You’ve painstakingly created your ecommerce website, complete with a delightful and intentional conversion path, but how do you know that it’s optimized for the best ecommerce conversion rate?
Make sure your site is working for you, not against you, by optimizing it with these four steps for increasing conversion rates.
KNOW YOUR USER
We know, we know, this one is a no-brainer, right? I mean, who would try to sell without doing their research and knowing their target demographic? That’s inbound marketing 101!
But it’s actually easier to overlook than you’d think — especially when it comes to designing your ecommerce site. After all, you know your product and site better than anyone. You made it — of course, it all makes sense! Well, no tea, no shade, no pink lemonade, but that’s not always true, friends.
The most important step in optimizing your ecommerce website is to make sure the entire process flows well for your user.
When reviewing your website, remember to ask questions with the user in mind.
- Is the process as simple as it can be?
- Can your users find what they need easily?
- Is the checkout process clear and trustworthy?
Still not sure you’re using the easiest path to get the client what they’re looking for? Understandable! You know your products really well and know where to find everything, so it’s natural that you’d have no problems through checkout.
So, don’t be afraid to ask a trusted person to help you out! Have someone you trust look for a specific item on your site and ask them for feedback on how simple it is. This is a great way to learn what works and what doesn’t before your customers go through the process.
REMIND CUSTOMERS TO BUY
Did you know that 99% of first-time website visitors are not ready to buy? Whether it’s because they want to compare prices or just got distracted — between kids, pets, or even just remembering that hot-pocket in the microwave, it happens to the best of us — most customers leave items in their shopping carts without purchasing.
This is called an abandoned shopping cart, and it can be used as a valuable tool for engagement. Because the great news is that 75% of those visitors who abandon their carts do actually intend to buy — they just need a little nudge! You can schedule an email to send to your consumers a few hours, or days, after they’ve left the items in the cart that reminds them to purchase. With a customized, personal message that includes an easy link directly back to their cart, your clients can complete the checkout process immediately, with no fuss.
Especially with larger items, people need a little more time to prepare for the purchase. For these, it might make sense to wait about a week before reaching out with a reminder. Whereas for a smaller item, a few hours or maybe a day later is all you need because if they haven’t bought by then, they’ve probably bought it somewhere else or decided they don’t need it.
By taking the time to communicate with your customers in a meaningful way (like a personalized reminder), you can avoid losing your sale. And don’t forget that one of the best ways to incentivize your clients to buy is to include an additional discount in your reminder!
ENHANCE PRODUCT PAGES
One huge key to increasing your ecommerce conversion rate is to optimize each of your product pages with the user in mind. What do people need to know about your products — especially if they are unfamiliar with them?
First, you need to have good photos. Any site that does not have good photos is seen as untrustworthy, making users less likely to purchase. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on photos, but you do need high-quality images of the products that confirm the product’s worth, show it off, and highlight relevant information.
Something important to consider is using images to highlight differences between products. For example, do you have several different sizes or colors? Show them off!
Your customers want to know exactly what they are ordering. If you sell clothing, include a size chart! There’s nothing worse that excitedly ordering a new outfit and having the nasty shock of it being too tight or too loose.
Always make sure to include enough information that your users know what to expect and won’t be surprised or disappointed.
And a great way to do this is by adding reviews! People always want to see how other people are using the products and what real people think about them. Let your satisfied customers do the selling for you, by highlighting their opinions.
Even negative reviews can be helpful because they can give you a good idea of what went wrong in the process and allow you the opportunity to fix it. For example, if a client was dissatisfied with the product, maybe your description wasn’t detailed or accurate enough. That’s something you can improve to make your site even more effective.
Finally, detailed product descriptions are essential to creating conversions. Always think about the keywords people would use to search for your product. How would they go about searching for this product? Use that to create a description that will draw in more organic search results!
TARGET & PERSONALIZE PROMOTIONS
We’ve already talked about how important knowing your audience is, now it’s time to target them with personalized messaging and promotions that encourage conversions.
Who exactly are you trying to appeal in your promotions? Think about the social media and email campaigns you create and how they would attract your customers. You want to make sure that your promotion makes sense to your ideal user. For example, if you are a clothing shop that caters to weddings and proms, you wouldn’t want to send an email blast out to your wedding clients reminding them that spring is prom season.
When you send generic messages to unsegmented lists, you risk losing clients who expect valuable, relevant content in every message. You’ll also face low open rates and poor engagement.
One of the many advantages of targeting your audience is that you get to personalize promotions. Personalizing not only leads to higher engagement but also offers more opportunities for you to continually engage with your clients. A great example is the Panera coupon you always receive on your birthday. Who doesn’t get uber excited for a free pastry and immediately seek out their nearest location?
Another way to continue engagement is by suggesting similar items. Use the products they’ve purchased to promote others that are in the same category or flavor. Or things that simply pair well, like suggesting a bike helmet to a client that just purchased a bicycle!
Want to learn more about raising your ecommerce conversion rate? Watch our video with Ecommerce Expert Torrie Boggs!
And if your ecommerce conversion rate isn’t performing the way you want, we can help! Get a consultation and our ecommerce experts will help you move towards more leads and more customers.