Getting visitors to a website is only half the battle- converting their visit into a purchase or action is another challenge entirely. John Ryder, client services director, Silverbean, lists the most common website conversion mistakes made by B2B and B2C websites.
There are a lot of B2C websites out there doing a great job generating lots of traffic – their owners invest time and money finding just the right people to buy what they are selling. But for many, once they get potential customers onto their site, attitudes change and there isn’t anywhere as much focus on closing each sale as there should be.
B2C sites often commit similar mistakes – site managers just don’t think carefully enough about conversion. If you’re responsible for online sales, Conversion Rate Optimisation should get as much of your attention as SEO, branding and all the other key elements of your online sales strategy.
So, where do B2C sites go wrong, and what are the most common mistakes which force customers elsewhere when they should be staying with you?
1. You need to create trust
It’s vital to establish trust with consumers immediately – making sure you’ve got a range of familiar trust symbols in view throughout the purchase process will help enormously. This could range from security and safe payment accreditation, to consumer reviews, membership of industry associations and awards – anything genuine and familiar which shows you are a business to be trusted should be on display.
2. Your site is difficult to use
There remain so many sites out there which are still quite tough to navigate. Just as a cumbersome sales process will cause your customers to go elsewhere, so will poor or confusing navigation. Take time out to test how users react to your site navigation and how you present your content – check the analytics to uncover bottlenecks or particular places that are putting consumers off. Don’t assume – evaluate.
3. It takes too long to buy
The best B2C sites allow us to identify what we want and then buy it quickly – any sites that forces consumers through too many steps, asks for non-critical information or takes the same information more than once is risking sales. The boredom/annoyance threshold for many consumers when buying online is pretty low and they will compare your process to the best and worst they’ve had.
4. You don’t explain the purchase process
That’s not the only problem to appear during a sale – and that should be the most concerning point of all for site owners; that they’re losing customer as they actually try to buy. The purchase process must be clear, explaining all the key factors such as delivery times, what specific information you as the retailer need in order to ship product and how they can keep track their orders. By getting people to commit to a purchase, you’ve done the hardest part – don’t put people off by falling short of their expectations.
5. You’re not helpful enough
Sometimes we need help when we’re shopping online – we want to double check something or ask a question. This needs to be easy, efficient and helpful. If you’re running a shop on the High Street, helping customers with their questions is basic service requirement, so why do so many online stores neglect it? It’s vital that you help people through the purchase process, either through on-screen guidance or, at the other end of the scale, live access to an advisor. Either way, think of it as good old fashioned service in a modern setting.
By John Ryder
Client services director
Silverbean
www.silverbean.co.uk
