The eCommerce industry has an average of between two to three percent conversion rates. Some eCommerce sites are performing just above the one percent mark. Because eCommerce sites do not have a straightforward structure like one product landing page sites, it can be challenging to achieve higher sales conversions. But there are many things that you can do to increase conversions without resorting to redesigning the entire site or changing the traffic source. Here are a few you can apply to your online store today.
Try a Two-Step Checkout with Abandoned Cart Follow Ups
The two step check out process does mean that your visitors will have to take one more action before paying for their order. This can sometimes hurt conversions initially but it allows you to capture the all important email address. You may find that setting up a two-step checkout and following up on the users that didn’t complete their order may result in a better conversion rate and increased profits. Even if the leads you’ve collected didn’t end up ordering, you may be able to figure out a way to make a purchase for other products in the future.
Offer Free Shipping to Get a Competitive Advantage
Sometimes consumers will shop based on price and one of the biggest factors into the final price is shipping. A great way to make sure that consumers choose you over other competing eCommerce stores is to offer free shipping. You have to remember that your competitors are a few clicks away and consumers aren’t exactly shy about comparison shopping. This doesn’t mean you have to offer free shipping for every order. Offering shipping on orders of $50 or more will allow you to win over the consumer and still make healthy margins.
Analyze What Visitors are Doing on Your Site
Using tools like Crazy Egg, Mixpanel and Inspectlet, you want to study the navigation path that your visitors are taking. Figure out where they’re entering your site from, what they’re clicking on, how long they’re staying and where they’re leaving. This allows you to find problems in your site structure which is hurting your conversion rates. Once you figure out what pages and design elements are turning off your visitors, you’ll be able to make a website that provides a good user experience and increases sales.
Test Out Different Prices
One of the easiest ways to see a lift in conversions is to play around with your pricing. See how your conversion rates are affected by different prices. In the best case scenario, you might see a lift in conversions when you increase prices. This happens because higher prices increase the perceived value of a product. Even if you have to lower the price, you may find that it leads to increased sales and results in higher profits due to the sales volume.
Tweak Your eCommerce Checkout Process
eCommerce sites will often test different designs, product page layouts and main page layouts. But many of them neglect the checkout process which is the simplest thing you can work on. There are many things that you can do to improve the checkout process from changing the layout, using different font to adding security or guarantee seals. Even things like adding a one click registration button for your store can result in significant conversion lifts. Best of all, the checkout will improve the conversions for your entire eCommerce store.
Use Live Chat
There are still many stores that are not taking advantage of live chat. Live chat is a great way to engage your website’s visitors, assist them with a sale and provide customer support. Rather than use automated software, you want to actually have a real person operating the chat on the other side. Just make sure that you avoid implementing live chat when there is nobody available to help your visitors. It can be frustrating to visitors and send a message that your customer support is lacking.
Offer Advanced Search Functionalities
One of the most important goals that eCommerce businesses should aim for is to make a website that allows users to quickly find what they’re looking for. Most eCommerce stores have a search functionality available on their site. But when a user uses your search function, you should offer additional options to help them really hone in on their search. For example, if you’re selling couches, you can offer advanced search filters that allow users to sort by price, color, fabric and size. The idea is to use these features to help lead users to sale faster.
Add More Payment Options
It’s not enough to be accepting credit card payments for your eCommerce store. Many people store their money in digital wallets. Digital wallets are payment processors that act as online bank accounts. You want to make sure you start accepting payments for Paypal, Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Amazon Pay. Many eCommerce store owners report seeing increased sales as a result of offering these options. Some websites are even going as far as accepting Bitcoin. While there isn’t enough data yet on how that impacts conversions, it’s something to pay attention to.
Work on Your Product Copy
One unfortunate pattern you see in a low of eCommerce stores is a lack of good copy for the product pages. The product page simply lists the features and facts (dimensions, weight, size) about the product that was taken from the supplier. If you want the visitor to add that product to their cart, you have to really sell it. You want to convey the benefits of the product, explain how it can be used, and describe how it compares to other popular products. Don’t assume that the visitor will understand how the product will benefit their lives.
These are just a few of the many things that you can do to achieve stronger conversions for your eCommerce store. When implementing new changes, make sure that you track all the data and see how it affects the bottom line. Your approach to improving your eCommerce store should be scientific and not based on assumptions if you really want to see your store grow.
