5 WooCommerce Store Conversion Rate Optimization Strategies in 2018
Have you put a great deal of time and effort into your WooCommerce store only to find that no one seems to be buying? You’re not alone. There’s a false belief that the only secret behind increasing conversions in eCommerce lies in driving traffic to your site. While this is indeed an essential component, it’s only one element of an effective sales strategy. To truly optimize your WooCommerce store conversion rates in 2018, you must look beyond traffic. Here are some practical tips for earning your business more money this year.
1. Make It Exceptionally Easy to “Add to Cart”
Have you made it as convenient as possible for people to add your products to their cart? If they have to click, scroll, or navigate through other steps to find your “Add to Cart” button, you could be missing out on key sales opportunities. Make finding the “Add to Cart” button effortless: keep it right in front of your shoppers’ eyes no matter how far they scroll, and you could see a lift in conversions of up to 15%. Also, keep in mind that your “Add to Cart” button should be the largest text on your page. While it shouldn’t overshadow your product details, customization options, and other copy or images on the page, it should be in a different color, font, and size so that it’s easily distinguishable.
Related Post: 3 Tips to Improve Your Shopping Cart Page
2. Look at Your Shipping Strategy
A whopping 90% of consumers cite free shipping as their number-one incentive for shopping online. Indeed, free shipping is practically expected by shoppers, and if your competitor offers this option and you don’t, it’s likely you’ll lose the sale. With 61% of shoppers feeling at least somewhat likely to cancel a purchase if this incentive isn’t offered, it’s certainly worthwhile to reassess your strategy if you’re not already offering free shipping. As David Bell of The Wharton School says,
“For whatever reason, a free shipping offer that saves a customer $6.99 is more appealing to many than a discount that cuts the purchase price by $10.”
Thus, even if you increase your prices to accommodate for shipping costs, offering free shipping could still help you score more sales. In fact, orders with free shipping are roughly 30% higher in value than those without. Charging for shipping is a conversion killer, so at the very least, offer it for free when purchases exceed a certain dollar amount, such as $50 or $100.
3. Include Sales, Specials, or Seasonal Promotions
It’s no secret that discounts drive overall revenue. With upwards of 2.8 billion coupons being redeemed each year, it’s clear that brands offering specials and promotions appeal to consumers. In fact, shoppers actually experience a rise in oxytocin levels upon receipt of a coupon! Having a section of your WooCommerce store devoted exclusively to sales, specials, or seasonal offers will cater to the 62% of shoppers looking specifically for the discount section. Make it clear to your site visitors where these sections can be found using bold, visible CTAs.
4. Optimize Your Product Descriptions
A clean, crisp product page should feature everything people would want to know about your product: price; color options, quantity, and size; free shipping (if applicable); a section for reviews; and the option to view similar products that others have purchased. A 2017 report shows that 87% of shoppers consider content extremely important when deciding to make a purchase. Overstock.com was able to increase its organic traffic by 84% in one month just by hiring freelances to optimize its product descriptions, which stands as proof that every element of your product page is making an impact. Moreover, nearly all shoppers (98%) have been dissuaded from making a purchase when the content was either incomplete or incorrect.
5. Streamline the Checkout Process
The final yet critically important piece of the conversion puzzle is your checkout page. Recent studies suggest that more than a third of shoppers (37%) abandon their carts during checkouts because they were required to make an account. Lengthy, complicated checkout processes were a close runner-up: 28% of shoppers left their carts for this reason.
Related Post: The Best Abandon Shopping Cart Strategy To Maximize Sales
A checkout with minimal navigation, the least amount of data fields possible, and visible security logos is essential. Provide alternate payment methods and a clear view of prices and shipping costs (if any). To offer the simplest checkout experience, consider offering a one-page checkout: this simplified design allows visitors to complete their order without ever having to leave your product page, making purchases effortlessly simple.
