To celebrate the launch of our latest eCommerce website project, Double D Boutique, we thought it would be a nice idea to share some helpful tips re running a successful online store.
People will land on your eCommerce website for all sorts of reasons. They may be looking for details about your products specifically, comparing your products to other brands, or just gathering general information to purchase at a later date. Whether they’re in an active stage of the buying process or just checking out your site to see what you’re all about, they’re always a potential business prospect. Take a look at the following methods that you can use to turn browsing visitors into paying customers.
#1 Remember How to Eat an Elephant
One piece at a time. People who are casually browsing online typically need a bit of prodding in order to drive them into action. If they’re not particularly motivated or ready to make a purchase, don’t overwhelm them with aggressive marketing tactics and online sales devices. Instead, try to get them to take one small action. This could be simply signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource, or following you on social media. By getting them to take an initial step into your marketing funnel, you increase your chances of turning them into buyers before they leave your website.
Think of ways to offer your visitors a cost-free/risk-free peak into your offerings. Consider free service trials, small product samples, or a snippet of exclusive content in order to get them salivating over your products.
Make sure that you have a Call to Action (CTA), that stands out and is visible on your pages that have the highest exit and bounce rates (bounce rate, pages that a user will leave the website from).
#2 Wet Their Appetite
Sometimes people don’t know what they want until they get a taste of what they can have. This explains why those sellers in the kiosks at the mall are so successful–they let their prospects experience what having their products would be like. They give out taste samples. They give them a free massage. They let them try on scarves and then throw mirrors in their faces. The point is that they offer them a risk-free trial that costs them nothing.
Think of ways to offer your visitors a cost-free/risk-free peak into your offerings. Consider free service trials, small product samples, or a snippet of exclusive content in order to get them salivating over your products.
#3 Put On Your Consultant Hat
People are always up for learning something new online. Check out Google Keyword Planner and come up with a list of 10-15 keywords related to your offerings that your visitors may be searching for. Create content around these keywords and provide your visitors with resources where they may find even more information about the topics. Becoming a resource provider can increase the amount of time that visitors spend on your pages, the amount of interest in your product offerings, and ultimately your sales conversion rates.
Also, consider common problems that your target audience may face and suggest various solutions that may help solve them (note: examples and social proof also helps).
#4 Be Unforgettable
Giving your visitors a unique experience when they’re on your site is the only way to incentivize them to return. Your website should be inviting, easy to navigate, and informative. Also, create something that is unique to your website only, which can help your visitors remember you long after they’ve left your site.
Aim to get all visitors to complete at least one action before leaving your site
Think of creative ways to engage your visitors such as engaging videos, unique themes/designs, funny slogans/taglines, or different spins and views on trending topics. Increased engagement allows you to create an online rapport with your visitors and then indirectly lead them down the yellow brick road to converting to a buyer.
Aim to get all visitors to complete at least one action before leaving your site. This could be signing up for your newsletter, following you on social media, or simply commenting on a post. Remember, every visitor is a potential customer. Some just take a bit longer to become one.
Further reading – a few months back we wrote about some alternative eCommerce platforms and apps that whilst not so well known – are absolute power-houses in the eCommerce sector.. consider this post a secret… Build A Thriving, Branded E-Store!
