Is it time your online shop had a revamp?
A makeover could make a huge difference to your conversions. After all, you put a lot of effort into getting people to your shop, it makes sense to encourage people to buy once they arrive.
So what are the most important things to revamp? Read on…
What’s above the fold?
‘Above the fold’ is the part of a webpage that the visitor sees without having to scroll down. It’s the first screen someone sees when they land on your website, which is why it’s crucial to get it right.
Everything that’s above the fold is what will determine whether or not someone will decide to stay on your site, so what should go above the fold?
Most successful e-commerce stores put their most popular products on the front page, as well as any particularly good deals.
Make sure your USP (unique selling point) is clearly visible on the front page as well. (You can find out more about USPs in this post)
If you have a user login system, another strategy is to use their recent purchases to determine what else they might be interested in.
Reduce the number of steps to checkout
The fewer steps someone needs to take to get to the checkout process, the better.
Instead of making someone fill out a lengthy registration process, make it as short as possible. Make it optional. Some of the most successful websites only have a two-field registration process: the email and the password. Everything else is just pulled from the credit card entry process.
Make sure your ‘Add to Cart’ buttons are clearly visible on every page. On every step of the purchase process, it should be crystal clear to the reader exactly what the next step is.
Increase trust
Trust is often the most important factor for determining whether or not someone buys. Certain colours like blue tend to work best to increase trust. It does make a difference what industry you’re targeting and what the visitors’ age range is, however.
If your site’s design and branding looks professional, visitors will be more likely to buy.
Adding features and products
Ask your customers what they want to see more of. Is there a product line they want you to carry? Is there an improvement or a feature they want added to your site?
Although website owners are often very intuitively aware of what their users want, they can’t always come up with the perfect solutions for their customers on their own. User feedback is critical to building a great business.
In short, start your design with the above the fold impression. Make sure it creates a sense of safety and trust, as well as conveys why your site is special. Put your best products up front. Reduce the steps to checkout and make the process as streamlined as possible. Finally, continually ask your users for feedback, feature suggestions and product requests.
If you’re just about to start your own online shop (rather than being ready for a revamp!) you might like to get yourself a copy of my e-book, Start Your Own Online Shop.
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net