Hey! Do frogs croak every time you’re having an evening supper in the office? Hmm? Uhh!
Well, you’ll hear ’em whistle and haggle in your ears if you don’t optimize your eCommerce store. Sorry to say that’s what free time does to our brains. It tunes us to the most irritating noises around, sometimes as imaginary as they could get.
So what do you do? Kill the effing frogs? No, I’d say we haven’t reached that level of nirvana. You see! For us, focusing on eCommerce optimization is much easier than searching for these creatures with handled-nets.
Because a little eCommerce optimization tweak will lift your sales by 50%
You won’t believe the chances of finding the frog is 50%, but the chances of shooting up your sales by 50% is more than that. A few small tweaks in your store will shoot up your sales by 50%. Yes! You heard it right. 50 damn percent!!! That’s a hell lot of a number if you’re competing with giants in the industry.
On the other hand, if you don’t know what to fix, the process can completely misfire. Remember Tim Robbins from The Shawshank Redemption? He took 20 years to dig the fricking tunnel. I won’t be surprised if you take that long to get your first conversion. Jokes apart! I have trial and tested eCommerce optimization techniques that can get you through the tough times.
But you have to promise me one thing! Don’t just read the blog post. Implement the god damn thing. No words can optimize your eCommerce until you take charge. So are you ready? Get. Set. Go!
E-commerce optimization #1: work on your product pages
Product pages! Your users will be spending most of their time on these pages. No matter how appealing the restaurant’s ambiance looks, if the food is nasty, your experience is nasty!
Similarly, it doesn’t matter how much you spend on other parts of your website; if the product page doesn’t work, it simply won’t work! Not for you, not for your customers, either. So have product pages that evoke emotions and compel visitors to buy! Here’s what you need with it if you genuinely seek a compelling product page:
Work on your product pages #1:Clarity
What are product pages meant to do? To give clarity on your products and services. Right? You want to have this information seep into your buyer’s brain as smoothly as possible. How do you do it?
Clarity #1: Quality images
Images are the backbone of product pages. If you don’t upload them, your product is not gonna sell. They add tangibility and immersiveness to online shopping. Highlight your products in different contexts.
Consider you’re dealing with one of the most irritating customers of yours. How do you deal with him? Hand him the bloody product to scrutinize in and out. Do it with your images too! Images with different contexts, ways, and use shall calm his storm and do the trick.
Clarity #2: Videos and tutorials
What would be your first pick? Messi’s video or photo? No surprise, you’ll want to see the legend moving and dribbling all across the park. It’s because videos are quick to memorize.
Customers like to know how the product functions and videos give them the platform for that. It’s quite useful if you’re too bored snapping 13 product images from different angles.
Clarity #3: Explosive title
I don’t know why, but it is the missing link in most eCommerce product pages. People aren’t waiting for you to come and address them separately. There’s no time for tippy-toeing. You got to make your message loud and clear, fast!
Seo-friendly titles let buyers find their product easily and push through the sales funnel quickly. Please ensure your title is not a victim of literature. I’ve seen people writing “bed corners bedecked with tinsel.” Yawn! No one’s going to search it. Find what people are searching, fit in the keyword, and be ready to count your sales registers.
Clarity #4: Product description
It’s where you’ll be mentioning the key benefits and features of the product. Please don’t mingle the two. “A guitar is made up of teak wood.” Seriously? No one cares. Well, there are always some exceptions, but most of us don’t care.
But had it been signed by the psychedelic rockstar David Gilmour himself, the description “guitar owned and signed by the genius himself” should be the first thing you should promote. Keep away from the dull and boring product description like a traffic police’s memo. Your buyers haven’t violated any traffic rules.
Work on your product pages #2: Navigation
Most millennials and GenZ shoppers are “my life, my rules” kinda creatures. You can’t hold them back with an untidy & dirty navigational e-Store. Liberation. Freedom. Emancipation. Rebellious. These are the heavy words they believe in. And they want to feel the same while they hop around searching for products in your store.
Guide them through breadcrumbs based on product hierarchy and history. Our idea is to prevent them from getting lost in the store despite their favorite pastime being wanderlusting.
