Converting clicks into customers

For this week, I will look at retailers and manufacturers.

What percentage of your new business has come to you via your website? Most? A lot? Some? You don’t really know?

Well it may stun you to know that some of your competitors are getting 100% of their new business via their websites.

Before you say “couldn’t apply in my line of business”, think again.

All industries have their web savvy operators who have been quick to understand the power of the web to convert passers-by into sales. And if they don’t they’ll be plotting their assault as you read this.

The best way to confirm this is to do a realistic Google search (that is, what customers search rather than what you would necessarily search) on your line of business, and see which firms come out tops in the search results.

Chances are that those who are at the top of the search results are the ones who achieve the most sales via their websites. Not just because they get the most traffic – though this obviously helps – but because their websites take visitors as close to a sale as is possible online.

Their websites leave no stone unturned when it comes to providing as much information, trust, security, ease of use and convenience as the prospect needs to make an immediate decision on the purchase and then commit to it by parting with their dollars.

So how do they do this? How can they move from suspects to sales in just a few clicks?

The answer will vary for different kinds of businesses, so this week we will look at how retailers and manufacturers can close sales online.

1 – Provide sufficient information

You may provide a raft of information about your business and your products, but the problem can be as much about what you don’t say as much as what you do.

Even though you think you have covered every detail a prospect may want to know about your product, there is always going to be a detail that you haven’t thought of which might prevent the sale.

This could be an unusual destination, to a tax query, to the supply of accessories or parts.

So it’s important that you brainstorm every possible nuance of the purchase, remembering that they may be on the other side of the world or speak another language.

Otherwise a competitor who does supply said information is likely to get the sale ahead of you.

So include as much information about your products as possible, link to related products, state your returns policy, cater for all delivery destinations, indicate delivery charges at the outset, include customer reviews, answer unusual queries via an FAQ, and make sure that you act on every piece of customer feedback to improve your conversion chances.

Of course optimising your information gives you even more opportunities for Google to find and rank your site, as it rewards volume and formatting of keywords.

2 – Engender trust

Trust is one of the trickiest aspects of all to achieve. Despite all your hard work in providing a professional website with as much information and payment options as possible, a visitor may simply not like your website colour scheme, or your language, or the e-commerce system you have chosen.

Customers can be a fickle bunch, and it’s no different online.

While you aren’t going to please everybody all the time, there are some fundamentals you can put in place to maximise the chances of a sale.

Things like ensuring your shopping cart has a clear “secure socket layer” (SSL) indicator (the golden padlock in the browser and the “s” for secure in your domain prefix (https). A stated physical address and fixed phone number, professional design, photography and copywriting (including spelling and grammar), customer reviews and a succinct domain name clear of misspellings, dashes and preferably .com or .com.au all add up to providing an overall impression of trust and credibility.

3 – Ensure complete security

Even if you get the trust bit right, there are still some factors that will prevent prospects from pushing the button to transmit an order or funds.

Recently I was asked to submit my credit card details over plain old unsecured email, which of course is insecure for a range of reasons. Make sure you don’t make that mistake too!

Even with aforementioned SSL, some gateways still allow the vendor to see and store your full credit card details, unlike a fully secured gateway that transmits funds straight into an account without the vendor handling the credit card details directly.

While this scenario doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unsecure, it is less secure than the alternative, and may mean the difference between sales success and failure.

4 – Make it easy to use and buy

Many vendors lose sales because it’s simply too difficult to work out how to place the order and pay the price!

I’ve actually been to websites where it was apparent that you could buy online but there was no sign of a “purchase now” mechanism. Suffice to say that they didn’t get the sale!

Simplicity of your checkout process is absolutely essential, and at no stage should visitors be distracted from it.

So instead of trying to upsell when they are ready to pay, or make them opt into a range of email deals, make it nice and simple. Add large “add to cart” and “checkout” buttons. Where possible allow them to access sales information in a separate browser so as to not interrupt their checkout process.

Of course all of this assumes you have a shopping cart at all, so if you don’t have one, don’t hesitate any longer. Get one now!

5 – Offer as much convenience as possible

Make it easy for prospects to do business with you by removing all barriers to purchase.

Offer multiple payment options, suggest where they can try out the product, offer free trials and guarantees, offer registered as well as ordinary delivery, offer delivery insurance, provide a video demonstration, offer live chat help or even a “call me now” capability. Or if a manufacturer, provide a list of local distributors.

Essentially do whatever it takes to make it easy to understand, query, order and ultimately purchase your product.

6 – Become a passionate online buyer

Of course until you are a regular online shopper yourself, you are theorising instead of practicing.

Like any learning experience, you gain most from actually performing the activity yourself and applying the learnings you encounter along the way.

So make it a habit of buying as much as possible online to help make you a better seller.

There are indeed a myriad of reasons as to why you won’t convert all browser customers. But if you include these capabilities you will improve your chances in an increasingly competitive online world.

Have your online sales increased as a result of improving your ongoing website or e-marketing practices? Why not tell share them with us here (and plug your business in the process).

Next week: We look at how service providers can close sales online.

Craig Reardon is a leading eBusiness educator and founder and director of independent web services firm The E Team which provide the gamut of ‘pre-built’ website solutions, technologies and services to SMEs in Melbourne and beyond. www.theeteam.com.au