10 Ideas to Help Online Retailers Increase Sales

In the current marketplace, the Internet has become a huge driver of sales. In fact, online sales reportedly topped $296 billion in 2013, and are expected to grow to more than $434 billion by 2017.

Here are 10 ideas that are designed to help you increase your online retail sales:

1. “Call to Action”

Every good e-commerce business website has a clear, easy-to-find call to action. What does that mean? You know the “Buy Now” button, right? Well, that’s what we’re referring to here. Let your customers know exactly where they should click if they are looking to make a purchase.

In addition to a clear “Buy Now” button on your home page, each product on your site should have a well-displayed “call to action” button right next to it, making things simple and easy for your customers.

2. Stick to What You Sell

Many companies get caught up in flashy animations, blinks, flashes or twitches on their home page. In reality, customers don’t care. They are visiting your site because they are hoping to find a certain product.

Don’t make them wade through useless content to get where they want to go. In the long term, you will end up turning them off of your company.

3. “Product ⇒ Buy”

When displaying your products, it is important for you to include all relevant information, such as price, sizes available and any other options that might be important to your customers.

Make the process of picking a product as simple as possible. It should be a “no-brainer” for your customers to move from the product-hunting phase, directly into the product-purchasing phase.

4. Image Enhancement

Customers want to be able to see the products that they are hoping to purchase on your website. Images, especially ones that are of poor quality, can be extremely detrimental to your sales.

Because people can’t see the product in front of them, your website better have some killer images that display the unique features of your products. This will help consumers identify the products they want and help them be absolutely sure they are getting what they were looking for.

5. Highlight Product Names

This may seem quite simple, but highlighting the product names in the navigation area of your page can have a huge effect on your customers’ ability to find the products they are searching for.

Make sure that product names stand out from other information on your website. After all, the primary reasons people are visiting your site are to seek information and make a purchase.

6. Make Your Links Noticeable

Many websites fail to make sure their links adequately stand out from the rest of their text. When this happens, customers might be looking right at the link they wish to follow and not know it.

Make sure your links are underlined and stand out in a different color from the rest of your text. That way, customers will be able to easily and efficiently navigate through your site.

7. “Satisfactory Searches”

You do have a search bar on your site, right? If you do, does it function to the best of its ability? If not, get one.

Make sure that the search feature on your website actually turns up results that will be useful for your customers. If it doesn’t, look for ways to improve it so buyers can easily find what they want and make a purchase.

8. Display Clear Contact Information

People like to see that your online business is actually legit. Displaying contact information clearly on your home page helps clients feel like you are only a phone call away. This will go a long way toward your customers feeling like your company is trustworthy and that making a purchase from your website will be worthwhile.

9. The “Register-to-Buy” Mistake

Many companies offer killer deals on products that you won’t be able to find at their low prices anywhere else. Unfortunately, these companies often force customers to register before they can buy the product.

This can actually result in the loss of customers who would otherwise be purchasing your product. Avoiding the “register-to-buy” paradigm can actually help you gather and retain customers.

10. “Friendly Confirmation”

Customers like to know that their purchase was made successfully. We all hate that uneasy feeling of not knowing whether our credit card is going to be charged twice for a single transaction.

Providing a clear, friendly confirmation will help your customers identify the finality of their purchase, as well as leave them with a positive feeling related to your company.

As an online retailer, there are many ways to tweak your services to increase your overall sales. These tips are just a few recommendations for companies to reach more customers, fine-tune their websites and, ultimately, increase their online sales.

For more insight, check out our ecommerce tips and trends page.