86 Ways to Increase Conversion: Part 4 – Reedge – Onsite Behavioral Targeting Software as a Service. Saas for Online Marketing, Content Targeting, Site Targeting, A/B Testing, Multivariate Testing, Geotargeting, Usability Testing, Web Analytics, Convers

This is part on four of six posts that will tell our experience in conversion improvement.  As more and more consumers shop online and rely on Web-based transactions to manage their busy lives, it is imperative that websites to do a better job of servicing their users and helping them find what they are looking for as quickly and easily as possible.

For website operators, this means that conversion ratio is one of the main factors that determines a site’s success. Since online consumers don’t have the ability to try out a product, interact with the staff or get to know a store’s reputation over time, the site’s content, design and user interface must work together to successfully guide a visitor through the transaction process.

The eight posts will describe the following focus areas:

Policies

Policies are for your protection and stating them transparently helps make your position crystal-clear to your customer, while letting them know exactly where they stand.

Tip 18.    Return policy

Be as transparent as possible and always define your return policy.

Tip 19.    Money-back

If you have a money-back policy in place, make sure to promote it and clearly state the terms and conditions that apply.

Tip 20.    Manufacturer warranty

If you are selling products that are covered under a manufacturer’s warranty, make sure to state the policy and give out relevant geographical information for the manufacturer on the order form.

Tip 21.    Copyright

It is important to have a current copyright statement page on your website. Update your copyright statements every year so your visitors know that the site is current and monitored regularly.

Tip 22.    Privacy

Ensuring the privacy of your customers and protecting the information they submit is especially important. Create a clearly written privacy policy to convince your visitors that their privacy is protected.

Checkout

Checkout is the most important aspect of any transactional website and paying attention to the details can help you build a reputable and sustainable business.

Tip 23.    Checkout

This is one of the most important aspects of any transactional website. The checkout process itself should be as simple, usable, intuitive and reassuring as possible. The conversion rate can be made or lost here and losing someone at this point in the process would be a critical loss.

Tip 24.    Repetition

Don’t ask customers for repetitive information. Once you have asked for the name, address or email, make sure that it appears across the session to that customers. If a customer needs to type the details again, they may find it cumbersome and simply abandon the process.

Tip 25.    Information copying

If the same information is required twice in the checkout process, make sure that a client can copy it instead of entering it again. For example, if a customer has the same billing address and the shipping address, have an option to use the same information.

Tip 26.    Distractions

In the checkout process, it is important to remove any distractions so the customer can focus exclusively on the transaction process. The navigation menu and any moving graphics should be avoided in this area.

Tip 27.    Step indicator

Always make sure that the checkout process is indicated in steps to the customer. Provide a checkout process indicator. If the checkout process has 3 steps, indicate what step they are on and how many steps there are in total to complete.

Tip 28.    Information

Clearly identify what information in your checkout process is required to avoid future confusions and delays.

Tip 29.    Error Messages

In the event that you are using error messaging, make them friendly and easy to understand. No “INCORRECT USER INPUT IN PHONE FIELD!” messages. Instead, try “Please enter your telephone number.”

Tip 30.    Error Areas

In case the checkout error messages occurs on a page other than the page with the errors, preserve the information that the user has already input instead of asking them to enter it again.

Tip 31.    Pricing

Make sure that you clearly display your prices and shipping charges and tax BEFORE the checkout process is completed.

Tip 32.    Confusion

Do not display complex formulas for shipping prices that will confuse the client. Just calculate the price and show it to them in a definitive manner.

Tip 33.    Free shipping

Consider making shipping free, if your business can afford it. You conversion will improve remarkably if you are able to offer this advantage.

Tip 34.    Simple

Always keep the checkout process simple with as few clicks as possible. The more pages you add between the sales page and checkout, the more risky your sales process becomes.

Tip 35.    Stock

Display the stock status of your items and do so BEFORE the user puts the item in their cart. This is to make sure that the user does not make it all the way to the end of the process, only to find out that the order can not be fulfilled.

Tip 36.    Products

If you have products that you do not sell anymore on your site, remove them. This can be demotivating for users who are interested in the products that you don’t sell.

Tip 37.    Reaffirm

Always restate the offer and guarantee/warranty on the order forms. Shopping cart abandonment is always an issue. Do your best to curb this by displaying the offer again on the order form.

Tip 38.    Delivery time

Always estimate the delivery time and make sure you convey this to the customer. It is always useful if you add a margin to the delivery time. It is better to deliver before the time than to deliver afterwards.

Tip 39.    Delivery method

make sure to mention the delivery methods available and provide a reference number and tracking information for the client to follow up with.

Tip 40.    Payment methods

Since the Internet is a global marketplace, it is important to make sure that you have as many payment methods available as possible. Make sure that you display all of these methods clearly in the checkout process.

Tip 41.    Payment flexibility

Offer different payment options such as three payments or even a “try before you buy” offer (have them pay shipping upfront and the rest in 30 days). Innovation is the name of the game.

Want All 86 Tips at Once?

If you cannot wait for the rest of the posts on the rest of the 76 tips. Download the whitepaper with 86 Conversion Improvement Tips for Free here.

Tip

via reedge.com

Leave a comment

A WordPress.com Website.

Up ↑