Ecommerce store owners are always striving to improve conversion rates. The survival of their business depends on it. Whether you have a small business or a large enterprise; in the ecommerce sphere, conversion rates keep the ball rolling. In addition, if you are a first-time ecommerce store owner, you may be expecting buyers to come pouring in as soon as your store goes live. But, sadly that never happens.
The industry giants like Amazon and Jumia have set the bar high and not everyone can achieve their levels of success in a short period. According to Alexa, Amazon and Jumia are two of the 10 most visited websites in Kenya. Then there are small and medium retailers who struggle to keep their head up the water.
In the ecommerce world, there are some key elements that can make all the difference to your business success. Sites that reach the top pay close attention to these elements and websites that go out of business do so because they ignored them.
Selling on the internet is not easy. Competition is tough and almost several other businesses have already done what you’re doing. So how can your ecommerce store make a difference? Here are some quick and effective ways to increase the conversion rates of your ecommerce website;
Don’t copy!
We agree that Jumia is a leader in ecommerce and has set the bar high for you as a small ecommerce store owner, but you can still stand out of the crowd. Everyone knows Jumia whereas you may still need to build a reputation in the market.
Moreover, fitting into pre-fixed rules of the ecommerce game won’t take you there. When people order something from Amazon, they know its shipping and return policy and they understand that they are in good hands.
If you are a new business, you have to prove to your existing and potential customers that you are trustworthy. Add trust certificates, user reviews, and other signals to indicate that you are doing a great job in your niche.
Get good sellers’ rating:
If you have been running the ecommerce business for a while, you must know how important Google Analytics is. It is extremely crucial to sign up for an Analytics account with your website. Google strives to make your user experience better every day, and that’s why they have introduced seller ratings.
The ratings have been around for a while but did not gain massive popularity until recently. This is due to a rapid increase in the number of ecommerce businesses popping and their genuine interest to promote their services and products.
When your store gets a great seller rating, it shows up with your link on Google. The ratings are gathered by user reviews of your product. It will show up automatically if you do a couple of things such as have a composite rating of 3.5 stars.
Show your value proposition:
Ecommerce business exists to take value and ease to the next level. Show your value proposition to your audience. What makes you unique? What’s your story?
Clear calls to action (CTAs):
A seamless user experience on your website improves conversion rates. A user shouldn’t have to search for options on your store. This means your website design should be highly intuitive and lead a visitor step-by-step towards the check-out window.
For instance, when you display clear calls-to-action on an email newsletter, a buyer knows exactly what to do with them.
Suppose you send an email newsletter about upcoming sales to your subscribers. You can ask them to enter a code to receive special discounts on sale day. You can even ask users to follow your page on Instagram to receive a free giveaway. Clear calls to action encourage users to perform an action on your website and increase the click-through rate (CTR) of your emails as well.
Pay attention to your product images:
This is the most important thing you need to focus on. You can’t upload manufacturer photos on your website and expect an encouraging response from your audience.
If you want people to digitally ‘experience’ your product before making a purchase, you need to show them clearly. Not to mention, it will create a marked difference in your conversion rates.
Go HD and use different angles to show a product. Put yourself in a user’s shoes. Wouldn’t you do your research and make sure what you’re buying would look good on you? Why should our customers be any different?
Some stores are using a single theme on their pages to show a product. They use high-quality photos that can also be zoomed in. Make an effort to bring a product to life, and people will be left with very little to imagine.
Add some interesting product descriptions:
Just like the photos, product descriptions should also be much more than just manufacturer copy. This is where you have to make an effort and answer all questions your potential buyer may have. If you sell sports footwear, then you may try to explain via your description how resilient and comfortable your product is, what its insoles are made of, how they will cushion the feet as users engage in the sports of their choice and so on.
You can do this both ways; either hire a good agency to write the copy for you or write them in-house. At the end of the day, your conversion rate is going to get better.
Customer experience can make all the difference to your bottom line. Instead of forcing buyers to look for product information on the internet, provide them with all they need to know at one place.
A solid product description will help your customer come to a decision.
Look at this product on Amazon. They have written the product copy in a clear and concise manner. It is neither long nor short. Technical information is also provided to guide the user as much as possible. If you are selling items manufactured by a third party, make an effort to show the product via your own lens.
Add product videos:
This is the new norm in ecommerce and you should catch up. The power of a good photo combined with amazing product description is immense, but videos are on a whole new level. Videos are closest to reality.
Whatever it is that you are selling; you can make it look great in a video. Then again, these videos can follow a theme or just be there to show a product more clearly.
Another great idea is to add videos to your pages without spending a dime. The secret lies in utilizing user-generated content. Ask your users to help you show what a product is really like. It can be an unboxing video or a simple video shot with a smartphone. Smartphones have pretty amazing cameras nowadays, so ask your buyers to make product videos and send them to you.
Say no to shipping costs:
If you are debating shipping costs, you should know that the matter is already out of your hands. The likes of Amazon and eBay have taught consumers well. Shipping costs should be non-existent or really meager. For whatever reason, a free shipping offer that saves a customer $6.99 is more appealing to many than a discount that cuts the purchase price by $10 – David Bell, Wharton.
Several examples confirm this truth. When 2BigFeet introduced free shipping for orders over $100, their conversion rate went up by 5%. It makes a lot of business sense to announce free shipping, because the whole world wants it.
When you give buyers what they want, they will come rushing to your store and make the most of the free shipping deal.
Use the power of social media:
The power of social media is revolutionary. You can enjoy the benefits by using these mediums to your advantage. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are not just social sharing tools anymore; they are power houses of information.
Every other celebrity is seen endorsing items on their Instagram feed, because people want to know where they bought their apparel from. If a popular person endorses an item on social media, people jump to the opportunity to learn more about it.
This kind of interaction is both attractive and does the job. Dozens of people, including one who asked the question, can now visit the page directly and buy this pair of shoes. When you are active on social media, people think you are a cool brand. This fact alone is enough to attract leads to your ecommerce store.
Test everything:
You should keep improving your product pages and other site elements by constantly testing them. If you think that a change on your site is going to improve conversion rates, then test it. A/B testing is your best go. You can see the difference yourself. Here are some factors you can check by split testing your site pages for conversion:
- Prices and shipping costs
- Product pages and product search filters
- Best-selling products vs. normal deals
- Buy now or add to cart buttons
- Checkout process
- Cart abandonment rates
- Size of ads and calls to action
Keep improving:
Keep a sharp eye on every aspect of your ecommerce store. From shopping cart to checkout, the buying process should be smooth. Users love websites that are hassle-free.
We also like to shop from ecommerce stores that are easy to navigate. Keep learning from user tests and site tests to keep improving. Conversion rate is the only metric that indicates how well you are doing as an ecommerce business. Customize your business to make it seem more attractive to your ideal buyer.