Wonder how Amazon gets its long list of customers? Why are some ecommerce sites growing on a daily basis? The answer is not far away than the sites themselves. All you need to do is look a little closer. Professional ecommerce developers analyze every trend in the market and determine the exact features that suit your ecommerce site. While some trends prove most beneficial to get more sales, some simply add on to your headache.
Following ecommerce trends is like following the red carpet. Not every trend is for everyone but certain features are to be adopted to stay up-to-date. The key is to focus on your site’s UI/UX development. The more user friendly your site is, the more customers you get. Moreover, Google favors your site accordingly.
Many marketers struggle to convert the carts to actual sales. That means, a customer has browsed and added items on the cart but don’t buy it. Ever heard of Shopping Cart Abandonment Statistics? The reason lies in the very human instincts of Fears, Uncertainty & Doubts. So you need to address your customers based on the visitor’s persona. Entice them with appropriate incentives, evaluate the site’s trust indicators, complexity of purchase and engagement.
Why Do Customers Abandon Shopping Carts?
- High Shipping Cost or the costs are not mentioned properly
- They are simply not ready to purchase and saving for later purchase
- High product price
- Do not have suitable payment option
- Too much information asked
- Complicated checkout process
- Pay extras for taxes and others
- Slow shipping
- Spam with offers
- Your website crashed
Addressing these reasons, here are 10 must-have features to integrate on your eCommerce site to attain maximum sales.
1. Create Guest Check-Out Option & Secure it
While creating a customer database is important for your marketing, you should also give your customers an opportunity to check-out as guests. This will allow a customer to buy your product without having to fill another form. If you would like to get people to create an account, perhaps give them the option to do so after they have made their purchase. Avoid forcing them to do so beforehand or rather on any stage. Integrate the interface in such a way that suggests, not dictate.
According to studies, conversions can be increased by a whopping 35.62 percent by implementing the right checkout optimization strategies. Guest checkout option is not the only thing to consider.
Suppose you have made the check-out login easy with minimal information but, is it secure enough? The web is inundated with different scams aimed to exploit personal information. You need to make your customers feel safe and ensure they will not fall prey to such scams.
Make sure to incorporate trust and security seals strategically within your checkout funnel. Mention all the clauses and rules to show your customers that their information will not be misused in any way.
2. “Add to Cart” Button to Save Items
Now, don’t give in to the urgency of making sales. The sales are not going to happen if you push the customers. An “add to cart” button serves as the ultimate call-to-action on any e-commerce site. This gives your customers an opportunity to buy not one but multiple items at once. They may add a few items and then reconsider them.
Make it large and position it away from other elements on the page. It is important that it is prominently placed. Some people consider putting a red button, as they invoke a sense of urgency. However, you might want to keep it a little subtle. It shouldn’t reflect danger.
3. Integrate Search Bar
The little section placed at the top of your website serves more than just navigation. Especially, in Ecommerce sites. If you optimize your search bar properly, it can become a powerful tool for conversions. Your customers are going to search for their desirable items on it. This tool is often neglected but professional ecommerce developers know better than that.
Consider creating the search bar in a different color than the website. Make sure it pops out. You may also put text in it to indicate customers how to use it. A generic text such as “Enter keyword” will do the job. Put a “search” or “find” button or a stylized arrow to make it more convenient. However, the customers should also be able to search by pushing the “enter” button on their respective systems.
4. Multiple Images and Product Videos
Gone are the days when you put up one image, a few bulletins and call it a day. It is also nothing but an excuse that customers are not inclined to buying stuff online. The pandemic of 2020 only escalated the ongoing trend of buying things online. Consumers with no other alternative turned to eCommerce to get everything necessary for their daily lives. Therefore, to satisfy the over-pouring customers in a saturated ecommerce platform, you must make an effort. Put multiple images of the product exploring every angle possible. In fact, make a video of the product. It will make the customers sure about how it would actually look.
A video presentation will only continue to gain popularity going forward in 2021. According to the latest report from HubSpot, more than 80% of marketers are successfully running videos as a marketing tool. Additionally, they claim the time an average user spends on a website increases by 88% if the page includes product video. So, incorporating this feature will benefit your business in more than just one way. The more time people stay on your website, the more Google prefers your site i.e., higher ranking.
5. Unfiltered Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are great to sway new customers into buying your products. It will also create a seemingly open platform to discuss your product. You will still be able to push the positive comments and harness a positive conversation. But do consider keeping a few rotten tomatoes in the sack. They say “no publicity is bad publicity” for a reason.
More customer reviews ensure the new customers that more people have bought the item. They will take time out to read through ensuring more engagement on your ecommerce site. In a time when every platform is doing aggressive campaigning of their products, customers are searching to get their hands on a genuine one. If you have one average review on 5 great reviews, it will only make the customer believe in the good ones.
