No matter the type of store you own, measuring your conversion rates establishes the difference between using numbers to grow your business and leaving your success to chance. Even if you manage to increase your traffic or see a bump in sales, not knowing how many of your visitors turn into actual paying customers will leave you blinded to your retail store’s actual performance.
Conversion data helps businesses understand user behavior at different points in the sales funnel to determine if – and how – they can maximize their spending of resources. Operating with a below-average conversion rate will keep your business struggling to achieve its targets, which is why it is one of the most crucial KPIs to measure.
Whether you decide to use the services of a professional conversion rate optimization agency or dedicate a team to increasing your conversion rates, the process should become an integral part of your marketing strategy to deliver results. Below we will look at several ways you can tweak your strategy to achieve great conversion rates in the retail sector.
Use Social Media Channels
With the global rise in digital shoppers, new online retail shops are popping up every day. To raise your business’ profile and increase your conversion rates, you need to find the right social media platforms that will get customers on board with your brand.
It might also be a good idea to connect your social media accounts directly with your customer service. As many potential customers nowadays use these platforms to ask questions and reach out to brands, responding fast and regularly can increase your chances of turning an interested buyer into a customer.
To achieve this, you should consider integrating technologies like an Instagram DM API that will let you manage messages and comments from all of your channels in one platform. This will allow a clear overview of all communication and coordinate more easily with your team, allowing for consistent and quick responses.
Optimize Your Website’s Design
Even if you spend a sizable marketing budget and manage to increase your traffic a few times around, you will not get a return on your investment unless those visitors are buying your product, downloading your app, or taking your desired action. To encourage this behavior, you need to have a clear and well-designed website that visitors actually want to use.
A good website should include all relevant information, have easy navigation, and clearly outline the steps users should take at every point of the customer journey. Focus on including the following things:
- Headlines and subheadings;
- Features, benefits, and design;
- Customer reviews or testimonials;
- Visuals combined with text to show what you’re offering.
There are other things you might consider adding – like a live chatbot or videos – but your goal should remain the same: Make it as simple as possible. Eliminating unnecessary distractions will keep your users focused on your offers and nothing else.
Have a Convenient Checkout Process
Your checkout process is a key step in increasing conversions. You may have dedicated effort to attract visitors to your websites, developed your products, and made your website clear and simple – but if those visitors don’t finalize the purchase, none of that effort matters.
First of all, you should display items and options plainly so that users can make changes to their selections. You should have a progress bar to show how many steps they need to take and include easy navigation back and forth so that users don’t abandon the process if they have to start all over again once they go back.
Present all information transparently and upfront, so there are no unexpected costs added once customers reach the later stages. Lastly, you should provide flexible payment options to ensure that customers can pay with a preferred method – and offer a money-back guarantee for flexible returns.
Offer Incentives
If your conversion rates are stagnant or dropping, you might want to consider adding incentives that will motivate your customers to make the purchase. These may include free samples, discount codes, personalized offers, or even a complete loyalty program.
Choosing the right incentive will depend on the nature of your products, so you should consider what will bring high value to your customers and make the most sense for your business. If you decide to give out free samples above a certain amount, you can include them in your marketing messages or home page to let customers know. Alternatively, you can send personalized offers or discount codes via email for your customers’ favorite products.
Many companies have already identified the power of incentives and designed loyalty programs in which customers collect points and receive a series of rewards or discounts. By attaching future value to transactions, you can encourage customers to return to your store – thus increasing your conversion rates in the long run.
Final Words
If you’re looking to turn more of your visitors into customers, you need to focus on all the customer journey points that can either make or break this goal. Remember that reaching high conversion rates is a process – and not a quick growth hack.
