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The webshop was founded with a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but why are you setting up a webshop? To sell! You have a product or a service that your target group needs to get acquainted with and that is a fairly obvious reason to start a webshop. In 2016/2017, the standard webshop has become an integral part of the online street scene, but at the same time there is also a lot that can be improved. Consider, for example, conversion orientation. Setting up a webshop is step 1, but then setting it up for conversion is essential for its success.
Conversion?
Conversion can be defined in different ways, but it is usually described as converting website visitors into paying customers. Optimizing conversion means that the webshop is tinkered with in order to convince the potential customer of a purchase. This may seem like a one-time event, but it is an ongoing process. Why is it important to optimize for conversion? We give 4 essential reasons.
1. Sell products
Strangely enough, it often happens that a webshop is launched and that the assumption is that the product will then sell itself. In addition to a targeted (online) marketing campaign, optimizing the webshop is ultimately what convinces the visitor. The realization that a webshop ultimately serves for product sales is undervalued.
2. Ease of use
In the field of online advertising, a discussion has been going on for some time about tracking potential customers through retargeting. Zalando is a party that does this quite aggressively. As soon as I (accidentally or not) have viewed a product on Zalando, I am sure that I will encounter the product in many (banner) advertisements on sites that initially have nothing to do with Zalando or the product viewed. One group of people thinks this is a privacy violation, while another group of people says it increases the personal online service. A similar discussion can be had in the area of conversion enhancement. On the one hand, conversion-oriented thinking is a way to entice potential customers and that temptation can be experienced as penetrating, on the other hand it provides ease of use. A webshop that is fully focused on conversion leaves no room for ambiguity in the navigation, user experience and information about the product. In other words: it ensures ease of use.
An example is the sale of the iPhone 7 at Coolblue. The homepage shows the 'best-selling' category, with the iPhone 7 at the beginning:
What stands out here in terms of conversion focus and ease of use is the following:
- By stating that it is the best choice, doubt is removed from the potential customer
- Showing the number of positive reviews (and the green color use) shows authority and social proof
- The omission of the euro sign is a trick to activate the pain center in the brain as little as possible. Making a payment activates the pain center in the brain
If there is any interest in the product, which can be well determined by previous visits to the website, there is a good chance that that interest will expand and that the chance is greater that a purchase will be made. What we see here is that, on the one hand, seduction techniques are used, but that answers are also given to questions that a potential customer may have: how satisfied users are, what the product costs and what Coolblue thinks about it.
3. Vision
The companies that are now in charge - think of guys like Apple, Red Bull, Nike and Coca-Cola - once started with a vision. Whether it's a marketing gimmick or it's real, the fact is that vision has been important to success. Apple wanted to fight the status quo and "think differently" and as a result, developed products that contributed to that vision. Coca-Cola has formed its vision for the concept of 'happiness' with the drink that contributes to that concept. Setting up a webshop for conversion ensures on the one hand that the product is sold, but it may well be that you started a webshop with a bigger vision than 'selling products'. How to propagate that vision? Ensure that the target group is introduced to the product or service. The solution? Conversion optimization!
4. Dates, dates and.. dates!
'Playing' with conversion optimization ensures that you collect a lot of relevant data. The terms data marketing, big data and growth hacking are frequently used and the way in which you collect relevant data about the target group is by varying the messages, buttons and layouts. This can be done in the following ways:
- Vary the main message: for one target group, drinking cola can mean that thirst is quenched, while for another target group cola is a social drink or as a stimulus for sports. Measure which message is most effective and then vary in messages that build on it
- Use a different call-to-action regularly: is the main goal selling products and is the target group susceptible to concrete messages? Then try to communicate as directly as possible with a text like 'Order now!' Does the target group go through a longer influencing process? For example, first focus the call-to-action on registering for the newsletter with free tips
- Vary in the order: Coolblue is now putting the iPhone 7 in the spotlight, but it is interesting to alternate it with another product in an A/B test to discover whether this product then sells better.
Initially, a webshop is set up as well as possible with the target group in mind, but keep testing. The target group changes regularly and it is important to change with it. Measuring these variations ensures that you can convert the data into relevant adjustments. The condition is, of course, that the right tools are linked with which the effect can ultimately be measured.
Next step?
Next week we will launch the best tips to entice potential customers and thus achieve more conversion. Can't wait in the meantime? A call or a cup of coffee is of course also possible. take it easy contact on!
