Having a great website does not guarantee a conversion rate. You may have hired the best web designer for your e-commerce store, but is it generating enough customer traffic? Also, you are investing in advertising, so if you are not attracting customers, what’s the point of all your effort? E-commerce conversion rates are an important tip aspect of your business. It is the process of a customer completing your call to action.
According to a report by Econsultancy, 75% of marketers say optimizing their conversion rate is a crucial part of their digital marketing strategy. Unfortunately, only about 22% of businesses are satisfied with their conversion rates. Although the rates will vary depending on the industry, it is nevertheless vital to include increasing conversion rates in your digital marketing strategy. With that being said, here are some tips to help you improve your e-commerce website’s conversion rate.
1. Make your website mobile-friendly.
With the increase in online shopping, having a mobile-friendly website will surely help convert customers. Data from Big Commerce revealed that mobile e-commerce accounted for 34.5% of total e-commerce sales in 2017 and is expected to grow by 54% in 2021. If your website is not accessible on mobile devices, you could miss out on potential sales.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by OuterBox revealed that 79% of customers use their mobile apps to buy exclusive deals and offers online. Experts recommend developing apps that are simple, browsable, and appropriate for the products you are selling. Want to know how to make your e-commerce site mobile responsive? Check out these tips:
Don’t use Flash
Flash is not compatible with a lot of browsers and devices. In addition, it is not supported by both Android and iOS. If you are using Flash-dependent animation on your website, it is unlikely that your customers will be able to see it on their devices. Most designers today are no longer using Flash to create websites. Thus, if you want to convert customers, ditch the outdated technology and switch to a website that works without Flash.
Use large fonts
Reading on the small screen of a mobile device can be difficult if the font is small. Although the recommended font size is 14px, you can always do some tests to determine the font size that will work best. Your best option is to use the standard font so your visitors don’t have to install the new font.
Disable autocorrect for forms
You may not realize it but autocorrect functionality can be more annoying than a convenience to visitors. When autocorrect is on, it may change their names and addresses to familiar words, which can greatly slow them down when filling out forms. It can make their customer experience frustrating, so when asking for personal information from customers, ensure that autocorrect is disabled for each form field.
2. Improve site speed and navigation
Your website visitors are most likely busy and don’t have a lot of time to browse your pages, so ensure that your website loads fast enough for them to stay on your online store. According to Hubspot, the first three seconds of loading time will significantly impact your sales. Here’s how you can optimize the loading time of your website:
Compress and optimize your images
Using large images on your website can significantly slow down page loading time. Did you know that images take up nearly 1031 kb in size of an average web page? That is more than 60% of the entire page space. Imagine the loading time delay if you have many large images.
So how do you fix this? One solution is to use image compression. By compressing, you reduce the image’s size and weight, thus allowing your pages to load quickly. It is recommended to keep your images below 150KB, not more than 1920 pixels wide, and at an average/medium/72dpi quality level.
Use a search function
A search tool on your e-commerce website will help visitors find products quickly. A search function can offer other things, such as personalized results, autofill queries, and others. Make sure to place it on top of your website so customers can see it immediately.
Enable browser caching
Users must download several components when visiting your website, such as HTML documents, stylesheets, javascript files, and images before the actual page can be loaded. In a recent test by former Yahoo employee Tenni Theurer, these activities can take away 2.4 seconds of the loading time.
With the browser caching function, your website assets will be stored on a temporary location in your hard drive. This way, the entire page doesn’t have to reload whenever a user visits it, thus improving its loading time.
3. Create product videos
Videos will not only provide a product overview but also help boost online sales. According to an Aartisto survey, 73% of customers are likely to buy a product or sign up for a service after watching an explainer video. Creating videos can also help establish the trustworthiness of a brand. In fact, a report from the online video creation site Animoto revealed that 58% of customers consider businesses that create videos trustworthily.
