It’s surprising that even with a huge chunk of retail businesses taking advantages of global exposure and ease of the internet, very few of them actually invest in E-commerce conversion rate strategies. A bulk of the online marketing strategies include intensive social media marketing, use of related keywords, strategic ad placement, etc – however very little energy, focus or budget is allocated to boost actual shopping cart conversion rate.

There are many factors which affect a customer’s decision when they’re on an E-commerce website, and a large portion of it depends on how personalized the experience is, along with proper product placement, relevant and accessible information as well as a clear reflection of what sets a business apart from others in the market.

Tailor the customer experience in E-commerce

Imagine walking into a physical location of a store – each individual customer will inevitably wander towards a specific product that catches his or her eye, and the purchasing decision depends upon how the store manages to customize their experience by directing them towards other related products and relevant deals. Now the idea is to offer the same experience to a web visitor based on geo-location, area-specific deals, product marketing, visit time and device compatibility incase of mobile websites.

First time customers are most likely looking to gather more information about the site before making a purchase, and so it’s important to have all relevant information clearly on strategic areas and under appropriate menu items. Returning customers who’ve never made a purchase may be inspired to make a purchase by being offered a discount or other practical perks.

Good product copy

A good product description is a key to ensure that a customer makes a purchase from your website. If the information is incomplete or badly written, they’re likely to buy it from another website which gives them a comprehensive idea about what they’re investing in . A detailed description of key features along with a comparison table for related products goes a long way.

Quality product photos

Since customers are unable to physically examine a product before purchasing online, it’s important to offer them the next best – excellent product photos from every angle and the ability to zoom in to observe and gauge the quality and details of a product. Along with good copy, proper product photos help in establishing reliability and converts sporadic visitors into loyal customers.

Tackle shopping cart abandonment

Just because a customer added a product to the cart doesn’t mean they’re going to go through with the purchase, so it’s imperative to continue selling them the product until checkout. The top reasons for shopping cart abandonment are:

Address ambiguities

The customer will have many questions regarding the shipping, delivery and overall satisfaction even after the product is delivered. Promote your hassle-free returns and exchange policies by being easily approachable. Live chat is a good way to ensure reliability – introduce a non-intrusive option with a message like “How can I help you today?” which puts the customer in charge in case they wish to initiate communication.

Create a sense of urgency

Want customers to keep purchasing products from you? Limited period deals and low stock indicators often instigate customers to return and take advantage of such discounts. Prominent call to action buttons and the use of lively phrases like “Buy now!”, “Till stocks last!” influence a customer’s purchasing decisions to a great extent.

Integrating other useful features like better search options and filters, back-ordering, email follow ups and posting product videos along with images also helps in amplifying E-commerce conversion rates.