Mark Teague
By: Mark Teague - Bayshore Solutions Digital Marketer
If your digital marketing efforts are working, your website is seeing increases in traffic. The thrill of increases in traffic and awareness to your business or website is exciting, but are those visitors just visiting? How committed are you to making sure they take the appropriate action (sale, download, contact, etc.) once they are on the site?
There are several different ways to increase your site’s conversion rate, and I’m going to share with you 3 of my favorite. Implement some, if not all of these tips, and I’d be shocked to learn your conversion rate didn’t increase.
- Shipping, Shipping, Shipping
Countless studies and tests have shown one result in increasing consumer buying confidence, increasing conversion rate, and reducing buyer’s remorse…and that is the shipping. One study revealed that 93% of respondents were more likely to order, and order more, if shipping was free. Free shipping carries more perceived value in most cases than a reduction in purchase price. With over half of online retailers offering free shipping, some as standard practice and some with conditions (“free shipping with $50 purchase”), they’ve obviously figured something out.
You obviously know your business better than anyone. If you believe strongly that offering free shipping to customers would result in the demise of you profits, do the math. You may be right. If shipping costs eat up your profit margin, try some of the other tactics that follow. However, I encourage the math because with over half of shopping cart abandonments occurring at the shipping and handling costs, what could that be doing to the pure volume of your potential conversions?
- Presentation of Price and Actual Savings
As users navigate their way through the buying cycle and are sifting through product options, there are a few things they’ll likely pay close attention to. Product information, rating and reviews, and the real winner…price. The presentation of said price can make or break the confidence and probability of a consumer buying, and that presentation is entirely up to you. You’ll recognize the way Amazon does it below:
Simply listing your price, even at a fair value or great deal, doesn’t excite or convince a buyer. Slash the “List price: $X.XX”, highlight the “Our price: $X.XX”, and hammer home the “You save: $X.XX” number. If they qualified for discounts or free shipping, highlight that as well. You’ve already figured out what it costs your business, but the buyer needs convincing. Don’t let an unexciting checkout process aid their exit.
- The Option: Check Out or Keep Shopping
It sounds simple. But considering we see it every day making purchasing decisions online, believe it or not, some e-commerce sites don’t offer this option after an item has been added to the shopping cart. I don’t believe this is veering away from the designated user path, I just know this. They’ve added to their carts (success!) and are given to option to keep shopping, therefore, buying more. It’s far better than the alternative; the dreaded back button and the subsequent deleting of everything in the cart.
It may come in the form of “Others who purchased this…” or “You might like this…”, but it works. And if they already found what they came for and want to check out, no big deal. Your checkout option is still prominently placed and the path is still intact. They are still a conversion. Examples below.
At Bayshore Solutions, we know it takes a lot of minds and hands to accomplish some of these changes. You may have the itch to tackle your conversion rate obstacles, but don’t know where to start. Contact us. Everyone here, from the developers to digital marketers, not only has the passion for increasing conversions, but the know-how.
Mark Teague is a Digital Marketer at Bayshore Solutions—a Web Design, Web Development, and Digital Marketing Company.