Every e-commerce website wants to convert curious customers into paying ones. When you build an e-commerce website, it is important to make every step in the journey simpler and interesting. You must always invest in vigorous analysis and experiments to learn more about how to improve your online store. If you can push your visitors to make a purchase, you are on the right track. This is known as conversion rate optimization (CRO).
Conversion rates are extremely important. Most of your online efforts sum up to the rate of conversion. Conversion can mean something different for every business. In some cases, it would be clicking a button and adding a product into the cart. While for another business it would mean checkout and shipping. Either way, you need the following strategies to improve your conversion rate.
1. Simplify the user experience
First things first, the overall design of your business website should be simplified (i.e a simple homepage). In just a matter of a few seconds your business website should create a lasting impression. Hence, keep it simple so that customers find it easy to navigate. The design needs to be relevant, visually appealing, and meaningful. Never use fancy banners and beaming themes on your business page.
2. Include coupon codes
No one can neglect coupons and deals. As soon as your customers land on your site, the experience should be memorable. This is why you need to include deals and discounts. Deals can be showcased in numerous ways. For example, you can use welcome bars with announcements. Some sites make use of pop-ups. The pop-ups encourage visitors to sign up for your services.
3. Add testimonials to build trust
Another important element in any e-commerce website is testimonies. Do you know influential people? Is your business featured in a famous publication? These details should be introduced on the homepage. More than 88 percent of the online community trusts testimonies and reviews. If you want to drive more sales towards your business website, you need to include testimonies. Try to gather quotes from your preferred customers.
4. Use intelligent search
As customers enter your website, they are bound to search for something. They might spend valuable time looking around on your website without finding the information they are looking for. This is why your business website needs an intelligent search functionality.
Customers who know how to use the search box are more likely to become buyers. In fact. The chances increase by ten times. By including a smart search box you guide your customers to the really valuable information, and stop them from digging into unknown territory.
5. Organize your categories effectively
Navigation plays an important role in any website. It takes only a few seconds for a customer to hit the back button. This will increase your site’s bounce rate. To keep navigation simple, you need no more than 6 categories. They should be organized based on popularity. The most popular product category must be displayed at the top.
6. Take advantage of your 404 Pages
In many business websites, the 404 page turns into a dead end. Is this the case with your e-commerce site? Experts believe that the 404 page has to be utilized effectively. This page can be much more useful than you think. For example, you can choose to advertise promotions, your products, and the finest collections on this page. There are many tutorials and videos on how to use the 404 pages tactically.
Image from Later.com
7. Add a shoppable Instagram feed
If you are a business owner, and have not used Instagram, you are missing a lot of opportunities. Instagram is a powerful social media platform for discovering products. It is quite simple to integrate Instagram into your site. With stunning photographs, you will be able to inspire curious buyers. Nearly 84 percent of millennials depend on the content that is generated by users. This means an active Instagram page can build an effective channel for your business to the millennials.
8. Use high-quality product images
The talk about e-commerce websites will be incomplete without high-quality images. Your products should be supported by top class images. Try to convey the look and feel of the product through these images. If possible, attach a video too!
For example, if you sell shoes, give pictures that cover every angle and view. A very good example of high-quality photos and detailed descriptions would be Bando. This website features product videos too. Each of these elements adds an extra spark to the page.
9. Be upfront about price, delivery and out of stock products
If you own an e-commerce website, you need to be specific about the delivery time, price, and stock information. Providing wrong information can annoy and mislead customers… and there is nothing worse than that.
Did you know that a good percentage of customers will abandon the cart if you have surprise shopping charges? There is nothing wrong with conveying all the crucial details ahead of time. Even if you have extra shipping charges, keep your customers notified.
10. Showcase your Google customer reviews
Just like testimonies, your products need reviews. Reviews act as social proof for your products and services. Nearly 90 percent of the online crowd is influenced by reviews.
A product with numerous positive reviews will sell better than a product with no reviews. Of course, the reviews should carry value and have accurate details about the product. If you have a store in competitive industries like beauty and cosmetics, for example, reviews will be extremely essential.
11. Add a curated Instagram feed
Every business page needs to be backed by curated Instagram feeds. These act as social proof.
When customers look for products, your curated Instagram feed will prove to be extremely handy.
