Boost Your E-Commerce Sales Right Now Using These 3 Things

3 Things You can do Right Now to Turn your Online Visitors into Buyers and  Immediately Boost Your E-Commerce Sales.

boost your ecommerce sales now

I don’t have to explain that the key to success with an online retail business is to sell what you’re offering, so I won’t. What I will say is that generating traffic is only a small part of the equation. Sure, a good flow of visitors to your site is important, but getting them “in the door” is just the first step. In this article, we’ll look at three specific things you can do to help ensure that those visitors become buyers.

 

  1. Add a Full-Featured Website Search

Now, before you say something about already having a search engine on your storefront, let me point out that I said “full-featured.” By that, I don’t mean just a way for customers to find products, although that’s certainly a part of what it should do. What I’m talking about is a custom site search that does much more.

 

You see, a search engine for your online store can be a much more valuable tool for you and your potential clients. With the right capabilities, it can lead your visitors to the products they want with just a few keystrokes in the search box. It can also deliver visual clues with the suggestions it creates, so users are confident they’re looking at the right item even faster. You should also be able to enhance the shopping experience with filters and category selections to refine search results.

 

The other side of the coin is that your visitors are providing you with tons of valuable data through that search input. If your search engine collects that data and gives you access to it with a good set of analytical tools, you can use it to improve your merchandising efforts as well as tailor the experience for your customers even further. It even helps you determine what items you should be stocking.

 

There’s one such application I know of that gives both you and your customers all of this and more and it does it with an AI-based, smart search that runs all of its core functions in the Cloud, so it’s blazing fast. It’s also customized specifically for your e-commerce site. It’s called Site Search and it’s available from the guys at Fast Simon, who also create similar search add-ons for the world’s most popular e-commerce platforms.

fast site search

Before you spend any more time analyzing your traffic stats, get yourself set up to use the stats that really matter. Check out Site Search at the link above and get a free quote for your personalized version.

 

  1. Offer a Guarantee

Trust is one of the most important aspects of any relationship and that includes a consumer/supplier relationship. One of the fastest ways to establish it is to stand behind what you sell. Whether you’re offering your own wares or goods manufactured by others, ensuring your buyers’ satisfaction with a full-refund policy is a great way to increase your conversion rate.

 

Here’s the thing: you’re probably going to have some items returned, especially if you’re stocking merchandise you’re not 100% familiar with. Having multiple items returned is a good indication that you need to liquidate those items and replace them with something else. Aside from that, the increase in your sales should more than offset any losses you’ll incur from returns.

 

Your policy needn’t be no-questions-asked. Accepting defective or sub-standard items is enough to show your customers that you care about their satisfaction. That little bit of trust will make an astonishing difference in the way people view your business. Offer a warranty, spell out the terms carefully on a page specifically for that and advertise your guarantee prominently. It’s not as hard as you might think. Take a look at these guarantee templates.

 

  1. Use Videos

Putting a friendly face on your storefront is a good way to humanize your brand, which breaks down barriers quickly. Having a live person speaking to your visitors greatly increases the impact of humanization.

 

A simple “welcome to my store” video is fine, but for real results, consider doing a series of product unboxing and demonstration clips, especially for new or high-end merchandise. If you’re camera shy, you can hire talent, but being able to say that you’re the person “behind the counter” is a powerful thing. Showing your customers how a product actually works is a great way to establish your shop as something more than an online store.

 

Get yourself a decent recording app, use your smartphone, digital camera or camcorder. Record a few clips. Sign up on Vimeo and play around with producing those clips until you’re comfortable with the process. Then, get creative. Keep the tone upbeat and don’t be afraid to throw in some tasteful humor. Keep it simple and don’t talk down to your audience. The closer your potential customers can relate to you, the faster you’ll convince them to buy from you instead of the other guy.

 

Closing Thoughts

I’m not saying these three things are the only ones you can do to improve the ratio of sales per visit to your website. On the contrary; there are a number of other ways to boost sales. I’ve chosen these three because they’re proven, established and don’t require a huge commitment on your part.

 

Of the items I’ve listed here, the most technically involved is probably the last. Producing videos will take a little bit of patience and practice, as well as a decent recording device. Still, for the amount of effort, the potential rewards can be surprising and you might even find that you enjoy it.

 

Again, the bottom line for an e-commerce site is sales. Once you’ve got people on your site, it’s up to you to get them to the right products quickly, then convince them to buy from you. Try the items outlined in this article as a starting point to turning your visitors into satisfied customers.