The impression your eCommerce site makes on visitors can either convert them into regular consumers or they’ll just be onetime customers. Their experience, whether positive or negative, can cascade into their network of colleagues, friends, and family. This can shape brand perception and have an impact on future sales. It’s important to improve customer experience whenever they browse and shop.
How do you improve your online store?
Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly
Many potential customers are using their mobile devices to browse websites and shop. You need to make your site mobile-friendly to get a chance at converting a user. Doing so enables your website to adjust to smaller screens without sacrificing the experience of visitors. Their positive experience will entice them to not just make one purchase, but they might also return to buy more items and share your site to others.
Better Website Navigation
Improve your online store by making it easier to navigate. Confusing calls-to-action, poor placement of photos and content, inconsistent drop-down menus, broken links, and others make it difficult for users to browse your website’s pages. This creates a bad experience for them and paints your brand in a negative light. Improve your site’s navigation so that it’s easy for visitors to go through your pages and find what they’re looking for. Simple improvements such as decluttering, clear call-to-action, and straightforward linking can create positive website experiences for visitors.
Integrate a Search Box
Adding a search box will improve your online store because it makes it easier for customers to look for items they want to purchase. With a search box, they don’t have to go through multiple pages to find a product or service. Place the box on your homepage and landing pages. Make it easy to identify so that when a user browses your site, they see it immediately.
Detailed Product Information
One of the ways to improve and optimise your website is to write detailed product descriptions. Engage your potential customer with enticing and informative copy. They need to know if your product addresses their pain points and solves their problems. Highlight the best features of an item and showcase the benefits it provides users. Insert keywords in a natural way so that they don’t interfere with the flow of the language you use. Be concise and direct when you make descriptions. Include a call-to-action to move a visitor further down the sales funnel. Integrate recommendation links so you can bundle related products and generate more income from one customer.
High Quality Picture of Items
Upload high quality product photos to improve your online store. Detailed descriptions are important, but you should combine this with photos taken from different angles. This allows a user to visualise an item before they make a purchase. A quality photo improves the chances of a conversion.
Free Shipping for Customers
Some customers don’t purchase from eCommerce sites because of the high shipping costs. In some cases, it costs more than the supposed discount a site provides. This cancels any benefit that your promotion might give a customer. Offer free shipping to entice a customer to buy your products. You can set an amount or a location to include free shipping or you can give it outright regardless of a product’s price. This approach can turn a onetime customer into a repeat consumer.
Allow Customers to Save Items in their Carts
One of the reasons an eCommerce site loses a sale is because of cart abandonment. Some shoppers add items to their cart but don’t finish their payment because something urgent came up, they’re calculating their budget, and/or they’re still comparing with other brands. No matter the reason for cart abandonment, consider adding a save cart option for your users. This allows them to return to your store and pick up where they left off while they were browsing your online shop.
Include a Live Chat
A visitor might have a few questions about your products and services. They might want to know shipping costs, related items, possible discounts, and others. Include a live chat to improve your online store. You can use artificial intelligence to respond to general and simple questions. Provide a user with an option to speak with your customer support if they find the chatbot’s responses inadequate. Immediate and informative replies improve your chances of converting a website visitor. A live chat is a noteworthy addition to your site but don’t forget to include your contact information such as email address, phone number, and physical address if you have one.
Increase Site Speed
Slow site loading has a negative effect on a user’s experience. If it takes too long to load, they’re likely to close the tab and visit a competitor’s shop instead. Improve site speed with these best practices:
- Photos take long to load since they often come in large file sizes. Compress the file and optimise it so that it has lower dimensions and resolution.
- Reduce the number of external scripts.
- Lessen HTTP requests.
These are just a few of the ways you can boost site speed.
Use Data to Implement Actionable Insights
Data is a game changer for eCommerce websites. The numbers don’t lie. It shows daily to weekly to monthly to yearly performance metrics that determine if your strategies are working and if your products are moving. You can also use data to identify ways to improve your online store. It can tell you which pages and products generate the most traffic and sales. It can also point to seasonal trends you can leverage to maximise your resources and boost your profits. The data you collect also allows you to create a profile of your customers. You’ll know their location, shopping behaviour, and which pages they visit. This enables you to make the right recommendations whenever you upsell.
Improve your online store with these ideas. Doing so boosts your site’s conversion rate and improves user experience. Focus on your eCommerce website and let us at Robookkeeper update your accounting books. We have a team of experienced and certified accountants that make sure your financial data is spotless and updated. We offer first-rate small business accounting services.
