How to improve eCommerce conversion rate?

20 Ideas To Improve E-Commerce Conversion Rate

Conversion is essential. There is a lot of competition out there. All of them are vying for the same product dollars that you are seeking. That means you have to use a lot of different strategies to take your visitors from being visitors to paying customers.

This is not an easy task to do as your competitors are doing the exact same strategies. If you want to increase your conversion rate, then the following ideas should help you reach your e-commerce goals.

Take a few moments to read the rest of our article and see which of these ideas will help you the most.

What Is An Ideal Conversion Rate?

It is easy to think that you need anywhere between 50 to 90% conversion rate to be considered successful in your e-commerce business. However, that is not the case. It is doubtful that you will believe how low your conversion rate has to be in order to be successful.

On average a strong conversion rate is measured at 1 to 3%. Which means that if you get up to 3 people out of 100 buying your products after visiting your website, then you are doing well.

There are brands that have a very strong presence in the market and are very well known. Their conversion rates measure between 3 and 5%. That rate also means they have some very loyal customers.

Even if you do every SEO strategy and other measures right, a 1- 3% conversion rate means your efforts were not in vain. Of course, this standard varies between industries but it is a good benchmark to shoot for when you are starting out.

How To Calculate E-Commerce Conversion Rate?

This is very simple elementary school arithmetic. That means it is not hard to figure out. If your website gets 100 visitors and 1 visitor buys something, then your conversion rate is 1%.

If you get 60 visitors and 20 people buy something through your website, then your conversion rate will be 33.3%. It is that simple to figure out. With your calculations, you should be able to set a target mark to shoot for every time you post new content on your website.

Don’t let high conversion rate days influence you to set the bar high. It is better to set it lower and make it reachable and realistic. That way you won’t lose momentum, motivation, or desire.

20 Ideas On How To Increase Your E-Commerce Conversion

Take your time going through these ideas or suggestions. Not everyone will work or apply to your specific situation. Pick the ones that are most helpful and will improve your visitor experience.

1. Improve Your Navigation

Take the time to do the exact same steps your visitors take to go from website content to your checkout. Then go through your checkout system. Analyze how hard or easy it is and look for ways to make it even easier.

There are different tools you can use to help you figure out how your navigation can be simpler and easier to use. These tools may cost you a little to use but their results should make that expense well worth spending.

Improving the visitors’ experience on your website is one way to turn those visitors into paying customers.

2. Put ‘Trust’ Symbols On Your Website

There are a lot of legitimate reasons why customers abandoned their carts before they make a purchase. One of those reasons is that the customers did not trust your website with their credit card information.

Putting up trust symbols like an active SSL certificate; positive reviews; having a clear path to the checkout; and displaying different payment options is essential to convert those that abandon their carts.

Those are just some of the options you have to make your website more trustworthy. Just remember what you want to see when you buy online and make sure those protocols are implemented on your site.

3. Install Live Chat Software

This little addition to your website seems to boost conversion rates up to 30% in many cases. You can’t expect to have that goal reached all the time but people spend more on websites that have live chat than they do on those websites that do not.

Live chat helps you establish a solid human connection between you and your customers. This is an important trust issue and having that connection means that your visitors can trust you and your products a lot more.

This does depend on the customer though as some visitors do not want to chat live and just want to make a purchase without any interruptions.

4. Change Your Website Designs

There are many options to do this and when you make it easier for your visitor to see all the items they are interested in, they are more likely to make a purchase. Drop-down menus that list everything in your product line is one method you can use.

This type of interactive menu lets your visitors filter out the items they are not interested in and get to the ones they are interested in much easier and faster. traditional menus mean more work and that can turn a visitor off from exploring your website any further.

Make your site appealing to your target audience.

5. Be Innovative

Try new technology, like virtual search. This innovative idea loads a picture instead of text. The image will say more about the product you are selling than any text can ever hope to do.

