As the holiday season approaches, many online retailers are scrambling to make last-minute changes to their eCommerce sites in hopes of driving more sales. However, simply adding a few holiday-themed banners or discounts may not be enough to increase conversions. If you want your eCommerce site to perform its best during the holidays (and year-round), you need to design it for conversions.
In this article, we'll share some actionable tips on designing your eCommerce site for more conversions. In addition to having the right eCommerce strategy in place, following these tips will help ensure that your site is optimized for transformation so you can make the web visitors you get.
Understand What Shoppers Want
One of the most frustrating things as a shopper is having a bad experience as you’re browsing an eCommerce site. This is why it's essential to ensure that your eCommerce site makes it easy for shoppers to find what they're looking for.
Most shoppers want any (or all) of the following:
- A user-friendly site design: A well-designed site that is easy to navigate will help shoppers quickly find what they're looking for without frustration. Also, 59% of people say that a beautifully designed web page is something they crave. Therefore, considering your site’s look is never a bad idea.
- Clear and concise product descriptions: Shoppers want to know what they're buying, so make sure your product descriptions are clear and concise.
- Competitive prices: Price is often a critical factor in whether or not a shopper makes a purchase, so be sure to offer competitive prices on your products.
- Excellent customer service: If a shopper has a question or issue, they want to know that they can quickly get in touch with someone who can help. Providing excellent customer service will help increase conversions and build loyalty among your shoppers.
Once you understand what shoppers want, you need to make it easy for them to actually purchase from your site. The checkout process should be quick and easy, without any unnecessary steps. It would be best if you also offered multiple payment options so that shoppers can choose the option that is best for them.
Consider using the right integrations to facilitate a better user experience. For example, various Shopify integrations make it easier for shoppers to find what they're looking for and complete the checkout process in a simpler and more streamlined manner.
Add Clear CTAs
Adding a clear CTA (call to action) is vital in designing your eCommerce site for conversions. Your CTA should be easy to see and understand and direct shoppers toward the action you want them to take. For example, you could use a CTA like "Shop now" or "Add to cart."
It's also essential to ensure that your CTA stands out from the surrounding text and graphics. You can do this by using a different color or font size or placing it in a prominent position on the page.
If you're using a pop-up window for your CTA, make sure that it is not too intrusive and that it offers shoppers an easy way to close it. Also, test different variations of your CTA to see which performs best.
Make Your Site Menu Easy To Navigate
The right eCommerce CMS will make managing your products and site content easy, but it's also essential to use a system that makes navigating your site accessible for everyone. Using a headless e-commerce platform can be the best option, as it provides smoother navigation. At its foundation, this means creating a simple, user-friendly navigation menu that helps shoppers quickly find what they're looking for.
Your navigation menu should be designed so shoppers can easily find their way around your site. For example, you might want to use drop-down menus to categorize your products and even include a search bar so shoppers can quickly find what they're looking for.
In addition to having a well-designed navigation menu, have a site design that is clean and uncluttered. This will help shoppers focus on your products and the task at hand, which is making a purchase.
Use Clear Images And Videos
A lot can be said about eCommerce digital asset management, but when it comes to product pages, it's essential to use images and videos that accurately represent what you're selling. This means using eCommerce product photography that is high quality and clearly shows various products from all angles.
It can also be helpful to include videos on your product pages. Videos are a great way to show off products in use and can also be used to answer common questions shoppers might have.
Taking professional-looking pictures and videos of your products is an investment that will pay off in the long run, as shoppers are more likely to buy if they can get a better idea of what they're buying. With some of the best cameras not costing as much as you might think, taking good-quality pictures of your products should be a priority.
When choosing images and videos for your product pages, ensure they are relevant and add value. Don't just add them for the sake of adding them - they should serve a purpose and help shoppers understand what you're offering.
The captions for your images and videos should also be clear and concise. This will help shoppers quickly understand what they're looking at and guide them toward purchasing.
Include Customer Reviews And Testimonials
Another way to increase conversions is to include customer reviews and testimonials on your product pages. This will help shoppers see that you're a credible source and that others have had a positive experience shopping with you.
It should go without saying but make sure that the reviews are genuine and unbiased. By showing that you're a reputable business with happy customers, you'll be able to convince more people to purchase from your site.
Place Trust Seals On Your Site
If you compared buying from a suspicious-looking site you've never heard of, to buying from a website with trust seals that looks super legit, which would you feel more comfortable with?
Trust seals are another factor to building trust with shoppers and increasing conversions. They show that your site is credible and that you're committed to protecting shopper information. This can help boost confidence among shoppers and encourage them to purchase.
Some common trust seals include the Better Business Bureau's seal of approval, VeriSign's security seal, and McAfee's secure site seal. You can also get creative with your trust seals - for example, you could create a custom seal that says something like "100% Satisfaction Guaranteed" or "Safe & Secure Shopping."
While this might sound like a lot of work, remember that your eCommerce platform can automate many of these processes for you. The key is to find an eCommerce platform that offers the features and functionality you need to increase conversions and grow your business.
Offer Customer Support
One of the best ways to increase conversions is to offer customer support. This means having a dedicated team to help shoppers with questions or issues.
Customer support can be provided through various channels, such as phone, email, and live chat. It's essential to ensure that your customer support team is knowledgeable, friendly, and always available to help shoppers.
As people have questions during the buying process, they will appreciate being able to get answers quickly. If someone is not available to answer questions 24/7, having an AI chatbot can help cover your bases and provide solutions even when you're not available.
Optimize Your Site For Mobile
eCommerce mobile optimization is essential because more and more people are shopping on their phones and tablets. If your site isn't optimized for mobile devices, you'll miss out on many potential sales.
Most website builders will let you create a mobile-friendly version of your site with just a few clicks. Alternatively, you can use a responsive theme or template, which will automatically adjust to fit any screen size.
Offer Free Shipping - And Make It Clear
Finally, (and if you can swing it), offer free shipping on all orders. This is a great way to increase conversions, both for first-time and return shoppers.
Be sure to display your free shipping offer on your site prominently. This could be in the form of a banner, an image, or simply text. You want to make it as obvious as possible, so shoppers know they won't have to pay for shipping.
Before you start an online webstore, it is important to calculate all your costs, including shipping. Knowing your numbers and expenses is essential here. You don't want to lose money by offering free shipping, so make sure it's something you can afford.
Conclusion
By following these tips, you'll be able to increase confidence among shoppers and encourage more people to purchase from your site.
Remember, the key to increasing conversions starts with a great user experience. If shoppers enjoy using your site, they will likely return and make multiple other purchases.
As such, you should always be focused on improving your site experience and making it as streamlined as possible.
Did you enjoy this article? Give Pics.io a try — or book a demo with us, and we'll be happy to answer any of your questions.
Hanson Cheng is the founder of Freedom to Ascend. He empowers online entrepreneurs and business owners to 10x their business and become financially independent. You can connect with him here.
