakers have long aimed to offer an authentic gambling experience, complete with all of its attendant thrills but without asking their consumers to step foot outside their front door.

Technically impressive and innovative, live gaming allows them to deliver this. Furthermore, if we take a look at the NordicBet odds website, for example, we see that consumers are able to bet on a number of different sports, from football to tennis to basketball, just as they could if they were sitting track-side.

This company and others like it, are thus able to offer the same immersive experience as their offline counterparts, but with an added dose of convenience.

Building a brand

Another challenge that online businesses face lies in developing a strong and recognisable brand. Without shops or retail premises to showcase their aesthetic, or customer service assistants to act as their face and voice, it can, understandably, be difficult to stand out from the crowd.

Difficult, but not impossible, and there are a number of ways that enterprising businesses are meeting this obstacle head-on. According to experts, social media is one of them. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, in particular, can help companies to develop a strong and unique persona online so that they’re more easily able to connect with their target demographic.

Websites, too, can be used in this way, with every piece of text that exists on the site representing an opportunity to hone their voice and engage with their audience.

Providing tailored support

In addition, successful online enterprises are increasingly coming to recognise the value of strong customer service - but how do they deliver this online, when the consumer’s interaction is with a website only?

The answer lies in providing around-the-clock support, and this is achieved through a number of different methods. Firstly, the content published on site plays a large part in shaping public perception, from a company’s FAQs (the more extensive the better) through to their product descriptions and the inclusion of size guides.

AI chatbots are also increasingly being adopted. Able to simulate authentic human interaction, these are used to connect with customers and handle their queries in the event of any problems or issues with their order.

When it comes to developing a top-quality online experience, lots of businesses have proven themselves incredibly innovative and able to adapt to our changing world with aplomb. Their responses have ranged from video streams through to the adoption of AI, but their various approaches have all proven one thing: that where success is sought, there’s always a way to make it work.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes