{"id":225412,"date":"2020-05-13T09:02:43","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T03:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qcsglobal.com\/?p=225412"},"modified":"2020-05-13T09:02:43","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T03:32:43","slug":"16-superior-e-commerce-conversion-rate-optimization-tactics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/16-superior-e-commerce-conversion-rate-optimization-tactics\/","title":{"rendered":"16 Superior E-Commerce Conversion Rate Optimization Tactics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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E-commerce CRO tactics promise a great deal, from increasing website traffic to growing profits.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But if you implement tactics that don\u2019t deliver results, prepare for dissatisfied shoppers and a drop in sales. Low conversion rates mean your e-commerce<\/a> site\u2019s bottom line will suffer.\u00a0To clarify, a conversion is when any desired action is taken by a visitor on your store\u2019s website. The goal is to achieve a good conversion rate. It shows that your website is successful in convincing visitors to become customers.<\/p>\n

What is a good conversion rate? WordStream\u2019s conversion rate analysis gives an overall conversion rate of 2.35%<\/a>. If your store\u2019s figure is lower than this, you need to optimize your conversion rates.<\/p>\n

What are good e-commerce CRO tactics?<\/h2>\n

CRO tactics are diverse and range from web development, user interface design, marketing and more. Good CRO tactics achieve a common goal: improve the performance of your website to increase your store\u2019s revenue. The following tactics will help you do exactly that. All you need to do is implement them correctly.<\/p>\n

Web development and UI design<\/h2>\n

Your e-commerce site\u2019s interface and features play a major role in optimizing conversion rates. You should specifically focus on these key factors when making web development and UI design improvements.<\/p>\n

1. AI-powered smart site-search<\/h4>\n

On-site search is hugely important to your store\u2019s success. However, according to the Baymard Institute<\/a>, 70% of desktop e-commerce search implementations are unable to return relevant results for product-type synonyms.<\/p>\n

This can cause friction for customers during their purchasing journey and reduce conversions. For example, maybe a customer is searching for a particular item but they don\u2019t know how it\u2019s labeled on your store. They might search for it with words and phrases that don\u2019t match the product\u2019s actual name or description in your catalog. This prevents your search engine from finding and displaying the item, which of course prevents the customer from making a purchase.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s less likely to be a problem with AI-powered smart site-search. Innovations such as natural language processing<\/a> (NLP) allow your site to understand human language in the way people might describe certain types of items for which they are searching. Thus, even if they don\u2019t use the same phrasing as a product\u2019s description or name does, NLP can still deliver the product they were searching for.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at an example from Zimmermann. When a shopper searches for the term \u201cankle shoe\u201d the results delivered are very accurate, and they display different types of ankle shoes to choose from.<\/p>\n

\"zimmerman<\/p>\n

2. Display your visitors\u2019 checkout progress<\/h4>\n

This tactic lets your customers know how long the checkout process will take and removes any unwanted surprises. You have to remember that people can be easily distracted when browsing the internet. The average amount of time people spend on individual websites is two minutes and 17 seconds<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"made<\/div>\n

Along with a streamlined checkout, letting customers know how far along they are in the checkout process<\/a> will minimize the odds of customers clicking away from your store. Be upfront with how much more time they need to spend to complete their purchase and they will stick around until the end.<\/p>\n

3. Guest checkout<\/h3>\n

Offer a guest checkout to remove any friction of purchasing items from your store. After all, not every person who browses your e-commerce store will necessarily have an account with it. Requiring users to create accounts before making purchases will discourage guests who don\u2019t want to spend time doing so.<\/p>\n

\"crate<\/div>\n

On the other hand, by offering guest checkout options<\/a>, you\u2019ll attract purchases from customers who don\u2019t have accounts yet.<\/p>\n

4. Have short forms<\/h3>\n

Lead your customers successfully through the check out process with short forms. This is once again a basic step you can take to ensure the checkout process isn\u2019t unnecessarily lengthy. Make sure your checkout forms only require customers to provide the most essential information.<\/p>\n

5. Persistent shopping cart<\/h3>\n

Allow for your customer\u2019s shopping cart to stay active for at least a few hours, so they can pick up where they left off. The fact that someone left your store doesn\u2019t always mean they won\u2019t return in the future in search of the same items.<\/p>\n