Why don’t you reply to the bad reviews with positive feedback or solutions? It not only will create an opportunity to gain the trust of the agitated customer but also the ones reading it. Study shows that sixty-three percent of consumers are more likely to purchase a product including user reviews and forty-four percent of shoppers rely on reviews written within a month to be relevant. You may also use the reviews as user-generated content to drive social proof and build raving fans.
6. Include Social Buttons for Each Product
Think of it as creating a better user experience. How? Well, when in a physical shop, don’t you ask your friends about a product to be sure about it? This is even more impertinent for the fashion and lifestyle items. Social media serves the purpose of the same in your virtual space. Use it wisely to increase your brand value. Putting up a social share button against each product will give you and the customers alike the opportunity to advertise.
If you integrate a Facebook or Instagram Fan page with your website, it will only increase the value of your products. It will serve as an advertising tool for offers and new products. Customers can share what they are purchasing with friends or over social media. Having said this, Social Media demands a 24*7 operation. Many marketers often ignore its importance and the amount of work time it demands. Keeping your social pages active and inclusive is important.
So, don’t shy away from including social buttons at the bottom of your e-commerce pages allowing your customers to share your content on sites like Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Let your customers share their favorite products.
7. Recommend Related Items
Recommending related items to your consumers is another great tool that the successful ecommerce marketers are doing. This is one trend that has proven track records. If a customer sees that you have some similar products or related items such as a pair of socks with sports shoes, it will create a great impact. Think about it! It will not only create a need for the related items for the customers and boost the sales of that item but also convey your understanding of their needs. However, don’t suggest random products. Customers love customized shopping experiences. Recommending a hammer to a person who searched for a dress will simply not do.
Take inspiration from the ecommerce giants such as Amazon. Amazon has executed this very well by offering a list of items of “Shoppers also bought” or “shoppers also viewed” to help shoppers find complementary or substitutable products. However, you will need a keen observation to understand the consumers better. Focus on what fuels your shoppers’ desires and how you can make the connection between products for them. Study your product affinity and see which products are frequently purchased together.
8. Incorporate as Many Payment Methods as Possible
Payment methods can be overwhelming with so many options used worldwide. You must take a closer look on what are the methods mostly used in the locations you are catering. Be flexible! Most online retailers accept Visa and MasterCard, but what about PayPal? Bank transfer? or American Express? There are Apple Pay, Amazon Pay and Google Pay as well to consider. Incorporating more payment methods evidently improves the user experience and encourages them to buy from your ecommerce site as opposed to your competitors.
Why not include logos of payment service providers at your e-commerce pages? A visual integration will engage more customers undoubtedly. Advanced payment options are a must-have feature for an ecommerce site today. The key is understanding who the buyer is and implementing the most effective solutions.
While we are on this subject, it is not enough to just incorporate the payment methods. Do they work effortlessly? Statista found that 30 percent of shoppers will leave if they have to re-enter their credit card information. So, make sure all the technical tools are in place to ensure a flawless operation.
9. Include Live Chat Feature to your Ecommerce site
With the integration of autobot technology over the spectrum, a live chat-bot in your Ecommerce conveys your status to the customer. It also implies that you care and helps in solving any confusion of the customers. The quality of customer service you offer plays a crucial role in the growth of your business. Therefore, rather than making the customers wait for the answers, add live chat support to your help desk software.
Online chats help to add a human element to the digital shopping experience and can recreate the experience of having employees in a physical store. Online chats are essentially an omnipresent FAQ section, waiting to help customers with whatever they need. Trends like instant gratification, transparency, personalization and curation are nothing new. The online stores are just incorporating what physical stores used to do. So, offer more of a non-intrusive human element, and a frictionless experience. It is perhaps the most permanent way to turn your visitors into regular shoppers.
10. Make sure your eCommerce Site is Responsive
All things considered; your online store is incompetent if not responsive to all devices. Like any other kind of website over the internet, your ecommerce must be responsive across all mobile devices including tablets, phones etc. A mobile responsive site is a must as the customer’s attention span is decreasing day by day. If every page of your site doesn’t open within a fraction of a second on an average, it is probably the biggest let down to your customers. Pay attention to the coding and make it happen!
To avail all these features and seamlessly incorporate them to your online store need the professional hands of Web development experts. Need an appealing Website Or, looking for an effective boost to your website’s overall sale? Digital Sprout is the perfect solution in web design Maryland and neighborhood areas. Structured for speed and efficiency, we at Digital Sprout strive to pivot as fast as the digital marketplace. We understand your needs and are sworn to resolve your queries. Contact us now!