UK
With so much competition online, how can you increase conversion rate? You can use videos on landing pages, for one. This can increase conversion rate by more than 80%, according to TechJury.
This is just one of the many things you can do that will set you apart from your competitors.
Want to find out more? Here are 15 ways you can improve website conversion rate.
1. Increase Average Order Value (AOV)
a) One Click Upsell add-ons for WordPress and Shopify
The WordPress plugin includes post-purchase upsells, while the Shopify plugin offers both pre and post purchase upsells.
The post purchase upsells do not interrupt or distract the normal checkout process, but present an opportunity to the buyer to buy a related product after checkout. For example, a customer buys watercolour paint on your website and the upsell is an exclusive offer on an art board.
- The WordPress plugin starts at $55.
- The Shopify plugin starts at $24.99.
b) Segmentify
Segmentify is a machine learning personalisation tool that presents a customised shopping experience to each person who visits your store. Learn more about how it works here.
Segmentify was able to increase the iCLOTHING AOV by 19% and there was also an increase in overall sales. See more about their success stories here. Entry plan starts at £749/month however they also offer a free 14 day trial here.
2. Reviews
Your reviews on Google, TrustPilot, and other forums can make or break your business. According to Think with Google, 53% of shoppers say they always do research before they buy to ensure they are making the best possible choice.
You should have an active process of asking your loyal customers for a review post purchase. Conversely, you should also be actioning any negative review feedback, and using it to change whatever prompted the negative review.
Pro Tip: Always respond to negative reviews ideally with the issue already resolved, and state this in your response, using courtesy and addressing the customer by their first name.
3. Improve your service constantly
As well as looking at negative reviews to fix what is broken in your business, you need to foster a working environment that encourages feedback. You can do this by listening to workers who are on the front line dealing with customers.
If you are not improving, you are liable to be taken out.
4. Improve your category range
This may seem like an obvious one, but if your competitor has a bigger range of a given category than you, chances are the customer will find what they want with your competitor. Not just from a pricing perspective, but from a features and services perspective.
Consider the washing machine category where features like ‘child lock’, ‘spin speed’, ‘drum capacity’, and ‘energy rating’ all play an involved role in the buying process.
5. Are you competitive on price?
a) Manual check
Have a look at your competitors’ websites and how their prices compare to yours. Also look out for website features related to price. For example, do they show the recommended retail price as well as their lower price?
b) Prisync
With Prisync, you can check competitors’ prices and stock availability. Email alerts keep you up-to-date with the latest industry insights. Prices start at $59, or you can do a free trial. Check out Prisync here.
c) Minderest
With Minderest, data about your pricing and your competitors’ pricing is presented to you in graphs, so you can easily see what you need to change. Prices are compared by brand and category. Find out more here.
6. Remove barriers to conversions
a) Design problems
Ensure your website is easy to navigate. Make the checkout button stand out, list categories clearly, and limit pop ups. You also need to make sure everything is easy to read. Design choices like yellow on white background and tiny text are to be avoided.
Your website should also be quick to load. People will bounce pretty fast if they can’t get into your website quick enough. According to Hubspot, pages with load times between 0-2 seconds have the highest ecommerce conversion rates.
b) Laborious checkouts
Checkouts should be as easy as possible so you don’t lose the shopper. Include address-predicting software or have an option where you can just enter the postcode only. This beats entering in 4-5 lines of an address.
It also helps if your checkout is broken up into simple steps and don’t forget to make it easy for customers to return to a previous step.
c) Reduce unnecessary fields
Keep subscription forms as short as possible to avoid frustrating the customer. Research suggests 4 fields or less is optimal.
7. Create subscription forms
Make it easy for customers to sign up and receive the latest offers. You can tailor emails to each shopper’s interests, which you can find through Google Analytics.
Or base your emails on what they bought from you before. It’s another great way to get people on your website and boost conversions.
8. Seek exclusivity on product ranges
You can buy in bulk and sell at a competitive price, or even better, be the only one who sells a certain product. This essentially minimises competition and increases profits. It also helps you create loyal customers as they consistently buy from you over time.
9. Offer more ways to pay
Having multiple payment options makes the checkout process much more convenient, helping to drive conversions.
AfterPay and humm by flexifi are great for more expensive items. Someone may not have enough money right now, but if they can pay in interest-free installments, it could persuade them to make the purchase.
It’s also important to have PayPal and major card payment options.
10. Searchspring (previously Nextopia)
In 2017, Appliances Delivered used Nextopia’s Page Redirect tool and Misspellings tool, and their on site conversion rate doubled. The Page Redirect tool allowed them to easily select specific results pages to show, which gave them more control.
The Misspellings tool automatically corrected the spelling of a customer’s search term. This was crucial because so many people would spell ‘integrated’ wrong when looking for integrated washing machines, for example. When this happened, 0 results would show up.
So when the spelling was corrected, shoppers were given the desired results page and conversions increased.
Searchspring features include ‘Site Search’, ‘Recommendations’, and more. ‘Site Search’ uses autocomplete so customers don’t have to type in the whole search term. It also allows you to drag and drop products anywhere you want to on results pages, with no need to ask a web developer to do it.
‘Recommendations’ allows you to cross-sell items, which helps encourage the shopper to buy additional items to the one they’re currently looking at. You can also upsell, offering alternative, more expensive products that are similar to the one they’re currently looking at.
You can check out all the features here. Prices start from $499 and you can also request a demo.
11. Use SEO Copy
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) copy uses keywords to help your website rank higher on a search engine. According to WebFX, only 25% of people go to the second results page. So to maximise traffic to your website and increase the chance of conversions, it’s vital that you turn up on the first page.
Use SEO copy for your homepage, as well as category and product pages. Start with products that are popular keywords and that convert well already.
12. Optimise for mobile devices
According to Think With Google, 59% of people surveyed in 2019 said when they’re deciding which retailer or brand to buy from, the option to shop on mobile is important.
So, it’s worth making your website mobile-friendly. You can improve your site’s loading time, make pop-ups suitable for mobile, or create a mobile app, just to name a few.
Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test shows how easy it is for mobile visitors to use your website. Just type in a URL and ponder the results. Click here to access the test.
You can also use the ‘Experience’ section of Google Search Console. Google will highlight any mobile usability issues they find from crawling your site, e.g. “Clickable elements too close together”.
They also provide recommendations so you know exactly how to improve your site. Check it out here.
13. Create a sense of urgency
Use phrases like “low on stock” or “selling fast” on products. If the customer knows they don’t have much time left to buy the product, this could spur them on to purchase.
Similarly, if you have a sale banner on your website, include the date the sale ends. Avoid simply saying “sale ends soon”, instead go with a specific day or time of day, like “midnight”. A countdown widget also helps to increase urgency.
14. Use high-quality videos and images
The shopper needs to know exactly what they’re looking at. Include photos and videos that accurately depict the product and also show off the product. At the end of the day, we’re all much more likely to buy something if it looks amazing.
A picture that shows the glossiness of an iPhone case, or the beautiful colours of an eyeshadow palette, are more likely to get conversions.
15. Offer free delivery
Delivery prices are often a big reason why people don’t buy online, so make your delivery options as appealing as possible.
What are your competitors offering? If they’re providing free delivery over €38, why not offer free delivery over €36?
From using upsell add-ons, to improving your category range, to using high-quality videos and images, there’s plenty you can do to improve conversion rates on your website.
Any of these things can be what persuades shoppers to buy from you, instead of your competitors. So why wait? Start making changes today and drive your e-commerce success.
Want to know how we can help you increase your website conversion rate? Schedule your free strategy session here.
