There is an indefinite list of aspects that you need to consider when creating your website, but one of the most important is taking your customers’ needs into account.
The first question that people used to pose was whether they needed a site or not – whether it would affect their business and/or clientele. This question has been negated in the past decade with having a website being imperative for effective commerce. Especially as over 85% of customers now check a business’s site before deciding to purchase from them.
That said, there is a crazy amount of things to think of when it comes to your customers.
What you Need to Know about your Customers:
- Their age
- Their gender
- Their location
- Their interests
- Their personality
- The social media platforms that they use
Age
Your customer’s age is super important. Recent studies have stated that demographics are not quite as influential as they once were, but that being said, does it really make sense to have a sparkly, pink website when your clientele is 50+? Age can help you to design your website. This can influence what features your site has (based on compliance and also on customer wants/internet proficiency) and also its layout and colour scheme – both of which can really set the tone for your brand image.
Gender
This one’s fairly self-explanatory, but can also make a big difference to your firm’s success. You also need to be careful if your audience is primarily one gender. Some companies tend to only focus on this gender and though it can appear personable, if over-implemented it can isolate members of different sexes.
Location
Is your site for a local customer base? National? International? Are you national, but want to eventually expand? These questions need to be addressed, as if you design a website for a national client base now, but don’t address possible future expansion then you may need to make a new site when expanding, which will only add extra work and $$ to your load!
Interests
This is where a lot of new research has been focused. Yes, age and gender are important, but day by day the boundaries between these are being blurred. Consumers now do not define themselves by what they are, but more so by what they do – you need to be an interest that they have in common.
Personality
This links with the aforementioned point on interests. Personality is vital in business – particularly in B2C. Customers want to relate to their brands. They want to see themselves in them. For this, you should ensure that you have aspects on your site that say who you are as a business. Having features that customers can comment on/interact with will also aid in them expressing their personalities with you, which will only strengthen your connection.
Social Media Platforms
Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and beyond – you should be using the platforms that your customers are using. The more platforms, touch points and interactions you have with your customers then the better for your company. This will always be the case.
Why Customer Knowledge is Important for your Site’s Development:
RELATIONSHIPS! Correctly and honestly utilised customer knowledge creates customer relationships, which can in turn create an invaluable pool of brand ambassadors for your firm. Many people feel that business is a mere transaction, but for sustainable, long-term business, it is best to be honest, open and friendly with your customers – after all, relationships are exactly what life is all about.
To learn more about the importance of and how to design your website then have a further look through our articles: The Digital Department.