Why don't visitors become shoppers or 17 steps to the perfect online store

    image
    It often happens that the owner of an online store allocates a lot of money for advertising - places his goods in retail chains, gives ads in contextual advertising systems, puts banners on sites related to the topic. All this, of course, attracts a huge number of visitors, but the problem is that only a negligible fraction of them actually make an order. This article is dedicated to this problem.

    What makes a visitor buy in a particular online store? To answer this question, put ourselves in its place. Suppose you read a review of a recently released phone / communicator, shed some saliva on your keyboard, mentally presented this phone in your hands, reviewed a bunch of videos where your favorite phone is shown "in action", and plus your friend already bought it it’s exactly the same and now all the girls in the yard want to walk only with him. It is then that you make the decision that you must buy this phone, and it seems that you have enough money (of course you will have to save a month on meals, but you seriously think that it is worth it). As soon as you had time to think about it, you already opened your favorite search engine and entered the model of the desired phone there. Hundreds of stores appear in front of you, ready to gladly help you spend your money. You immediately begin to click on all offers in a row, opening each of them in a separate tab, then go to each store separately and study all the pros and cons of the purchase in this place. Where do you make your purchase? What factors make you buy a phone here? Let's get it right.

    1. Find the best price


    It is logical to assume that the lower the price, the more buyers. In reality, this is not entirely true. And sometimes even quite the opposite - too low a price can scare away the buyer. The fact is that the level of trust in online stores in Russia is not high and there are reasons for this. When you see a price that is noticeably lower than the prices of competitors, you can safely assume that all this is not casual, and that the goods may not be of the highest quality, may even be fake, or simply be stolen. Most likely, despite the temptation of such an offer, you will close this store and will no longer consider it at all. Therefore, even if you have the opportunity to seriously dump, do not do this, or try to explain to the visitor why your prices are so low.
    It’s worth mentioning that, as a rule, if you sell a product, say, at a cost of 25 thousand rubles, then a couple of extra thousand will not be critical for a customer if they are satisfied with all the other conditions of your store — we will talk about them later.

    2. Earn reviews in retail chains


    As a rule, a huge part of users come to stores through retail chains, where owners of online stores post their offers and pay for clicks on their website. A vivid example of such a network is the well-known Yandex. Market. As a buyer, I often select a store for purchase there, and the main criterion for choosing is the presence of positive reviews about the store. Often it’s enough for me to look at the overall rating of the store and look through a few reviews to make a decision. Therefore, I recommend that you, as store owners, collect positive reviews. To do this, after delivery of the order, send a letter to the client asking him to evaluate the work of the store, leaving a review in the Yandex.Market distribution network. However, in order to get a positive feedback, you also need to be on top and make sure that the client doesn’t even regret it,

    3. Promote your store’s brand


    The well-known fact on which the entire industry of brand advertising is built suggests that people tend to buy those products that they have already heard about somewhere. A person will never buy yogurt or toothpaste, the name that he did not hear in the advertisement. This is the way this world works, so if a client has previously met an advertisement for your online store, saw your logo, then this will be a huge plus. On the other hand, the costs of branded advertising are often simply colossal and a beginner’s store simply won’t attract them, but you need to strive for this.

    4. Deliver fast


    When you have the urge to buy something, then you want to get it right here and now. You do not want to wait, you have already made a purchase decision and are ready to give money as quickly as possible in order to finally start using what you are buying. But not all online stores share your desire and deliver goods at best the next day, if not later. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to arrange fast delivery, for example on the same day, do it and write about it in capital letters on the store’s website.

    5. Offer different ways to consult.


    Often you need to directly contact a store representative for advice to ask a question about a product, a complete set of goods, and delivery. Most stores are limited to a phone number and email, which is checked once a day.
    To begin with, phone calls are not always convenient. For example, a person may be at work and most likely will not really want to discuss with colleagues colleagues buying a new dildo in your sex shop or being in the same apartment with his wife, order flower delivery for his mistress by phone. This is of course extremes, but you must admit, there are still many situations where the phone is not very convenient. Some simply do not like him, because There’s no time on the phone to think before answering, you need to think quickly and make decisions quickly. Another thing is ICQ. He wrote quietly, quietly received an answer, if necessary he thought it over and made a purchasing decision. Even more convenient is online messengers - one click and you already communicate with the operator. Old school students may prefer email, but for this it should be checked frequently by the store operators about what and need to write on the site - "Our E-Mail: support@someshop.ru (checked every 5 minutes)." The more consultation methods and the faster the operator answers, the more chances are that the client will place an order with you.

