The role of technology in our lives has been massive. Consumers these days are very hands-on with the digital world. They are also getting increasingly used to going online for everyday routine purchases. This new consumer behavior has had quite a direct impact on brick and mortar stores.
According to the US Commerce Department, online digital retail purchases had an impressive growth in the year 2017, with an increase of almost 16% growth compared to 2016.
In the present era’s fast-paced world of e-commerce, a properly working website is an essential element that can make or break an online business. Your website is the digital face of your business; the key to the success of your brand and the satisfaction of your customer.
Constantly changing customer behavior is a challenge for all online businesses. This continuous behavior of consumers can only be met by optimizing online existence. When we speak of optimization, let us make it clear that there are two major aspects of optimization:
- Onsite (Technical) Optimization
Onsite optimization refers to factors like page speed, code optimization, image compression, etc. It is the practice of optimizing technical elements on a website with the aim to rank higher and earn more traffic. On-site SEO includes both the content and HTML source code of a page. - Conversion Rate Optimization
CRO optimization is the process of finding out why the users visiting your website are not taking the desired action(s) and creating effective solutions to achieve a higher conversion rate. CRO optimizations techniques include call-to-actions, deals and discounts, catchy content, and other factors that create an attraction for your website visitors.
Characteristics of a Fully Optimized E-Commerce Website
Onsite Optimization Techniques
Let us first discuss Onsite Optimization techniques that are used by well optimized ecommerce websites:
Flawless Checkout Process
It’s vital to make the checkout process as easy and intuitive as possible. The role and positioning of CTA (Call to Action) is significant. Place the CTA on the top of the screen in the conversion path to achieve maximum possible visibility.
Pull customers to the checkout page when they are going through the reading content, not just when they are in shopping mode. This becomes easy thanks to the magic of the Embeddable anywhere Buy Buttons. These buttons facilitate the shoppers to purchase directly from the e-commerce website. This impulsive habit of buying is decisive in the present competitive era of digitization.
The above beauty blog of Amala illustrates the importance of positioning strategic CTA. It also depicts the presence of buying buttons, helping visitors with swift purchasing decisions for their selected items.
Searching and Browsing Options
It is crucial to understand the mindset of your customers. Figuring out exactly what your customers want when they visit your site is the goal. Visitors come to your website in search of a particular product or service. Once they don’t find it directly, they will look to browse through other available options.
One good illustration of it is in the case of Tillys, where it displays a prominent search box on the home page.
Exit Pop-ups
One way of optimizing your e-commerce website and improving sales on your web is by adding an exit group. This allows you to add promotional offers such as freebies and discounts. It can help on two fronts. One, it helps to increase engagement on the website and second, it helps to reduce the cart abandonment rate.
Conversion Rate Optimization Techniques
Now let us move on to discuss some of the CRO techniques that a well optimized ecommerce website employs.
First Impression
If you want to make a sale, then make your first impression perfect. The first impression can last for years. It normally takes around 50 milliseconds for visitors to decide if they like your selection or not. Creativity holds the key in this situation.
Noble Isle, for example, sells luxurious bath products. The rich color palette and the design employed give off a sense of lavishness without actually being over the top.
High Resolution Photos
High resolution photos coupled with great web design are the two essential ingredients you should focus on if you want to capture the mind and eyes of your visitors. Remember, if it's just words, people will only retain 10-20% of the information they read. But, if you combine the text with a relevant image, they are likely to remember 75% of the information!
Free People is the perfect example. They have eye-catching cool and modern product photos. They would normally have a lot of offers and products grouped by various categories. The business make sure pictures are constantly changed to give a new vibe every time a visitor sees it.
Deals & Freebies
People are always looking for ways to save a dollar. People work hard for their money and are normally busy so they also don’t want to waste a lot of time shopping around. The masses are always attracted to a discount or promo of some kind. These kinds of gestures pay off in the long run with repeated sales from the customers who appreciate these kinds of regular deals.
The above example shows the homepage of TemplateMonster, where the first thing you’ll see is the discount they’re offering. It is sure to excite visitors and probably even retain them.
Updating the Latest Trends
A popular trend has been in the upsurge. It is to entice visitors with live video sessions where the customers are able to express their desires and the business is able to come up with a product or service that matches that wish list, resulting in gaining lifetime loyal customers.
One example of it is at Sophie and Trey, where the customers can directly interact with the specialist and can easily convey their requirements, making it extremely easy for both the customers, and the business to come up with a win-win situation.
Thorough Description of Product
Customers always prefer products that are available for sale with a complete, detailed set of specifications. It facilitates the visitors in making the correct call regarding the purchase of a particular product or service. All elements of ambiguity are nullified once there is a thorough description of the item.
The above example of White Duck Outdoors portrays how comprehensively the product’s specifications are mentioned. It helps customers in making the correct choice. Once the customer gets exactly what they are looking for, it helps in creating greater levels of customer satisfaction. The more details you can include, the better chance your visitor will become a customer.
Option of Adding Reviews
A majority of customers like to go through the review section of the specific product they are looking to purchase. This gives them a kind of second opinion of their liked product. If many others have had a good experience with a product, it is easier for a new buyer to trust the product quality and reputation of the seller. This is one trick that has helped Amazon enormously in winning the majority of the sales in their segment.
Following is the snapshot of Amazon Echo on Amazon. Nearly 30,000 people have purchased it and have given a positive rating.
Thank You Page
When customers leave your page, they should be thanked for their precious time, the way Cloud Ways does in the below example. The Thank You page is significant because visitors like it as a form of personal greeting. Numerous studies have indicated that a thank you page increases the chances of sales. These pages are also helpful in tracking the journey of buyers in Facebook Pixels and Google Analytics.
As we explained above, many established businesses such as Best Buy, Amazon, and Wayfair are thriving in the fast moving age of digital commerce. Smaller brands that are following them are also becoming successful. It is surprising indeed, that even in today’s world, there are numerous online businesses not focusing much on their respective e-commerce websites. Don’t be one of them; keep track of your optimization and also keep a constant eye on your consumers’ behaviors. Good luck!
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