Work on your product pages #3: Social proofs
You boast about your product all book. Very few buyers will trust you. But you get two-liner feedback written by your customer, which will be as good as saving 50% of the marketing spent.
The power of social proof is often overlooked. Reviews, ratings, testimonies— people trust fellow buyers than you. Never be egoist about it! Collect as many reviews as you can so that it influences social buys.
E-commerce optimization #2: optimize your price
What is your brand value? Are your customers willing to reach deeper into their pockets and spend on your products organically? Remember, as the great Warren Buffet says, “pricing is all about customer value.”
But what if you’ve value researched and yet fail to get the expected sales? There are specific tips and tricks linked with pricing. Not many eCommerce follows. But they are some excellent eCommerce optimization techniques.
You’ve to pull some of the greatest marketing psychologists of all time to have this: Robert Cialdini, Walter Scott, or Ernest Dichter if you want to keep counting your money in the wallet. Here are some of them:
Optimize your price #1: Compare two products
Consider you’re buying a watch for the first time. You can’t have your budget set unless you’ve some selling numbers in mind. But as soon as you see one, you know it right away, whether it will fall into your buying range. But you might still not be convinced because you haven’t seen other options yet.
What if the seller places another watch next to it? Now you have a watch to compare it with something. Right? Apply the same rule to your eCommerce. Place similar products side-by-side. Compare them to your customers so they can make quick buying decisions.
Optimize your price #2: Decoy effect
It’s as good as bringing the third option on the list. Let’s say the base price of a news subscription costs you 10$; the premium version costs around 22$. Most of us will find the second option a bit expensive, and it’ll be a big no-no.
But introducing the third upgraded subscription option at 17$ will force you to up-spend. The second option will sound reasonable & a great deal despite having similar features to the premium version. So what’s stopping you from using it on your website? Don’t be a saint! Starbucks uses it. Apple uses it! Get your mood on.
Optimize your price #3: Call to action
Remember those red buttons and jolly joysticks on your gaming remotes? Even though they were off, you couldn’t help but press them. Why? Call to action. The color, the softness, and the buttons’ design felt as if pressing them would save the world. It was next level stress-buster. You got to be following the same science for your eCommerce.
Give your customers the remote they’ll want to press. I mean… the buttons. Write clear, actionable words that guide them through the sales funnel. And yes, keep it simple. “Buy now” is easier to understand than “lay your hands on this product.” Believe me; I’ve seen that as well.
Optimize your price #4: Reduce analysis paralysis
Last time, I was overwhelmed when I was swiping matches on tinder. Ten options, and I was like, my brain is dead already. I had to switch to a non-premium Tinder account to restrict the matches.
Your audience goes through the similar option paralysis when you are high on a bombardment mission as Luftwaffe was in its bombing mission in World War 2. That’s right! You’re an option-nazi if you don’t take care of customer experience.
Fortunately, eCommerce optimization can reduce analysis paralysis. On the pricing page, you can put “most popular” and “recently bought” copies. “Outfit of the day” is one such attack on analysis paralysis.
Optimize your price #5: Charm pricing
The gap between 99 and 100 looks as big as the gap between 1 and 99. Complex, our brain. Isn’t it? You can use this complexity in valuing your products. Charm pricing is one such strategy that sometimes doubles your conversion. That’s whooping.
Instead of using whole numbers, the strategy says to use decimal numbers and put 9 in the unit place of the decimal’s right side. So if it’s 2 dollars, make it 1.99$. If it’s 1000$, make it 999.99$. When I buy clothes, I never see beyond the first digit. So 999 is 900 in my head. And the feeling will replicate with your buyers too.
Optimize your price #6: Scarcity
Scarcity sells. For example, the Cabbage patch kid craze of 1983 is still fresh. The ugly vinyl-faced dolls makers researched the market demand and kept dolls away from coming into the market.
Result? People are waiting in queues fighting like a rabid porpoise in the store. The store manager had to wield a baseball bat to keep the crazed buyers at bay. What’s the conclusion? Scarcity sells!
