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Allow Users to Search for Products
It takes less than a second for web users to make a value judgment on a website, and nearly 40% will go elsewhere immediately if the content or layout is unattractive.
Bottom line? To be a great ecommerce retailer, you need to have the best online store possible. And here are some actionable ways to achieve this:
Allow Users to Search Products
Some ecommerce customers have the time to browse through product pages leisurely, but many don’t. A streamlined search feature takes the hassle out of online shopping by giving customers a quick and easy way to evaluate all available products.
Note that there’s a difference between offering a passable search function and offering a good search function. Not all search options are effective in an ecommerce space and may even deliver results that are frustrating for users.
In a study, 70% of ecommerce websites failed to provide valuable results when searching for product-related synonyms. In contrast, 34% fail to offer worthwhile options when a model number or name is misspelled.
An ecommerce-specific search function should be focused on product results, rather than keyword matches.
Camelbak is a good example. The search bar is at the top of the homepage, not hidden in the navigation. It also provides links to products and images for easy shopping.
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Enable a Guest Check Out
Enable Guest Check-Out
It’s easy for a shopper to think that the checkout process is not important, especially when they have a cart full of great products. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. A frustrating checkout process can kill a sale.
A survey found that 9% will abandon a transaction if it is too confusing and long. 22% will leave if they are required to create an account in order to make a payment. If you want shoppers to complete the purchase, a simple, easy-to-use interface is key. Offering a guest checkout option doesn’t require any additional steps in the ecommerce site setup process.
LARQ, a brand that created the world’s very first self-cleaning bottle, excels in this area: the checkout includes Amazon and Google Pay options, which can make purchasing products with a single click incredibly easy, as well as a Guest Checkout feature.
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Send Shopping Cart Abandonment Emails
Sending Shopping Cart Abandonment Emails
Unfortunately, around 70% of carts get abandoned before checkout. Cart abandonment can happen for many different reasons. Customers may abandon their carts when they realize that they can find the same products at a lower price elsewhere or they are aware that their eyes and budgets are too big. And sometimes, customers will simply switch to another task without completing the transaction.
Cart abandonment emails can be a great way to get buyers back. Serving as a reminder as well as a way to offer discounts to entice a sale, cart abandonment emails work because they serve as a reminder and a way to offer a discount to encourage a sale. Around 60% of customers that receive emails return to make a sale.
Not all cart abandonment emails are as effective as others. Keep these ecommerce tips at the forefront of your mind before sending:
Send Your Emails on Time
A successful cart abandonment email can’t be sent too soon, but it also can’t go out weeks after a cart has been abandoned. Finding the sweet spot to encourage sales is crucial. For large purchases, shoppers may not have enough time to think about their purchase, but waiting for a week could be too late.
Ecommerce best practices suggest an email within 24 to 48 hours, and then another three to four more days later to give customers the push they need to click “purchase.”
Create a Good Subject Line
The average person receives over 100 emails per day. Many of them are thrown in the trash. The open rate for marketing email is 17.8%. Give your email an interesting subject line. If you’re offering any kind of discount or promotion, make it clear right away.
Show Off Your Product
A customer who liked enough of your products to put them in their cart saw something that was appealing. In your abandonment email, a reminder can be an excellent way to encourage a purchase. Show images of abandoned items, add product descriptions, and stress why investment is the best choice.
Skullcandy is a popular headphones brand that does a great work of conveying a message through pictures. Their image quality is excellent, and products are illustrated beautifully, giving customers the information they need to move forward.
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Accept Multiple Payment Options
Accept Multiple Payment Options
It’s easy to assume that other payment methods are redundant because everyone has a credit or debit card. However, statistics suggest otherwise. Around 6% of carts are abandoned due to a lack of ideal payment options, and when every dollar counts, that 6% can add up. And, without magically adding more options overnight, those shoppers are ones you probably can’t get back with a strong cart abandonment email.
Multiple payment options can lead to increased sales. Many shoppers prefer platforms like Amazon Pay or Paypal and are not interested in those that don’t support them. While credit cards will always be a forerunner, buy now, pay later options are on the rise, particularly among young people with poor or nonexistent credit.
