Your website is losing sales because..

Here are some of the top issues that can prevent your retail website visitors from converting to customers.

1. Pricing

As you might expect, pricing can be one of the leading issues which influence consumers when making an online purchase. Comparative shopping is significantly easier online compared with shopping retail in your local Westfield. As such, being transparent and accessible are critical for your online store. One tip for maintaining transparency might be to strike out the full price of a particular item while displaying the discounted price.

2. Product descriptions

I often find that online stores suffer from failing to display adequate descriptions for their products. That or the information being provided is not clear. You want to ensure that your descriptions are detailed enough so that it provides the visitor with exactly the same information that they would obtain in store. When it comes to online clothing stores it is particularly important as sizing information has a significant impact on the visitors purchase decision.

3. Stock information

There is nothing worse than finding out that the item you have just spent 10 minutes researching and have now considered for purchase is out of stock. It’s critical to ensure that you display the product availability early on in the flow, on the product detail page to ensure minimal disruption. Products go out of stock often, so timely information about when that particular item would be available again is important. One alternative some online retailers employ is to inform the visitor when the item may be back in stock.

4. Site functionality

There is an ever growing list of features that online stores provide so you want to ensure that you are providing the same experience for your customers. Features such as click and collect, in store pickup, wish lists, filters are just some that are becoming more and more common. You want to meet the visitors expectations as they will have some idea of what to expect when they first land at your site.

5. Shipping information

One of the easiest ways to lose a customer is to disappoint them at the last hurdle – shipping. Always ensure that shipping information is available and simple to interpret. Some stores may have a complicated method for delivery, but ensuring that this is easy to digest is critical. The worst case scenario is someone dropping off at checkout or a complete abandonment of the cart. When it comes to international shipping, it helps to always have the option to view local currencies.

6. Images

This almost goes without saying but buying online is very different to shopping in person. Without the ability to feel and handle a product, the visitor will expect to see what they are buying very clearly. As such it is imperative that high quality photography is used and that you provide multiple images from multiple angles. A handy feature is to add zoom capabilities for an up close look.

7. Video

Videos can add a whole other dimension to the product experience. More and more customers expect to see them on your website and they can add a level of sophistication to a product page when done right.  Retailer's who’s website presents a seamless experience of photos and videos are one step ahead.

 

By focusing on these key areas, you will ensure that your online store is best positioned to serve your visitors and convert them into customers.