Conversion Rates
A quick refresher, your conversion rate is calculated by dividing your conversions by the total number of ad clicks (e.g., 100 conversions and 5,000 clicks lead to a 2% conversion rate). Conversion rates are regularly used as KPIs to determine an eCommerce store’s effectiveness.
To maximize your conversions, you need to do a lot of testing. And by a lot, I mean you have to make sure everything is optimized and perfect. Here are 10 things you can do to increase your online conversion rate.
1. Optimize Your Landing Page
First and foremost, optimize your landing pages and perform A/B tests to make sure everything’s ready and perfect for your users’ arrival. When they land on your site, you want them to know what to expect, otherwise they’ll leave immediately and increase your bounce rate.
2. Start a Loyalty Program
Use Amazon as an example and set up a loyalty program. Considered one of the most valuable brands worldwide, Amazon had $136 billion net sales in 2016. Yes, this high amount isn’t completely attributable to their loyalty program (Amazon Prime), but consider the facts: Amazon’s conversion rate for non-Prime members is 13% (the average for the top 500 merchants is 3.32%), compared to 74% for Prime members — that’s a very big difference. What makes Prime so special? Benefits. Prime members get a free 2-day shipping, free video streaming, free ebooks, and a lot more. While you may not be able match what Amazon offers, you can definitely have a loyalty program offering free shipping and special discounts that make your customers feel like they’re getting a deal by shopping with you.
3. Offer Coupons and Discount Codes
Like loyalty programs, coupons and discount codes make your users feel as if they’re getting a bargain; it makes them feel that you’re giving them a deal they can’t find anywhere else. In a similar vein, consider having occasional sales that have the same effect as coupons and discount codes, but go an extra mile by adding a time factor that increases urgency.
4. Migrate to HTTPS
As an eCommerce store that takes credit card information on a regular basis, you want your customers to feel safe. For this very reason, you should migrate your website from HTTP to HTTPS. Long story short, it’s the standard for all communication on the web, and it sends a signal to users and search engines that your website is safe to use. As an added bonus, HTTPS migrations also lead to higher search engine rankings.
5. Use High Quality Product Images
Are you going to buy something if you can only get a grainy and low quality glimpse into what it is you’re purchasing? Probably not, so how can you expect your users to do so? If you’re selling something, make sure to show it off — use a professional photographer or a high quality camera to take high definition pictures that show your products in all their glory.
BONUS: Pair high quality images with in-depth descriptions that draw users in.
6. Accommodate Mobile Users
If the majority of users start using mobile devices, you simply can’t have a website that doesn’t accommodate a responsive layout. Chances are that a lot of potential customers are browsing your store on their phone, and having a website that doesn’t take into account a screen size will drastically reduce your user experience, leading to high bounce rates and low conversions. Don’t fall into this pitfall!
7. Use Reviews and Product Testimonials
Reviews and product testimonials are extremely important in eCommerce because they let potential customers know what to expect. Simply put, someone is more likely to give you their business if they know that other people have had positive interactions with your brand. And like HTTPS migrations, online stores with positive reviews tend to get higher search engine rankings.
8. Consider Using Chatbots
This one is less important than the other suggestions, but using a chatbot can actually be very useful for your users while they navigate your site. For example, if they encounter a common problem, they can simply click on your chatbot, type their query, and get their answer. The alternative is that they might give up altogether and leave your site, or they may have to wait for a human representative to get back to them.
9. Make the User Journey Easy
What’s the point in getting users on your site if they abandon your page soon after arriving? A journey from a landing page to your checkout page with too many steps is detrimental to your conversion rate. Do yourself a favor and make the journey as simple and short as possible. Place the “Add to cart” and “Checkout” CTAs in logical and easily spotted places throughout your site.
10. Create a Seamless Checkout Process
Help your users out and create a seamless checkout process. They already have the intent of making a purchase, so don’t mess it up by adding too many steps or forcing them to sign up with your site. Instead, allow them to checkout as guests. And if someone drops their cart, ALWAYS send a follow up email (if you have their email address) asking them if they want to make the purchase. You can also further incentivize them by offering them a discount if they do indeed decide to checkout.
Let’s Take a Second Look
Now that we’ve gone over a couple of things you can do to increase your online store’s conversion rate, make sure to implement them into your eCommerce strategy and actually follow through. That being said, let’s go over them one more time:
- Optimize Your Landing Page
- Provide a Loyalty Program
- Offer Coupons and Discount Codes
- Migrate to HTTPS
- Use High Quality Product Images
- Accommodate Mobile Users
- Use Reviews and Product Testimonials
- Consider Using Chatbots
- Make the User Journey Easy
- Create a Seamless Checkout Process
Please share your ideas below on how you’ve increased the conversion rate on your site.