How To Improve Your Website’s Selling Power

Your eCommerce site may need a few tweaks.

Every retail website has been designed to sell products and services, yet it’s surprising how many sites haven’t been optimised for this task. Installing eCommerce functionality and offering a choice of payment methods doesn’t mean a site is truly focused on maximising revenue, any more than simply having items in stock guarantees customers will buy them.

To optimise an eCommerce site’s selling power, ten crucial steps need to be taken:

1. Strong site hosting. Not only should transactions be simple and secure, they also need to happen quickly. Fast and dependable site hosting is vital to ensure data can be delivered to recipient devices within seconds – this can make the difference between gaining and losing potential trade.
2. A consistent tone of voice. We’ve all encountered smooth-talking salespeople whose workforce doesn’t live up to initial promises, and websites can also underperform in this way. A focused homepage should precede an equally smooth buying experience, and checkout functionality should mirror the design and navigation of preceding pages. Use images of consistent quality throughout the site, with clickable product photos leading through to descriptive text beside large ‘Add to basket’ buttons.
3. Comprehensive descriptions. If prospective customers feel they know enough to make a purchase, there’s little to stop them. Detailed and professionally-written descriptive text can preempt any questions, keeping visitors on the all-important shopping pages.
4. Defined calls to action. It may be tempting to assume the products or services on offer are compelling enough to guarantee sales, but that’s not always the case. Customers should be given every encouragement to conclude a transaction, with a degree of urgency to encourage loss-aversion completions. Low stock levels should be clearly indicated, as should anything limited edition or time sensitive. Incentives for multiple orders, new customers or repeat purchases can also act as effective CTAs.
5. Create trust. Testimonials and social media feeds can reassure the public that they’re in safe hands, as can membership of relevant bodies and a well-written “About Us” page. Trading history and headline statistics build trust, alongside listing a head office address and landline number prominently on the site.
6. Recommended services. Try to think of complementary products or services that correspond to items in a customer’s basket – travel insurance for a holiday booking, or batteries for children’s toys. These can be significant revenue generators.
7. A simplified checkout process. There should be no site-related reasons why a prospective customer can’t complete their transaction. Checkout functionality must be tested on a spectrum of web browsers, including Tor and older versions of Internet Explorer. Install a shopping trolley icon on every site page, and ensure visitors can step backwards mid-transaction if they want to add or change items.
8. Secure connections. SSL certificates (increasingly known as TLS) create complex security keys between host and recipient computers, ensuring sensitive personal or financial data can’t be viewed by third parties. These certificates are provided by regulated Certification Authorities, with three levels of encryption all demonstrating to customers that their financial details can be submitted safely.
9. No hidden surprises. There can often be a disparity between the number of people putting items in their basket and completing transactions. This may be due to high postage costs, issues with stock or the terms and conditions. Analytics software can identify where prospective purchasers leave, helping to address problems to prevent future departures.
10. Access to customer support. As well as the ubiquitous (and essential) social media channels of Facebook and Twitter, every ecommerce website must offer direct contact via phone or email – and preferably both. When someone entrusts a website with their credit card or PayPal details, they should be able to contact a member of staff immediately if something goes wrong at any stage of the buying process.

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