June 15, 2020

Boost eCommerce Conversions With These 8 Tips

If you’ve done the math, you know that selling products and services online is a golden opportunity. eCommerce sales are expected to reach $4.8 trillion by 2021, nearly double the level they were at just three years ago.

But, if you run an online business, you know that finding ways to increase traffic and sales can be a tall order. The internet has become crowded, and consumer habits have changed.

The average eCommerce conversion rates are just 2-3%, so your business needs to find some ways to stand out. Here are eight methods you can use to boost eCommerce conversions and business results.

1. Choose the Right Platform

The success of your online store begins with the eCommerce platform you choose. There are countless choices available, and you’ll want to weigh the pros and cons of each.

If you have a WordPress site, WooCommerce is a popular choice. It is a WordPress eCommerce plugin that is an open-source platform, giving you total control over your business and site.

2. Speed It Up

When it comes to your online store, speed matters. More than half (53%) of your audience is going to lose interest if your site takes more than two seconds to load.

You could see as much as a 7% drop in conversions for every second increase in site load time. So, a one-second delay in a site in a site that makes $5,000 per day could cost you $125,000 in lost sales.

Test and monitor your speed with a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights. You can increase your website speed by making sure you are using the right web host for your needs (you might need to upgrade). Finally, optimize your site by using caching and image optimization tools.

3. Be Trustworthy

Today’s online consumers are increasingly wary about getting scammed by a disreputable eCommerce website. One of the ways you instill trust and reduce shopping cart abandonment is by displaying the green-bar SSL on your website.

Unsecured sites make it easier for scammers and hackers to steal personal data. In one test, there was a 42% increase in conversions on the contact form that included the Verisign seal, showing that visitor’s data would be kept secure.

4. Optimize Your Website

One of the best ways to boost eCommerce conversions is to spend some time and resources optimizing your eCommerce website. By spending time on things like search engine optimization (SEO), you can increase your search engine visibility and rankings. Assuming you still only have an industry average conversion rate of around 3%, you’ll get more conversions with higher traffic numbers.

In addition to focusing on SEO, your website needs to be responsive, meaning it will respond to whatever device a consumer is using. Not only is Google moving to mobile-first indexing, but about 50% of the eCommerce market now comes from mobile devices, so these aren’t users you want to ignore.

5. Improve Your Copy

If you want to increase conversions, your website copy can’t be an afterthought. Today’s consumers are hypersensitive to overly salesy and boring content. Your eCommerce ad copy should accomplish several things: It needs to be engaging, inform readers, drive action, and develop strong relationships.

People tend to scan websites more than they actually read them, so getting your visitors to pause on those words can be challenging. In addition to having the right copy, you also need to format your page so that the most vital information is at the top. Also, use a lot of bold headings and subheadings to help people find the information they need quickly.

6. Use the Right Visuals

A wall of words won’t get you far with most online shoppers. Once you’ve perfected your ad copy, you need to break it up even further by adding a ton of visuals.

Include several high-quality images of your products so that shoppers can see them from various perspectives. If you can show the items in use, this is even better. Another effective eCommerce tactic that boosts conversions is to add some short videos that show how the product works.

7. Leverage Customer Reviews

If people have already purchased your products and provided feedback, use this to increase conversions. 92% of consumers now read online testimonials and reviews when considering a purchase.

Posting this online feedback gives your products credibility and even encourages others to leave reviews of their own. Having a lack of social proof on an eCommerce site makes shoppers suspicious and is sure to harm your conversion rates.

8. Don’t Lose Them at Checkout

Finally, don’t make your checkout process so complicated that you lose them in the home stretch. Business Insider reports that roughly $4 trillion in online sales are lost due to abandoned shopping carts annually.

More than a third of people abandon shopping carts because they didn’t want to create an account or ran into other issues. According to Statista, 63% of shoppers have abandoned carts due to high shipping costs.

In short, make it simple, give users options (such as multiple payment choices), and be transparent about shipping costs.

Have questions about increasing your e-commerce store conversions, working with WordPress, or digital marketing strategies? We can help. Contact us at Alt Creative.