As an e-Commerce store owner, your biggest objective is to get more sales or conversions. However, you don’t want to spend a gazillion dollars to get those conversions going upwards.
The plunging sales graph and fewer dollars to spend can be stressful as a business owner. However, there are few ways to ascend those sales, without burning a hole in your pocket. A lot of business owners and marketers think they need to spend tons of money to skyrocket sales. Revamping the website, investing in expensive product shots, investing in online ads, the recommended list and spends only seem to grow. If as a business owner, you are looking at increasing the conversion rate and don’t have plenty to spend, then follow some of these tips and tricks to get the ball rolling.
Sometimes, it’s all about making a few changes and optimize conversion rate.
1. Get those product images right
This is the single most and biggest factor for the success of an e-Commerce store. Customers want to SEE what they are getting. That’s why low-resolution, pixelled visuals are a big no-no. Showcase the products in their full glory. Images are the key to boosting conversion rates online.
Check out this example from Adidas:
- The customer should be able to interact with the product. Therefore, have as many angles as possible
- Have the ability to zoom in, scale, rotate and experience the product as if they are holding it in their hand
- Use High quality sharp images
- Try and have white-space around the product as it gives breathing space
2. Product Descriptions
As an e-Commerce marketer, I often come across stores that have no product descriptions. Most business owners think they’ll let the images do all the talking. Product descriptions are a must to improve sales conversions. The idea of having product descriptions is to give information to your customer. This will eventually help them make a decision. Whether you are selling 100% Egyptian cotton clothes or silk, the customer needs to know. Product descriptions don’t have to be fancy sales copy. And also avoid lifting them directly from the manufacturers website (as this will compromise your SEO)
Some guidelines to writing product descriptions:
a) Highlight the features and benefits. For example, 100% cotton towels – highly absorbent, durable and comfortable
b) Use bullet points- this makes information easier to digest
c) Use your keywords, if possible
d) Don’t get too technical unless you are selling such products
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3. Call-to-action Button
The most annoying thing for a customer is to look for a call-to-action button. The right colour, the correct placement and a smooth shopping experience can help you optimize conversions.
a. Colour: Most e-Commerce gurus recommend ‘orange’ as the preferred colour. However, with experience, I’ve seen black or any other bright colour do the job as well. Make sure, it’s big and bright to catch someone’s eye in the first 2 seconds of visiting the website. Do a test for this. Try out different colours and share with different sets of people.
b. Placement: Ideally, the call-to-action button should be placed above-the-fold. This ensure the visitors are able to see it immediately
4. Shipping costs= Higher abandoned cart rate
It’s no secret, the number 1 reason for high abandoned cart rate is the shipping cost. The success of a lot of e-Commerce store depends on offering free shipping. Blame it on Amazon for this. This has been a game-changer for most e-Commerce stores. If you can’t absorb the shipping cost, then have it over a certain value of products bought. Also be clear and upfront about shipping costs. Don’t give your customers rude shocks about shipping costs at check-out. This will lead to even greater cart abandonment rate.
5. Follow-up with emails for abandoned carts
Life gets in the way, people get busy, site speeds or shopping costs lead to abandon carts. If you’re collecting email addresses as part of the checkout process then you don’t have to settle with your current abandonment rates though. You can reach out your customers via email. Most companies even offer an additional discount at this stage. Of course, you can retarget this email list through Facebook or Google Ads. Some examples of emails targeting abandoned carts can be checked out here at Optinmaster
6. Trust Badges
Letting your customers know that your e-Commerce store is secure, can really help in increasing conversions. A customer needs to trust you enough to put in their credit card details. Make sure you get certified and put in a badge either by McAfee, Geo Trust or similar. This will help boost credibility and trust, especially at checkout stage
7. Reviews
Social proofing your e-Commerce store greatly helps in building trust and therefore conversions. Have a review section on each product. Testimonials rom existing customers are a great way to build trust, credibility and eventually conversions. Get some press publicity behind your products. Hint: These really count!
Increasing your e-Commerce store’s conversion rate is always applicable. The industry standard sits between 2-3% depending upon the category. As a business owner, it should be your goal to aim higher than your current conversion rate. This is not a comprehensive list. It’s just to get you started. What are some ways that you are looking at increasing your store’s conversion rate without costing you the earth, moon and stars?
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