You already know that user experience (UX) is crucial to eCommerce sales. After all, it isn’t too hard to put your customer hat on and understand that an easy-to-use website is better than one that isn’t.
What most people don’t realize is that there are numerous low-hanging fruit updates you can implement to help see an improvement in a short period of time. Here are seven quick user experience wins to drive eCommerce conversion rates and those all-important sales.
Why User Experience Matters and How to Evaluate How Your Website Stacks Up
Understanding user experience is key to hitting the sweet spot with your eCommerce sales. After all, you need to understand and track what customers are doing when they get to your site and find what is keeping them from making that ultimate purchase. Sometimes a few small adjustments can turn into big results when it comes to conversion rate increases.
You can also utilize analytics programs to help you see where customers are clicking on your website. For example, Hotjar creates heat maps to show where visiting customers hover and click the most. It also provides recordings of how customers interact with your site, conversion reports, and more. This allows you to determine if you need to rearrange or eliminate certain UX elements for better results.
Win #1: Add a Search Box
If you don’t currently have a search box on your website, you need to add one as soon as possible. It is reported that 30% of all online shoppers use this function to narrow down the products they are looking for or to find something specific. Websites that don’t offer this feature are setting themselves up to alienate potential shoppers who are ready to get right to that perfect item and buy it already.
Win #2: Make Your Call-to-Actions Clear
It is also important to make your call-to-actions as clear and simple as you can. Stick to classics like “shop now” and “checkout now” to ensure there’s no confusion along the way. What may sound cute and quirky to you could easily confuse someone who doesn’t have a huge amount of familiarity with your brand. Instead, be clear and concise to help eliminate missed opportunities.
Win #3: Add Multiple Product Pictures to the Product Display Page
Adding several photos instead of just one or two to the product display page is also an easy UX win. Online shoppers want to see what they are buying and including additional visual aids helps. Plus, this is a great place to add user content, including photos of the same item after a customer has purchased it—let them see what they are getting from the eyes of someone who has already received the same thing!
Win #4: Make the Checkout Process Short and Simple
Another easy win is to make the checkout process as short and simple as possible. Literally, these shoppers want to give you their money, so why make it a difficult process to navigate? While this likely depends on your eCommerce platform, try to limit the number of clicks and screens to a bare minimum. And, adding upsell opportunities is great, but don’t allow it to impede the overall checkout process at all.
Win #5: Make Product Reviews a Part of Your Strategy
Reviews are a crucial part of the shopping journey. People want to see what other people like them think about the product they want to purchase! Add reviews to product pages and remember to ask for them on a regular basis through emails, social posts, and more. In fact, this is a great strategy to include for your overall marketing and not just as a quick UX win.
Win #6: Offer Multiple Payment Options
Shoppers like convenience, and they want to be able to check out using their favorite payment platform. Some feel more comfortable with traditional card entry, while others solely trust Paypal for all their online purchases. Others feel that Apple Pay and Amazon Pay are the way to go. And even services such as Afterpay and Klarna that offer installments on moderate to large ticket items are becoming more popular. Be flexible with the number of options you provide to see a quick boost in checkouts and a decrease in abandoned carts.
Win #7: Have a Mobile-First Attitude
Again, it is important to put your customer hat on first when it comes to adjusting UX elements for a better shopper experience. Do you use your smartphone or tablet to shop? If you’re like us, we bet you do. That’s why it is so crucial to have a mobile-first attitude. Make sure your website looks stellar on various size screens and that navigation is still simple. Failure to do so could really cost you sales.
Finding a Great Partner to Bring Things All Together
Finally, you want a great partner to bring things all together. At CAKE, we understand the importance of stellar user experience. Contact our sweet team of experts today, so we can help you implement all the above strategies in your very own marketing plan.
