E-commerce has become a booming industry that offers online sellers an opportunity to maximize sales and ultimately increase their annual revenue. It enables businesses to embrace the digital era by offering products digitally without the need for customers to visit the business’s physical location. However, the hardest part is converting visitors into buyers, also known as conversion rate optimization, which is among the most crucial steps in an online marketing campaign.
The average conversion rate for eCommerce websites stands at less than 3%, suggesting a small fraction of visitors converts into buyers. Thus, if you have a considerable number of visitors to your eCommerce store but with few conversions, it means there are problems with your eCommerce site.
To be competitive and drive conversions on your business site, it is crucial to make your eCommerce site more attractive and help enhance the user experience. But if your traffic is high but with low sales, here are key reasons why.
Good customer experience is not only about offering products to buyers but giving them an experience like no other. Most online shoppers prefer eCommerce stores, which makes them feel appreciated even before making their first purchase. Here are some experience-related reasons your shoppers are not converting:
Nowadays, most online consumers are concerned about online safety and often visit trusted and secure sites to guarantee their online security. This means having reliable and standard security icons to prove your website’s safety. Therefore, it is important to demonstrate excellent trustworthiness and website security to bring more visitors to your eCommerce store. However, there are various ways to show that your site isn’t secure.
Generally, wary online shoppers check website designs, disclaimers, and security certificates to ascertain if your site meets safety standards. Failure to incorporate these features will likely turn away your shoppers and impact your conversion rate. Provided you give your visitors thought to be skeptical, they will be and leave your site without making a purchase.
The checkout process is the most delicate part of your eCommerce store, as it determines if shoppers will eventually place their orders. Since giving customers a seamless checkout process helps promote conversions, distractions can make them change their minds. This usually revolves around website design, especially when it comes to conversion optimization.
Having a glossy and attractive site is what most online businesses desire, but this can result in unnecessary cognitive stress, mainly when you have multiple interactive videos or features on your website. Furthermore, instant pop-ups and having numerous ads on a single page risk a high bounce rate as consumers get distracted easily. These instances are likely to distract your shoppers and eventually affect your conversion rate.
eMarketer estimates that most people abandon their carts once they notice shipping fees are too high. The truth is, most online shoppers are willing to purchase more items provided they get free or reduced shipping costs. Some can even pay higher base prices if they receive free or lower shipping fees. But if your shipping fees are inflated, there is a chance most of your visitors will not convert.
Besides, offering free, discounted, or lower shipping fees enables your eCommerce business to attract more visitors who will also buy from you. And with customers willing to pay higher base prices to get free shipping, you can raise product costs and make your shipping fees more persuasive and transparent.
Potential customers often consider eCommerce sites that offer seamless and short checkout processes. Most importantly, visitors will likely convert if your website offers short, precise, and explicit content. Besides, adding irrelevant steps in the checkout process can significantly lower the number of conversions on your site. This can confuse and make the process complicated for buyers. An overloaded page can also make visitors miss some vital information likely to make them convert.
It is crucial to consider factors like consumer interests, subcultures, and purchase intentions when selecting your audience. This allows you to bring the right people into your eCommerce store and get more conversions. However, targeting the wrong demography means reduced sales because most of them will not be interested in your products.
Even when you have a well-designed website, charming CTA button, and offer free shipping, they will still not convert. Above all, your products should be suited to your target audience to make sure they are more likely to buy once they visit your eCommerce site.
The U.S. has about 174 million people visiting various eCommerce stores to purchase different products. The number is estimated to grow to about 187.5 million users by 2024 utilizing mobile eCommerce web browsers and apps to make at least one online purchase. The research suggests that more people are using mobile devices than computer systems to buy items online.
If your eCommerce store is not designed to offer a mobile-friendly experience, more visitors will likely leave your store. Besides, the website becomes difficult to view and use, making it intricate for visitors to place orders. Images, products, and videos also present a more challenging experience, consequently lowering your conversion rate.
It is easier to get people onto your site but challenging to make them convert into buyers. At Rep, we understand the value of having a successful eCommerce store and practical conversion optimization. Our AI sales assistant automatically detects customers that are experiencing some or more of the problems mentioned above and offers them assistance and guidance in real-time. From recommending the right product for them and all to way providing a guided shopping experience. Sign up and create a Rep account to unlock the potential of having an on-site sales assistant selling to customers and providing them with customer service.