Website and marketing tips for beginners: The right way to start and run your online website

5 Easy Ways to Quickly Improve Your eCommerce Conversions Right Now

Online shopping is proven to be the most convenient way of shopping. However, as the market expands, so does the online retailers' trouble of increasing website traffic and, therefore, improving conversion rates.

In order to be successful, the eCommerce business has to develop an effective conversion strategy. And, while many assume these tactics are highly expensive, the truth is that they don’t have to break the budget if you apply a few crucial changes to your marketing campaign.

Have clear calls to action

Online experience can sometimes be very dissatisfying, especially if customers feel like they are stuck in an endless cycle of filling out numerous forms. With so many requirements such as creating an account, entering shipping information, entering credit card information, and so on, Internet consumers can quickly get exhausted and give up on the purchase.

To avoid this eCommerce disaster, be sure you have a clear call to action. Insound managed to correct the mistake by swapping “continue” for “review order” which immediately increased their conversion by 8%. So, keep the checkout procedure simple and assure customers have their eyes on the prize the whole time.

Create a sense of urgency

On average, eCommerce conversion rates are 1%-2%. Although it’s good to convert even 1% of website guests, it’s better to focus on more sales and higher rates. The best way to do so is to organize an impulse sale that will turn potential leads into consumers.

An impulse purchase is an unplanned decision triggered by emotions when seeing a promotional product. It’s all about creating the sense of urgency such as the one people get during Black Friday. Having said that, the products on the site don’t really give the “buy now” impression as the customer can return at any time to buy the product at the same price.

The goal is to make visitors fear that they are missing the good offer. Fear is a powerful purchase motivator and a great conversion tool. So, here are some ideas to help you introduce product pages as “must have” items:

Display trust elements

Customers want a personalized experience and deals for the products they are interested in. Otherwise, they will go to a competitor to find a better offer. For this purpose, many eCommerce websites include a box for entering promotional codes.

However, sometimes these codes don’t work which increases the chances of the customer leaving the site entirely due to the lack of trust. To make matters worse, eCommerce businesses often don’t count on people changing their opinion. But how to prevent gaining a negative reputation when customers want a refund?

To address these and other issues that may arise, it’s important to have a clear and concise privacy policy in place. It should be placed somewhere on the site that is easy for the customers to find and constructed in detail for them to understand. Maintain business transparency and outline the benefits of shopping with your company to increase credibility and customer’s trust. It will keep you safe in case legal issues arise related to users' privacy.

And since we talk about legal stuff, refund policy is just as important as everything else mentioned so far. Not having a refund policy, or having an overly restrictive refund policy will result in users having doubts about their purchase, and as the end results you will lose money. Don't be affraid to offer refunds as it will make you more money in the long run.

Offer free shipping

The number one reason for abandonment during eCommerce checkouts are high shipping fees.  Many times, visitors get excited about the product but, when they see the shipping price, they immediately get discouraged. Hence, the solution is to offer free shipping or reduced shipping costs for some products and watch how the conversion rates grow.

In 2011, Sheplers conducted a case study to determine whether free shipping influences conversion. As they reduced or eradicated the costs of shipping, the test results showed an overall 20% increase in conversions as well as a 48% rise in the number of new customers.

Governed by this example, you can take a look at abandoned shopping carts to analyze if lowering the shipping fees is what holds your business down.

Give bonus items or loyalty discounts

Loyalty programs are powerful marketing strategies designed to motivate customers to continue their shopping relationship with a business. Offering free goods, discounts, and special deals show the customers that they are valued and appreciated.
The “buy one get one free” initiative is a verified method of encouraging short-term repeat sales. But it’s not recommended to abuse this strategy because people can start to question the product’s quality.
On the other hand, loyalty card schemes never seem to fail. Recognizing and rewarding the best and most loyal customers nourishes business reputation and builds customer-brand relationships. As the clients continue to recommend the eCommerce site due to their satisfaction, the conversion rates will experience steady progress. At the end, there is no better marketing than a worldwide customer endorsement.

Summary 

The path to higher conversions doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. It all comes down to the customer’s needs and desires and all they want is a quality and affordable, yet proficient service. The way you present your offerings matters, especially in these modern times, with a high percentage of cyber crimes.

Therefore, be clear with your privacy policy and ease the visitors’ doubts by giving them loyalty discounts. Add the reduced shipping fees to the cart and you can expect to see much higher conversion rates and many satisfied customers.