20 E-Commerce Conversion Rate Optimisation Guidelines by Elena Tahora. Available from <http://www.businesscomputingworld.co.uk/20-e-commerce-conversion-rate-optimisation-guidelines/> [Aug 24, 2017]. Photo: Article Source
The key to success in the realm of e-commerce lies in converting visitors to your site into paying customers. In fact, achieving this goal is one of the primary focuses of web design and is also one of the hardest aspects to nail down. A good conversion rate is around 2%, meaning that 2% of visitors to a site bought something before they left. Below are 20 top tips for improving your conversion rate for your e-commerce site.
1. Use High-Quality Images
One of the oldest marketing tricks in the book lies in the presentation of your products. Websites offer the distinct advantage of requiring only a digital photograph which can be retouched to make the product look appealing as possible.
2. Give Detailed Product Descriptions
Accompanying your image should be clear and concise product descriptions that convey everything a customer could want to know about your products.
3. Free Shipping
Including a free shipping option is a great way to entice customers and to make your site a little cheaper than the competition. Never underestimate what a difference even a modest reduction in price can make.
4. Discount Codes
Creating a set amount of discount codes, and thinking of a creative way of distributing them, is a fantastic way to bring in new business and to encourage existing customers to spend more. If your store has a mailing list, this is a great way to distribute discount codes and to keep your business in the forefront of loyal customers’ minds.
5. Price Products Smartly
The price point at which you offer your products will have a considerable impact on conversion rates. Obviously, customers will be looking to pay as little as possible for what they’re buying, but if you are offering exceptional service, or have another unique selling point, you can afford to charge a slightly higher premium for your products.
6. Streamline The Checkout Process
The easier it is to spend money, the more likely it is that customers will. Customers will be used to a particular style of checkout, namely that used by e-commerce giants like Amazon. Deviating from these established procedures can put potential customers off at the very last moment.
7. Make The Most Of Abandoned Carts
Abandoned carts refer to users who have placed products in their cart ready for purchase, but changed their minds at the last minute. If these customers have already provided details such as an e-mail address, you can follow up with these customers and encourage them to come back.
8. Implement Live Chat Software
Live chat software allows you to provide users with real time advice and technical support.
9. Build Trust
Make sure that your e-commerce site adheres to the best practices of internet security so that your customers can shop with confidence without having to worry.
10. Make Navigation Easy
The easier time customers have navigating your website, the more likely they are to find what they want and make purchases.
11. Make Forms Easy To Fill In
This is particularly important for your checkout system. For example, when asking the user to enter the expiry date of their credit card use a drop-down menu that they can select the date form rather than asking them to enter it manually and risking incorrect formatting.
12. Customer Reviews
When customers can see positive feedback regarding your business and your products it increases their confidence in you and makes them far more likely to make a purchase. Add customer reviews to increase your conversion rates easily.
13. Use Press Quotes
If your product has been reviewed in the press, then look for quotes from reviewers that you can use to sell the product to a potential customer.
14. Make Purchasing Buttons Prominent
Make your ‘Add To Cart’ and ‘Checkout’ Buttons as prominent as you can. The subtle psychological effect this will have on customers will help up your conversion rate.
15. Operate A Good Return Policy
Research shows that the majority of customers will check the return policy before committing to a purchase, if customers are put off by your policy, then they will count against your conversion rate.
16. Be Mobile Friendly
An increasing portion of e-commerce sales are conducted on mobile devices rather than desktops; this trend looks set to continue. Making sure that your website is mobile friendly will ensure it appeals to the maximum possible user base.
17. Be Easy To Contact
Have a phone number and e-mail address listed on your website so that customers can easily and quickly contact you if they need to.
18. Include A Blog
Blogs are a great way of making your site stand out and giving visitors something to do other than purchasing. You’d be surprised how much more likely people are to make purchases from a site they primarily use for other purposes.
19. Advertise Tastefully
Many visitors will instantly quit a website that throws pop-ups or automatically paying videos at them. Ad revenue is very important for many sites, but make sure it doesn’t hinder the users’ experience.
20. Implement Changes Slowly
Try not to radically overhaul your whole website in one go, instead implement changes slowly so that your regular users can adjust.
Raising your conversion rate is a key step to maximising the potential of your e-commerce business and there are any number of ways you can go about achieving this. A high conversion rate doesn’t just mean more money for you, it means your business will have a bigger and better reputation.
20 E-Commerce Conversion Rate Optimisation Guidelines by Elena Tahora. Available from <http://www.businesscomputingworld.co.uk/20-e-commerce-conversion-rate-optimisation-guidelines/> [Aug 24, 2017]. Photo: Article Source