The holidays are right around the corner, and it’s essential that your e-commerce store is sharper than the pine needles on your Christmas tree. Let’s take a deep dive into five vital tactics you need to implement today to make sure your traffic is converting at a higher rate.
One of the most common reasons for having a low conversion rate is that customers are not interested in what they see when they land on your website or, even worse, they can’t find the information they need to make an informed purchase. Our goal as the seller is to ensure that the buying process is communicated clearly from start to finish.
As marketing expert Neil Patel puts it, conversion optimization is about one big thing: more revenue!
So grab your eggnog and Christmas cookies, and get ready for “the most wonderful time of the year (to be an e-com entrepreneur)!”
TWEAK YOUR CTA COPY
Dr. Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, analyzed the American Cancer Society’s donations process. In his research, he was able to find that by making one small change to the CTA copy, they doubled the number of donations they received.
The original copy was as follows:
“Would you be willing to help by giving a donation?”
Dr. Cialdini added to the original copy:
“Would you be willing to help by giving a donation? Every penny will help.“
This simple addition DOUBLED the charity’s conversion rates, jumping from a 28% donation rate of the former to an even 50% conversion rate on the latter!
Why was this change so effective?
The psychology behind this lies in the simplicity of the action. If you give someone a small step to take paired with explaining just how simple it is, people become more inclined to take action.
If you want someone to take action on your free guide, up-sell opportunity, or quick consultation call, tell them just how simple the action is!
Take this example:
Instead of saying, “Access the free guide now!” try phrasing this point as, “Access the free guide now! It only takes 5 seconds.”
THE 2.5 SECOND RULE
This tip is simple. Next time you seek to fix your website, ask yourself the following:
“Within 2.5 seconds, does my website tell customers who I am, what I do, how to contact me, and how to move to the next step?”
Have your friends and family visit your website for the first time—it never hurts to have a different set of eyes take a look. Before they look at it, ask them to keep these four questions in mind. Tell them to be honest with you, and if they don’t have the answer in 2.5 seconds, you need to make changes accordingly.
LESS IS MORE
Your website should consist of more “wow phrases” rather than tidal waves of information.
“Wow phrases” should all have one main element in common: What makes your product different?
It’s essential to provide a host of information about your product, but you need first to capture the visitor’s attention. A great tip for improving this aspect of your site would be to research brands that are notorious for having mint websites and product pages. Here are a few examples.
TRUST BADGES AND SOCIAL PROOF
This tip should go without saying: If you want to close a deal, the customer needs to trust you.
Highlight what people are saying about your company and the products you’re offering. Have you won any awards? Have your products been featured on any significant networks or publications? Didn’t Susan from Oklahoma give your product a 5-Star review last week? Let your customers know they’re not alone if they buy your product!
TRY COMBINING REWARDS WITH URGENCY
Integrating count down timers with discount codes are a winning formula. Period.
Instead of having both:
“Your order is reserved for 15 minutes!” and “Use code ‘SAVE10’ for 10% off your order!” living separately on your product page; try combining the two:
“Use code ‘SAVE10’ within the next 15 minutes to receive 10% off your order!”
Combining these two useful conversion features makes for one excellent conversion feature.