11 Ways to Fill Your Shopper’s Cart
Since the “purchase” is the ultimate conversion, it is imperative that you remove as many obstacles from the customer’s research-to-buy cycle as possible. Providing your visitors the key ingredients in their shopping experience creates a smooth and worry-free transaction process. The easier it is to shop and buy the more customers will overcome the natural hesitations that many feel before they commit by hitting the final “complete order” button.
Search functionality
If possible, create an extremely robust and accurate search function for the website. A good search function should be able to provide visitors the information they are seeking even if products are misspelled in the search box or search products are not offered at all. Be careful, as anything less than a perfect search function only serves to frustrate rather than help visitors.
Navigation paths
Create clear navigation paths from the moment a product is added to the shopping cart. This path should allow them to continue shopping, continue through the purchase process or get additional questions answered as needed.
Calls to action
Informational and product pages must consistently use clear calls to action encouraging shoppers to buy now, save for later or post a review. This not only gives your visitors options but compels them to continue moving forward in the process.
Product presentation
Present your products in a way that allows the visitors to quickly glean the information they need. Use clean images, allowing multiple views and image enlargements to give the visitor a complete view of the product they are purchasing.
Product availability
Listing product availability his a helpful signal that shoppers can purchase this product now and expect to receive it quickly. At the very least be sure to tell your visitors if the product is out of stock or will be have any shipping delays due to availability.
Product comparison guides
It is extremely helpful to allow shoppers to compare product features and benefits side by side. If you don’t sell multiple products then create a comparison between your product and your competitors. Be honest, if your product lacks what a competitor’s has, document that appropriately.
Customer product reviews
If possible allow your shoppers to post reviews on your product pages. Don’t discriminate by removing unfavorable reviews, these can be helpful and show that your reviews can be trusted and that you stand behind your products despite the occasional negative comment.
Up-sell / cross-sell
Be sure you are using your up- and cross-sell opportunities to the fullest potential. Provide a list of related products that typically go along with any current items in a shopping cart or product being viewed. You can also show similar products that have different features that might be more to the shoppers liking.
Add-ons
If applicable, allow shoppers to purchase additional services such as product engraving, customization, gift wrapping, etc. These features can make a nice up-sell opportunity while giving the visitors that customization offer that they need for special purchases.
Representative contact
Some shoppers want the comfort of knowing that they can call and get assistance with their order. They may even rather place their order over the phone. Meet your visitor’s needs by providing an easy to find 1-800 contact number along with other contact information.
Billing options
Provide your shoppers with multiple options on how to pay for their purchase. Some shoppers are more comfortable with one form of payment over another and allowing their preferred option can be all it takes to get them to hit that “pay now” button.
It’s not your products but your shoppers that are most valuable to you as a business. Most likely, the same products you sell can be found elsewhere and at a cheaper cost. This means you need to make sure your shoppers are treated accordingly. Ensuring that your site meets and exceeds shoppers’ needs and expectations provides a comfortable and trustworthy environment that will make shopping and buying easier. This, in turn, will improve your conversions selling more products at a smaller expense.
Stoney deGeyter is the President of Pole Position Marketing, a leading search engine optimization and marketing firm helping businesses grow since 1998. Stoney is a frequent speaker at website marketing conferences and has published hundreds of helpful SEO, SEM and small business articles.
If you’d like Stoney deGeyter to speak at your conference, seminar, workshop or provide in-house training to your team, contact him via his site or by phone at 866-685-3374.
Stoney pioneered the concept of Destination Search Engine Marketing which is the driving philosophy of how Pole Position Marketing helps clients expand their online presence and grow their businesses. Stoney is Associate Editor at Search Engine Guide and has written several SEO and SEM e-books including E-Marketing Performance; The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist, Period!; Keyword Research and Selection, Destination Search Engine Marketing, and more.
Stoney has five wonderful children and spends his free time reviewing restaurants and other things to do in Canton, Ohio.
Great post. Most people loser the buyer at the shopping cart. It’s one of the most important aspects and not enough smaller businesses online put as much focus. They figure if they simply have the option to purchase their product, that it’s good enough.
Great post. Most people loser the buyer at the shopping cart. It’s one of the most important aspects and not enough smaller businesses online put as much focus. They figure if they simply have the option to purchase their product, that it’s good enough.
One thing that will encourage me to shop AND buy is to keep the stuff I put in my shopping cart IN THERE. If I have to I want to be able to continue shopping where I left off, even if I’m not necessarily “logged in.”
6pm.com is a good example – that way I dont have to start over if I get back to what I was doing, which can be a pain.
Good Tips!
~Carrie
Carrie, good point. I love how I can return to Amazon months later and still have the same products in my cart. While most businesses can’t or don’t want to have products in a cart for that long, they can at least keep it there for a month… or until the computer cookies are erased, whichever comes first.
You might like how our shopping cart/basket is setup. We have it set to not expire for several hours so you can go eat dinner or play with the kids…, The really cool part is the shopper can convert it all to an easily retrievable list and keep it for years – no browser cookie to lose. They only need to create a login to store the record.
http://handmade-paper.us/
Hi
it is a very nice and amaizing post and I like it.
You know, like all good web development, it comes down to creating a wonderful user experience.
Make sure that even if your online store doesn’t offer the products the customer is searching for make sure your search can offer them similar alternative products.
Read by small business people, our newsletter delivers a digest of articles from the top search engine marketing experts. You will learn about:
Our newsletter is the perfect way to stay up to date with all of the latest trends, events and techniques in using search engines to grow your business and make more sales. Subscribe here. Your email address will NOT be given to third parties.
FreeFind Site Search Engine – FreeFind adds a “search this site” feature to your website, making your site easier to use. FreeFind also gives you reports showing what your visitors are searching for, enabling you to improve your site. FreeFind’s advanced site search engine and automatic site map technology can be added to your website for free.
Buy UPC Codes
Get your products listed online!
Search marketing information for small business owners.
Fetching the best small business news.
A friendly place to share small business ideas and knowledge.
Small business support through education, resources and community
The directory of the best small business sites and tools.
Copyright © 1998 – 2018 Search Engine Guide All Rights Reserved. Privacy
Research & References of 11 Ways to Fill Your Shopper’s Cart|A&C Accounting And Tax Services
Source
0 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks