With so much competition at your customer’s fingertips, it’s important that your e-commerce site provides a positive user experience first and foremost. Creating a positive experience should be an ongoing pursuit.
Useful tips to improve your e-commerce and start generating more sales.
1. Website navigation
Easy website navigation is everything.
If your users can find what they want in the shortest amount of time, they’ll be more likely to buy something. They’ll also be more likely to return to your site when they want something else.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes; identify an item and try to find it without prior knowledge of your website. Ask your friends and family to do the same.
Any improvements to your website navigation will have a dramatic effect on the user experience and your business goals.
2. site speed
Amazon calculated that if their website took just one second longer to load, they would lose $1.6 billion in sales revenue each year.
Recent research indicates that 40% of users will abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
The online consumer, with more choices than ever before, is fickle and impatient.
If you keep them waiting for even a second, they may leave your site without purchasing.
So, it's best to make sure your website is fast.
Did you know that Google takes speed into architects mailing list account when ranking websites ? No one wants to lose traffic because their website is slow and clunky.
3. Product Descriptions and Images
The advertising industry has known for decades what good descriptions and images can do for sales.
Product images in an e-commerce environment are super important, where the consumer is buying from their laptop or mobile phone, they can’t see or touch the product like they can in a physical store. So, they need to find the confidence to buy, and that usually starts with images.
Multiple product photos, zoom capability, and even 360-degree rotations have all been proven to convert better than a single image.
The same goes for product descriptions. A professional copywriter can use a product description to make your customer think they can't live without it.
Don't just copy the manufacturer's description.
You work hard to get someone to visit your website, so don't miss out on the opportunity.
If better images and more compelling descriptions can improve your online sales by just 10% each month, what’s that worth to you?
4. Searching for Comments
84% of people trust an online review as much as a personal recommendation.
So start asking for feedback.
Make this part of your process. For online retailers, it can be quite simple to set up automated emails after shipping, asking for feedback and reviews. Ask for reviews on your website, your Google My Business listing, Facebook, and other relevant online review sites.
5. Fixed or free shipping
Shipping fees are often the biggest obstacle to completing an online purchase, especially when they appear as an additional cost at the end of the consumer experience. This extra fee can replace the convenience of shopping from home.
You can avoid this by offering flat rate or free shipping, which can be factored into your costs. Everyone likes to feel like they’re getting a bargain.
6. Upselling
Convincing someone to visit your website and buy something takes a lot of work, so you want to make it worth their while.
One way to increase sales is to suggest a product that complements the product they are about to purchase.
If you’re selling clothing, for example, you might recommend a handbag to go with that dress. If you’re selling books, showcase titles that other customers with similar interests have purchased.