    6. Offer different types of delivery


    The most popular type of delivery is courier delivery. The advantage of this type of delivery is that, as a rule, you can receive goods relatively quickly and without leaving your apartment. On the other hand, there are some disadvantages. On the day of delivery, you need to sit at home and wait for the courier, who have the property to be seriously late. And they often can’t find the way, they begin to call you and clarify. Personally, I can't stand this. Especially if you live in a suburb where there are not many landmarks and it is extremely difficult to explain the road.
    Therefore, I consider it simply a crime for shops not to make the possibility of pickup. Believe me, for many it is more convenient. Moreover, the goods can be picked up on the same day, without any shipping costs. In order for the client to be sure that his goods will not be bought at the moment he gets to the store, make the function of reservation of the goods, say, for one day. Also, the advantages of this method of delivery include the fact that people living near the point of delivery are likely to choose your store.
    Not all of us live in large cities or near large cities where a courier can come, so there is a need to use the slowest method of delivery - delivery of goods by mail. Some stores only ship goods after 100% prepayment. But I think this is simply not acceptable: firstly, there is a huge chance that they can be "thrown", and secondly, prepayments must be made using payment systems or banks, which is not convenient for everyone. Therefore, if you deliver by mail - deliver by cash on delivery, in this case, the client pays for the goods upon receipt at the post office.
    There is also express mail, UPS, DHL, but I have never encountered them and, as far as I understand, delivery in this case is incredibly expensive, so I won’t cover them in this article.

    7. Offer various payment methods


    As a rule, the main type of payment is cash, which you give to the courier, store employee upon pickup or at the post office when paying cash on delivery. But there are people who are convenient to pay for goods using electronic payment systems, such as Webmoney, Yandex.Money. For example, a person works on the Internet and receives a salary by electronic money, in which case there is no reason for him to first withdraw them in cash, giving a commission for an exchange, and then spend that money in an online store. It will be more convenient for him to pay directly with electronic money. It also does not hurt to organize the acceptance of credit cards, and for legal entities to organize cashless payments.

    8. Make sure the store’s interface isn’t annoying


    The interface of the online store should not be annoying. There is no need to overfill the page with various links, photos, so that the client searches for the information he needs for several minutes. For an online store, there is nothing better than simple and there may even be an “airborne” interface where you can easily navigate and where each further step is clear. And damn it, do not force the user to register to place an order. Leave it to him.

    9. Show store activity


    The person who is going to place an order must understand that the store is really working at the moment. Show that the store is not abandoned. To do this, create a news column and regularly write something there, do not forget to set a date or hold promotions, for example, “5% discount on all household appliances until the end of May!”. By itself, a five percent discount does not interest anyone, but it is immediately clear that the store is operational. Just do not forget to remove the stock at the end of the term or at least change the month.

    10. Provide legal information about the store


    If you work legally, then indicate on the website the legal information about your company (company name, PSRN, TIN, KPP, etc. etc.). This increases customer confidence.

    11. Be careful with counters


    If your store is visited by 2-3 people a day, it is better not to show it. Set a counter without numbers and the ability to view statistics. But if at least 40-50 people visit you, you can safely set your own counter for display.

    12. Give the user gifts


    A gift is a nice bonus. For example, when buying an expensive phone, you can give a memory card or a case.

    13. Increase the working hours of consultants


    People often pick up goods late in the evening when the consultants at most stores no longer work. And without receiving a consultation, a client can change his mind overnight or simply make an order with a competitor who has round-the-clock support.

    14. Keep up-to-date information on availability and prices on the site


    It often happens that the product is not available, although the site says the opposite. This should not be. Also, in no case should the price information on the site be different from what it really is. All this leaves an unpleasant impression about the store and most likely the order will not be placed.

    15. Guarantee money-back


    If possible, try to guarantee a refund within, for example, 5 days if the goods suddenly do not like (of course, without damage, provided that the packaging is preserved). Feel free to write this on the site so that it is noticeable. Customers will not use this often, and there will be more orders.

    16. Sell related products


    Try to sell related products in your store, i.e. for example, if you trade hookahs, add tobacco and coal to your assortment so that people can buy everything they need at one time, otherwise there is a good chance that the customer will buy everything in another store.

    17. Consult professional designers


    The first impression for the client is the most important, so you should not save on the appearance of your site. I personally close terrible sites with antediluvian design right away, because an online store is not some kind of home page there.

    That’s all for today. Thanks for attention. Sergey Babochkin worked for you. Wait for new articles.

    Also popular now: