7 Methods to Boost eCommerce Conversion Rates

Being a retailer, when you plan to sell your products online, you cannot do much when it comes to a particular marketplace. But when you get your own online storefront designed, there are certain things that can help you to elevate your conversion and sales rates without spending much on the SEO or bringing in the paid traffic.

The moment you begin to sail with your new eCommerce website, without all the techniques applied, there are only 1–2% chance of sales. Proves out to be a bit depressing, ain’t it? Fortunately, the below-mentioned tips and techniques have enabled many such eCommerce sellers to boost their online conversion rates, efficiently.

#1 There must always be multiple payment options.

Retailers with new eCommerce websites are a bit defensive when it comes to trusting the sales online, and so are the customers. This is the very reason that only a few options are provided by the sellers to the customers e.g. bank transfer and PayPal. As days pass, repeating the entire process is a bit hectic for the customers (this is tried and tested).

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Introducing credit and debit cards to your eCommerce payment option will certainly boost your conversion ratio. By either simply putting in the card details or saving them for future transactions made it quite easy for the customers to make the purchases online. This is a payment option that most of the online marketplaces provide. If your website isn’t climbing to this mark, there are chances that your customer might opt for your competitor’s website and not yours.

A more enticing option is ‘Cash on Delivery’ or ‘AfterPay’. There are plenty of customers who might refrain from paying online, but in cash when the product is delivered. Providing an option to cater such customers will automatically take your conversion ratio to 20%.

#2 Learn how to tackle the shopping cart abandonment.

In most of the cases, a customer puts the item in the cart, and later guess what — decides not to buy it! This scene is called cart abandonment. There are reasons for cart abandonment, and to avoid this from happening, avoid the reasons to happen.

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Plenty of customers are surprised by the additional costs that get included during checkout, involving taxes, shipping rates, etc. A customer-mindset is very much sensitive to such things, which can easily make them to never return on your website again. To avoid this from happening, you need to be straight-forward and price the product inclusive of all these charges.

Some of the customers can use your website simply to window-stride and then make the purchase from another reliable marketplace or eCommerce website. The word ‘reliable’ makes a huge difference. Apart from showcasing the product supremely, make sure that it is even priced in a ‘customer-friendly’ manner.

#3 Providing a ‘Guarantee’ is winning a customer!

Imagine someone snatching away the happiness that you just got… It’s nothing but sacrificing something to gain a lot many things, one amongst which is a valuable customer. A brand new retailer will certainly think twice for introducing a feature of ‘money-back’ or ‘product return’ on his/her eCommerce website, but trust me, this feature will sky-rocket your sales and conversion rates. Think from a customer’s perspective. What if you buy something and don’t like it? You will certainly never even think to buy anything from that particular place. In this case, imagine that you are losing customers because of the same reason, a nightmare, isn’t it?

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A 15- or 30-day return or money-back guarantee will improvise your sales by 50%. Here, with this feature, two things will happen. You would be able to analyze the quality of the products that you are selling, and even if you have to refund the money, consider it to be invested in building a healthy customer base.

#4 Make sure there’s a short checkout form.

Before you plan out your own checkout form, it’s highly recommended that you refer some good marketplaces’ forms as well. Please do not make your customers fill survey forms and answers tons of queries while they are checking out. This can be another reason for cart abandonment. Customers don’t like to be questioned a lot especially when their journey on your website is about to end. Simply get their address where the product needs to be delivered and small feedback to improve your website (if needed).

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There are tons of websites which ask for a different billing address and a different shipping address, well is that really necessary? When everything is automated and it’s certain that a customer would receive an email with the bill, there is only a need for a simple shipping address, and that’s it!

The more hip and happenings on the checkout page, higher are the chances for cart abandonment, resulting in a never returning customer.

#5 Does the color palette really matter?

When you are planning to get your eCommerce website designed, sit and think. You will certainly design the website as per your brand or logo colors, but do customers really care about it? Yes, they did and will forever do! As per the survey, 85% of the customers say that the primary reason for them to get attracted towards an advertisement was the color combination used. Black and white color advertisements are likely to be ignored; making the customers assume that the brand didn’t spend much on it. Well, a sensitive customer mind!

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Color palette depends on the product niche. A sports niche would have something really flamboyant, whereas a Mothercare website would have light and feminine colors. The main purpose of brainstorming more when it comes to colors is mainly customer-attraction. But make sure that there is consistency in colors. A hierarchy of colors needs to be made, and not one single button should be made to outperform the rest.

When we say that colors are important, limit them to maximum 3. More than 3 colors on a single website can make it look ‘rubbish’, and I mean it.

Apart from the color scheme, even the performance of your website should be at the top. Most of the users demand a smooth ride in your website along with attractiveness, try to achieve that.

#6 Your product has to speak about the value it would hold…

This is all about how you are to position your brand through your eCommerce website. There are plenty of such retailers who forget to bring to customer’s notice the value of the product that they are selling. You need to make the customer understand what value and transformation they will get after purchasing your product. To be precise, you need to communicate the value of your product through your website.

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The best way you can do this is by showcasing a value-driven statement to the customer at the checkout page. This can again raise your conversion rate or sales by 15%.

#7 Showcase the user reviews of your products on the website.

When a customer strides across your website and clicks on a product, make sure that you have provided enough information about the product along with the user reviews. The customers are highly influenced with what others have to say about your product, and not what you have already said.

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If your website has achieved a good social media presence, your customers are likely to give a feedback there as well. Presence matters, on all possible platforms, to amplify the reach of your product and for the customers to easily access your website.

By being transparent and highlighting all the user reviews on your website, there are chances that your sales and conversion rate would jump by 20%.

So…

Now you probably know the basics to the nourishment that your eCommerce website needs. All of the above-mentioned points in your bag, and you are set to sail in the ocean of online retailing.

If you have any other strategy that can be implemented, feel free to share it in the comments below.