Shopcreator - ecommerce services

The "big three" of ecommerce - part 2

Posted At : May 1, 2008 12:50 PM | Posted By : Shopcreator
Related Categories: Getting Started in eCommerce

A couple of days ago I posted the first in my series on the Big 3 things that retailers need to focus on to improve the returns they get from their website. In Part 1 I looked breifly at the first of the big 3 - bringing buyers to your site. Today I'm going to look at the obvious next step: getting them to buy something.

Converting vistitors into buyers is not an exact science. What works for one type of retailer might not be right for another. However, there are some general rules to follow that should help you to transform your business, these are listed below.

Improving Site Conversion

Site conversion is simple to describe. Say you master all the techniques described briefly above and 10,000 people a day come to your site. What if none of these people buy anything? That would be an awful lot of wasted effort. You want to convert the highest number of visitors into buyers possible. By focusing on this "conversion rate" you can make your marketing pennies go a lot further.

There are 10 commandments (sorry Moses I'm stealing your shtick) for improving site conversion. One day I'll expand on these points – and indeed all the others in this post – but for simplicity bare these things in mind:

Usability is king. Make sure the products you want to sell are prominent and easy to buy. Make the most of logical navigation structures and searches. Don't clutter pages and most of all make sure everyone can see your site no matter what browser they use.

Look the part. Make sure your site looks professional. Believe it or not a good looking site not only converts more buyers but they are willing to pay more too.

Cut the clicks and keying. Don't make customers jump through hoops to buy things and don't ask them for data you don't need. The quicker it is to buy, the more likely you are to make the sale.

Engender trust. Be honest, don't hide costs until the last payment page and always deliver products on time and in good condition. It also helps to have a human at the end of a phone line or even better in a real bricks and mortar address. Remember, not all customers are confident buying online yet.

Be clear about returns. This plays to the point above. Buying online means you don't "see the product" before you get it. Like catalogue selling a clear returns policy is part of the game.

Alert and Inform your customer. Top ecommerce sites provide alert emails and online tracking. All this helps the customer to know where their product is and when to expect it. This becomes especially important during the Christmas shopping period.

Make it easy to pay. Offer different payment types like Credit Card, Paypal etc. One of the fastest growing payment types is the good old fashioned postal order (people use them to buy on eBay when all other payment types fail). Not that we recommend taking postal orders but the more payment types you support, the less people you prevent from paying.

Make your customers work harder. It might seam counter intuitive but you can improve conversion by involving your customers more in the life of your site. Get them to write reviews of products and always offer them other products and options they might like. The more they use the site, the more likely they are to return.

Leave a lasting impression. The best sites are more than just an online catalogue, they are an experience or a community. Make the most of the information pages of your site to involve customers in your brand. Give them advice and editorial. Make your site the place people come to for expertise.

Be Unique. If you have a USP, and to succeed in business you need one, make the most of it. It might be that your customer support is better than anyone else, or that your prices are the lowest. Whatever it is, when the chips are down, this is why customers will buy from you and not someone else.

These are just some general thoughts, if you have any further questions you can always email us at info@shopcreator.com or post on our Forum.