Every year, the global e-commerce market grows irreversibly and even exceeds the growth rate of the offline market... Mastering the online space has become a kind of challenge of the time, in which, in order to succeed tomorrow, you need to navigate today. And a business website is not the only, but the best opportunity to do this! In this article, we have collected theoretical and practical tricks that will make your site sell.
It is important to understand that the growth of online shopping is the result of many factors:
- An increase in the use of smartphones for shopping and, as a result, an increase in the mobility of the process itself;
- Social networks and social commerce;
- Transformative technologies;
- Internet platforms and marketplaces;
- Changes in user behavior, etc.
USA online sales trends
Do you know exactly what a SELLING site is?
The Internet offers the user (and in fact - your potential buyer) a huge number of template sites with the same type of product description, design and similar product offers ... But only a selling site can catch the attention of users:
- A selling website is a resource with a CORRECT design and semantic load that MOTIVATES visitors to take a targeted action.
A selling website is not always a path to purchase in its purest form. Yes, the overall goal is sales. But this process itself can be much more complicated in terms of approach and variety of channels.
For example, a site may not have a shopping cart or a connected e-payment service, but it will sell if its goal is to encourage guests to leave their contact information. But for this it is important to choose the right lead magnet.
- A lead magnet is the bonus that you give to a client in exchange for his E-Mail: checklists, useful selections, discounts on the first order, etc.
What determines sales from the site - the main trends of 2022
1. Interactive content instead of boring texts
Creating relevant and informative content plays a crucial role in sales, as well as in increasing the ranking and traffic of the site. Interactive content forces the user to be active on the site page. Search engines love and appreciate it :)
It is important that the site be a channel of open communication, and not just a platform for reading content.
By offering your audience a free up-to-date goodie, you can count on user engagement and, as a result, warm leads.
Examples of interactive content to increase engagement:
- Tests, quizzes, prize draws
Users answer questions, after which they receive a result that can be shared on social networks. Quizzes tell about the product in a fun way and help the company to get to know its consumer better.
But! When offering interactive content like this, it's important to understand the structure and not overshoot the format for your audience.
- Calculators
Calculators on websites help calculate the cost of a service or product. You get a few more serious bonuses to user engagement:
- unload managers
- help the user navigate the prices and service / product
- increase pricing transparency
- and the calculator also helps to analyze the behavior of the audience: what exactly do people think, what is important for them and at what point do they leave.
Plus, you can add a call to action to the calculator or show how much the client will save. This will increase the chances of sales.
- Interactive infographics
Infographics visualize large amounts of information and help the user make better use of that data. Due to their informativeness and visibility, they are able to break through even the most serious "immunity" of users from informational noise, and interactivity can enhance the effectiveness of such content.
- Galleries (slideshow)
Most companies use galleries on their websites to showcase products, portfolios of work done, and anything that can be shown through photos and images. And customers, thereby, clearly see what is at stake.
Interactivity is that in order to enlarge and better view the image, you need to click on it.
- Interactive images
Special tags on photos, when clicked, you can see additional information (text, navigation buttons, enlarged image fragment). This format is called Zoom.
…and this is only a small part of the interactive content that can be used on the site. Because this is a whole philosophy, which is based on a simple and interesting story about complex things, and the desire to make the content more personalized, which means more useful and catchy for the user.
2. Increasing the number of customers with online payment options
Any business that sells its products online needs a payment system for the website. Of course, you can do without it by invoicing customers. But if you want to scale your business or simply reach a new level of sales, you should still connect the payment system from the site.
This is a special software built into the main platform of the online store. The main function of such software is the processing of online payments from customers. Yes, it is convenient for customers and, of course, profitable for entrepreneurs.
BUT! What is important to remember when choosing a payment system for a website?
- Its code must be protected from malicious attacks and data theft!
- An interface must be the most convenient and easy to use. This will increase the number of paid purchases
- The fewer steps in the payment process, the higher the likelihood that the buyer will go through the entire chain and reach the final payment.
3. Real and high quality photos on the site
Few people think about the fact that photos on the site are needed not only “for beauty” ... What a pity! Because in fact, photos play an important role in promoting a business and attracting customers!
Photos on the site will tell your potential customer about your company better than any words. And it doesn’t matter if you want it or not :) Therefore, do not neglect photo content and place accents correctly!
Here are a few small recommendations on how to choose and arrange photos for the site.
- Quality
Photos must be large, clear, high resolution. Such photos are always positively perceived by visitors. They will attract attention even from occasional visitor on the page. Such pictures make you want to spend more time on the site. And that's what we need...
