1. Create a “No Search Results” Page
In my experience, most eCommerce websites do a poor job with their internal site searches, specifically when they’re unable to give you a relevant result. When you perform a search and there are not relevant results, most sites are simply saying NO - we’ve got absolutely nothing for you. Put yourself in the user’s shoes: Do you ever want to hear “NO” or “Sorry, we don’t have that”? Of course you don’t…nobody does. Though it’s bound to happen sometimes, there are a few ways to save that user and still have them leave your site a happy customer!
. Add a 3rd Party Trust Certificate to Your Site
If you don’t already have a 3rd party trust certificate on your eCommerce site, get one. The real value is not necessarily in the function of the certificate (it essentially allows a 3rd party to scan your site for vulnerabilities and declare whether it’s “safe” or not) but rather in the assurance it gives to your visitors. McAfee Secure (formerly HackerSafe) claims that the certificate is proven to increase online sales in over 1,000 ROI studies.
The two most popular proprietors of 3rd party trust certificates online are McAfee and ControlScan.
For a couple of hundred dollars a month and with little installation effort, we highly recommend adding one of these certificates to increase revenue. It’s one of those changes that requires very little effort but may yield potentially huge results.
3. Make Your 800 Number more Prominent
Some eTailers may not even realize how much of a difference placement of your 800 number can make. Visibility is the name of the game - if a visitor who is apprehensive about purchasing online wants to make a call and they can’t find your number, they’re gone. We make sure to boldly place our clients 800 numbers in the top right corners of their websites; by doing so, nearly all of them have experienced an increase in overall phone sales. If you want visitors to call, you need to make sure your 800 number is a strong call to action, just like your add to cart button - if you don’t want your visitors to call, that’s another issue :)
Below is an example of a large online retailer that got the placement of the number right, but didn’t make it stand out enough:
Sierra Trading Post 800 Number
And an example of a prominent placement:
Location Store 800 Number
4. Make Your Store Policies a Global Setting
And by global, I mean found on every page of your site, of course :) Whether your policies be nestled in your sidebar, fit into the header, or simply listed in the footer, make sure they’re clear and accessible throughout your entire site. Not only will this give your visitors added assurance, it will also save them lots of time and frustration when trying to figure out your return policies or whether you ship internationally. many eTailers simply add a “Help” or “Customer Service” link (to a page with all their store policies) and feature it prominently throughout the site - this will definitely do the trick as well and will also save you some of that precious real estate!
5. Add Contact Forms to Your Product Pages
While this may not directly increase your site’s revenue, it will increase the amount of specific inquires you receive from users with strong buying intent. Placing a contact form on your product page makes it convenient for the user to get in touch and ask you whatever they may need to know in order to complete the sale. Our clients tell us that with the addition of the forms, they’ve gotten more interesting questions than ever before; and as a result, were able to convert more of those visitors into buyers. For a good example, visit the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll see the “Ask Jim” form:
No comments:
Post a Comment