Online stores must increase conversions to be successful in the long-term.
Visitors don't buy if you don't make any money. With $7.31 trillion dollars expected to be spent on ecommerce retail by 2025 you need to optimize your CRO to get as much as possible.
However, optimizing your online store can be difficult.
You might see low conversion rates even if everything is perfect, including driving traffic to your site and running digital ads. In the second quarter 2021, the average conversion rate for US-based e-commerce stores (which includes the most recent data) was 2.8%.
What gives? How can you increase your conversion rate beyond 3%? E-commerce optimization means making it easy for customers to purchase from you.
How can you do this? You start by looking at your analytics to find out where visitors are stuck. It doesn't have to be complicated. I'll walk you through the process.
Let's first discuss why CRO is important for e-commerce websites.
What is Conversion Optimization and How Does It Different for E-commerce Stores
E-commerce stores have different conversion rates (CRO). This is because physical products can be more difficult and time-consuming than services. The industry average 9.3 conversion rate.
This is partly due to the fact that a service website may have only one or two steps during the checkout process while an ecommerce store might have five or six. It's important that you optimize your CRO.
E-commerce shops must pay more attention when it comes to purchasing, from product pages to checkout pages.
E-commerce stores can have unique friction points such as shipping and returns that could impact purchasing decisions.
E-commerce sellers must take a holistic approach when optimizing their stores.
This could mean that you look for ways to improve customer confidence via social proof and simplified checkout processes.
To increase their conversion rates, e-commerce entrepreneurs should be focused on making the purchase process easy.
CRO Strategy #1: Add Recommend Products
It is a great way of increasing conversion rates by adding recommended products to your online store.
A product page is a place where people can find information about the product.
You can guide them in their purchase decisions by suggesting additional products. This will increase your conversion rate.
Invespcro discovered that 37% of customers clicked on a recommendation product upon their first visit to a site.
Similar results can be seen when shoppers click on product recommendations. They are almost four-and-a-half times more likely than others to add items to their carts and make a purchase.
Amazon recommends products based upon previous purchases and items you have viewed. This keeps customers on the site longer and helps increase sales.
Customers may also be shown related items by using the “Frequently Bought together” prompts.
Your e-commerce store will be more personal if you recommend relevant products to customers.
You can personalize your website and recommend products by using AI, trending information, and past shopping experiences.
86% of respondents say that website personalization influences their buying decisions. This is a great e-commerce optimization strategy that you shouldn't miss.
There are many ways to add recommended products. Some examples include:
- Adding recommended products to the shopping cart at the order stage.
- adding recommended products in the confirmation/transaction email you send to customers when they make a purchase
- Add recommended products to search results pages for related/similar products
Your e-commerce platform will determine the steps required to add recommended products. These are the instructions for the most widely used platforms.
- Shopify
- Big Commerce
- WooCommerce
CRO Strategy #2: Make Your Product Pages Shine
Your e-commerce success depends on high-quality product pages.
Customers feel more confident when they can see the product and have an idea of how it will fit into their lives.
Your visitors cannot touch or feel your products so you must ensure that the media used on each product page is accurate.
High-quality photos of the product taken from different angles and at different levels detail are a good place to start.
To show texture and details, ensure that your photos have sufficient resolution.
If space is available, offer 360-degree views of the product to customers so they can see the whole thing.
Models can be used to demonstrate how clothes and accessories look on different body types if your e-commerce shop sells clothing.
Demo videos and explainer videos are another option to showcase your products.
You don't necessarily have to create all of the content.
Encourage customers to upload visual content. You can also source images and videos from social networks. This doubles as social proof which will increase conversions.
Key features in product descriptions are key to attracting shoppers to purchase.
Include all relevant information such as size, color and fabric content.
Clear and concise language is key to highlighting the unique features of your products and avoiding confusion.
Site visitors who are unable to find the information they need on your site won't be able to make sales.
If shoppers have a particular product or category in their mind, the navigation on your site is often the first thing they look at.
A confusing or complex navigation system can cost you customers and sales. A HubSpot case study showed that simplifying or eliminating navigation elements from middle of the funnel landing pages led to a 16-28% increase in conversion rates!
E-commerce website navigation is not a one-size fits all solution. Your products' nature and the way your customers prefer to arrange information will determine which design is best.
These are some steps to create a successful e-commerce website navigation.
- To find out how users click, use heat maps or user testing.
- Every page prominently displays categories
- Clear labels and concise descriptions are required for all menu items.
- Based on the way your customers browse your website, create intuitive and logical menus.
- Do not hide essential menu items within nested submenus.
- To find the best navigation structure for your customers, test it out.
Apple is an example of great ecommerce navigation.
A drop-down menu listing all products can prove overwhelming if you have many.
Apple's website would be very confusing if it included all of its products and services in one drop-down menu.
This would not only be against the brand's minimalist image but also make it difficult for customers to find what their need.
Apple instead opts for a clean top navigation without dropdown or secondary menu items:
Clicking on the top navigation item will take visitors to a menu page listing options within that category.
A simple drop-down menu can be eliminated, which is becoming increasingly important for mobile users.
Clear navigation has many SEO and UX advantages.
Clear pathways to the products your customers are searching for make it easier for customers to locate what they need on your website, which in turn increases sales.
This will help you rank higher in search engines. Google and other search engines favor websites that are easy to use.
You can use Crazy Egg's heat map tool to determine where people are clicking on your pages.