It is important to make sure that there are no photos of different sizes on one page!
- Brand fit
Your images should be as close as possible to the corporate identity, line of business and positioning of the company. Photos should be as concise as possible and without unnecessary color and small details, correspond to the price of your product.
- Efficiency
It is good if the photos carry a call to action (call-to-action). So they will not only attract the attention of the user, but also evoke a certain emotional response in him, motivate him to perform any action: buy, call, order ...
In other words, the task of the photos posted on your site is to turn a visitor, even a casual one, into a buyer.
- Uniqueness
Your images should make it clear to the target audience that you are unique and should not be confused with others. There is no need to be afraid that people in your photos will not look as shiny and “glossy” as in stock photos. Believe me, if YOUR employees, YOUR interiors, YOUR products are in the photo, buyers will notice this and will trust you many times more than sleek photos from the Internet.
- Personalization
Don't be afraid to use models to showcase your products! Such shots grab attention, especially if they show emotions or convey the context of using your product.
4. Video content
Video is content that requires a minimum of effort to perceive. No need to read, no need to scroll...just sit and watch. Just a minute of video will tell about as much as 3-4 pages of text.
It is the video that gives the most visual representation of how the product looks, functions, is assembled, or how the process of providing the service takes place.
Because video is more and more in demand by Internet users - use it!
5. Chatbots
This is not only an additional channel of communication with the user, but also a way to save a lot of time! And both managers and buyers. Chatbots can:
- offer the necessary goods;
- help choose the size;
- answer frequently asked questions;
- inform about the status of the order;
- collect feedback;
- accept payment for the goods.
A lot, agree! In addition, studies show that using a chatbot optimizes the buyer’s journey, positively affects conversions, and reduces the number of returns.
6. Messenger as a way to increase website conversion
Using instant messengers together with the usual methods of communication (telephony, email, chats and social networks) you get another tool for interacting with the audience and promoting your products and services.
Using instant messengers as an Internet marketing and sales tool is beneficial for websites, since this is one of the easiest and most convenient ways for users to learn about a product, clarify the details of interest and, accordingly, place an order.
7. Thank you page after checkout
This is the page that the user sees after submitting an application or order. It is important that the user understands that his order has been accepted and what to expect next.
It can be a message along the lines of: “Thank you for your purchase!” or “Thank you, your application has been accepted! We will contact you as soon as possible”, etc.
8. Encouraging UGC Content
UGC (user-generated content) is content that, literally, users create on the site on their own in different formats (video, images, text).
It is important for both parties: for the site owner and for the user himself, as it increases the credibility of the product.
If users do not simply select your product / service, but also want to share their impressions about it, this is another advantage in your favor! In addition, this way buyers become closer to the brand, and the brand, in its turn, has the opportunity to analyze its very real target audience!
The most common UGC format is reviews and comments. Users and buyers can leave them anywhere: on the brand/company website, in social networks, on forums, in the company card on Google My Business and special review sites.
This type of content is very important for the image of the company. If people leave reviews, it shows that they are passionate about your activities, and they have something to say in return.
In addition, users often share their experiences in reviews, which can be useful not only to you, but also to other site visitors.
9. Development of social networks and their integration with the site
The main task of social networks is to ensure the popularity and recognition of the company's brand in the information field with the help of additional tools.
And it is also important to increase the trust and loyalty of customers.
If your company has representative accounts on various social platforms, be sure to place links to them and the corresponding widgets on your website:
- widgets help to attract current and potential customers of the company to the community, where you can interact more closely and lead to a purchase;
- placing widgets on the site helps to retain the audience that is used to receiving information in social networks;
- placing widgets using the faces of friends attracts an additional audience.
It is best to place these widgets on the visible part of the screen so that users can immediately see the presence of your business on social networks.
Conclusions
A selling website is an integral part of any modern business. Proper design and semantic load of content can significantly attract new users. But what is important to remember:
- The owner of the site does not need ordinary visitors ... he needs BUYERS. Therefore, the main task is to turn visitors into buyers. And it already depends on how your site is ready to sell!
Using the main trending tricks, some of which we have listed above, the owner receives the trust and loyalty of customers, high conversion, sales growth and, accordingly, an increase in profits.
Working with sites in this direction is one of the areas of work of our online marketing agency. Therefore, if you need advice or assistance in developing your business using Internet marketing tools such as eCommerce SEO, welcome - we are in touch
