U.S. Consumers to Spend $327 Billion Online in 2016
That’s true, according to research carried out by Forrester, it’s been estimated that by 2016 US consumers would spend approximately $327 billion online. So get ready for the immense opportunity that’s heading your way and grab them by optimizing your eCommerce website. Well, if you haven’t built an eStore yet, now is the time. Register a domain name today and take the first step of being an entrepreneur.
Let’s consider certain factors that can boost visitor experience and help you boost success from your eCommerce store.
MAKE BEST USE OF THE HOME PAGE and HELP VISITORS TO REACH INTERNAL PAGES EASILY
User engagement is one of the primary objectives of any website. And when it’s in relation to an eCommerce store that sells products, services, etc. it becomes crucial for you to retain the visitor’s interest in your website till the end. A number of sites fail to understand this and it becomes difficult for a visitor to find the product(s) that a site sells, with enough ease.
Therefore it is important to have the product/service pages close to the surface of the landing pages in a way that visitors can reach them with minimum clicks. Ideally, the pages should be just two to three clicks away.
Make the best use of your index page by highlighting the best products/services that you have in your store to offer. Get a smooth hassle-free navigation structure which leads a consumer to the buying process with minimum effort.
VISITORS PERCEIVE BY WHAT YOU WRITE
One of the drawbacks of having an online store is that the visitors cannot see you personally in the first instance. So, all that you’ve got is the information that you’ve put on the website for them to read. This is the first interaction that the visitor has with your business. So it is crucial to share enough information about you and your products or services for people to know about.
You must try to include the best facts which can help you gain the trust of the prospects. Clear product specifications, customer testimonials, images, pictures, videos, etc. would not just help you engage the visitor but also help you get closer to building trust in the eyes of a visitor.
Reiki the mind of the prospects and describe everything that they would want to read over a webpage. If you are able to portray even 70% of the objectives of the visitor’s purpose of visiting your site, there’d be better chances that the visitor would go deeper into details hence increasing your scope for a sale.
IMAGES SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
This is greatly applicable in terms of an eStore. Having the right images that best describe the product/service listed over a particular can convert a prospect into a buyer to a great extent. The same goes well if this is reversed. So be very specific about the kind of image, its color, and size that you add to a webpage.
Let’s say, if you have an eStore that sells artifacts, having multiple pictures of the product can increase the trust of your prospect. Give them the option to view a bigger version of the image. Today we are in a world where we have multiple technologies that would even allow you to show a 3D image of the product. Using such a thing helps visitors to sneak up into reality over the digital world.
PRICE
Similar to any other information that you display on your product page, getting the price clearly displayed is an important factor as well. Usually, if the price at which you are offering a particular product/service isn’t the cheapest in the industry, it’s a good practice to list the price right after the list of features.
It’s important for you to tell the visitor about how much they get for the price that they pay. Furthermore, you may offer a money-back guarantee too; this adds to the level of trust and helps you ensure a sale. If you are running a limited-period discount campaign of any sort over your website, make sure that you keep the default price plus display the discounted price for people to easily differentiate between the price differences and help them further understand the amount that they’d be saving.
SHIPPING EXPENSES
If shipping is one of the aspects of your website for delivering the products to the customers, make sure that you have a tie-up with a popular service provider. Also, make sure to list the price for delivery of the package.
We can find a number of eCommerce websites over the web who doesn’t display the amount that a prospect would have to pay until they reach the last stage of the order process.
Having such a thing on a website usually frustrates a visitor due to which there are more chances that s/he would never return to your site again. If you can bear the expense of delivery then do it, but don’t forget to highlight it on your website. This is one of the key factors that drive the interest of a visitor.
BONUS
Since the revolutionary technological changes in the segment of handheld devices, it’s estimated that nearly 70% of shoppers use their smartphones to get information about a product while shopping in a store. So try and get a mobile version of your website developed for prospects who might land in via. handheld devices. This would be a major plus which can ensure a sales opportunity.