Running a successful online business is very difficult, which is why on average 90% of new online businesses fail within the first 4 months. It’s even more difficult than running a physical business, since only 20% of physical businesses close within the first year. There are many factors that cause this, such as no defined business identity, lack of business knowledge, a lot of competition or not knowing the needs of the target audience before launching. While there could also be many other factors outside of your control, that doesn’t mean there aren’t steps to follow to ensure sales. For example, using Shopify is a great first step, as it is used by around 800,000 other merchants and who have collectively generated over 1 billion transactions. There are of course many shopify tactics that could be used to help enhance your shopify experience as well. if you’d like to see some please click here.
Mobile optimization is key
By the end of 2020 it is predicted that around 3.5 billion people will be using smartphones globally. This means that one of the most important things you can do to improve accessibility to your store is to optimize it for smartphone users. Not only does this improve accessibility and make it easier for potential customers to visit and browse your store, it also increases your target audience as there are still many people who don’t shop online using only laptops or desktop computers. Thousands or perhaps millions in revenue could be lost if a smartphone user leaves your online store because they didn’t have a pleasant experience while browsing. One thing that can easily be done is to use lower resolution images which reduces loading times, and that is very important because if the site doesn’t load within 3 seconds then around 53% of mobile shoppers will leave. It is important to deal with expert companies in their field to make sure your website loads fast another option you should look at is work a web design company who is focussed on website design and speed. You might want to consider hiring a web design company to help you with your mobile-friendly e-commerce store.
Guarantees and refunds are persuasive
The easiest way to ensure sales is to keep customers on your page. Once you have done that by improving the retention rates of mobile shoppers, you will need to focus on your return policy. One of the most overlooked aspects of an online store is the return policy, which can increase sales by 25%. It is so important that before even looking at items to buy, 67% of shoppers check the return policy. It is similar for guarantee policies, so by offering an amazing money-back guarantee will definitely improve sales. Almost every customer performs something called risk aversion, which is natural since no one wants to buy something that isn’t guaranteed to work. By offering a money-back guarantee you are putting your customers mind at ease and making the idea of buying something from you a pleasant experience. But make sure that the follow up is hassle free without complications, as this will drive away repeat customers in the future.
Reduce time in checkout
The uncomfortable truth is that there are probably a thousand online stores which sell items similar to yours. This is precisely why it is of utmost importance to reduce the amount of time your customers spend during the checkout process. In addition to this, $4 trillion in sales was left in checkout baskets in 2019, part of the reason being that the checkout process either gave the customers enough time to change their minds or the process itself was so frustrating it caused the customers to leave. Those customers will then find similar items, if not the same, on other online stores. Easy ways to reduce the time in checkout is to not have too many forms customers need to fill out, don’t have a timeout feature and don’t request the customer to create an account and then have them start the process from the beginning.
The easiest way to increase sales and keep customers browsing on your store is to make the experience pleasant. Optimizing your online store for mobile devices will not only increase your target audience, but it will also retain the number of customers that visit and increase sales. By providing guarantees you will relieve customers of the risk associated with buying online and having a rewarding return policy will ensure sales and repeat customers. Reducing the time in checkout will make sure that sales are completed and that your potential customers don’t visit another store.