Visitors who watch videos stay and visit a website longer than those who don’t. They prefer watching a video instead of reading a blog. Videos can help leave a positive imprint in their minds about a brand or company. Maybe you haven’t considered video marketing yet. Well, here are five reasons you should.
Creates more engagement
Videos target both auditory and visual senses. It is more effective in grabbing attention than any other type of content. It can be used for various purposes, such as telling a story, building emotion, and stirring action. The key to an engaging video is hooking your viewers within the first few seconds.
Boosts trustworthiness
Some customers don’t buy from an online retailer because they are not sure what to expect from the store. Will they get the exact color or size they ordered? Will they get exactly what was promised? Videos provide customers with the proof they need to convince them to buy. It will help establish your credibility as a brand in the long run.
Provides answers to questions
Customers have questions about a product that prevents them from making a purchase. Videos help provide the answers that your customers may need to proceed with the sale—from product information, specifications, and how to use—and other concerns they may be having that stop them from converting.
Offers better omnichannel experience
Videos help customers find you on every digital channel they may be using. According to a Harvard Business Review study, 73% of customers use multiple channels when shopping for products or services. Videos give you a presence in different media.
It is shared more than any other content
Did you know that videos are shared 1200% more times than texts and links combined? This is why a video can become a powerful digital marketing tool. When a family or friend shares your video, you can look forward to increasing your conversion rate in no time.
4. Show Customer Reviews/Testimonials
Remember to underestimate the power of customer reviews. They are very important in a customer’s purchase decision. Statistics reveal that 88% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business.
It’s great if your website has many positive reviews, but you should also address the negative ones. After all, they help you better understand the reasons customers are not converting. Research by social commerce specialist Revoo revealed that consumers spend five times longer on a website that addresses negative reviews resulting in an 85% increase in conversion rate.
Customer reviews and testimonials can help build your business as reliable, honest, and dependable. So how do you add reviews to your website? Here are some ways you can collect testimonials.
Add a “Leave Review” button
With this button, you can send invitations for customers to leave a review on your website. Upon clicking the button, your customer will be redirected to a review submission form where they can rank you based on the number of stars.
Install a floating popover
The floating popover will display on the top or bottom of your website, showing the latest reviewer. It comes with a button that customers can click to leave a review.
Reviewer authentication
Some reviews on your website lack authority because the collected sources need to be better organized. With reviewer authentication, customers submit their reviews by linking their Facebook accounts.
Review feed widget
A review feed widget can be added to any page on your website. Once installed, it will automatically display all collected reviews.
5. Ensure a seamless customer experience
According to Think with Google, 79% of shoppers who experienced dissatisfaction with site performance say that they will be less likely to purchase from the same store again. For this reason, you need to make sure that your checkout process is simple and streamlined for a positive customer experience. Here are the two factors you need to focus on to ensure a seamless customer experience.
Build trust
Trust involves the customer feeling secure about providing you with their credit card information or bank details. Will you be able to provide them with a receipt as proof of their purchase? Once they provide their personal and confidential information, customers demand transparency on where their data will go and who will have access to it. If you can prove to them that you are trustworthy, most likely, they will purchase from you.
Provide value
The good news is that some customers will stick it out with you regardless of their negative experience if you can provide them with value. Show customers your unique value proposition during the checkout process. Integrating discounts and promotions to the purchase will help customers find the value of your offering.
Optimizing the conversion rate is key to boosting your website traffic. No matter how professional-looking your website is, it wouldn’t mean anything if it does not attract customers. As an online retailer, you need to find out why your customers aren’t converting and take the necessary steps to enhance your checkout process.
E-commerce is a dynamic industry so you need to stay updated to keep up with the changes. If you are looking to offshoring e-commerce customer service, you need to find an experienced and trusted partner.
One CoreDev IT (CORE) is backed by years of experience in the e-commerce industry. Our employer of record solutions employ people who have training and knowledge of e-commerce call center offshoring so you can count on us to deliver the best customer support services. Experience the benefits of offshoring with us and get a worthwhile investment for your business needs.
