5 E-commerce Tips to Build Engagement with Generation X

Expanding your customer base is a goal that requires strategic thinking and lots of research in order to get just the right audience on board. If your target is the Generation X members, here are 5 tips to help you save time and concoct the right strategy to build engagement with Generation X.

Choose the right platforms to build engagement with Generation X

The first step to engaging Gen X is to discover exactly where online they spend most of their time because even the best marketing strategy will be a failure if the medium is wrong. This generation didn’t grow up with social media, but they’ve learned to use them, which means you will rarely see them on ‘younger’ platforms such as Snapchat. However, you will see them on Facebook and searching for different information via Google so your e-commerce efforts should be heavily oriented towards these two.

For more durable results, you need to work out an SEO strategy which will bring natural traffic towards your website with a careful choice of keywords and linking. This would ensure more visibility for your products in the sense that the customers would only need to type in the keywords and your website would appear among the first solutions to their problems. Of course, there are also Facebook ads but for some, they might seem obtrusive.

Include a loyalty program to build engagement with Generation X

Although the members of this generation are employed adults that are mostly stable in the financial sense, gifts and discounts are something they gladly embrace. Generation X members are known for their loyalty and if they deem a brand worthy because they provide good value for money, they will search no more. To inspire their loyalty even further, you can consider introducing a loyalty program.

Ecommernce email
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A ‘thank you’ e-mail after each purchase will always be welcome with Gen X, especially if it is personalized and contains their name and order. You can use that opportunity to inform them that for a specific amount of purchases, they will be entitled to an appealing discount and every second or third order, you can throw in some free samples which both strengthen their loyalty and promotes new products. In addition to that, for customers who order items from you regularly, you can offer free shipping if they continue with that habit in the future.

Introduce their peers amongst your ranks                  

Who knows Generation X better than the Gen X members themselves? Large companies even from the most specific of niches, such as oilfield equipment companies, have embraced e-commerce and other forms of digital transformation and technological advancement. This is why Gen X employees need to embrace them as well and to use their expertise and experience to improve the business and attract the right audience.

Some consider Gen X best suited for marketing positions, which is not far from the truth but using knowledge about their peers is also useful in other areas, such as customer service. For instance, your Gen X customers might find it easier to communicate with someone their own age, who can relate to their needs. This relationship can bring general betterment in sense of your customers finding it easier to report mistakes, make suggestions, and together you can shape your service so as to cater to the needs of an average Gen X member.

Respond to online reviews to build engagement with Generation X

Online reviews response
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Gen X members can be quite vocal regarding the things they believe in and those they oppose and as adults, it is reasonable for them to have already formed opinions on many topics and to want to air them. Just as when they contact you via the regular customer support channels, their online reviews on different platforms are just as relevant and should be dealt with in the same manner of urgency.

For instance, if they had a negative experience, for example, with the delivery, which was late for some reason or the item arrived slightly damaged you shouldn’t be surprised if they went straight to social media instead of contacting customer service. These negative comments shouldn’t be ignored because that would make your e-commerce business less transparent. What you should do is to check the issue, respond from the business account politely and redirect the communication to customer service where the issue should have been initially resolved. In case of a larger issue, you can consider also sending some free samples as a way of apologizing.

Leverage on nostalgia occasionally to build engagement with Generation X

Besides the quality of products and services, the thing that will ensure repeated purchases from Gen X is an emotional bond. To get them engaged and provoke emotional reactions which will in return form that bond, you need to consider your content carefully, the choice of words you use as well as the formats in which the content is presented.

One thing to consider is enticing a trip down the memory lane because Gen X consists of adults who often think fondly of their childhood memories which is something you can leverage. For instance, posting a throwback photo on social networks will motivate them to share it and react to it and you can also prompt them to post their own images and tag your brand in the comments. You can even turn it into a competition if you wish but whatever you opt for, you can be sure you will get an emotional reaction out of them.

Gen X are loyal customers to have and it is not difficult to cater to their needs if you follow these tips and apply them carefully.

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