11 Ways To Improve Ecommerce Conversion Rates

Having a large number of products for sale and being able to optimize the user experience and sales conversions can be quite the undertaking.
We are going to break down 11 key areas that you can look to begin testing to improve e-commerce conversion rate.

After thousands of split tests here are the top 11 things you can do to increase your e-commerce conversion rate.

1. Product images:
Make sure you have high quality images of the products, in this case more is definitely better. Include multiple angles and make sure they are zoomable. A nice little option is to offer a 360 degree viewing option as well. Customers like to know exactly what they are buying and images allow them to see exactly what it is.
2. Product copy:
This adds to the fact that customers want to know what they are buying. Make sure you have a full description of the product. Don’t lead with the features of the products, instead turn them into benefits. There is no hype needed here, just use plenty of good info. If you have a comparison chart of some kind that shows the benefits, use them. If your product is more technical in nature such as software or hardware, show the technical specs but don’t be too technical, write it as if someone has no idea what they are looking at.
3. Video
Video is a highly under utilized tool when it comes to e-commerce stores. Use this to your advantage to not only highlight your product but also set yourself apart from the competition. You can do this in a couple ways. Use a demo of the product in action or simply someone opening the package and talking about to get a feel for the product in action. Be creative.
4. Offer free shipping:
Nobody likes paying for shipping, it has been proven in loads of tests. So offer free shipping if you can and be sure to highlight that in every step of your sales process. If you have to charge for shipping, do a minimum of $25 or $50 to qualify. Have notes in your cart that state: “You are just $20 away for qualifying for free shipping. Continue shopping to get the most out of your visit.” Include a button to continue shopping. If offering free shipping simply isn’t an option, try moving your shipping amount until the last step of the checkout process, this way the visitor is already committed to the purchase before revealing the shipping costs.
Another great option is to offer “upgraded” shipping. Next day or two day shipping options upon checkout. This is a great way to increase the order and make customers happier because they get their product faster.
And onto number 5 on our list of ways to increase e-commerce conversion rate.
5. Clearance, best-sellers, and sale sections
Online shoppers LOVE shopping for deals about the same as they hit the clearance racks at retail stores. Make sure you highlight this in your menu. We have found that just adding the best-sellers link and changing the color to stand out more in the menu can increase conversions up to 30%.
6. Order pages
Don’t ask for too much information in the order process to reduce abandons. Allow visitors to checkout as guests. Don’t force them to register for an account. If you must create an account then blend it in with the checkout process (don’t make it a separate step). Offer an incentive for creating the account (eg. 10% off your next order).
Add trust and security seals to bring a level of trust in the order up. Highlight guarantees if you have them. Utilize video to bring another level of credibility and tell them what to do next, how to get in touch with support and what they can expect.
Leverage live chat to handle objections or questions. If you have a multi step process, make sure you capture emails in the first step of the order process to reduce abandons by being able to email them a bounce sequence.
Use exit warnings or exit pops to save the sale and also reduce abandons. Save the user information in the cart so they don’t have to refill the cart when they come back. This works particularly well if you have an abandon cart sequence and will most definitely increase your e-commerce conversion rate.
7. Highlight contact information
If you have a relatively unknown store the credibility and trust might not be there. To remedy this, be sure to highlight your contact information clearly within the header or other places that are visible. Avoid keeping it in the footer as not many really look there.
8. Progress bars
Don’t underestimate the power of a progress bar. Visitors want to know where they are in the process.
9. Objections
Highlight frequently asked questions or any other objections someone may have in the decision to buy from you or not. Things like… “Can I return it if it doesn’t fit?” and “How fast will my order ship?” Handle these on the product page to eliminate any questions in the buying process.
10. Don’t limit how to pay
Make sure you offer multiple payment options such as all 4 major credit cards. The cost of accepting american express will be far out-weighed by the increase in conversions.
The more options you give the better chances you have of getting the sale and increasing your e-commerce conversion rate.
11. Special “buy more stuff” discount
This is an extremely powerful technique. Give customers, immediately upon ordering, a chance to come back and buy more stuff and get a discount. Make sure the discount expires within 7, 10, 14 days. Treat it as a mini sales promotion. “Thanks for being a new customer. As a way to show our appreciation, we would like to offer you a special new customer discount.” You can use coupon codes, or if you have the ability, add a credit to their account to use on their purchase. You can also followup with new customers via phone to give them the special offer. PLUS calling customers reduces refunds and brings crazy credibility and trust to your company.
These are just a few ideas that we have found move the needle on e-commerce conversion rate. There are of course more which we will highlight in an upcoming post.
Try them out and see what they can do for you and your business.
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