For example, maybe a shopper is browsing your store via their smartphone while waiting for an appointment with their doctor. If the doctor tells them the appointment is ready to begin, they\u2019ll put their phone away, perhaps before completing a purchase. However, after their appointment is over, they might return to your store. They\u2019ll be more likely to finish the checkout process if their shopping cart is still active.<\/p>\n

6. Ensure your store is easy to navigate<\/h3>\n

Your shoppers need to find what they are looking for. If your store is not easy to navigate, your shoppers will walk away at the click of a button.<\/p>\n

A site that\u2019s easy to navigate shouldn\u2019t bombard customers with too many images or content. You don\u2019t want customers to get so overwhelmed by the various elements of your store that they struggle to find what they\u2019re looking for on your site. It\u2019s also important to ensure the process of accessing various pages in your store is as intuitive as possible.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that research indicates approximately half of all internet browsing occurs via mobile devices<\/a>. Remember that when planning your site\u2019s design, you want users to easily navigate it on both desktop and mobile devices.<\/p>\n

\"statista<\/div>\n

7. Offer multiple payment options<\/h3>\n

Research which payment methods your target customers prefer to use and provide it in your store. Some shoppers may want to pay via their credit or debit cards. Others might want to use a PayPal account or Apple Pay.<\/p>\n

If a customer doesn\u2019t have the option to pay via their preferred method, they may decide not to make a purchase at all. That\u2019s much less likely to happen if they can pay the way they want to.<\/p>\n

Marketing<\/h2>\n

Improving your web development and UI design tactics is important if you want to optimize your conversion rate. However, you also need to ensure you\u2019re marketing your brand and products effectively as well. The following key tips will help:<\/p>\n

8. Persuasive product copy<\/h3>\n

Product descriptions matter. If you\u2019re still using copy that your product manufacturer provided, it could be losing you sales. Your product copy<\/a> needs to be persuasive. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n

Benefits, not features<\/h4>\n

Considering the difference between features and benefits<\/a> will help you write high-converting product copy. Features alone are boring. They merely tell potential customers what a product is or does. Benefits are the reason why features matter to your shoppers.<\/p>\n

Be specific when writing product copy. Don\u2019t merely tell shoppers an item is a \u201cgreat product.\u201d Describe why it\u2019s a great product by highlighting specific benefits.<\/p>\n

\"shoes<\/div>\n

Maybe you\u2019re selling a kitchen tool that allows users to complete a basic cooking step much more quickly than they could without the product. You would thus explain that helping users save time in the kitchen is one of the product\u2019s most significant benefits.<\/p>\n

Use sensory words<\/h4>\n

Sensory words increase sales because they engage in more brain processing power. They make the reader experience the product copy while reading it.<\/p>\n

Vague descriptors such as \u201cexcellent\u201d and \u201camazing\u201d don\u2019t allow shoppers to clearly imagine why a product would be enjoyable or useful. Using sensory words helps you make a product feel more real in clear ways to shoppers.<\/p>\n

Study the way companies market food items to get a better idea of how sensory words<\/a> can improve product description copy. For example, an ice cream product description shouldn\u2019t merely claim that an item on the menu is \u201cdelicious.\u201d It should feature such words as \u201csilky\u201d or \u201cSpring flavor.\u201d This ensures customers will legitimately imagine how the item tastes.<\/p>\n

\"jeni's<\/div>\n

9. Have a great return policy<\/h3>\n

Make your return policy painless. The fact of the matter is, there will be instances when a customer decides they aren\u2019t pleased with the item they received. Maybe it was damaged when it reached their home. Maybe they simply expected something different from the product based on its description.<\/p>\n

Customers understand very well that they might want to return an item they purchase from your e-commerce store. Thus, if they\u2019ve learned your return policy is fairly strict, they may not be inclined to place an order, believing they\u2019ll struggle to make a return should they wish to do so.<\/p>\n

At a minimum, your return policy should provide customers with 30 days to make returns, although you may want to extend this to 60 days to make your return policy more attractive.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to simplify the process of making a return by including as few steps as possible and clearly explaining what those steps are in your return policy. Customers don\u2019t merely want to know they\u2019ll be able to make returns within a reasonable window of time. They also want to know that they\u2019ll be able to do so easily.<\/p>\n