Optimizely is another tool that can be used to test various versions of your navigation to see which version converts more.
Once you have identified potential drop-off points it is time to make changes!
CRO Strategy #4: Add to a Wishlist or Favorite Option
Users can save items to their wish lists or favorite options and then purchase them later.
This is a great way of increasing conversions as it allows users to “test drive” your website and then return later to purchase products they like.
Customers must also create an account to place a request on your e-commerce site.
This will allow you to offer relevant offers and collect customer data in order to improve the user experience and increase sales.
Wish lists can help you:
- Notify customers of special offers for items on their wish list
- Deliver targeted content to customers based on their interests in specific items
- To improve demand forecasting, identify seasonal trends in retail and seasonal activities
- Find out what your customers want and then offer products that are similar.
Google research found 40% of online shoppers believe their shopping experience would be improved if they could create a wishlist.
Also, make it easy to allow your customers to create wishlists on other platforms. Allow your customers to pin your products so they can be shared on Pinterest.
You can also promote the “Save” feature of Instagram and Facebook.
There are many options to make it easier for customers to save the products they like.
Shopify is your e-commerce platform. You have two options to add a wishlist feature: either add custom code or add Wishlist Hero as an app.
BigCommerce makes it easy to enable wishlists within your shop's settings.
WooCommerce allows users to add items on their wishlist to shop in your store.
Ecommerce CRO Strategy #5 Streamline Check Out Process
According the Baymard Institute 69.82% of e-commerce carts get abandoned at checkout.
Mobile and desktop devices have the highest abandonment rates, so this rate is higher.
Rates of cart abandonment by device
- desktop 66.1 per cent
- mobile: 80.6 percent
Make the checkout process as simple as possible to avoid losing customers.
Clear and concise shipping information is essential. A guest checkout option should also be available. All payment options must be accessible.
It is important to ensure that the checkout process is simple and includes all information required upfront.
These are some ways to simplify the checkout process
- A single page checkout is This will prevent customers from having to go through multiple pages in order to check out.
- Avoid entering billing and shipping information every time you make a purchase.Customers don't like having to input their personal information every time they shop. So save your information and let it auto-fill.
- A progress bar is a good idea: Let customers know where they are at the checkout process to avoid getting impatient.
- Customers can use the shipping calculator to determine how much shipping will cost.
- Customize your page to reflect their local currency.Customers feel more at ease when making purchases in their local currency.
- Less clicks
- Send an order confirmation to After a customer completes their purchase, you can send them an order confirmation. This will let them know that everything went smoothly.
- Use trust symbols: Add security seals and trust symbols to your customers' information.
Customers will convert if they find it easy to buy from you.
CRO Strategy #6 – Add More (and better) Social Proof
Social proof is one powerful tool to increase e-commerce conversions.
Social proof elements can be added to your website to increase buyer confidence and push them toward completing a purchase.
You can add social proof by using testimonials from satisfied customers, third-party reviews, and user-generated content.
Trustpilot reports that 99% of global customers read online reviews before purchasing.
Reviews are an important part of the consumer's buying journey. However, they can also play a decisive role in the purchasing process.
However, reviews are not limited to product pages.
Display reviews can also be displayed through other digital channels like email marketing, social media and paid search.
Brands that collaborate with influencers, for example, can reap the benefits of video and social media posts that include reviews.
These can include YouTube reviews and unboxing videos or TikTok-branded promotions.
You can increase your reviews by doing the following:
- asking customers for reviews after purchase.
- Customers can leave reviews on your website easily
- Include social media icons on product pages linking to your profiles.
- Use review aggregators such as Trustpilot or Bazaarvoice
- Reaching out to influential people for social content creation
- Promote UGC through your social media channels
Commonly Asked Questions about E-commerce CRO Strategy
What can I do to increase my e-commerce conversion rates?
Consider adding recommendations products to your e-commerce site. Make sure you have a clear navigation system, provide a wish list option, streamline the checkout process and add social proof.
How is e-commerce converted?
E-commerce conversions are the sum of the total number and number of visitors to your ecommerce site divided by the number purchased.
What is an acceptable e-commerce conversion ratio?
The average conversion rate for e-commerce varies depending upon the product, but it is usually around two percent. The conversion rates of some top e-commerce websites range from 5 to 10 percent.
What is CRO in ecommerce?
CRO (e-commerce conversion rate optimization) is the process of optimizing your website with the aim of increasing the number of visitors that convert to a purchase. CRO, which is a focus in e-commerce, focuses on optimizing your product page, checkout process and overall user experience.
Conclusion: Ecommerce Conversion Optimization
Optimizing your e-commerce conversions is crucial to driving growth in your business.
Blogs and service websites rely on traffic from search engine and social media. E-commerce sites must optimize SEO at every step of the purchasing process.
Start by reviewing your customer data and website analytics before you start to optimize your e-commerce conversion rates. Heat mapping tools can be used to determine where customers click and what they scroll past.
Start making changes to your website once you have a better understanding of what works and what doesn't.
Before rolling out any changes to all visitors, test each one to ensure it increases conversion rates.
Which CRO strategies have been successful in increasing e-commerce sales.
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By: Neil Patel
Title: E-commerce Optimization: 6 Steps to Boost Your Conversion Rates
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/ecommerce-conversion-optimization/
Published Date: Mon, 30 May 2022 20:00:00 +0000
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