Content conveyed through Instagram photos carries plenty of value. For example, the beauty and cosmetic industry relies on these elements. Most customers look for real-time pictures of what the products can do. There are numerous applications to help you integrate Instagram into your website such as Lightwidget or Snapwidget.
12. Prefill your customer information at checkout
Checkout is another vital component of any e-commerce website. A customer’s journey into your business site will be incomplete without checkout. To reduce the chances of abandoned carts, your customers should have a seamless and faultless experience.
By the time a customer reaches the checkout process, it is quite clear that they are willing to buy. This is why you need to avoid elements that can trigger stress and confusion. Such emotions will result in an abandoned cart.
How would you improve your customer’s experience? A great tip would be to pre-fill their details during checkout. Many times, details entered during registration have to be refilled during shipment. This can be a tedious task for customers.
The best way to fix this issue is by pre-filling. When you choose to help customers during checkout by pre-filling, conversion rates could double. Of course, you need to allow customers to log in as guests too!
13. Send abandoned cart emails
If a customer chooses to abandon the cart, what do you do? Will you let the customer go? Or will you keep an account of what was abandoned? Customers who abandon carts should be reminded.
You must send emails with details of the products abandoned. The entire process has to be personalized and automated. A personalized email with abandoned items may inspire the customer to make a buy in the end.
14. Optimize your thank you email
Just like personalized emails on abandoned carts, you need to send thank you notes to customers. This is a symbol of gratitude and it has the power to convert an existing customer to a loyal one. True business success is witnessed only when customers return.
A simple thank you email can do the trick. Along with the thank you email, you need to include promotional materials, discount coupons and a newsletter. These can trigger the customer to stay loyal to your brand.
15. Offer free shipping
Just like checkout and testimonies, your website needs to take care of shipping. As mentioned, customers don’t like it when there are surprise shipping charges. You must try and offer free shipping. This will encourage customers to place an order on your site.
Furthermore, try to deliver the products ahead of time. Unexpected delays can discourage customers from ordering with you again. When you choose to deliver products on time and offer free shipping, your conversion rates will increase significantly.
16. Have a clear refund policy
E-commerce websites are bound to incur returns. When a customer chooses to return a product, you must have a transparent refund policy. When your refund policies are good, the chances that a customer returns to you increase. The return policy is extremely important for online clothing stores. After all, not all clothes and shoes would fit the buyer perfectly.
Your return and refund policy has to be drafted with care. Ensure that it has simple terms and conditions which your customers can easily understand.
17. Tell a story with your About Page
Every business website has an “About Us” section. This page must not be taken for granted. Instead, it should convey a perfect picture of your business vision and mission. Many times, customers look for brands that can elevate their lifestyle.
Before you put together the About Us page, ask the following questions: what do you want the customers to know? What makes your brand special? How can your products change the life of a customer? Keep the story simple but charming.
18. Create a comprehensive contact page
Did you know that many visitors choose to leave a website if it doesn’t have a contact us page? Customers may want to get in touch with your brand. This could be for a number of reasons.
Either way, you must have a reliable way for the customer to contact you. Make sure that the website has a contact form or the email address and contact number disclosed directly on the page. Additionally, information like opening times of physical stores and social media profile links should also be provided.
19. Make sure the website is responsive
Business websites have to be responsive. In this modern era, most customers shop using their mobile devices. If your website looks distorted on mobile devices, it can send customers away.
This is why every element and theme in your site should be mobile-friendly. Make use of Google’s development tools to test if the page is truly responsive or not.
20. Optimize the website’s loading times
Finally, you need to focus on the technical aspects of your site. How long does your site take to load? There are many tools to help you analyze this factor. In fact, Google has a dedicated Pagespeed Insights tool that analyzes loading times and potential issues on the page.
Optimizing the performance of your website is not easy, but it has to be achieved. Businesses often cut down on the number and quality of product images, but you need to be careful with the visually appealing content on your website. Improving these areas will have a positive effect on the loading time of your website.
Conclusion
With these pointers, you will be able to build a strong e-commerce website. Always remember that customers are aiming to buy from stores that understand their requirements, and are keen on improving their online experience. By applying the tips in this post, you can be certain that a majority of your online customers will turn into loyal ones. After all, customer experience is the key tool for online growth and success.
Do you have a Shopify store? Check out AdNabu’s specific tips on how to increase your Shopify conversion rate.
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