How to Quickly Improve the Conversion Rate of Your E-commerce {Updated}
The basis of any business is the customers. If there is no interest in the products, the business needs to adapt and do it quickly, to avoid falling off the grid. However, the strategy to convert those leads to actual purchases mustn’t seem too aggressive or desperate. The key is to give customers the experience they want without it being too blatant. Here are a few suggestions on how to optimize different aspects of your business in order to boost the conversation rate.
Provide free shipping
If possible, cut out the shipping cost entirely. Why? Because nothing makes people flock in groups than discounts and free samples. Not to mention that most people spend hours browsing different e-commerce websites until they find free shipping for a particular product. They are drawn to such offers and if you think about it, the notion of free shipping will most likely make them relax and spend even more. Your brand will come across as caring more for the benefit of their customers than for income.
On the other hand, if you cannot afford to offer cost-free shipping for all products at this point, you can offer it when the purchase reaches a particular sum. Alternatively, you can create a purchase system where customers collect points for every purchase so that for example, the tenth purchased item gets shipped for free. This kind of loyalty plan will result in an increase in customers.
Simplify the checkout process
If the purchase procedure isn’t smooth, customers will lose patience, abandon the cart, your website, and go to your competitors. So, an abandoned cart is a situation that needs to be checked – is it because the customer was just browsing your e-commerce offer or because there was a problem with the checkout process. The first step is to determine the cause, and you can do that also by contacting the customer, if possible.
It is possible that some costs appear only on the checkout page, making it look as if you were attempting to pass it unnoticed. It may be that the customers dislike having to create an account or accept to receive Newsletters in order to complete the process. Also, a general lack of security can also be the reason to them giving up on the purchase but if you establish that there was some irregularity, you need to act quickly, apologize, and of course, correct the mistake in the procedure.
Improve the e-commerce platform
Your business relies on a flawlessly functioning e-commerce platform. If you wish to drive the conversion rate, the shopping experience has to be up to par. That means that the products need to be organized in a sensible way and the descriptions need to be short, interesting, and of course, correct. It also goes without saying that the platform needs to be aesthetically appealing.
When it comes to the visual part of the platform, besides pictures, videos can be an exciting addition, and they can either be short advertisements of your products, or user experience related to them. However, to stay in tune with the everchanging demands, it would be best to leave your strategy to e-commerce specialists, such as Shopify experts, and let them take care of your website. It the purchase experience is both seamless and entertaining, then you have a winning combination.
Make the CTA button pop
It might sound silly, but if the call to action buttons are not in plain sight, and if your customers have a hard time finding where to click, they will most certainly give up on you, and the conversion will not happen. Has it ever happened to you that you simply cannot find the ‘sign in button and that you thought to yourself that this shouldn’t be that complicated? Well, you can bet your customers will share your opinion.
When it comes to wording, a simple ‘add to cart’ is enough, but make sure the button is big enough and appropriately colored so it stands out on the page. Red or orange could be a good choice to draw attention. Try to avoid ornate buttons and colors which would fit in into the background, since the former will make you seem unprofessional, while that latter just will not catch the eye.
Work on your online presence
Besides your website, one of the most important channels to bring you conversions is your social media profile. It seems as though a small business which doesn’t have a multichannel online presence almost doesn’t exist in the modern consumer’s eye. You don’t have to be on every social media – it’s enough to pick one but you have to be dedicated to nurturing your brand and connecting the profile with your website.
To strategically draw prospective customers, you need a solid game plan. Learning the preferences, expectations, and desires of your customers is the crucial point in that endeavor. An optimal social media marketing strategy will even help you target audience from a particular geographical point, such as your city, or country making your content reach its intended target easier.