In the real world of sales we know that it isn’t easy selling products online. In fact, there is a lot that needs to be spot on to optimize your sales
Everyone seems to think that selling products online is easy, it’s like all you have to do is put up a blurry photo and a one-line description and items will practically fly out of the stock room. Of course, back in the real world of sales, we know this isn’t the case. In fact, there is a lot that needs to be spot on to optimize your sales and shift as many units a day as you can, and that means that there is a fair bit that can go wrong as well. A topic you can find out all about by reading the post below.
Low traffic rates
Just like when a traditional shop doesn’t have enough people walking by and popping in if no one online knows about your product you won’t get enough traffic to make your sales targets. Luckily, this is something that can quickly be rectified by improving your marketing tactics.
In particular, there are online strategies that can work to drive traffic to your site, providing you with more opportunities to convert into actual sales. To increase traffic, first of all, remember to have your search engine marketing and search engine optimization (SEM and SEO) on point.
These two methods of marketing with SE in the title, of course, relate to how well your brand and product show up in search engine results. SEO is about optimizing your onsite and offsite tags, titles, and keywords to ensure that your product is the first to come up within the natural searches.
SEM, on the other hand, is concerned with the directly paid advertising that will place your company’s banner above the natural results. Something that can provide you with another added advantage and the possibility of securing more traffic to your site.
Low conversion rate
Sadly, though, increasing the traffic to your site will not, on its own, increase your sales, because it is entirely possible to have a website that has many hits, but where visitors navigate away without making a purchase. This type of situation is known as having a low conversion rate, and there is a multitude of factors that could be causing it that we will deal with the individual in the sections below.
Payment problems
First of all, consider the payment options that you are offering your customers. Are they secure and trustworthy, and are you making it clear to the customer that this is the case? After all, hardly a week goes by when there is not some hacking scandal where people’s payment information has been leaked online, and so consumers are very security conscious these days. Therefore if their fears about this type of problem are not allayed, then they may well choose to navigate away from your site and buy from a comparator that can assure them, instead.
However, this is not the only problem that you may run into regarding payment on your website that could be causing visitors to navigate away. In fact, many people now are becoming so used to be able to pay instantly that the thought of entering in their credit or debit card details can put them off.
Happily, this is easily solved by offering options such as Apple Pay or PayPal, which allows fast transactions as well as an added layer of security. Something that can help customers to maintain their buying momentum and ensure they go through with the purchase.
Slow delivery
Next, it may not be anything to do with your payment options that is causing a poor conversion rate. Instead, it could be the delivery and stock check options that you are offering. Once again customers are becoming used to a more immediately accessible product with next day delivery and even same day delivery and pick up being offered by retail giants such as Argos and Amazon. What this can mean for your business is that if you only provide a slow delivery service that takes from 3-7 days or longer, potential customers will look to another provider that can offer them a quicker service, something that will result in you losing the conversion.
Therefore wherever possible try to provide a fast delivery option, even if it is at a small premium as this is something that can encourage buyers to click through and make that purchase, rather than go elsewhere.
Photos
I bet you’ve seen those hilarious offerings on eBay that consist of one blurry photo, and thought that person has not a hope in hell of selling that product. Well, the same thinking applies to your website!
Yes, that is right good quality photos that show the product in its best and most realistic light, as well as the size of the item, and any additional features are essential. Of course, unless you have time to take a professional photography course, want to invest in a lightbox and a DSLR you may be at a loss as to how to achieve this.
There is no need to worry though because some product photography companies offer a service where you post them your items, and they take the images for you and then return them. They can even provide photoshop retouches and other sorts of services like detailed close-ups and spot-on color matching to ensure your website image are the best possible and encourage a much better conversion rate. After all, when buying things online, the pictures are the only way your customer’s get to see the items before they decide to part with their money.
Site
Tragically, it may be you actual website that is letting you down and causing your poor conversion rate. In fact, a poorly constructed site can be disastrous to even the best product because it makes you look anything but professional.
Also, it may be the design of your site is frustrating and preventing visitors from finding the products and information that they need to make their purchase. Something that will inevitably cause them to navigate to your nearest competitor, rather than part with their hard earned money.
When rejigging your site, it’s important to consider two main factors. The first is the user experience (UX) which deals with the way the visitors experience your site and whether they find it helpful, easy to navigate, and entertaining.
The second part to this equation is the user interface or UI. UI is related more to the visual side of things on your site and the way that the visitors interact with these to achieve what they are trying to do.
Of course, both these aspects of website design are areas you can read more about on the internet. However, you shouldn’t be afraid to recruit in some professional help to assist you in improving your site to the point where it is no longer hemorrhaging conversations either.
Descriptions
Products descriptions are straightforward, right? It’s just a few lines about what the item does? Well, it’s not quite as simple as that. In fact, a product description is more than just an objective statement of facts, although it does need to have that essential information in there too.
However, it also needs to be written in the right tone for your brand, and it needs to be clear and split up in a way that doesn’t put off potential buyers. What this means is that if you don’t have a lot of product description writing experience, it can be better to get some advice from a professional in the field.
Don’t forget either that the keywords in your description will also affect your SEO. Which, in turn, will affect your traffic and so that needs to be taken into consideration as well. See, those product descriptions aren’t as simple as they first appear, are they?
Reviews
Lastly, people may be navigating to your site, only to click away again without buying your products, because of the reviews and testimonials that you are displaying, or that they are finding elsewhere online.
Yes, potential customer read testimonials and over 50% always check the reviews on something before they click ‘buy.’ Therefore, it is vital that you show yourself to be reliable with customer service, delivery time, product description, and product quality.
Of course, no company will have 100% positive feedback online, but there are many ways that you can boost your reviews. One such method is to invest heavily in customer service, both regarding people and technology. Then, if a customer does have a problem, they can contact you quickly and easily over a variety of platforms, and you will have enough people to resolve these queries promptly and efficiently, something that is known to drive customer service ratings up and improve reviews.
In addition to this, it is vital that you ensure that the promises that are being made to your customers genuinely happen. In fact, where possible it’s always better to promise slightly less than you can deliver, and exceed your custom expectations. Then this will lead to stellar reviews, that in turn can help convince those people that are visiting your site to go ahead and make their purchase.