Credit cards will always be the most popular, but buy now, pay later is on the rise. This is especially true for young people who have poor or no credit. The opportunity to make four smaller payments in the future instead of one large payment now is very appealing. One study found that 31% of those who chose BNPL would not have purchased the product if it wasn’t available.
Payment Options that Redirect
Payment options that redirect the user to another website to complete payment information, before returning to the merchant’s checkout page are popular. Paypal is probably the most well-known. Using this model, customers simply click the Paypal logo and are redirected to Paypal. After logging in, they can then choose a payment method if multiple are available and proceed with the purchase. The billing and shipping information associated to Paypal is used to complete the transaction.
Redirects can be helpful because they reduce information that a customer has to enter, such as credit card numbers and address, making the checkout process quick and painless.
Checkout On-Site, Payment Off-Site
Checkout on-site and payment off-site is a model in which the payment is processed by a third-party. This means that the confidential information is not stored on the company servers. All transactions are managed offsite. Not only is this convenient for users, but the extra security can give buyers peace of mind.
Stripe is one of the most well-known payment processors.
On-Site Payments
Most customers associate ecommerce with on-site payments: the merchant processes all payments. This places more pressure on the merchants, as there is no third party to ease the pressure. However, it opens up more options.
When control is in a retailer’s hands, the flexibility of using multiple methods, such as on-site payments, in conjunction with redirects and off-site, can create an environment that is tailored to a great experience for customers.
Revelry, an online retailer of premium bridesmaid dresses, is a good example of how multiple payment methods can work together. Buyers have the opportunity to see which options are available immediately after adding items to a shopping cart.
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Take High-Quality Product Photos
Take High-Quality Product Photos
An iPhone can take a lovely photo, but that doesn’t mean cell phone cameras are right for ecommerce. While good enough for daily use, the average phone can’t capture an image high-quality enough to impress.
Three quarters of buyers use images to inform a purchase decision, so if your images aren’t professional and don’t convey quality, shoppers won’t bite.
Skullcandy is a popular headphones brand that does a great job of conveying a message through pictures. Their image quality is excellent, and products are illustrated beautifully, giving customers the information they need to move forward.
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Write Informative Product Descriptions
Write Informative Product Descriptions
Images matter, but so do words. Without a way to physically touch or try products, ecommerce sites need to lean into every available resource to inform customers. Product descriptions can come off a little dry when they’re not well-crafted, but a great description touches on all key points and can play a significant role in inspiring buyer confidence.
With 87% of customers making decisions based on product content, the more information you can provide, the better.
Think About Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How
A good product description should answer several questions, such as:
- What is the product, and what features make it unique or noteworthy?
- Who is this product for?
- Where can the product best be used?
- When should the product ideally be used?
- How does the product function?
- Why should shoppers purchase this product?
A well-crafted product description can be enough to convince a potential customer to click the ‘Add to Cart’ button.
Choose the Best Format for Describing Your Products
Not all product descriptions have the same quality. Some products, such as clothing, are more suited to flowery prose while others, such as electronics, require a straightforward summary of features and functions. Once you have determined what you want to communicate, then you can choose the best format.
Solo Stove has a great format, with a short description at the top and a more detailed blurb below for customers who are interested in learning more.
Keep Your Product Description Short and Sweet
Customers are not on your website to read novels, but to shop. Product descriptions need to be concise and to the point to avoid losing readers. If you need to make your description a bit longer to emphasize a product’s nature, use bullet points to give customers access to the cliff-notes.
Use Storytelling to Your Advantage
Using a story to sell a product isn’t always essential, but narrative can be very effective in certain circumstances. Creative storytelling can help customers better understand why they need a particular product and how it fits into their lives.
For example, telling the customer that shoes are leather is not as powerful as telling them that these velvety couture leather heels will complement your outfits at formal functions and corporate meetings.
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Optimize for Mobile
Optimize for Mobile
Today, it’s the opposite. Nearly 80% of people have made purchases on their mobile devices, and 75% of users prefer mobile sites. Focusing solely on desktop leaves your business vulnerable to the competition.
