Many of us pour our heart and soul into drawing potential customers to our site. We make it as easy to find and as attractive as possible, all to increase that click rate. While it’s vital to tempt people into visiting your site, the real aim of the game is making sales. Here are some easy ways to boost your conversion rate and get those visitors making purchases.
Transparency
Customers hate feeling like they’re being taken for a ride. Make sure that what it looks like you’re selling is actually what’s on offer. If something is unavailable, let your customers know instead of telling them after they’ve made the purchase.
Similarly, don’t include hidden costs such as high postage costs. While you may be adding a couple of pounds to your income in the short term, in the long term a positive reputation is worth much more.
Trustworthiness
This is linked to the last point but is one of the most important things to pay attention to when optimising your online store. Make it easy for your customers to trust you. Shabby web design, dated information and broken links will make you and your business feel unprofessional. Invest in a consultation with a web design company to make sure everything s up to scratch.
Many people are still slightly wary of parting with their card details and need to know that you’re reputable. Make sure they have access to contact details such as an address and phone number so that they know you really do exist.
Flexibility
Everyone has different needs and different situations. Make sure you’re able to adapt your service to fit each customer. This might mean making international delivery available to allow overseas customers to use your services. It could also mean allowing customers to use a variety of payment options. Some may prefer using credit cards, while others like debit cards and others only use PayPal. By opening your business up to more different types of customer, you grow your base and your sales.
Communication
Once a customer is browsing your site, you have a great chance of securing a sale and even up-selling. Make the most of systems that allow you to suggest further items to your customer, and make sure you promote sales and special offers appropriately so that each customer can find great deals they might not have known they needed. You can also follow up customers who have placed products into their ‘shopping bag’ but haven’t made the purchase yet. If they’re signed up to receive notifications from you, you can remind them about the products, leading to higher sales.
While there are many ways to boost your conversion rate, they tend to come down to just a handful of key points: be honest with your customers, keep up great communication and make things easy for them. Even in this technological age, word-of-mouth and reputation are among the main drivers of success. Keeping your customers happy at all stages of the shopping process is vital.
