Do you sell anything online? Whether you’re selling clothes, planners, accessories, or something else, you are running an e-commerce business.
Big or small, your e-commerce business is transforming searchers into visitors and visitors into customers. The number of searchers that you turn into customers represents your store’s e-commerce conversion rate.
It’s likely that you’ve thought of this number before even if you didn’t realize that that’s what you were thinking about.
Your e-commerce conversion rate determines the monetary success of your business. To learn more about how to optimize your conversion rate, keep reading.
What Is an E-Commerce Conversion Rate?
Your website’s conversion rate tells you how many people are completing a desired outcome. This outcome could be to sign up for your mailing list, make a purchase, or something else.
If you have a goal for your visitors, you want your conversion rate to be high. This means that more people are signing up, buying products, or completing other tasks.
To figure out what your e-commerce conversion rate is, you should divide the number of conversions by the total number of website visitors. Then, multiply this by 100 to get a percentage.
You can complete this calculation for different web pages to determine which web pages are promoting visitor interaction. With that information, you can determine which web pages you may need to edit to increase your conversion rate.
What Is a Good eCommerce Conversion Rate?
Most e-commerce companies get conversion rates of one to two percent.
While this may not seem like a lot, it can lead to significant sources of income depending on what the goal for your visitors is. This is especially if you can work to increase it by using data and analytics.
E-Commerce Conversion Rate Optimization Tips
The best part about using e-commerce conversion rates is that you can improve upon them. These conversion rates are concrete pieces of data that you can use to better your website and bring in more revenue.
By using different tactics, you should be able to lead more people towards completing the tasks that you’ve set.
Let’s look at some of the ways that you can improve your conversion rates.
1. Track Your Analytics
As an e-commerce business owner, you should be using analytics on a regular basis. This gives you an idea of where your business currently stands while helping you find areas in which you can improve.
One of the best ways to track your analytics is through Google Analytics. By creating an account, you’ll be able to track the conversions that you care about most.
In addition to these analytics, Google Analytics can help you understand visitor behavior.
You may also want to consider looking at other analytics tools such as Userlytics, Google Optimize, and Hotjar.
The more information you have, the better equipped you are to make smart decisions about your website. So, you should gather as much information as you can.
By using various analytic websites and keeping an eye on your conversion rate, you’ll get a better idea of who your visitors are and what they want from your business. Then, you can make changes as you see fit.
As you’re making these changes, you should continue watching your analytics. Any changes in your calculations will tell you how your visitors are responding to the shifts that you’re making.
Lastly, you should be sure not to change too many things at once. Otherwise, you won’t be able to tell where a positive or negative shift in your analytics is coming from.
2. Use High-Quality Images
Your e-commerce business is online. Therefore, potential customers can’t get a good look at your product before buying it. The key to getting them to like your products is getting good images.
You need to invest quality time and money into getting high-quality images that each visitor can make sense of. And, we do mean images, as in plural.
You need several images of each product. Show it from different angles and reveal the details in the product. You could even show action shots of the product or different ways in which customers can use it.
You could even include product videos if you want to show people how to use the product. Or, these videos could be a great way to show off a service that you have.
A great way to multiply the number of product images is by offering pictures in product reviews. When your customers make a review for your products, you can allow them to post their own photos of the products.
Potential customers love seeing pictures of actual orders from others who’ve made orders.
You may also encourage customers to post photos on social media. They can tag you in those posts and receive online recognition for them.
3. Include Product Descriptions
Another way to help potential customers understand what your products are like is by making detailed product descriptions. Since they can’t see the product in person, they need to know how big it is, what color it is, and more.
The more information you can give, the better.
Without enough information, customers won’t be able to adequately understand what your products are. Your product descriptions should act as a verbal advertisement for each product. You should take this space to convince buyers why they should invest in the product that they’re looking at.
Use positive, encouraging language. Speak about how the product could make their lives better.
After reading your product description, your customers should have a clear idea of what your product looks like, what it does, and how they can use it in their everyday lives.
With more detailed product descriptions, you’ll see a higher conversion rate as customers are more likely to make purchases when they understand what the products are.
4. Make Your Buttons Stand Out
Every important button on your website should stand out clearly. Your customer shouldn’t have to search for the “add to cart” or “checkout” buttons on any page.
