There are currently over 1.98 billion websites online. In today’s day and age, the consumer can access the online web to look for literally anything from pickled quail eggs to luxury cars. The way that consumers shop has certainly changed from when consumers had to go to brick-and-mortar stores for everything.
If you have an eCommerce website, you may consider this good news as you get excited about the possibility of more and more sales on your web. But, sadly, the conversion of visitors to your website and customers who actually purchase from your website are two very different numbers. The average desktop conversion rate is about 2.1%, which means that only 2.1% of people who visit a website turn into a sale.
That number is relatively low. However, you may do a series of things to improve your eCommerce conversion rate to boost company sales.
This article will study 21 eCommerce conversion rate optimization steps to boost company sales.
What is the eCommerce Conversion Rate?
Before we dive into eCommerce conversion rates, let’s first define what it is and how it works. A conversion is when someone does something on your website that you want them to do, like clicking a photo, browsing a specific page, etc.
An eCommerce conversion rate is when a visitor to your website places an order.
How is the eCommerce Rate Calculated?
An eCommerce rate is very easily calculated. The formula is a simple mathematical formula:
Orders on your website/ visitors to your website
So, if you have 15 orders this month and 2,000 visitors to your website, your conversion rate is .75%.
How to Optimize Your eCommerce Conversion Rate
With an average conversion rate of 2.1% across the board, you know that converting visitors into customers is not the easiest endeavor. There are, however, a few things you can do to boost your eCommerce optimization.
Below are 21 awesome conversion rate optimization tips that are certain to boost your sales. Let’s dive right in.
#1 Understand Your Client
Knowing who your clients are and what makes them tick is essential to having great eCommerce conversion rates. But, sadly, the majority of information you may be able to capture is only the customer’s email.
There is a way, however, to learn more about what the customer does when they visit your website. K6 has a unique way of studying customer behavior to see what items caught their attention, how many images they clicked on, and how long they spent on different parts of your website.
#2 Offer Coupon Codes
Everyone loves a good sale. So why not offer a coupon code to website visitors upon entry? The benefit here is two-fold. First, instead of just being a website visitor when they come to your eCommerce site, you have turned them into a prospective customer by setting them up with a purchase coupon.
By inputting their email to receive the free coupon code, you have successfully captured their contact information so you may send them additional emails.
If you do not manage an email list, you could also consider giving coupon codes to users who find you on social media. Your company probably manages multiple social media accounts anyway so taking advantage of this opportunity makes sense.
It will motivate new social media users to engage with your content.
#3 Improve Loading Time
According to the Nielsen Norman Group, viewers typically leave a website within 10 to 20 seconds. So if your website takes too long to load, you will probably miss out on potential customers and have a high bounce rate.
A bounce rate is made by dividing the number of single-page sessions by the total sessions on the site.
For example, if 500 customers visit your website and 50 of them do not make it past the first page, then the bounce rate is 10%.
This is why you should ensure that your page loads quickly and efficiently without any issues to reduce the bounce rate and have a higher customer reach.
A great example of this is the Shaked Law. Their website immediately loads–even with a high-quality, beautiful video background. Users can interact and visit different parts of the website very quickly. This encourages the users to continue browsing for information and learning more about the services they offer.
#4 Send Abandoned Cart Reminders
If you are not using abandoned cart reminders, you are missing a huge window of opportunity. For example, if a potential customer browsed your website and added something to the cart but has not purchased it yet, you still have a great chance of closing a sale.
Set up automated reminders for customers to finalize their purchases. Keep the copy relatable to your brand and not just information.
For example, instead of just saying, “You forgot something in your cart!” you could say, “Done picking out your weekend outfit? Make it yours now!” Adding emojis tends to increase sales, so be sure to incorporate those into your cart reminder copy.
#5 Look for Barriers
When looking for ways to improve your eCommerce conversion rate, take a good look at your website. A few key factors might make a potential customer shy away or give up on completing a sale. So, ensure your process is smooth and free from the barriers below.
The checkout process was too time-consuming
Go through the checkout process on your website and see how it takes to finish after you select the check out now button. Ensure that you don’t have too many steps that would deter customers from completing a sale.
The smoother the process is, the more likely you are to have finalized purchases.
The customer got lost while navigating your website
On the same note, browse your website for specific items and see how quickly you can find them. If a customer has to click through several pages to find what they want or if the search feature is not working well, then this will deter the customer from attempting to make a purchase.
#6 Make Your Website Trustworthy
The last thing a potential customer wants to do is wonder if the website they purchased from was a scam. However, even if someone has a perfectly legitimate website, a few things can off-put new customers and make them question the website’s validity.
Broken links
Getting a 404 error on a website is a huge no-no for eCommerce sites. Even if it was something as simple as removing a page or updating a pathway, a broken link is a big red flag for new customers.
No company information
Customers want to know who you are, your values, and what your company is about. Invest in a great About Me page that will show the customer everything about you. You want your eCommerce customers to know what you are about. This will build trust and, consequently, allow them to trust your company enough to complete a purchase.
Spammy URLs
Concise URLs are always the way to go. Avoid having URLs that look questionable. For example, instead of www.yourwebsite.com/jeh28363dkdgs8390, ensure the names show up correctly and your website is shown as: www.yourwebsite.com/shoes .
#7 Include Video
Online videos have an audience reach of 92% among internet users worldwide. If you are not using videos on your website, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. Consider implementing videos to showcase your product instead of just images. Additionally, having how-to videos or offering segments on a blog are an excellent way to showcase your brand and your product.
Norden Leacox, an attorney, takes a very unique approach to video. They actually embed a video introducing their firm in the chatbox a potential client may use to contact them.
