The shift to online sales is only forecasted to grow over the next year. Did you know that eCommerce sales are expected to reach $6.5 trillion in 2023? People don’t just want to buy products and services online, but 63% of people’s buying journeys start online as they are in the discovery and information gathering phases. These facts demonstrate how important eCommerce is in our customers’ day-to-day lives.
Below are some key trends to help you boost your website’s online sales this year.
Keep Your Brand Messaging Focused
Demonstrate value to your target audience as they are spending the least amount of time as possible looking for a solution for their problem Your average reader scans your page for only 15 seconds. Although this is arguably back to marketing 101, brand messaging is still just as relevant today in the online space. It’s important to be upfront and consistent with your offerings. The best solutions to increase online sales in terms of branding are:
- Effective Sales Copywriting: Ensure to focus on how the customer will benefit from your product or service. Use a variety of sales copy on your website to persuade the customer to buy your product or service.
- Utilize Landing Page Videos: Using visuals will have a quick, long-lasting impact. About 90% of information sent to the human brain is visual. Consumers will remember your offering more and online sales can increase by over 80% when using landing page videos.
- Clarify Your Value Proposition: Promote the exact value that you’re proposing to your customer. It should be brief and address the solution to your customer’s problem, provide them with a benefit, and illustrate a distinguishing factor on why to buy from you.
Execute a Chat System for Online Sales
Providing a live chat system for conversions is a trending online sales tactic. A staggering 79% of customers favour real-time chat and it increases conversion rates by about 40%.
With a live chatbox, visitors to your website are more likely to become real leads, which improves your company’s ROI. It also reduces the time needed for a sale. If an agent is there assisting the customer with their objections, it helps customers get an answer faster. If a customer spends a certain amount of time on the product page, your agents can assist them proactively. This helps reduce the bounce rate on your product page.
Chatbots are also used for online lead generation. Powered by A.I., chatbots that engage leads can increase online sales by nearly 30%. This is effectively done by booking orders, automating sales support functions, qualifying leads, and scheduling appointments for you.
Provide An Intuitive Website Experience
Website design is another crucial element to increase online sales. The key to the best website design is understanding the challenges of the user. Some key design tips to consider are call-to-action placement, website navigation, and appealing headings.
You want to ensure that your call-to-action (CTA) is highly visible, as you want the customer to take action. Intuitive website navigation elements should include simple internal pages, search term navigation, and drop-down menus so the customer finds the information they are seeking. Headings will make it easier to scan information and heading names should be driven by what your customers are looking for. Lastly, don’t forget to check the website across multiple devices to cross-check the user experience.
Display Customer Reviews
When was the last time you bought an unknown product without looking at a review? Word of mouth is still the most effective marketing tool, considering 90% of customers read product reviews before purchasing. Reviews are essential for driving online sales because customers will want unbiased advice to drive their decisions. This will strengthen their trust in your brand and it will encourage them to engage with your company.
Improve Your Digital Checkout
Online checkouts have been a pain point for customers and businesses alike since their inception. It’s still one of the main reasons why companies lose online sales. Studies show that over 25% of customers abandon the checkout phase if it seems too complicated. The biggest reason for cart abandonment is when unexpected costs come into play like shipping, taxes or fees.
Verify that your checkout is optimal by making it a seamless experience and try to reduce the steps. You should allow multiple ways to pay and even provide assistance via chatbot or a live agent to help drive your online sales.
Find Online Communities of Your Customers
The prevalence of online groups and forums can help you improve areas of your business. You can find a free treasure trove of information and feedback about your services. This can be used to build online sales by reading customer problems directly. This can be used as feedback to improve what information to provide on your website, as the customer doesn’t need to sift through other material. Going the extra mile and providing a forum for customers to provide feedback and ask questions will help you build lasting relationships with your customers.