So, what is the problem? Often, it’s the lack of customer engagement.

In a hyper-competitive marketplace, simply having a presence is no longer enough, as 79% of customers expect consistent interactions across all departments. So, without strong customer engagement, even the most promising Shopify stores can struggle to convert browsers into loyal buyers.

Therefore, you must develop a comprehensive relationship-building plan with customers by reaching them at different stages in their journey. With the right strategies, you can transform your Shopify store from a simple online catalog into a dynamic shopping destination that keeps customers coming back for more.

To help you improve customer engagement in your Shopify store, we’ve compiled the top 10 strategies with some applied examples. Let’s begin!

Tips to improve customer engagement on your Shopify store

Here are some impactful strategies and tips to increase customer engagement in your Shopify store:

1.Add shoppable videos

70% of businesses say that video converts better than any other form of content they use. Shoppable videos harness the power of video content to sell directly on your website. 

These interactive videos let your customers buy your product during the video. Like a subtle version of the product page, these videos open up a side screen where you can enlist the product shown in the video. 

See how Rifruf, a dog shoe designer brand, uses shoppable videos throughout its online store.

These videos bring your product to life and offer instant gratification while enticing customers to stay engaged for longer. 

To embed shoppable videos in your Shopify store, go to the Shopify App Centre and look for a shoppable video platform, such as Videowise or Videojet. These platforms help you create shoppable videos to add to your online store.

2.Create membership or loyalty programs

72% of consumers say they shop more at companies with loyalty or membership programs. These programs offer perks, exclusive rewards, and incentives when customers buy from your store. Apart from sales, they can increase customer engagement, strengthen brand loyalty, and bring in referrals.

Here are some of the membership programs you can use include on your Shopify store:

• Point-based loyalty program: Customers earn points for every purchase, which they can redeem for freebies, discounts, or special offers.
• Tiered loyalty programs: They also receive different perks based on their rank. Rankings are determined by customer’s purchase frequency, amount spent, and engagement. Those with higher ranks get more and better rewards.
• Paid loyalty programs: Customers can pay a one-time or recurring fee to access exclusive offers.

3.Include augmented reality experiences and virtual try-on

A whopping 64% of consumers demand augmented reality (AR) and virtual try-ons to have an interactive shopping experience. AR gives them the option to try out a product before they buy. When they see the product in action, they feel more confident in their purchase.

On top of this, augmented reality engages your customers, so they spend more time in your store.

Here’s how to implement AR and virtual try-ons into your online store.

4.Add “How It's Made” page

Consumers crave transparency. That's why a "How It's Made" page is key. It builds trust by showcasing your sourcing and production process. You can even take it a step further with behind-the-scenes videos–let them see your commitment firsthand. Here’s how:

• Show the people behind your brand
• Share your processes in brief
• Give a sneak peek into your product’s sourcing or manufacturing

For example, check out how Scott Brands shows its customers how they make toilet paper in their warehouse: https://youtu.be/JFB2goawgVU?si=PmnFtzzd_Yllromy

5.Add interactive quizzes

Interactive quizzes on your Shopify store can set you apart and increase customer engagement. With quizzes, you collect zero-party data about each user as they themselves share their preferences, needs, and behavior. This data can be of great help for personalizing the customer’s experience, leading to increased engagement and more sales.Gainful, a health supplement brand, has a Take a Quiz button on its homepage. Through this quiz, Gainful prepares a personalized supplement formula for its customers.

Some other types of quizzes you can use on your Shopify stores include:

• Product recommendation quiz: Frame engaging questions to ask their preferences and recommend products based on their answers.
• Loyalty and reward quiz: Propel customers to answer a few questions to unlock exclusive offers.
• Feedback quiz: Collect customer feedback about products, shopping experience, and preferences.