If visitors can’t find these buttons, they’re likely to click off of your page rather than search. No matter how badly they may want your product, they aren’t going to search for more than a few minutes.
The best way to make these buttons stand out is by changing the colors of the buttons. Using your brand’s color palette, you should decide on a strong, eye-catching color.
If you’re unsure how you want to style your website’s buttons, you may want to consider A/B testing. This can help you determine which colors your audience may like better.
Alternatively, you could try changing the color. Then, you can evaluate any changes in your conversion rate after the change. You may be able to assess how your audience likes the changes without conducting an A/B test.
5. Stand Out From the Competition
You have to have a unique selling proposition, also known as a USP. Your USP tells your audience why your business stands out from other businesses like yours. It may also tell your audience why your products and services are different than those of your competitors.
These differing factors may be deciding factors when customers determine which business they’re going to buy from. So, you have to use your unique selling proposition to convince these visitors to choose your business over every other business out there.
Is your business philanthropic? Do you have a small business story? Is there a specific reason you started your business?
Once you find out what makes your business stand out, you should publish it everywhere. By posting these differing factors across your website, you’re telling visitors why they should depend on your business over others.
Add your unique selling propositions to page headings, product descriptions, and more. It should be on each web page.
If visitors like your USP, they’re more likely to buy from your company. Thus, it could increase your conversion rate.
6. Be Clear About Your Site Security
One of the most common concerns with e-commerce websites is security. Since everything is handled online, some customers think that their information may be compromised.
With constant news stories about data leaks and security compromises, consumers are worried about their online experience.
You have to convince and prove to your customers that your website is safe and secure. The best way to prove your website’s security is by placing lock symbols and security badges throughout your website. These are best placed on checkout pages and product pages so that visitors can see them while they’re considering making a purchase.
If you have a security policy, you should proudly display it.
7. Step Into Your Customers’ Shoes
If you want users to convert, you have to understand what they’re going through as they navigate your website. So, you have to step into their shoes.
You have to try to place an order on your own website.
While you’re navigating your website, you should take notes about the process. Are there any ways that you can streamline the process? Did you run into any roadblocks?
Overall, you should be looking for ways to make your checkout process simple and quick.
You may want to consider posting clear directions and offering auto-fill options. In addition, you should give customers access to multiple payment options.
Lastly, you should consider implementing progress bars. These can help visitors identify where they are in the checkout process. In other words, it can help them figure out how much longer they have to go in the checkout process.
8. Allow Guest Checkouts
A feature that many e-commerce stores don’t consider is guest checkout. It may help you if customers log in before checking out. But, it’s a hindrance to the customer, especially if they’re in a hurry.
You should never force a customer to log in.
Plus, you’ll already gather the customer’s name and email when they checkout. So, you don’t need the customer to log in. You can cross-reference emails and add orders to accounts with coordinating emails. (Of course, you can automate this process.)
9. Implement a Cart Abandonment Plan
Cart abandonment occurs when a customer adds something to their cart and doesn’t complete the checkout process. They may do this for a variety of reasons, including a complicated checkout process.
If you find that you have a high cart abandonment rate, you may need to make sure that your checkout process isn’t difficult. If the checkout process takes more than a couple of minutes, your customers are more likely to exit your website than fight to get to the end of the checkout process.
Another way to combat cart abandonment is through email marketing. You can set up automated emails to alert customers when they leave something in their cart.
If the customer forgot about the item or wanted to come back to the website, this email serves as a great reminder.
10. Listen to Your Customers
In the end, you should always listen to your customers. They know what it’s like to search your website with fresh eyes. They know what it’s like to try to find things on your website.
If you see complaints about certain features on your website, you should take them to heart. Customers are always trying to tell us how to better our websites. We just have to be willing to listen.
Once you make the improvements that your customers have been looking for, you’ll start to see a rise in your conversion rate. Thus, you’ll see more sales and larger income.
Learn More About Conversion Rate Optimization for Business
The e-commerce conversion rate is one of the best ways for you to determine how well your business is doing overall. It lets you know which web pages may not be performing as well as others.
E-commerce conversion rate optimization can help you find ways to increase the conversion rate by fixing features across your website.
If you’re unsure where to start, you can count on our team at Iconic Web. With our web design services, we can help you build a better website for your visitors.
Get started today with a free web design call.