Not saying you have to keep a bat ready. For eCommerce optimization, simply display the stock available. Put timers for sales. And last but not least, praise the legend of Cialdini, the guy behind this wonderful technique.
E-commerce optimization #3: give a personalized touch
Have you ever noticed salespeople? The ones who say “Hey occupants” to their clients often have to take the rammed doors on their faces.
Because sales is all about greeting your customers and giving personalized offers, it’s getting into the worlds of your prospect, leaving yours. But “Hey Justin” is so playful and has granny-kinda warm words.
The personalization idea stands true for eCommerce stores too. And it’s not just about naming your prospects but displaying relevant content and products, personalized offering, and push-notifications as well. Here’s how you can meet personal requirements by optimizing the store:
Give a personalized touch #1: Relevance
Would you have an Apple phone in a Samsung store? Not until you’re an Apple freak or a Samsung store owner who has a secret commission set with Apple. Your customers hate irrelevant content and products. It’s your responsibility to cater to what they’re looking for.
But how do you know what’s spinning in their head? That’s where you make data-driven decisions. Segmenting your audience based on demography such as age, income, etc. or behavior will let you target the most relevant audience with the most pertinent piece of information and product.
Like you’re reading this keenly because it’s suitable for you. Get the point?
Give a personalized touch #2: Related products
If you’re not using related product features in your eCommerce, you’re not only missing the boat but the 228,081 tonnes Symphony of the Seas— the largest cruise in the world.
Well, ⅔ of eCommerce sales come from recommending related products. Still, wondering how to do it? Remember strong copy? “Visitors who viewed this also viewed this,” “visitors who bought this also bought this,” and “might as well like,” are strong, actionable copies that upsell and cross-sell your products.
Give a personalized touch #3: Improvised site navigation
Let’s say you’re into a superstore. Would you get into the kids’ section if you wanted Ralph Lauren jeans for yourself? Not until you’re a kid yourself. You straight-up march to the men’s section and have the best buy without having to be overwhelmed by Helter skeltered chaotic options. That’s called easy navigation through the store.
Your eCommerce buyers are no different. Why should they get into the men’s section when they’re looking to buy eye-piercing lacy Victoria Secret’s undergarment? So adjust site navigation for the second-time visitors based on what they visited the first.
Give a personalized touch #4: Personalized push notifs and emails
I don’t know why but users don’t want to convert even though they’re searching for something, and you have given them enough reasons to buy. Because reasons are clearly not enough!
“Hi Eric, it’s a clean drinking stream water bottle that you’ll enjoy.” Don’t say that. Eric might not feel interested at all despite having addressed him by his name. “Hi Eric, want to have pure-crystal of your life? The glacier-fresh water will send you to cloud 9, keep you healthy, and let the dollars come pouring in.”
Did you see it? How you personalized Eric’s search. Now flash it over eCommerce when Eric is back hunting a product, or mail and wire him the messages on push notifications. And enjoy skeptical Eric turning into a convinced Eric.
E-commerce optimization #4: optimize for mobile
Did I mention mobile devices are the biggest land of immigrants after the United States? Just kidding! But yes, users have migrated from desktops to mobiles. For the first time in history, four years ago— mobile users outnumbered desktop users.
But how far have you come? That’s something to ponder about if you haven’t got a mobile-friendly eCommerce store. I think this point deserved to be at the top, but better late than never.
The mobile conversion rate is the most crucial eCommerce optimization strategy. If you’re not going where the customers are migrating, you might as well hear crickets chirping in your ears. So how do you do it? Here’s the key:
Optimize for mobile #1: Fasten your site
You can’t merely have your eCommerce and wait for the onslaught of orders. Not when your website is behaving dead. Most of your buyers will not wait for the first hint of an image on your website, not until you’re acquaintances with each other, or they have to file taxes.
Three seconds! That’s what they have with them. Just… three… seconds… Does your store render content within that time? If not, you’re losing 40% of the customers, and they are losing 50% of the engagement. So use a responsive theme, check if your website sprints under extreme web-traffic pressure, and deploy caching plugins to improve site performance.
