Selling online is like fishing – there are tens of thousands of fishermen aka online sellers out there, casting their hooks into the massive ocean of consumers. So, how do you ensure that you catch the right fish every time you cast out your line? Any seasoned fisherman will let you know that using the right bait, the right hook and above all fishing at the right spot is essential to land a good haul. Similarly, when it comes to selling your products or services online, the right website with the right design is crucial in converting visitors into buyers. So, you have a website but still not managing to hook in the right audience? Unable to turn visitors into customers? Not able to retain your customer base? Fret not, here in this article; we give you a detailed analysis of what you may be doing wrong. Rectify these mistakes and watch your sales volume boost up.
Let’s get started!
Reason #1: Boring Visuals
Contrary to the famous saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” people always judge your product/company based on your website theme and design. Unappealing and boring visuals can put off your visitors. Make sure that your site has the “Wow” factor that hooks in the audience right from the first click. Don’t go overboard with the colour schemes. Keep it minimal to give a professional, clutter-free look. The fonts must be of the right size and suited for all screens. Spend some time in making your website look different from the rest. Make it work!
Reason #2: Website Navigation is Difficult
When designing an e-commerce site, you must keep this mantra in mind, “Keep it Sweet and Short.” Stick to what people expect and keep it simple. Make use of the main navigation bar to list all your main categories and add in a “Sale” as well as “New Products” category to grab the attention of first-time visitors. Always check out how the website looks on a mobile. Users should be able to find their way around the site easily. It should be intuitive, and a new user should be able to locate the product he/she is searching for with just a few clicks.
Reason #3: Complicated Checkouts
Don’t make the grave mistake of letting your users abandon a shopping cart by having a complicated checkout process. While it’s true that your checkout process must be secure, don’t make it all the more difficult by adding in additional fields and by forcing visitors to sign up before they can check out. A single page checkout with the option for auto-filling fields is an excellent way to retain and convert visitors.
Reason #4: Limited Options to Pay
Try to provide the user with as many options as possible for making the purchase. If you have an only credit card payment option, then users without credit cards will simply move on to another site, which offers them other facilities. So make sure, to have several options like a debit card, internet banking, e-wallets and even Cash on Delivery, if you want to convert your visitors into customers.
Reason #5: Your Website is slow, or it Crashed
This is a big No-No, and it shouldn’t be happening. If a user finds a non-responsive site or a site that crashes, you can be sure that the user will not return. Fix faulty bugs and ensure that you have a robust e-commerce platform. Improve the response time of your page by hosting your site on a server with maximum efficiency.
Reason #6: You don’t relate to your Target Audience
Remember, that the right traffic is more important than just getting traffic. For instance, if you are a site selling organic shampoo, but you’re pulling in people who are looking to buy makeup then you can be pretty sure that the traffic is not going to convert into sales. Do a keyword analysis and ensure that your SEO strategies are aligned with the right traffic you’re expecting.
Reason #7: You fail to Provide Recommendations
Do not make the grave mistake of assuming that a visitor, who lands on your site, knows all about the product. People are always looking for expert recommendations and want to get as much as information as possible before buying a particular product. The one main reason why people don’t go ahead and make the purchase is that they are afraid they’re making the wrong choice. So, assure your potential customer as to the quality of the product and its relevancy. Design your site in such a way, that it provides additional suggestions for the user. Always try to simplify the decision making of the user.
Reason #8: Boring or Outdated Content
“Content is still King.” Make sure that the content on your site is relevant and in tune with the visitor’s expectations. Studies state that an average visitor just scans a page for a mere six seconds. So, make sure to grab in eyeballs with the right content. Keep it precise, simple and above all in tune with the audience demographic. For instance, if your product is geared to Gen Y, then the content should have the flair and style of Gen Y and not be in stiff Queen’s English.
Reason #9: You don’t remind people to come back to your site
While it may be hard to believe, a huge number of people don’t make a purchase the first time. They visit plenty of websites and have an idea of all that’s available before they make a choice. It’s a numbers game and you must try to make people want to visit your site again and again. A simple way to do this is to offer people a free subscription to your weekly newsletter. This way, your products are taken directly to the inbox of your target audience. Your brand remains fresh in the minds of the user and they can know all about the new products you offer without visiting your site. This is a great way to entice customers to come back and make a purchase on your site.
Reason #10: Failing to make the Emotional Connect
A study by Harvard Business Review states that if customers are emotionally connected to your product, they are likely to end up buying from you, more than customers who are highly satisfied. Yet, companies fail to establish this emotional connect with consumers. Discover one unique thing about your product; this should be an emotion and not a feature. Then try to establish an emotional connect with the audience by highlighting on this emotion. For instance, if you’re selling women’s perfume, then your advertisements and descriptions should focus on how a woman feels after using your perfume. Not just highlight its fragrance, volume and other features.