Since 2016, Google prioritizes responsive and mobile websites on devices such as phones and tablets. A lack of mobile optimization can cost you in many ways.
Natori, a lingerie retailer, has an excellent mobile site, making it easy for customers to make purchases without resorting to desktop.
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Feature Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews Featured
Reviews can be everything online. The new evolution of word-of-mouth marketing, 90% of customers read reviews before making a purchase. This is the new evolution of word-of-mouth marketing. There are many review sites, including Yelp! to TrustPilot, but featuring reviews on your website can make a big difference in the research process.
When positive reviews are available front and center, site visitors don’t have to go very far to get a feel for the quality of your products. You can use different online survey tools to gather product reviews and then display them in different areas of your website. So where are the best places for them to be added?
Category Pages
Reviews on category pages are a great way to create a good first impression. Buyers feel more confident in their purchase decisions when they can instill trust before they even view the products.
Product Pages
It’s easy for you to show off great products on your website, but it’s much harder to convince customers that they are great. By allowing customers to leave reviews on specific products after purchase, potential buyers can get detailed and accurate feedback.
Cutter and Buck allows customers to leave post-purchase star reviews, giving shoppers an easy way to evaluate perceived quality of the products while shopping.
Shopping Cart
It may seem that the shopping cart is the last place reviews are relevant, but featuring reviews on a checkout screen can reduce cart abandonment, convincing customers on the fence that making a purchase is the right decision.
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Create Product Scarcity
Create Product Scarcity
Maybe you have a warehouse full of inventory ready to fulfill client offers quickly and efficiently — but you don’t have to let your customers know this. Creating the illusion of scarcity can compel a customer to make a purchase by making them believe it’s now or never.
This technique, when used correctly, can increase conversions up to 300%.
Showcase Your “Sale Ends” Date
Are you having a sale? Make sure your customers know that your great deals won’t be around forever. Many sites use a countdown clock when advertising promo codes on sites, driving home the point that if they want a low price, they have to act now.
Low Stock Notifications
Many companies use low-stock notices to promote products. Labeling a product “only a few left” or “four left in stock” creates an urgency that would otherwise be lacking. Low stock notices may be real or fake, but implying that there is a shortage of stock can drive sales.
Larq does this well with a subtle but effective “limited stock” message below specific products on their product pages.
Use Numbers to Show Demand
Numbers are more effective when you have low stocks. Customers are provided with a tangible way to assess how long they have to act, and seeing low numbers, like one or two, can be the tipping point between purchasing and walking away.
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Personalize the Experience
Personalize the Experience
Customers love to feel important, and nothing does that better than a personalized experience. Personalizing pages when customers log in can create a perceived relationship between customers and retailers that otherwise wouldn’t exist.
In fact, 91% of customers are more willing to make a purchase when an ecommerce retailer provides some level of customization. This can be anything from a personalized welcome message to customers who have logged in to their account, to targeted promotions based upon past activity.
Display Recently Viewed Items
Displaying recently viewed items is another great way to provide a level of personalization, even when customers log in. With a simple setup that uses nothing but cookies, the customer can see their browsing history and easily return to products when needed.
Make Personal Product Recommendations
Using either logins or cookies, making personal product recommendations can make a customer feel special. This technique provides customers with a seemingly-curated collection of products to consider and, when done successfully, can connect shoppers to products they may want to purchase.
Jeep People immediately asks visitors to select their Jeep model when visiting the site so that it can customize the page specifically to them.
Create Personalized Homepages
A personalized homepage can create a sense of community. Using a customer’s name when they’re logged in, featuring recommended products on a home page, or reminding shoppers of prior orders without forcing them onto an account screen can all make buyers feel welcomed back.
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Offer Live Chat and Support
Live Chat Support and Offer
Customers may have questions. With no live store associates, like in a brick-and-mortar store, shoppers are forced to turn to whatever web-based resources are available. This usually means some kind of chat function. Unfortunately, automated chats are common in many stores. They limit interaction and can frustrate customers.
Live chat, on the other hand, can boost conversions by up to 45%. No one enjoys only talking to robots, especially when the canned responses lead to dead-ends. When customers can speak to a real person who can resolve their issues or answer their questions, they’re much more likely to move forward with a purchase.