6.Send time-sensitive SMS

57% of customers have admitted that they intentionally wait for brand messages, hoping for incentives. SMS is a cost-effective marketing channel that lets you send the right message to the right customer at the right time. To generate higher customer engagement, here are some SMS marketing tips:

• Get consent with opt-in and opt-out messages
• Add your brand’s name upfront to help your customers instantly recognize your brand

          Source: Fantastic Texts‍

• Always end with a compelling CTA with exclusive offers and discounts that can further nudge them to take the desired action
• Keep your messages concise, relatable, and engaging 

If you want to get started with SMS marketing, try Pilvo CX. This web-based customer engagement platform integrates with your Shopify store and helps you send personalized high-converting text messages to the right audience all over the world. Besides offering its premium carrier network across 200+ countries, Plivo also provides various functionalities such as two-factor authentication, alerts and notifications, and appointment reminders. To double down on engagement, you can use Plivo CX’s extensive audience segmentation feature to create specific customer groups. Then, use the Journey feature to create triggers that share time-sensitive messages at the right time and measure the campaign's impact thoroughly.That’s not all; Plivo CX comes packed with an AI copywriting assistant, so you can start your SMS marketing campaign on the go. 

7.Share store links in email marketing campaigns

Emails allow you to share more detailed versions of your offers. You can send numerous types of emails throughout a customer's buying journey, each achieving a specific goal. As noted before, Plivo CX offers comprehensive email automation and lets you create, schedule, and send emails to specific customers based on their actions. For example, an abandoned cart email helps you re-engage customers who didn’t complete their purchase, and upsell/cross-sell emails help bring in more repeat purchases.To add, no matter which type of email you send, adding a link to your store can increase customer visits to your Shopify store. You can add links to your store home page or create a navigation menu outlining different product listings, as Yeti did in their email.

8.Create Shopify events

You can schedule key activities and operations in advance with Shopify launchpad events. Shopify Launchpad allows you to schedule key activities and operations in advance. So, you can plan and automate a variety of events to enhance customer engagement. There are plenty of options to improve engagement with Shopify events:

• Trigger countdown timers on your store
• Send real-time updates via SMS or emails
• Adjust inventory to avoid out-of-stock issues.

For example, you can run a 24-hour flash sale to clear old inventory and attract new customers. Add countdown timers to your store to create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to make quick purchases. You can send SMS and email notifications to your subscribers an hour before the sale starts to get them into the store. You can also automatically adjust your inventory levels to prevent overselling and ensure popular items are restocked in real time.How to add events on Shopify?‍

• Step 1: Go to Shopify admin, click Settings > Apps and sales channels
• Step 2: Click Launchpad and Open the app
• Step 3: Click on Create event
• Step 4: Go to the Title section and enter a name for the event.
• Step 5: Enter a start date and time in the Start date section.
• Step 6: You’ll see a list of options. Pick the right one, and click Save

9.Use chatbots on your website

73% of customers expect websites to have digital assistants like chatbots for better convenience. Chatbots can help ecommerce businesses meet ever-increasing demands. They’re quick and can provide personalized responses in seconds. With Plivo CX, you can use OpenAI-powered intelligent chatbots. You can also build your chatbot in minutes with drag-and-drop functionality without any coding. You can train chatbots with specific data sets to deliver the most relevant and accurate responses.Here’s a really good example of a chatbot on Cowboy, an electric bike maker’s store.

10. Use pop-ups

‍62% of Shopify store owners use pop-ups as their go-to customer engagement tactics for all the good reasons. With pop-ups, you can collect customers’ email addresses, announce upcoming offers, share new product launches, and offer lucrative discounts. All of these incentivize customers to stay in your Shopify store and check out the products. Here are three ways to add pop-ups to your Shopify store:

1. Third-party apps: Shopify App Center offers over 500 popup apps like Wisepops, Omnisend, and Ampede for designing and adding pop-ups.
2. Built-In pop-ups: Shopify provides built-in functionality for basic pop-ups, such as announcement bars.
3. Manual coding: You can design and add advanced pop-ups by manually adding code, though this requires coding knowledge.

Drive more customer engagement on your Shopify store with Plivo CX

Improving customer engagement in the ecommerce sector involves quickly responding to customer queries and reaching out to them with “an offer they can’t refuse.”
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If you are looking for a comprehensive customer engagement solution, look no further than Plivo CX. With its diverse features, it can help you to: 

• Boost conversions: Target the right customers with the right message at the right time through segmentation and multi-channel communication
• Save time and resources: Create and launch campaigns quickly and easily without coding and with the help of AI-powered assistance
• Deliver personalized experiences: Generate compelling messages that resonate with individual needs
• Gauge the overall impact: You can also track key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with your campaigns.

‍Start a free trial and improve customer engagement in your Shopify store today!