10. Allow customers to leave reviews<\/h3>\n

Shoppers like to read reviews before they make a purchase. Incentivize customers to leave reviews<\/a> by offering them a coupon. You might also consider automatically sending customers an email after they make purchases asking them to leave reviews.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t overlook the potential value of this. Research shows 84% of consumers<\/a> trust online reviews just as much as they trust recommendations from friends. If your products have more reviews, people browsing your shop will be more likely to buy them.<\/p>\n

11. Let visitors know your website is safe<\/h3>\n

Install SSL, display security badges such as McAfee or GeoTrust. Customers want to know that their credit card information is safe.<\/p>\n

\"ssl<\/div>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n

Just remember that it\u2019s not enough to merely include safety features. You also need to be certain your customers actually know about them. With this in mind, you may want to include information both during the checkout process and on individual product pages explaining your site\u2019s security features.<\/p>\n

Effective marketing isn\u2019t just about promoting your products and brand. It\u2019s about promoting what you do to protect customers as well.<\/p>\n

12. Display contact information<\/h3>\n

Remove uncertainty and gain trust by displaying your contact information. This is another way you can let customers know they\u2019re dealing with a reputable company that won\u2019t put them in any sort of financial danger.<\/p>\n

For instance, a customer who has just found your store is likely to not be familiar with your brand. That means they can\u2019t be certain you\u2019re not going to scam them by accepting payment for items you never actually send. However, if they see that you\u2019ve provided your contact information, they\u2019ll know they can reach out to you directly if they have any problems after placing an order.<\/p>\n

13. Offer free shipping<\/h3>\n

Shoppers love free shipping, and sometimes they are willing to wait longer for their purchases if they get it. In fact, 95% of consumers consider<\/a> whether a company offers free shipping to be an important factor contributing to their decision to make a purchase.<\/p>\n

14. Hold competitions and offer discounts<\/h3>\n

An email newsletter can help you continue to market your products to new leads. It can also boost your odds of making future sales to customers who\u2019ve bought items from your store in the past. However, email marketing can only deliver these benefits if your email list has subscribers.<\/p>\n

Entice gaining subscribers by holding competitions. You can ask customers to sign up for your email list, letting them know that doing so will give them the opportunity to potentially win a prize.<\/p>\n

You should also offer discounts to visitors who provide you with their email address. Of course, it\u2019s important to send them beautifully crafted emails and ensure the tone and design are connected to your brand\u2019s personality.<\/p>\n

15. Enable shopping via social media platforms<\/h3>\n

Not all of your customers will necessarily want to visit your site when buying your products. They may prefer to shop while also performing other tasks online.<\/p>\n

Thus, you could provide a seamless shopping experience by allowing your customers to shop via social media<\/a> platforms by making your Instagram profile Shoppable<\/a>. This offers a degree of convenience that will lead to more sales.<\/p>\n

\"shoppable<\/div>\n

For maximum results, you need to grow your Instagram page so that it reaches a large audience. Do this by consistently posting to your account. Test what type of content works best with your followers. Once you know exactly what to post on Instagram<\/a> and your follower count grows, they will turn into customers at a high conversion rate.<\/p>\n

16. High-quality product videos and images<\/h3>\n

People want to see what they are purchasing. Make your products viewable from different angles and also allow your visitors the ability to zoom. Hire professionals to film high-quality product videos. Using videos to demonstrate what a product can do in cases where describing its features in text may not be clear enough.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that if your products are available in multiple colors, display these colors in their own separate, high-quality images, just like the Shopify example<\/a> below.<\/p>\n

\"shopify<\/div>\n

Sometimes shoppers may have trouble visualizing what a specific color looks like and having an image for each color will show them exactly what they will get.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h4>\n

You need to make sure you implement these CRO tactics correctly to see a rise in your conversion rates. Monitor your results to determine if they are providing positive results. Keep in mind that what may work for one e-commerce store may not work for yours. Luckily, by consistently following these tips, you\u2019ll almost certainly see your store\u2019s sales increase.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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