What’s Holding You Back from eCommerce Success?

Are you struggling to convert visitors to paying customers? Is your site traffic much less than you expected? Do you find yourself wondering what’s holding you back from eCommerce success? We have compiled the top 5 errors that merchants make and the ways to correct them.

Low site traffic can be attributed to numerous causes including, a lack of/poor social media presence, neglecting SEO and Google Adwords, and lacking a brand identity. If customers cannot find your store, they will not purchase from you. So, how can you resolve this?

SEO is a key component to being found online. While hiring an SEO guru may be out of your budget, there are plenty of plugins/extensions that can help you get started. Identify the keywords you believe your ideal client would type in to find you. However, you’ll want to avoid keywords that are too general and/or have a lot of competition as it will take a long time for you to achieve high rankings. Google Adwords can also help boost your rankings, but it can be costly if you are in a very competitive market.

In the wake of numerous security breaches, shoppers have become wary of sharing their credit card information. With the inability to feel safe purchasing from some of the world’s largest retailers, customers are less likely to purchase from a small/independent shop they’ve never purchased from and are unfamiliar with.  If your site is not conveying trust, it is costing you sales.

Product reviews have a huge effect on a shopper’s decision to purchase. If a product has received high reviews and has positive comments to accompany it, there is a sense of security. Also, it is reassuring for a first time buyer to see the success stories of other shoppers. Encourage your customers to leave reviews by sending them a follow up email shortly after their order has been delivered. If merely asking for reviews isn’t working for you, incentivize your customers with coupons or a free gift with next purchase.

With new shops opening daily and the domination of marketplaces, if your site lacks a story it is blending in with the masses. There is definitely a movement of people buying into brands with key differentiators i.e. selling unique artisan goods, partnerships with charities.

Tell your story. Utilize your ‘About Us’ page to state what your company stands for or how you began your store. This makes your shop relatable to people and can influence their emotions so they are more likely to buy. Your ‘About Us’ page can also build trust. By taking the time to craft an about us page, you can share your unique story that will set you apart from the competition. You may also want to include a nod to your story by including it on the hero area of your homepage. You can hyperlink to the about us page so that visitors can read the full story.

Do your pages have a high bounce rate? You may be losing potential sales because your product description and imagery devalues your product.

You’ll want to use high quality, clean, and simple photos that highlight the product. Avoid clutter as it will come off as distracting and sloppy. It is also beneficial to provide multiple pictures to show different views of your product. If you are selling apparel/accessories, including an image of the product being worn is encouraged. As for descriptions, you’ll want to include measurements and highlight the material(s) used and key features. Your product description fills in for the fact that your shopper has most likely not seen the product in person. By providing visitors images and descriptions as attractive as your products, you should notice a positive impact on conversion.

If your abandoned cart percentage is significantly higher than the industry average of 68.07%, there are two likely reasons. Most shoppers are comparison shoppers and will go with the site where they can get the best deal. If your prices are not competitive, would-be clients will take their business elsewhere. The second major abandoned cart factor is a poor checkout process.

Speaking from experience, if an online checkout is too long, would-be customers will not check out. Your checkout process should be one page. To consolidate, remove any unnecessary fields. If you would like to capture a customer’s information for a loyalty program, give them the option to sign up at the beginning or end of checkout. If you decide to have a multiple page checkout process, you’ll want to include a progress checker so that your customers can have an idea of how long the process will take. By limiting the process to one page though, you’ll save on load time since only one page will need to load as opposed to 3 or 4 or more.

Take a good look at your data, scrutinize your conversion and abandoned cart rates. Look at your site with fresh eyes, imagine yourself as a customer visiting your store for the first time. Take the time to identify your sites strengths and weaknesses and then set out to work on the areas that need improvement. By taking the time to identify and amend your sites weak points, you will generate the traffic and conversions you deserve.