Optimize for mobile #2: Video marketing
What nitro booster is to bikes is video marketing to mobile conversions. You put it in your store, and the sales boost up like HarryPotter in his flying broomstick. Why? Everything goes down to two crucial words: attention span.
The attention span on mobile is less than that on the desktop. Your buyers want to make quick decisions. Explainer and product videos certainly grab their eyeballs and give more information in less time. When you’re creating moving-visuals, you’re motivating them to pull out their wallets and swipe their cards.
Optimize for mobile #3: Optimize mobile searches
Whether you optimize desktop searches, the daddy search engine wants you to optimize mobile searches. Because search engines like to index mobile-first stores, you may call the crawlers a tad biased, but they have a strong affinity for optimized mobile searches.
So how do you lure these bots? Start talking the language they speak. No, not in 1 and 0. By talking, I mean… optimize page titles and descriptions, optimize product pages, integrate searched terms in your content/descriptions, and work on voice searches. If you’ve done all this, the crawlers will rank you.
Optimize for mobile #4: Mobile marketing campaigns
Your buyers are hungry for attention. But are you giving them enough? As I said, they’ll not hold up for more than three seconds if you’re not feeding the eyeball-grabbing fodder. But feeding won’t necessarily do the job. At one point, they’ll try to desert your store, no matter how tasty the fodder was.
For such instances, you need mobile retargeting campaigns. Writing ‘Don’t go, Eric, there’s danger outside if you leave this page,’ in exit Pop-Up, or “Time to quench your Thirst-day Eric” in the email will remind the buddy to order fresh beverage cans on Thursday.
Optimize for mobile #5: Easy searchability with collage format
Remember analysis paralysis? Smaller screens add up so much to it. Eye stress + visually challenging navigation + complicated searches + analysis paralysis = poor customer experience = draining all your eCommerce efforts.
And optimizing your desktop store is not sufficient for optimizing your mobile store; because both need different strategies. And that goes well with navigation too. Fortunately, you can highlight the latest trends using collage formats to make it easy for buyers to search and purchase what they want.
I’ll stop writing now! Assuming you’re going through the episodes of analysis paralysis! Too much information to grab at once. So go through these details slowly, and implement them carefully. They’ll work just fine! God promise!
Ok, so let’s review what you learned so far.
You learned… that eCommerce optimization begins with sending out the clear messages to your prospect. Pictures have to be picture-perfect. Videos have to be video-perfect. And of course, copies have to be copy-perfect. Your product page has to be right on the money to shoe-horn open your clients’ wallets in 60 seconds.
You learned… that your customers don’t care about fancy vocabulary and literature, only about what you have to offer. So sell, sell, and sell with actionable words.
You learned… that thoughtful navigation will bind your customers to the store. Putting them in a maze will be confusing, and trust me, that’s a big turn off unless they are honey bees themselves.
You learned… that prices are not just the numbers. There’s a whole lot of psychology happening in the background. Right?
You learned… that an optimized eCommerce store urges the customers at each point of their purchase journeys. Selling scarcity and social proofs, reducing analysis paralysis, and compelling calls to action get your buyer’s attention.
You learned… the granny technique of addressing your customers with warmness, enthusiasm, and love. Remember when granny wrote letters to you? The cover itself shouted, “open it dumbo, with love, granny.” That’s personalization at its best.
You learned… that going the mobile route is the best route. You forge your own path and leave your own brand impression on mobile users through personalized and to-the-point marketing campaigns.
Gearing eCommerce up for 2020 with Huptech
Owning a plumbing tool doesn’t make you a plumber. Having a stethoscope doesn’t make you a physician. And using this knowledge won’t necessarily make you a seo expert. So I beg you! If you’re not an expert. Don’t do it on your own. I’ve seen so many amateurish self-appointed seo-experts who could barely make up to the 10th page of Google search results.
Your image is critical if you’re selling globally. Many customers are won and lost simply by how you optimize your store. So get in touch with an eCommerce seo company that provides 360-degree eCommerce seo services. Ask them how they charge and see if it fits your bill.
If money is tight, and expectations are high. Reach Huptech Web— a veteran ecommerce developing and service agency!
