Discover 5 crucial elements every ecommerce website must have to not miss out on sales!
Are you losing sales without realising?
When a prospective customer lands on your ecommerce site they’re not just looking at your products. They’re getting a feel for your brand and assessing whether or not you’re a trustworthy site to buy from. In this instant, a snap decision is made whether to scroll down, click on a menu option, or go back to the search results and look at another online store.
Think about your own online shopping experiences. Have you ever clicked on a website, only to be turned off because something wasn’t quite right?
This guide outlines 5 simple things you can do on your ecommerce website to stop losing sales – and help your customers feel they can trust you enough to share their payment information.
- Compelling Headline or Tagline
- Clear visual of your ‘benefits’
- Trust signals and payment icons
- Shipping and returns information
- Clear, organised website footer
1. Compelling headline or tagline
You’ve probably got a big feature image across your home page,
right? Do you also have an enticing headline on that image?
The header image is arguably THE prime piece of real estate on your
ecommerce site when it comes to engaging your customer. An
enticing image is a must have – but don’t forget to back it up with
some compelling text.
2. Clear visual of your ‘benefits’
Just as they do in ‘real life’, online shoppers comparison shop too.
What are the benefits of buying from your store? What are the
benefits your competitors offer, that you could also consider?
Some examples:
- Same day despatch
- Free shipping or free shipping over $X
- Afterpay / Zippay
- Express post
- Free returns / Easy returns
- Australian owned and operated
- Warranty period
3. Trust Signals
a) Reviews and testimonials
Positive reviews are highly likely to influence a buying decision.
Reviews can be posted to your product page, on external review
websites, on social media, and can be shown on Google search
engine results pages.
b) Communication and contact details
Despite the fact they’re shopping in cyberspace, customers still like
to know there’s a human element to their shopping experience.
Having contact details clearly displayed with a phone number, social
feed, and evidence of timely responses to customer enquiries will go
a long way when it comes to earning trust.
c) Third-party badges and certifications
Images of familiar payment methods and payment icons can both
consciously and subconsciously inspire trust in customers.
4. Shipping and Returns Information
Do you have a page with your shipping and return policy clearly
outlined?
Some of the major pain points of an ecommerce customer:
- How much extra on top of the purchase will they have to pay for
shipping - How long will it take (because really, they want it now)
- Can the product be returned
A separate page/pages on your website addressing these concerns
is essential.
5. Footer with relevant, useful information
The footer is a great place to consolidate your necessary but not-so-interesting
information, some of which we’ve covered in this guide.
While the top of your webpages are crucial for attracting attention
from customers and getting them to scroll down and look at your
products, the bottom, or ‘footer’ is just as important. Customer
service links (payment, returns, shipping) trust icons, and contact
information are all essential inclusions for this part of your website.
More Useful Tips
Here’s a few more useful tips to help you improve your
ecommerce store:
- Ask someone else to look at your website. Can they tell what
you sell in 3 seconds or less? - Purchase a SSL Certificate through your web hosting company
if you don’t already have one, and ensure it is correctly installed –
ask for help from your web developer if you need it - Do a ‘dummy’ sale and assess your own checkout process. Is it
simple and intuitive? Or does it include too many steps? What
messages do you receive throughout the checkout and despatch
process and are they helpful? - Make it a standard part of your sales process to email
customers 1-2 weeks after their purchase to thank them for their
purchase and request a product review - Audit one of your competitors. What’s their website navigation
like? What social accounts do they have? Do they write a regular
blog? Do they offer a discount for opting-in to their email
newsletter? What can you adjust on your website to better
compete with them?
I hope you’ve gained some helpful information from this guide
that you can implement in your ecommerce store.