If it has been a few months since you started your own Shopify store, you are probably pleased with the number of visitors you’re getting. If it is a small number, it is a sign that the hard work you put into identifying a profitable niche is finally paying off. However, if you’re looking for ways to increase conversion rate for your Shopify store, you’ll need more than just good ol’ patience.
Turning visitors into paying customers is a skill that takes a fair amount of trial and error. In the process, you can learn a lot about your target audience and optimize your Shopify store to bring in more sales. As with any other type of analysis, we’re going to define the problem first.
Increasing Conversion Rate for Shopify Store
Here are 10 questions that will help you create a compelling value proposition for visitors to increase the conversion rate for Shopify and keep customers coming back for more:
#1. Is your Shopify site easy to navigate?
If your visitors have landed on your sales page, there is a very high probability that they are interested in the product you have to offer. However, unless the navigation menu on the top of your main landing page is easy enough for visitors to follow, chances are that they may eventually leave. The first few seconds after a visitor arrives on the main landing page are the most crucial to increase the conversion rate for Shopify. Pretend you were visiting your site for the first time. Would you rate it as easy to navigate?
Split test a couple of theme layouts based on on-page activity reports and compare the user response each gets. Position the ‘Buy Now’ button in a location that is hard to miss. It is equally important to include search, filter, product comparison, and delivery menu options at the top of the page.
#2. Are you using Explainer Videos enough?
Since video content is a multi-sensory experience, it can help increase the conversion rate for ecommerce and boost customer engagement. Research suggests that 77% of viewers watch explainer videos of up to 2 minutes from start to finish. Using a variety of editing tools, some of which are even available for free, you can create crisp, highly engaging videos to answer questions and overcome objections.
Embed a professional-looking explainer video on the check-out page to keep customers engaged during the checkout process. Besides, it makes the overall user experience more personalized and exclusive.
#3. Is your CTA up to the task?
In the final moments leading up to a sale, buyers often look for something to validate their decision to buy. An easy to understand, action-oriented CTA that clearly explains how the product will benefit them can increase the conversion rate for ecommerce products substantially. Using simple, everyday language is another important factor to elicit the subconscious buy response.
#4. How about User Reviews?
Getting the CTA right may require a few tweaks, depending on the audience you’re targeting. Remember to incorporate the Unique Selling Points (USP) of your product to develop a compelling pitch that visitors find impossible to resist.
Borrow a time tested strategy used by most large retail stores and exclusive dealers to attract visitors to their respective websites: User reviews. If you’re having trouble monetizing your traffic, including reviews from other users in the checkout section to increase the conversion rate for Shopify. Since reviews are a type of user-generated content, customers tend to see them as a credible source of information about a product they are considering buying.
Use widgets in the footer section of your checkout section to display reviews to nudge visitors to buy. You can even use a carousel or slider based review plug-in to boost conversions on your Shopify site.
#5. Is the Order Total displayed?
If visitors like what you have to offer, they may decide to buy more for friends and family. During the holiday season, for example, it is typical for online shoppers to add more than one item to their shopping cart before proceeding to checkout. Unless the total order value is displayed upfront, they may have second thoughts on buying from your Shopify site. If you’re in the fashion or tech niche -which have a high cart abandon rate- this is a key factor to consider.
#6. Do you have a clear Returns Policy?
A consistent and clear Returns Policy is a key aspect for both international and local customers. This pertains to not just the product range you offer but also to related aspects such as shipping costs, gift cards, and taxes that may have to be refunded, following a return. To be transparent and build trust with your customers, articulate the terms and conditions with regards to:
- The timeframe within which customers need to return the product
- How the return will be processed – exchange, replacement or credit
- Any additional shipping or handling costs
Some of these questions may generate phone calls or emails from customers. If you’re too busy to handle customer queries, consider hiring a professional 24X7 customer support provider to help you resolve customer queries through email, phone, or live chat and increase the conversion rate for Shopify over a period of time.
#7. Does your store look professional?
Whether you’re selling online or in person, first impressions do matter. A professional looking website with standard security features is necessary to put customers at ease. Privacy and data security has been a matter of national debate around the US and can impact conversion rates if your site seems a little lax on this front.
To allay customer concerns regarding the use of their personal information, create a privacy policy for your site. It might help you to know that Shopify provides free SSL security certificates to store owners, free of charge. This certificate assures customers that your site is secure and encrypted any personal information entered by buyers.
#8. Is check out taking too long?
Although the majority of online purchases are made on the go via mobile devices, customers do not expect checkout to take longer than a couple of minutes. If your site is slow or not responsive to inputs, chances are that customers might take their business somewhere else. To make the checkout process as simple and fast as possible, choose a site theme that takes a customer to the payment queue as soon as they have selected a product(s) of their liking.
Ensure that the items in their shopping carts are clearly visible and that the ‘Pay Now’ button is placed strategically on the web page in order to increase the conversion rate for Shopify. Integrate multiple payment options to make the checkout process effortless.
#9. Are you engaging with customers that did not buy?
An abandoned sale is not a lost opportunity if you decide not to give up easily. The reasons why a customer might have decided against buying from your store are varied. Although price is a major sticking point for some, other reasons could include the non-availability of preferred payment options such as Google Checkout, the need to register before making a purchase or even high shipping costs. It may not have anything to do with your site either, in case of a declined credit card. Email marketing is an effective and affordable tool for online businesses to reengage with customers and increase the conversion rate for ecommerce stores.
- To get the most out of your email customer retention campaign:
- Ensure that the first follow-up email is sent within an hour of the attempted purchase
- Use compelling copy that creates urgency through limited period offers or discounts
- Include images of the product the customer was about to purchase, including specifications such as color, size, and make.
- It is likely that customers may have questions regarding the product. Include contact information so that they can reach out to your support team for assistance.
It may not always be possible for you to provide customer support, especially if your customers live in different time zones. To improve conversion rate for ecommerce products, choose an on-demand 24X7 customer support outsourcing agency like snagthesale. Our team comprises of native English speaking representatives skilled in providing world-class live chat, email and phone-based support to customers around the world.
We help you avoid the costs of maintaining large in-house customer service teams and benefit from high-quality customer interactions. We deliver the goods when it comes to enhancing your average order value consistently.
#10. Too many ads?
No one can blame you for wanting to upsell your own products. After all, that’s a proven way to increase conversion rates used by the biggest ecommerce giants, right? However, if you go overboard in terms of displaying pop-up ads, it may get annoying for customers. This is especially true when the customer is in the process of entering his credit card details or shipping information. You may probably never hear back from some of those customers again.
To ensure a positive user experience, you can:
- Wait until the customer has completed checkout to upsell or cross-sell products.
- Add a Thank You page confirming the original transaction, before pitching more products to the customer.
- Make personalized recommendations similar to those used by global ecommerce brands.
- Include a comments section at checkout to get feedback from customers about their overall experience on your Shopify site.
While increasing conversion rate for ecommerce is a numbers game, for the most part, it also has a customer service dimension to it. Feedback can help you iterate and improve your product further so that it can continue generating a steady revenue stream.
Conclusion
To gradually increase the conversion rate for Shopify, use a combination of web analytics tools and contextual ads. With these proven strategies in your arsenal, you are now ready to outsell the competition and build an engaged community of loyal customers.