In an increasingly competitive online landscape, securing customers is everything. Nowadays, consumers are spoiled for choice when it comes to products or services they want, so it’s important that you actively work towards giving your customers whatever they want or need to ensure you’re the business they’ll buy from. However, converting site visitors into customers is easier said than done, but if you follow the tips we prepared, you’ll likely find success in getting more customers. Here’s a Complete Guide eCommerce Optimization.
Steps to improving your conversion rate
- Identify the drop-off point for your consumers
Determining where consumers abandon the purchase is crucial because it helps you identify problem areas in your website or purchasing process. Any slightest inconvenience will results in a failed sale, so be vigilant and monitor how your customers interact with your website.
eCommerce optimization experts recommend using software like HotJar and LuckyOrange. These tools come with heat-mapping features that can detail what parts of your website users tend to click and hover over the most. They also have session recording so you can follow exactly what the user was doing before they abandoned your site. Was it because of a broken link? Was it because the checkout process was too long? Was it because the webpage was loading too slowly? By knowing the root cause of user abandonment, you can take the necessary steps to fix this issue and prevent it from happening again.
- Streamline the checkout process
The checkout process is the last step in the conversion and is often a make-or-break moment for potential customers. If you don’t optimize your checkout, the chances of you closing the sale decrease dramatically.
Here are a few reasons customers may abandon their carts at checkout and how you can resolve them:
- Unexpectedly high fees. A customer may second-guess their purchase if the shipping fee turns out to be too high. To avoid this, implement a flat rate for shipping so customers already know how much the shipping will cost.
- Required to make an account. Some customers don’t want to commit to creating an account on the first purchase. Give them the option to checkout as a guest instead.
- Checkout too long. A long and complex checkout process increases the opportunities for a user to opt-out of the purchase. Keep it simple. All you need are three steps: Order confirmation, information input, and payment.
- Optimize your product pages
Your product pages are arguably the most important part of your eCommerce website. If you make it easy for the customer to get all the necessary information about a product, it’ll increase the chance that they might buy it.
- High-resolution professional photography. Online shoppers are limited to viewing a product only through their screens, so give them many detailed photographs so they can inspect every inch of the product. Hire professional photographers to make the product more appealing.
- Detailed descriptions. Include all the necessary product information relevant to the user. For clothes, you must have a size chart so the user knows what size will fit them. For food and cosmetics, a full ingredients list must be included for those with allergies and dietary restrictions. For electronics, include memory, battery life, performance specs, etc.
- Special labels. If your product is vegan, cruelty-free, non-GMO, etc., highlighting that on the product page will help catch the attention of consumers who are looking for these specific products.
- Reviews. Reviews from previous buyers will help potential customers decide if the product suits their needs. Customers are also less likely to buy a product that has little to no reviews on the product page, so encourage any buyers to leave a review once their purchase is complete.
- Prioritize mobile customers
Since 2016, mobile devices have overtaken computers as the number one device people use to access the internet. Knowing this, your website must implement a responsive design so it displays and functions as it should regardless of the device being used. You can also take it a step further by developing a mobile version of your site or a mobile app. Many eCommerce optimization services offer mobile optimization by default because they recognize the demand for eCommerce sites to be mobile-friendly. By catering to mobile users better, it will improve their browsing experience and increase the likelihood that they’ll convert.
- Offer competitive pricing
One of the ways you can guarantee a sale is by offering the lowest price compared to your competitors. However, you must also prove that you can give your customers ample assistance despite your cheap prices. Customers may be looking to save, but they’ll be willing to pay a little extra if it means they’ll get good customer service.
- Use email marketing and targeted advertising
Email marketing and targeted advertising is a great way to reach out to customers who may have visited your site before or abandoned their carts. Some customers might be taking their time to decide whether they’ll buy from you or not, and ads and emails ensure that you stay at the forefront of their minds.
- Improve site security
Now more than ever, users are concerned about how companies protect the information they provide online. This is particularly important for eCommerce sites as they ask for sensitive information from customers like credit card details and home addresses. To ease any customer concerns about site security, ensure that you have industry-standard measures in place. This includes:
- A site-wide SSL certificate
- safer and more secure payment alternatives like Paypal
- McAfee, GeoTrust, or other security systems
- Make navigation easier
Online shoppers don’t have the benefit of having a sales associate direct them to their intended products, so to make shopping easier for them, offer navigation features like a search bar, filtering, and sorting options. These will make it easier for shoppers to narrow down your catalog to the products they’re interested in.
eCommerce optimization is all about creating a good user experience. Take advantage of professional marketing services and sophisticated site monitoring software so you can quickly resolve any website issues and improve your conversion rate.
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