10 Golden Tips for eCommerce Success
I recently asked a bunch of eCommerce experts for value bombs. Here is what they came up with. This stuff is gold if you are struggling with expensive acquisition costs.
1. Try testing text messages for abandon carts.
Here is an example sequence:
The first message is just a reminder to complete the purchase.
The second one is another reminder, plus a 10% discount.
The third one is to spike up the AOV, such as offering an upsell on a complementary product. This gets sent the day after the purchase.
That’s really it. As we said, nothing incredible, just an alternative method that you might not have thought about.
The only downside of this is that you might have to request additional info from your customer. Maybe best to make this an optional step, because not everyone is willing to hand out their number.
2. Check your site speed all the time!
Google reports a massive loss of revenue for sites that are slow to load, especially on mobile. Do yourself a favour. Get software that monitors site speed for you! Get daily alerts if it increases or decreases a set percentage. This will help you see if the changes we make increase or decrease performance.
3. Get a post-purchase attribution survey going as soon as possible!
It will help immensely to have additional data points behind those 'hard-to-quantify' channels like podcasts, influencers, “friends and family”. A good tool for this is Enquire.
4. Test free shipping
Test building shipping into prices if it is possible. With the world of Amazon Prime now and a huge emphasis on free shipping, it’s always worth a test especially if you are seeing low initiate checkout ratio to your conversion rate.
5. Get your post-purchase upsell on
Set up post-purchase upsells STRAIGHT AFTER checkout for every product. For example - one sequence could be: 2 upsells, 1 downsell. If they say yes to the first upsell, hit them with another upsell. If they say no to the first upsell, hit them with the downsell. Colleagues are seeing this add ~15% to revenue across the board on several brands.
6. Product images and video are key.
Make sure you have detailed product images and unboxing videos if possible, as well as 360 degree videos if they suit your product. The more the customer experiences the product before they buy it, the better.
7. Get personal
Take a personal approach to the post-purchase process, and give them something to read and get excited about immediately before and after they receive their purchase. For instance, when someone purchases you could send them an email introducing a member of your team as the person they can contact and let them know their name, put a photo of them in the signature and use this email as the point of contact for a lot of your communication. You could also include things like how to make the most of the product, what to expect after purchase, asking them how they liked their purchase and giving them an upsell offer. It’s great to try to create intimacy between your brand and your new customer.
8. Set up reviews as early as possible
For independent brands targeting cold traffic - getting people to take the plunge and make that first purchase is hard. 98% of people who visit your site won't actually buy. so building trust and proving that you are more than someone's side project is key. Third party endorsements from press, awards or certifications should be prominent on your site. The same goes for reviews. Use a plugin like Yotpo to set up an automated review system and reward people for giving you reviews. The sooner you get this done, the sooner you site will be credible.
9. Expanded product pages
Have you thought about building out an extensive product page rather than using just the standard page? Add elements explaining your product, exact specs, you vs the competitor, video testimonials about the product. Building out specific product page templates for each of your core products can really make a major impact on conversion rate.
Have you got video reviews yet?
Almost all product sites can benefit from real reviews from real people. Have you thought about creating a social competition where you reward people for sending in reviews? These will help your site performance and can be re-used in email, social media and more. What are you waiting for?
10. Rethink your About Us Page
Chances are you haven't looked at your About Us page in a while, and there is a good chance it is one of the most visited pages on your site. Time to give it a spruce up?
A great About Us Page will share what makes your brand different, and tell your story to your potential customers. If you can hook people on mission and purpose, they’ll be more likely to buy.
Key things to include:
1. Catchy headline
2. Body copy to explain your mission
3. Clear description of your product benefits
4. Photos that show your company’s history and personality
5. Videos, interesting statistics or other visual elements.
Thanks to all the incredible minds in the Facebook & Instagram Pro Ad Buyers Group for contributing to this post.
