E-commerce sites have different marketing, public relations, and communication needs than brick-and-mortar stores because of the way that they do business. If you own one of these sites, you need to have a somewhat different strategy when setting up your website in order to boost conversions. Even a few small tweaks can make a big difference when you're driving customers through the sales funnel toward finally purchasing your product. Here are a few tips you can use to make the buying process easier for potential customers and boost conversions.
1) Use Calls-to-Action
If you're not already using call-to-actions in your website copy, you're missing out on a simple way to let consumers know that you have a product that you want them to buy. Although it might seem like a call-to-action is redundant, it's actually highly useful. Even this simple suggestion can boost conversions and reduce bounce rates. There are also some strategies on how to incorporate CTAs. Don't miss out on this simple way to let your potential customers know that, yes, you have a product to sell, and you want them to contact you or click for more information.
2) Make Your Checkout Process Simple
When you have an e-commerce business, there are few things that will turn off potential buyers more than a lengthy checkout process. The more hoops they have to go through when purchasing your product, the more likely they are to abandon their items in their cart. The same is true if you only have a payment option that they're not currently signed up with or requires information that they don't want to give out online. Consider providing different payment options. For instance, have a payment processor, such as PayPal, be one of your options, and offer at least a few of the major credit card companies as additional options. Address verification can also build trust in the checkout process, allowing customers to continue their purchase with confidence.
3) Speed Up Loading Times
If you haven't heard it already, you should know that internet users aren't patient with slow loading times. In fact, people want a webpage to load in two to three seconds at most, and if it takes much longer, people tend to abandon websites. As an e-commerce site, that can take a major chunk out of your sales.
E-commerce buyers have different wants and needs than brick and mortar buyers. There are also unique challenges that e-commerce retailers need to overcome to maximize their sales. Take a look at your website to identify areas that you could improve.
If you're looking to improve conversion rates on your e-commerce site, schedule time for a free consultation with our Project Manager, Tim Hoppe.