#8 Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
Studies show that in November 2022, over 60% of website views were made on mobile devices. So, investing in a mobile-friendly website is another way to boost conversions and improve overall sales.
Things such as having a web page that loads correctly and has all the same features as the desktop version and scannable QR codes go a long way in making a website mobile-friendly.
Malone Law does a great job of ensuring its mobile site contains the same information as its desktop site and has a quick loading time and properly sized fonts, images, and CTA buttons.
Alt text: Mobile site for Malone Law
#9 Use High-Quality Product Images
Just having great copy but not investing in high-quality product images is a recipe for failure. Customers want to see the product they are purchasing. The old adage states a picture is worth a thousand words, so imagine if you had several high-quality product images – what would that say in relation to your brand?
#10 Let Customers Check Out as Guests
Offer customers the option of checking out as guests. However, having them create an account is not always the most beneficial option. If a customer is on the fence about purchasing something but they have to go through the steps to create an account, that might even deter them completely.
By offering them the option to check out as guests, you have already managed to capture their email, but also given them the flexibility to not have to make an account.
#11 Allow Customer Reviews
Customers want to know what other customers have to say about your product. You can go so far as to stand on a soap box and yell out all the great things your brand offers, but if it is not coming from people who have actually purchased your product, then it really means nothing.
Having the option to leave feedback, even if it is negative feedback , is a selling point for any brand. Customers will build trust by seeing the great reviews other customers leave, so they will be more inclined to purchase something from your company.
#12 Instill an Awesome Return Policy
Don’t be scared to take some of your product back. Your sales will boost significantly when you start to offer a great return policy. In addition, new customers who do not know how great your product is, will be more inclined to purchase something from you if they know they may return it if it is something they did not like.
Every return policy differs from the other, but offering free returns is generally the best option.
#13 Capture Emails
Capturing emails is key to generating more leads for your brand. Try to capture prospective clients’ emails every step of the way.
First-time visitor to the website? Sign up your email for an awesome coupon!
Would you like additional information on this product/service? Receive an email notification. Purchasing a product as a guest? Use your email to receive order updates.
One of the simplest ways to do this is to offer something free in return for contact information. HJV offers a free consultation on legal cases.
Alt text: Email capture for HJV Lawyers
No matter how you decide to capture emails, just make sure you are covering all your bases and capturing them every step of the way.
#14 Grammar Check Your Copy
Nothing screams “scam” more than a website with grammar mistakes. If you have ever visited a website that said, “Promottion, Promottion!” then you know exactly what that means.
Always comb your copy for correctly spelled words and good grammar. Build trust by being reliable, even with something so simple as good grammar.
#15 Add Progress Bars to Checkout
Sometimes checking out a cart can take a little while. For new users, the process may be even longer as none of the information is saved from prior purchases. To not deter new customers from completing a purchase, add a progress bar to checkout so customers will know how much longer they have left in the process.
The time they spend checking out does not change, but it does give them a realistic expectation of what they should expect while checking out.
#16 Test Your Checkout Process
If you can’t remember all the steps a customer goes through when checking out, you should be testing it yourself. As you test your checkout process, question every step of the day. Then, analyze and see if you need every step and request in the form, or if there are a few things you could do to cut some parts out and make the process shorter.
#17 Have a Good Blog
Having a good blog is a great way to build a strong reputation and attract new users to your website. Learn good SEO and Google ranking factors and you will set yourself up for a successful blog. Remember that the more visitors you have to your blog, the more awareness you have spread of your eCommerce website.
Finding the time to write a blog is always a problem. Check out some of the best AI tools that you can help crank out content.
#18 Offer Free Shipping
Customers love free shipping. Consider offering free shipping as a standard feature for purchases over a certain amount. If customers are close to completing a sale, they will probably spend a few dollars more just to qualify for free shipping.
If you do not already have that worked into your cost, just bump your baseline price up some to cover the shipping for every order.
#19 Use Trust Signals
Trust signals can go a long way. Things such as featuring an Amex, Mastercard or Discovery logo can inevitably cause the customer to increase their trust in your brand just by association. In a consumer’s mind, they think, if the big companies are featured on your brand, then surely yours is trustworthy as well.
You can also use trust signals if you’re company is a part of a reputable association or is licensed by a local authority. Attorneys of Chicago proudly display logos and seals to show they’re a trustworthy law firm.
Alt text: Trust Signals for Attorneys of Chicago
Baumgartner Law Firm does something similar on their homepage as well so that visitors can take a look at which nationally recognized lists or awards they have been on and won respectively.
#20 Offer Flexible Payment Options
A flexible payment plan offers customers to purchase one of your products and pay for it over time. Companies like Affirm and Paypal credit are great to add as a payment option to your website and certain to increase sales. Customers will be motivated to spend a large amount and pay it back in 3 to 4 interest free payments, so it is a win-win situation for both parties.
#21 Offer Limited Time Deals
Besides offering standard coupons, be sure to offer limited-time deals. Occasions such as Memorial Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are all great times to offer sales on your eCommerce site, as consumers are already out scouting for deals.
Final Thoughts on How to Boost Company Sales Through Ecommerce Conversion Rate Optimization
As you can see, there is no easy way to improve your eCommerce conversion rate. However, there are a series of small things you may do to ensure you improve little by little. Just picture a big mountain for you to conquer, but you are slowly chipping at it piece by piece. Eventually, you will be able to see changes that show a lasting impact on your sales outcome.
Ready to quickly boost your company’s growth? K6 Agency specializes in optimizing your eCommerce strategy, helping you drive more traffic, increase conversions, and maximize revenue. Get the insights and marketing expertise your brand needs. Book a free call today.