Maximizing your online conversions is a must for any e-commerce tech start-up. It’s like attracting foot traffic in a brick and mortar store. With over 90% of the world’s shoppers turning to the Internet, e-commerce stores are the wave of the future. Not knowing how to maximize your conversions could end your business before you ever get it off the ground.
Unfortunately, you have a million tasks on your mind from staffing and payroll to advertising and financing. Sometimes, conversions fall to the wayside. Don’t let them!
Here we’ll cover a few ways to quickly and easily improve your e-commerce conversions without sacrificing your start-up success.
- A Fast Paced World Wants Fast Results
We live in a fast-paced world of instant gratification. Visitors don’t want to wait for your website page load. In fact, they won’t wait. If your website takes longer than three seconds to load, chances are, you’ll lose them to a competitor.
Don’t get discouraged, though. There are a few simple ways to increase your page speed.
- Move servers to countries with the majority of your customer base
- Run page diagnostics
- Improve caching techniques
- Remove oversized images
- Get Rid of Those Pop-Ups
There’s nothing more annoying than a pop-up that blocks your view of the page content. Most visitors close them without another thought. Or worse, leave your site because they get frustrated.
Advertisements and banners can also hurt your conversion rates.
While you need to advertise your company, you don’t want to annoy visitors. You need to promote a positive customer experience. Visiting your website should be an easy, positive experience. Happy customers are more likely to convert.
If you can, remove unnecessary pop-ups and reduce the number of ads cluttering your page.
- Give Customers Options to Pay
If your customers want to give you money, take it! And give them plenty of ways to do it. Many e-commerce start-ups offer a variety of payment methods including PayPal and Google Pay. These portals make it convenient for customers to make purchases without using their bank information or credit card.
Your tech start-up website needs to accomodate all types of these audiences. Multiple payment portals help attract a wide range of visitors, encouraging them to convert. Offering payment portals does require more integration, but it’s well worth the investment.
- Provide Valuable Information
Converting more sales on your e-commerce site isn’t just about the all mighty dollar. Providing visitors with valuable information in easy to find places is another way to earn credibility and will eventually result in increased sales.
A convenient way to do this is by creating a FAQ page. Here, customers will find answers about your products and services.
This helps boost the customer’s confidence in you and your products. Add a search feature to help visitors find answers and information more easily.
A live chat or a chatbot is another popular choice and an excellent way to help customers in real-time. While this feature is expensive, it’s one of the best customer support techniques available.
This is especially true in the fast-paced world we live in where the use of customer support phone lines is nearly nonexistent. People prefer live chats over sitting on hold listening to elevator music.
If live chat options are too expensive, try a cheaper alternative like automated responses. Chatbots mimic real life people based on the keywords visitors use.
Having clear and easy to find contact information is another way to build trust and authority. Customers are more likely to convert if they know they can contact you if need be.
- Display Quality Images
A picture is worth a thousand words. And in the world of tech start-ups, the right image can make or break your conversion rate.
Quality images don’t just make your site more attractive but they help attract the right kind of attention and engage visitors on a different level. Think of your target audience and what images speak to them most.
For example, if your target audience is property owners, you should be targeting men over the age of 35. Choosing images that appeal to teenagers or older women wouldn’t be appropriate. Tapping into your audience’s interests will increase conversions. Property industry site Rent Round, does this by choosing images that best suit its target audience
It’s also important that your images are high-quality. Low-quality images look unprofessional and reduce conversions.
- Positive Reviews Speak Volumes
Most people read reviews before they visit a website or even think about making a purchase. There are countless customer review websites that customers turn to. The best way to create a good reputation is to ask happy customers to leave you a positive review.
Add positive feedback to your sales page to help improve credibility and increase conversions.
- Utilize Social Media Platforms
Social media isn’t reserved just for teenagers and superstars. These media platforms are often an untapped resource for e-commerce tech-start ups. If you want to increase conversions, you need to increase your social media presence.
Not only do you need to post on your accounts consistently, but you need to engage with your followers. Responding to their comments and feedback helps boost customer loyalty, which leads to increased conversions.
Your social media efforts should be equally focused on branding and customer interaction.
- Create Different Package Options
Similar to offering different payment options, you also need to give customers different packages to choose from. Some people prefer paying up front for everything while others like to extend payments over several months.
Upfront payments are often cheaper, but not all customers will have that chunk of change. They may prefer monthly payments, even if they end up paying more in the long run. The more package and payment options you offer, the wider your customer base will be.
Common packages include basic, standard, and premium.
- Keep Your Customers for the Long Haul
Subscription-based packages and buying options are some of the best because they lock your customers in for long-term agreements.
Most agreements start with a free trial. Once the trial period is over, customers are locked into a certain number of monthly payments. Of course, you need to tell the customer the parameters of the agreement but this arrangement helps provide you with consistent income.
In many cases, people don’t realize that they have a subscription with you. It may even take them several months for them to realize and take the necessary steps to cancel. This means extra income for you. Just be sure to explain the cancelation process, including fees.
You can also offer monthly rolling payment options. While this isn’t the same as locked-in revenue, flexible plans allow you to charge a higher fee.
- Everyone Likes Freebies
While your customers might like freebies, what will you cost you? A little sacrifice now could lead to increased conversions later. Offer free trials that allow customers to use your services for a specific time frame before having to pay.
If you offer a quality product or service, chances are, these free trials will turn into a membership or long term partnership. Before this point, try to enroll members in an auto-renew plan so that their membership fees start the minute the free trial ends.
Always be upfront with your customers regarding billing, timelines, and fees. The worst thing you can do is deceive a customer. This will tarnish your name and reputation.
The only downside to this scenario is that you may see a dip in conversions when a handful of customers drop off following the free trial period.
These 10 tips can help you improve conversions for your tech start-up. Just a few subtle changes can improve the customer journey, boosting conversions and your revenue.
Maintain your reputation by providing a detailed, clear, and speedy buying process. Never lose another customer to a competitor!
Author: Raj Dosanjh founded Rent Round, a letting agent comparison site that is taking the property industry by storm. Raj Dosanjh also founded a consultancy that works with large banks including the Bank or New York Mellon, Barclays & Deutsche Bank. He has been featured in the Harvard University research portal and numerous tech & property articles.