Instead of just telling your visitor the dimensions of a chair or other piece of furniture, the virtual search can actually show them how those dimensions look in a room. This adds to your visitors’ shopping experience and helps them remain on your website. The longer they remain, the better chance you have of converting them.

Some software allows your visitor to see the product in their home before they buy. This visual experience helps them make the right buying decision.

6. Be More Detailed

While you may not have the visual aid described in the last idea, you can still use detailed text to describe your products. This amount of detail helps answer your customer’s questions and helps them to buy a lot quicker.

Or you can provide some detailed videos that will provide the same information. It is said that videos help boost purchases by roughly 85%. That is an idea worth considering especially when you consider the fact that returns are lowered by 25% approx.

7. Use Reverse Engineering

This technique allows you to trace the visitors’ journey from the checkout page back to the landing page. What this technique does is help you find ways to streamline your process making it easier for your customer to reach the product they want and go to the checkout as quickly and as smoothly as possible.

Walking a mile in your customer’s moccasins is one way to see where improvements can be made. Constantly look for ways to make this experience a welcoming one for your visitors. Plus, making it faster allows your visitors to make a purchase and then go and do other things they have to do.

8. Keep Your Traffic Driving Platforms Updated

This is something that needs to be done or your platforms may make a fatal retail assumption and cost you business and money. This is called data pass-back and it is essential to make sure your platforms are performing as they should be.

Making sure that all platforms have up-to-date information is something you need to work on. There should be tools to help you implement this strategy quickly as time is money and you do not want to lose time due to outdated information on your platforms.

9. Keep It Simple

Customers do not want to feel like they need a degree in rocket science to navigate your site or go through your checkout line. Keeping it simple means making it easy for your customers to buy your products.

The growing trend to push the envelope or think outside the box does not apply to your checkout system. You want it to be as familiar as possible to your customers as well as easy to use.

Make sure all buttons and links are easy to see and do not fade into the background. Keep them easy to see or you may be experiencing more abandoned carts than you want.

10. Improve Your Website Speed

Nothing says no to a customer other than a very slow-loading website. make sure you have the right tools available to have your website and all of its pages load up in a blink of an eye.

The faster those pages load up the easier your website is to use. Also, the more revenue you will make. Even an extra second in loading can cost you up to 10 to 17% in sales. Your site speed needs to be consistent.

It has to load as quickly on high traffic days as it does on low traffic days. Remember your visitors have busy lives. The faster they can make their purchase and move on to their next activity, the happier they will be.

11. Use Testimonials

This is a powerful weapon in increasing your e-commerce conversion rate. The more your visitors see that people like them have used and like the product you are selling, the more they are inclined to buy.

The key is to verify those experiences and make sure your new visitors see that the purchases are real and the comments are valid. In addition to that, show your average review rating. If it is above 4 stars then it is more likely you will see an increase in conversions.

12. Try Free Shipping

Some websites offer free shipping once they purchase a certain dollar amount of products. What you can do instead is to find a way to roll your shipping costs into your purchase price and send it to your customers at no cost to them.

Adding shipping costs into their costs at checkout is the number one reason people abandon their carts. Make the shipping free and you should see that abandonment rate drop somewhat. How much is not known but it will help increase your conversion rate.

13. Do Creative Changes

If everything is the same on your website, it may appear boring to your customers and they may move on to a competitor’s website. Changing the colours from time to time, or even just changing the colour on your add to cart button will make a difference.

Also, do some other experimenting. For example, try a larger image size, a change to your call to action or change your web page layout. Try the different changes out to see which one works the best for you and your store. Then stick with the ones that work the best for some time before making changes again.

14. Save Your Abandoned Carts

There are legitimate reasons why people abandon their carts. This can cost you a lot of revenue if you do not do anything about the situation. One of the ways to get people back to finishing their purchase is to send them a reminder e-mail.

This can be done a few hours later or even a day or two later. Just politely remind them of their activity and call them to finish off their purchase in a nice way. There are other strategies to help you recover the customer and have them finish their buying. A little research will provide those strategies for you.

15. Clear And Easy Communication

Customers want to get a hole of the person in charge when they have a problem. Making contact with you easy and clear is one way to keep customers by solving their problems. Have more than one way to contact you. Use e-mail, a contact form, or a phone number.

In fact, the phone number is the way customers prefer to contact you. it may be old school but it works and helps you retain customers. The phone number on your web pages builds trust and helps increase conversions.

16. Post High-Quality Images

Out of focus, low-quality images are a big turn-off. Your visitors cannot see your products clearly enough to make a decision to buy. They can make a quick decision not to buy because you did not take the time to use high-quality photos.

Plus, those photos should be engaging and relevant to the products you are trying to sell. Image quality will make all the difference in your conversion rate. The better the quality, the better your conversion rate.

17. Use Discount Codes And Pop-Ups

Pop-up windows that have a good purpose can help increase your conversion rate. Especially, those exit pop-ups that have a discount code your visitor can use. Helping your visitors save money is always a good way to boost your conversion rate.

Or you can have a pop-up that requires an e-mail address so you can send them a discount code. There are different ways to make a sale using both of these strategies. The key is to find the most effective way to use both of these items in the best way possible.

18. Avoid The Product Page

When people come to your site, one of the last web pages they want to be sent to is your product page. Have your links send them to your home or landing page first. Let your visitors see what you are all about and build some trust.

Sending them to your product page only sends the negative message that all you want from your visitors is their money. This is not a good business strategy and it needs to end now.

Your visitors need to know that you have their best interests in mind. That way you can build some trust and get your visitors to buy more.

19. Use Many Payment Gateways As Possible

This is one key way to get visitors to your website to make a purchase. Make sure you support their favourite payment option. If you don’t, you end up losing customers because they cannot use the method they like the best.

One of those payment methods is PayPal. Make sure you support that option and you should see your conversion rate climb. Making your site convenient for your visitors is one way to keep them on-site till they make a purchase.

20. Add A Guarantee

This also helps build trust between you and your customers. Knowing that they can return a product for their money back helps them make the right purchase decision for you.

Having the guarantee available does not mean your customers will use it. You can make sure they don’t by selling the best products possible.

Things To Consider For Product Descriptions

One of the ways to increase your conversion rate is to use detailed product descriptions. The following points will help you write better product descriptions that capture the interest of your target audience

1. Identify your products’ target audience – This can be done by age, gender, or even life events but make sure you know your audience.

2. Display those details clearly – You do not want your visitors to hunt for product descriptions. Keep them clear, visible, and easy to find.

3. Tell how to use the product – Don’t just describe it but tell your visitors how it should be used and when it should be used. This is key information all potential customers want to know. Especially if it is a one-time use item.

4. Describe how your product is better than anyone else’s – What sets it apart from the competition. Look for unique features or materials used to create the product.

5. Figure out the best format for your product description – Use bullet points, long sentences, make a video, and so on. There are different formats that will catch the eye of your visitors.

Increase Conversion Rate Tips

1. Review Your Call To Action– Use a variety of them to slowly bring your visitors to the ultimate conversion and they purchase your products. Ask them to sign up for a newsletter, submit their email, and so on.
2. Be Realistic– You are not going to convert every visitor to your website. Remember a 1 to 3% conversion rate is good, not bad. keep your goals realistic and reachable.
3. Keep Your Website Optimized– High speed is great and content is even better. Make sure to have your web pages load fast and keep the content top-quality.
4. Make Sure Videos And Images Are High Quality– A picture says a 1000-words and a high-quality image and video will say a lot more about you and your products

Some Final Words

It doesn’t take that much effort to improve your conversion rate. But it does take making an effort. The above tips should help you gain more sales throughout the year if they are implemented correctly

Take the time to sift through these ideas and find the ones you should implement as quickly as possible. Then save the rest for another day when you need another boost in revenue.

Make the effort so your e-commerce store can be a success. There are still lots of website visitors you can reach.