Sellers, please take note! 10 tips to increase online conversion rates

From the building blocks of the e-commerce site itself to attracting shoppers to the site, there are many ways to get shoppers to convert. Here are 10 tips that online retailers have found to help increase conversion rates in 2020:

Enhanced site search

For consumers, a robust site search that auto-populates and includes images helps shoppers find what they need faster. If the search process is seamless and easily leads them to the products they want, consumers are more likely to make a purchase.

Online tree retailer FastGrowingTrees.com implemented Searchspring’s search and autocomplete tools in early 2020. From January to mid-March, shoppers who used its search were 6.1 times more likely to convert.

Improve product details page

Improve product detail pages by adding high-quality images, detailed descriptions. Trust badges on product detail pages also give consumers confidence that they are buying from a trustworthy retailer. Retailers should also offer payment options such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Highlight customer reviews

Customer reviews give shoppers more confidence to make a purchase when they see what other shoppers are saying about a product. Obtaining and publishing reviews on your product pages has proven to be a very effective technique for increasing conversions. For example, after four consumers left reviews on a product, that product saw a 775% increase in conversions , while another product saw a 500% increase in conversions after receiving two reviews.

Checkout Rewards

Incentives and benefits, such as free shipping or a free gift with purchase, can motivate shoppers to commit to checkout. Frontier Blades has a free shipping banner on every page to encourage shoppers to complete their purchase, says CEO Bill Joseph. By improving your product pages, you can put your business in the best position to not only get more traffic from search, but also turn that traffic into conversions.

Returns are important

When it comes to returns, half of shoppers want to see simple and clear return policies, according to a February survey of 1,047 online shoppers by Digital Commerce 360 ​​and Bizrate Insights. The study showed that 63% of shoppers want a risk-free shopping experience, which means having the option to return items for free. Among Digital Commerce 360 ​​Top 1,000 merchants, 29% of retailers have such policies.

Don’t Leave Out International Shoppers

Adding multiple languages ​​and currencies will enable international shoppers to buy. Online-only watch brand Vincero Watches has launched country-specific versions of its website using technology from global e-commerce supplier Global-e Online Ltd.

Four months after the country-specific pages went live in spring 2020, co-founder Aaron Hallerman said international conversions jumped 31%, along with a significant jump in foreign orders from its key non-U.S. markets.

Testing new elements

When adding new features to your e-commerce site — whether it’s a new landing page, different navigation, or more visual elements — plan to A/B test those features to find out which ones convert shoppers the most.

Rather than just make changes and hope for the best, cookware retailer Made In Cookware uses personalization vendor Surefoot to A/B test web design changes to ensure they improve the site experience. Co-founder Chip Malt says that in tests using videos on its product pages, 30.9% of shoppers who had the option to watch a video watched it 100%. Additionally, consumers who watched a video were 26% more likely to add the item to their cart.

Investing in key technologies

Invest in the technology that best suits your e-commerce website, like augmented reality features, a new e-commerce platform, 3D imagery, or other capabilities.

Home Depot launched augmented reality features in its app and mobile web about four to six months before the pandemic hit the U.S. in mid-March. Home Depot developed the technology in-house. Justin Burleigh, vice president of e-commerce and connected experiences, said two-thirds of its online traffic comes from mobile shoppers, so it made sense to invest and launch a feature that serves consumers where they are — on their smartphones.

But the proof is in the conversions: Consumers who use Home Depot’s augmented reality feature typically convert at two to three times higher rates than those who don’t use it, the retailer said .

Reach the right shoppers at the right time

Digital marketing is key to attracting shoppers. Especially during the COVID-19 period and beyond, it is not just brands that promote products and sales, but also helps shoppers connect with retailers. In addition, social media channels such as Instagram are becoming drivers for boosting online sales, but email is still king.

Athletic apparel retailer lululemon Sporta Inc. has increased its investments in digital marketing, enabling it to boost conversion rates, strength and online sales. As a result, e-commerce accounted for 43% of total revenue, according to earnings for the fiscal third quarter ended November 1, 2020.

Lululemon credits some of its digital marketing boost to its email education campaigns, which mirror its workout programs, which have generated about $150 million in shoppers’ revenue since it acquired it in June 2020. The retailer isn’t alone in this view: 76% of digital marketers say email is the most effective marketing tactic, with social media a close second at 61%.

Beyond direct-to-consumer websites

Many online retailers are starting or are expanding into online marketplaces. When retailers and brands sell on marketplaces, such as those operated by Amazon.com Inc. or eBay Inc., they don’t always have control over key assets that can influence conversion rates, such as site searches or email marketing. However, marketplace sellers can improve product page details, such as titles, images and descriptions.

For Jane, an online clothing marketplace , encouraging its sellers to offer free shipping increased conversion rates. The average conversion rate on Jane.com in 2020 was 4.49%. When the marketplace offered free shipping sitewide in the fall, when all sellers did not charge shipping on orders, conversion rates grew to 6.05%. The marketplace offered similar promotions in other seasons and saw similar results: conversion rates as high as 5.79% in the spring and 5.50% in the summer.

Seller

Online conversion

Shopping Experience