Not Getting The Online Sales You Need? Some Simple Tweaks Can Make All The Difference In The World.

If you’re an online seller you have lots of company. It’s estimated that currently there are about 700 million websites on the internet, most of them selling something. About every 60 seconds some 5000 webstores launch. That’s great news for Magisto and Shopify, not so much for the rest of us. Not to put any pressure on you, but according to some statistics, about 90% of all e-com stores fail within the first 4 months. Ucckkk!

What can you do? Market, market, market!

Even the most successful online sellers are keen to boost sales in their stores – and for good reason.

A sale today means a sale tomorrow, or at least that’s what the data shows. According to several studies, shoppers who make an initial purchase on your store are 5 times more likely to shop and buy from you again.

With the monumental shift to digital commerce that dominates lifestyle product marketing, a prosperous webstore is no longer a secondary revenue stream. While most marketing strategies take time to implement, there are ways to boost your store’s performance quickly.

Here are 10 tips for optimizing your webstore and increasing sales you can make today.

1) Make sure you have a Trust Badge or Security Seal clearly visible on every page of your site.

You can accomplish this by adding one to your footer, or by using an integrated pop up like McAfree which lives on a corner of your customer’s browser screen as they work across your site.

According to recent surveys it’s estimated that more than 61% of shoppers chose not to purchase a product because the webstore was missing a trust seal. According to a Baymard study, the most trusted seals are Norton, McAfree, and Paypal.

2) Remove Sliders from your home page.

While sliders seem like a clever way to impart action and convey loads of information at once, studies have shown sliders tend to confuse and aggravate visitors, rather than intrigue them. They usually slide by so fast that most of the information is lost, and they lack a focused trail of information necessary to draw visitors through your site.

A better alternative is a grid design above the fold, and mega-menus that dropdown and visually map out a shopping pathway for your customers in search of particular products.

3) Make your site is easy to use and items are easy to find.

According to a Hubspot survey “76% of consumers say the most important factor in a website's design is "the website makes it easy for me to find what I want."

This translates into a familiar layout, good menus, the ability to browse from one item to another, and the option to check out quickly.

Another often overlooked element of webstore design is the lack of good, clear product photos. Many etailers will post one low res shot of a product and leave it at that. It’s important to show as many fine details of a product, especially clothing and accessories, from as many angles as possible. Include extensive descriptions including measurements, fabric content, materials or ingredients, weight and country of origin.

4) Include your name and contact information in an easy to find spot.

So many webstores we see seem to be created by anonymous (read: shady looking) companies. Surveying the lack of available background of many small brands, it’s surprising they survive at all. Include a backgrounder detailing your founder, lead designer, team and location so shoppers have a sense of who you are and who they’re doing business with. Include headshots if possible and a bit about what your brand stands for.

5) Set Up Live Chat to assist shoppers as they visit your site.

Between 44 – 68% of shoppers say they use Live Chat of one form or another to assist them in online shopping. It is regarded as one of the most important features a webstore can offer.

6) Make sure shoppers can check out quickly.

The easiest method is partnering with Paypal and enabling Quick Checkout on your store. Paypal adds a layer of trust because shoppers don’t need to give you their debit or credit card information. This is vital to some consumers concerned with cybersecurity issues.

7) Don’t require registration or logins to browse your store or checkout.

While most stores don’t require logins, many shopping carts require that some sort of account is established in order to complete to checkout process. This will alienate a good 50% of your shoppers and lead to loss of sales.

8) Make sure your page loads quickly.

It’s thought that you have three seconds for your webstore to load or about 65% of your potential customers will leave. (Tough crowd!) Amazon estimates that you will lose about 1% of sales for every millisecond of delay. There are a plethora of tools you can use to gauge your site’s load speed. Here are a few.

9) Offer Free Shipping (and free returns).

In this day and age most shoppers expect free shipping on orders over a significant dollar point. A Deloitte study found 69% of shoppers are more likely to shop with online retailers who offer free shipping. And a ComScore study found that 61% of shoppers would quit their order if free shipping wasn’t offered. Sweeten the deal by adding free returns you’ll make purchases from your site a much easier prospect.

In addition to free, pay attention to the amount of time a customer must wait to receive their order. The most common complaint of online shopping is about the delay in receiving an order and the lack of communication while said package is enroute to customer. Make sure packages arrive in a timely manner, and are presented well.

10) Make sure you have an easily defined and located return policy.

Surveys show that nearly half of your customers will return to your store if you offer a hassle-free return policy. Make a specific page outlining the amount of time a customer has to send back their item, and make it easily accessible through your main menu or banner announcement.

The takeaway? Shoppers are busy and want to get through your store with a modicum of ease. They prefer to give you the least amount of information possible upfront and making it possible for them to check out quickly is key. They want to feel they can trust their experience on your store and that you will have their back if the product they purchase doesn’t work out.

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