Live Chat Software
Live chat software facilitates the communication process and allows customers to contact you easily. Some are exclusively live chat while others start with a chatbot and pass users on to live agents when automation can no longer address queries.
Some of the most popular examples are:
- Drift
- Liveperson
- Livehelpnow
- Olark
- Talkative
- Zendesk
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Have a Thorough Return Policy
Return Policy: Be Thorough
No matter how great your products are, you will have customers who want to return them. Maybe what they purchased wasn’t what they were looking for, or they chose the wrong size. Around 10% of all products are returned, so every ecommerce site needs to have a solid policy for returns.
Don’t Hide Your Return Policy
Your return policy should be clearly visible. Some businesses believe that burying a return policy within the fine print will make customers forget about it. However, this isn’t a wise choice. Hiding your return policy may scare away customers, as it implies that they are stuck with the purchase even if they’re not happy with what they receive.
Keep It Simple, Remove the Jargon
A return policy does not need to be elaborate; it just needs to tell customers what they can expect. Making it too complicated can easily scare prospective shoppers off, sending them fleeing to competitors who don’t obscure their policies.
True Linkswear offers a straightforward return policy. Customers are told clearly and plainly what they can expect without fancy phrasing or confusing industry terms.
Outline What They Can Expect From You
When customers send back an item, what happens? Do they get a refund in full, or receive store credit in exchange? Are there any items that can’t be sent back? Are there limits on how soon items need to be returned? Do you have a time limit on when items must be returned? What happens if returned items are sent back without a receipt?
All of these questions, and then some, need to be addressed in full if you want customers to trust you.
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Make Your Website Trustworthy
Make Your Website Trustworthy
Customers want to trust ecommerce companies, but the impersonality of transactions can make that a little difficult. Ecommerce can be intimidating because it forces anonymity. Customers cannot interact with employees face-to-face or try products. As such, brands need to establish trust and legitimacy through other means.
Add Trust Badges
Trust badges can be a simple, yet effective token. These badges, like McAfee Secure Trust Mark, the Norton Secured Trust Mark, and Better Business Bureau Accredited Business mark, all lend authenticity to a company.
Media Mentions
Has your company been featured in the media? Put it on your website. Brands who have been featured in legitimate media can take advantage of this by advertising that a well-known entity endorses their products and services.
Di Bruno Bros features mentions in the New York Times, Travel & Leisure, and Food & Wine at the bottom of their site with links to references, to boost customer trust.
Business Phone Number
Providing support information turns company perceptions from comfortable to cold. Some customers just want to hear a voice, and there’s no better way to achieve that than with a phone number. Without a number present, customers may find themselves wondering who you are and why you’re so resistant to customer contact.
Physical Address
A physical address, like a phone number, communicates that your business is real. While location is not important for ecommerce, an address to the headquarters drives home the point that, yes, real people work for your business.
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Best Ecommerce Practices: Summary
Ecommerce trends come and go, but the thirteen tips we’ve provided in this article are now widely accepted as best practices for a wide range of ecommerce businesses. Let’s review that list:
- Allow Users to Search for Products
- Enable a Guest Check Out
- Send Shopping Cart Abandonment Emails
- Accept Multiple Payment Options
- Take High-Quality Product Photos
- Write Informative Product Descriptions
- Optimize for Mobile
- Feature Customer Reviews
- Create Product Scarcity
- Personalize the Experience
- Offer Live Chat and Support
- Have a Thorough Return Policy
- Make Your Website Trustworthy
There are many ways to increase your ecommerce sales, but they all boil down to the same thing: a positive customer experience. No matter what you sell or how you sell it, catering to customers and increasing customer engagement should be your number one priority.
Your number one priority should be to increase customer engagement and cater to your customers, no matter what you are selling or how you are selling it. From easy payment options to measures that instill trust, your customers should never experience anything other than your best.
Your customers should always receive the best service, from easy payment options to trust-inducing measures. With a customer-centric focus, you can create a store that keeps customers coming back again and again.
You can create a store where customers will return again and again if you focus on the customer.
