Increase eCommerce Conversion Rates
If you have an eCommerce website, you most likely have a very close eye on your conversion rate. In fact, eCommerce conversion rate is one of the most important key performance indicators for any online store. A successful online store is a store with high conversion rates.
There are various things that can be done to increase eCommerce sales and conversion rate. Let’s assume for now, you already have compelling ad copy, awesome value propositions, and stunning CTA’s.
Once these eCommerce basics are covered, you can dig into landing page optimization, eCommerce user experience, and installing live chat software to increase sales, all topics covered in this post. Here we go.
Optimize eCommerce Landing Pages with Split Testing
If you do nothing else regarding eCommerce landing page optimization, it should be split testing. When testing two variations, leave ego and personal favorites at the door. Let the split testing data speak for itself, once there is a decisive winner, implement the changes and start split testing again!
A few elements to constantly tinker with are headlines, page design (structure), banner color, and conversion mechanism placement.
Headlines are one of the easiest things to split test, they’re usually the most noticeable to the user and finding the right combination of words will increase eCommerce sales. “Page design” is about the structure and positioning of elements on the page. Split testing the location of the product, the description, and the location of the “buy” button may yield higher conversion rates. Seemingly simple changes such as changing a button color, may seem trivial, but changes like these can bump up conversion rates a tick or two (or more).
There are a few ways to set up split testing, what’s important is that you gather data, declare a winner, and then start testing all over again.
eCommerce User and Customer Experience
–Elaborate Product Descriptions
In the age of information, consumers just want extensive product descriptions highlighting the features and helpful product information. Be sure each product you feature in your online store has elaborate product descriptions. Throwing in some generic text is taking the easy way out, although writing unique product descriptions is time-consuming, it will make your users happy (thus increasing conversion rate).
–Quality Product Images – Many Products Images
Quality and quantity of images often get overlooked in an eCommerce environment. How can you expect users to purchase a product if they can’t get a clear image of what the product looks like?
It’s worth the time and effort to take quality pictures that are capable of being enlarged and thoroughly inspected. It’s also recommended that there are multiple photos of each product from varying distances and angles.
–Easy to Find Return Policies and FAQ page
A clearly visible, thorough return policy and FAQ page builds credibility and in return, inspires confidence in your eCommerce buyers. Successful brick and mortar stores that do not allow returns are few and far between, online stores shouldn’t be any different.
–Don’t Hide Contact Information
Hiding contact information is a red flag for eCommerce conversion optimization. Why? No one wants to give their money to someone they can’t reach out to if there is an issue with a product.
How Live Chat can Benefit eCommerce Sites
–Reduce Online Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate
eCommerce customers often drop off during the checkout process because they have one last question, or they may not be exactly sure how to make the purchase. Having a live chat representative reach out to them during this process will increase eCommerce sales and eCommerce conversion rate.
–Cuts Down on Expenses and Employee Task Time
The average interaction time of a phone call is substantially larger than a live chat exchange. If a user has a question-it can usually be answered or resolved instantaneously with live chat, whereas handling this issue in a call center environment is cumbersome.
Live chat representatives can easily handle multiple requests at once whereas call center reps are only capable of one-maybe two- phone calls at once. Just be sure their live chat etiquette skills are up to par.
–Personify Your Website
Giving your eCommerce store the added edge of personality should not be overlooked. Even if users don’t require the services of live chat, having it available upon request will still increase eCommerce sales.
Alleviating eCommerce Customer Pain Points with Live Chat
eCommerce customer pain points occur when a user is unable to complete their goal, or they have a need that has yet to be met. Every eCommerce store out there has customer paint points (even Amazon). Whether it be a broken link, difficulty finding product descriptions, or inaccurate inventory counts, each of these pain points interferes with the user’s ability to purchase a product.
More importantly, each of these customer pain points can be alleviated when you have live chat software installed in your eCommerce store. That’s not to say that the problem will immediately be resolved, but it does give the user an outlet and allows the live chat representative to investigate a solution, provide an immediate answer, or refer the user to a similar product or resource.
