eCommerce Conversions Are Your Problem!

Most businesses are obsessed with getting traffic, but the secret to getting more traffic has really been solved for some time now. Implementing a strategy to grow traffic consistently shouldn’t be as imperative to put in place as putting a strategy in place to convert traffic into sales. There are many inbound marketing software out there to increase traffic by creating high-quality content, promoting content, optimizing for search, creating ads for search and social, etc. etc….
However, where most sites fail is that they do not convert visitors into sales, or really offer anything enticing to keep people onsite or go back for more. The fact of the matter is, in almost all cases, you are competing with someone bigger like an Amazon or other digital leaders who have a far better optimization funnel than you do.
If your site conversions are less than 2%, eCommerce conversions should be the number one focus of your eCommerce business. It is much easier to double conversions than it is to double traffic, and often conversion improvements will lead to more traffic because your site will simply be better for customers.
So what can you do about it?
Here are the things I would suggest focusing on as an eCommerce site
Product Data!!!
Product data is the cornerstone of your site. Leveraging a quality product data PIM system like Salsify, Sales Layer, or simply keeping a better record via excel is an important step in the right direction. Your product data is everything and should explain your products well with high quality images, descriptions, and other details.
Shipping & Fulfillment!!!
Consumers expect to wait an average of 4.8 days for delivery, down from 5.5 days in 2012, and it will only get shorter as the Amazon two-day shipping becomes the status quo. If you are not working hard to improve your logistics and shipping information so customers stay informed about where their order is in the fulfillment process, you are doing something wrong.
Usability & Design
Is your design competitive and intuitive? Users expect a modern level of design and if your design screams 2009 or seems dated, they will be less likely to trust your site and buy from you. Invest in a modern design that you can update frequently in order to stay competitive.
Account Page Optimization
Do your account pages help your customers? Does it make it easier for them to reorder, track their purchases in the logistics cycle of delivery, view old orders, etc…? Your account pages should be valuable to your customers so they want to login and order more.
Email Marketing Automation
Sending out automated emails regarding abandoned cart, reordering more product for replenishment like coffee, office supplies, and other automated emails can greatly increase conversions. Email marketing and email automation is a huge drive of profit and conversions for most major eCommerce sites.
Promotions & Campaigns
eCommerce is often driven by deals and promotions. Creating compelling and unique promotions and campaigns that drive targeted traffic will greatly increase conversions.
Try offering more frequent short sales that last a few days rather than basic and boring promotions that last months or don’t really offer anything that unique.
Site Speed
If your site is slow you simply will not convert as well. Try and get your site speed down to 3 seconds or less. RG Metrix and other sites can help you analyze your situation. Sometimes you may just need a better server setup and will have to spend more on hosting.
Live Chat
Live chat like Drift and Intercom are getting more and more sophisticated allowing you really personalize your communication with potential and existing customers. Leveraging live chat tools can significantly increase conversions.
Reviews
If your site has no reviews this is a major problem. Customer trust reviews and are much more likely to buy if there are reviews. Find ways to generate more reviews using platforms like Yotpo, or simply just ask for them if you have to start slowly and get people to review bit by bit.
Back Office Automation
Integrating with back office systems and other systems may help you update your website and thus customers with more accurate information like inventory, fulfillment time, quotes, and much more. The more information your customers get that is in real time, the more likely they will go to your site for useful information and perhaps buy from it.
Overall Customer Experience
What are you doing to ensure their customer experience was good from landing on the website, to finding a product, to checkout, and post purchase? Is their order well shipped and packaged and are returns handled well? Having a company mentality of perfect customer experience for the eCommerce site, no matter where the customer is in the buying cycle, will help improve your conversions.