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E-commerce expansion at the start of 2020
E-commerce has become an essential part of modern business. It doesn’t matter what you sell or where you’re located, most businesses benefit from a commercial online presence. Numbers are up across the board as more consumers integrate online shopping with their everyday spending habits.
Unprecedented growth in this sector does not mean automatic success for retailers, however, increased competition places more emphasis on effective conversion throughout the ordering process.
The e-commerce sector is growing at a rapid rate, with global consumers spending nearly $3.46 trillion online in 2019. This is up over $0.5 trillion from the year before, as online retail sales reach 16.4% of total retail sales and more than three-quarters of total retail gains. E-commerce penetration has risen steadily over the past few years, as online sales increase at a much faster rate than offline sales.
While much of this growth has been driven by large online retailers in the US and China, small, niche, and local markets can also see tremendous growth if they focus on the right things. From the initial stages of market research and segmentation through marketing, engagement, and conversion, an e-commerce sales funnel is only as strong as its weakest link.
Let’s take a look at the steps you need to take in 2023 to improve your order page and increase your conversion rate:
1. Keep Order Forms Simple and Consistent
As consumers get spoiled for choice, simplicity is more critical than ever. Accurate information and elegant design are important throughout the sales process, with a simple and consistent order form acting as the final piece of the puzzle. It’s very easy to lose customers during the final stages of a sale. Luckily, simple and elegant order form solutions are available on platforms such as Ontraport, WordPress, and HubSpot.
After putting so much time and effort into marketing, it’s important to follow through with a simple order form that gets results. Too many fields or too much information can put your sale at risk, especially if you divert attention through links to other pages.
Rather than trying to do everything, an order form should guide each customer through each individual sale in the easiest way possible.
2. Add Social Proof
Social media drives every aspect of our modern lives, from work to play and everything in between. The world of commerce is certainly no exception, with businesses of all shapes and sizes increasingly reliant on social platforms to attract new markets and build brand loyalty. More than a way to connect with old-school friends, social networks can now be used to add social proof throughout the transaction process.
Facebook Likes, Google reviews, and other trusted platforms can add a degree of trust and familiarity to any sale. Publishing platforms like WordPress and all-in-one marketing platforms such as Ontraport can easily integrate social features into order forms.
The internet is quickly becoming a big feedback machine, with businesses that understand and accept this much more likely to experience market acceptance.
3. Include Customer Service
Customer service is a vital component of every business. From the first day, you make contact with a new customer right through to aftercare, it’s important to look after your people. There are lots of ways to integrate customer care directly into the transaction process, including contact forms and pop-up windows. Contact forms can be easily included in order forms, along with contact details and automated reply systems.
Pop-up windows have become commonplace throughout the shopping and transaction process. Immediate live-chat assistance or chatbot assistance is able to provide real-time feedback and up-to-date information about every aspect of the sale. While chatbots are only useful in certain situations, live chat continues to mature as a communication channel. Live chat is increasingly preferred by customers, and in some industries, chat growth has increased by 150%.
4. Add Various Payment Options
Modern customers have become accustomed to choice, both in the products they buy and the payment methods available to them. E-commerce demands multiple payment solutions, from bank credit and debit cards through to PayPal and other online transaction systems. There are more digital payment solutions available than ever before, including Google Pay, Apple Pay, Venmo, Square Cash, and many more.
Shopify and other platforms offer everything you need to sell products or services online, with the WooCommerce plugin also heavily featured on WordPress pages. While there are some costs involved with setting up these new technologies, generally speaking, more payment options mean happier customers and higher conversions.
5. Make Order Forms Mobile Friendly
It might go without saying in 2020, but mobile access is an absolute must for any e-commerce solution. With more people shopping on mobile devices than ever before, it’s important to ensure that your order form and entire site are mobile-friendly. It’s important to use publishing platforms that understand mobile technology, including leading tools such as Ontraport, WordPress, and HubSpot.
6. Take Advantage of Analytics
Whenever you do anything commercially online, it’s important to take advantage of analytics. It’s very easy to waste time and money with inefficient marketing and order forms that fail to convert. Google Analytics can be used to improve your order form and conversion rates, with certain metrics such as Clicks, Impressions, CTR, and Traffic Sources a valuable way to learn more about your customers.
Operating a successful e-commerce business demands clever marketing, customer engagement, and efficient conversion. While the order form sits at the end of the transaction process, it’s the only thing that matters directly in terms of your sales.
In order to improve your conversion rate, it’s important to make a simple, trustworthy, and responsive order form that meets the changing needs of your customer base.
Book your free consultation below to learn how we can help you achieve a higher conversion rate for your website and order forms.
