How to optimise your e-commerce conversions

Best practice and top tips to boost e-commerce conversions

The growth of online shopping and the evolution of e-commerce have made the world of digital marketing increasingly competitive, compelling companies to enhance their processes and strategies to align with market opportunities.

The conversion rate of an e-commerce business (the number of transactions completed after a visit to your website) is probably the most significant metric for assessing return on investment (ROI). A recent report from Unbounce stated that it typically falls within the range of 2% and 4% of visits to an e-commerce website. In 2021 this reached 5.2% across all sectors of online shopping, although the latest data from IRP shows a decrease of 0.91% in the average conversion rate compared to 2020.

This shift highlights the need for companies to intervene quickly to ensure their entire e-commerce operation is operating at optimal levels – from its marketing campaigns and website to the delivery partners that can help make the management of their online business more effective and the customer’s experience more satisfying.

• The conversion rate of an e-commerce business typically falls within the range of 2% to 4% on most sites that receive millions of visitors every day.
• According to the latest IRP data, the average e-commerce conversion rate decreased by 0.91% in 2021, from 1.65% to 1.64%.

How to improve conversions

The conversion rate for an e-commerce business is the percentage of website visitors who perform a specific action, i.e. the ratio of transactions made compared to the number of sessions in a given time period.

Whether it’s making a purchase, completing a lead generation form, signing up for a newsletter or contacting customer service, analysing the transactions on your website offers valuable insights into consumer behaviour. This data is critical to understanding how to set benchmarks that can help optimise sales volumes.

There are several strategies that can be used to help improve your conversion rates:

Use persuasive design: To be truly effective, a website should include compelling and convincing high-quality images and videos. It’s important to capture visitors’ attention within seconds of landing on your website. Focusing on dynamic design that includes large images on the home page and informative videos on the product pages will help give users the information they need. With a clear understanding of what they’re buying, people are more likely to conclude their purchases.

Improve customer service: According to Meta for Business, 52% of online consumers base their brand choices on customer experience. Many will abandon purchases from brands that offer ineffective customer service, preferring to opt for others that offer a more satisfying experience aligned with their needs, even if this involves a higher cost. One way to improve the quality of your customer interaction can be to implement software that can support direct communication. Live chat and chatbots can help you provide fast response to customer queries and real-time support, even outside regular business hours. Make sure all your processes are optimised for speed and efficiency, including shipping and returns. This aspect of the transaction can be transformed by working with a third-party shipping company to ensure secure packing, reliable shipping, easy tracking and fast resolution of any customer queries.

Optimise UX: Enhancing the user experience on your website is one of the most effective ways to improve e-commerce conversion rates. Optimise the navigation and site structure to allow visitors to quickly and easily find the information and the products they’re looking for. According to a survey by Retail Systems Research, 52% of consumers express dissatisfaction with slow-loading product pages or complicated payment procedures. And more than 90% of users abandon sites that are too slow, opting for competitor sites or well-established marketplaces like Amazon. Make it easy for customer to check out. Reduce the number of fields to complete during the checkout process and provide different payment methods.

Adopt a mobile-first approach: According to eMarketer, mobile transactions now account for 40% of all e-commerce sales and are worth nearly $436.7 billion worldwide. This is why optimising a website for mobile devices is a fundamental objective if you want to reach your target audience and improve their shopping experience. Making sure your website responsive for mobile devices includes increasing font sizes where needed, optimising speed and compressing images.

Increase payment and delivery options: While simplifying processes helps to improve your site’s navigability, it can be useful to introduce additional steps and options in the checkout process, giving users a choice of payment and delivery methods. Ensuring reliable tracking greatly enhances customer satisfaction, as well as providing you with useful data. Integrating an after-sales management platform allows you to monitor all shipped orders, automate processes and send personalised updates on the status of orders.

Use discounts and promotions: Offering discounts and promotions is a great way to strengthen buyers’ brand loyalty and motivate them to make a purchase. According to data from RetailMeNot, almost 75% of consumers see promotions as a decisive factor influencing their choice of shopping site and the type of products they buy. Another incentive could be to offer free shipping: high shipping costs are often among the main reasons why people abandon their online shopping carts. Free shipping, together with coupons and discounts, can actually motivate them to spend more.

Follow up with an email: Sending follow-up emails is a great way to establish a connection with users. These serve multiple functions, helping to remind users who have abandoned their cart to complete their purchase, or simply reaching out to customers after an order to thank them with a personalised message. Use data to help segment your customers based on specific criteria. For example, you could divide them on the basis of past purchases or interest shown in certain products, so you can offer them a better user experience and ensure your emails are tailored to their needs.

Incorporating effective digital solutions is a key strategy to strengthen your online presence and establish connections with your target audience. Mail Boxes Etc. provides comprehensive support to companies, entrepreneurs and artisans in managing and optimising their online activities, including shipping and delivery solutions.

MBE’s e-commerce solutions are digital, flexible and personalised, helping speed up and simplify processes to offer a smooth shopping experience that helps optimise your online business for the best possible results. Boost your online business with MBE digital solutions here.