7 Biggest Mistakes Online Retailers Make
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IntroductionYou spend so much on Adwords, you wonder if you should buy Google stock. You’re doing the
Facebook thing, the Twitter whatever, and churning out content marketing. And for what? All to
drive 734,928 targeted users to your site.
So after spending all that time and money, you of course have made the buying process an
intuitive, easy, and delightful experience. Right?
Put yourself in your customers’ digital shoes
When was the last time you went through the entire buying process on your site? What was it
like when you did it on your phone?
While a few users may have accidentally stumbled upon your site, the vast majority came be-
cause they were interested in your product. That customer is yours to lose. But unlike a brick
and mortar store, they are only going to give your online store a few moments before walking
out. They didn’t battle 30 minutes of traffic and spend another ten looking for a place to park
to get to your site. They aren’t thinking “well, I guess I HAVE to buy something or the whole trip
was a waste.” So you need to make it as easy and delightful as possible for them to find what they want, buy it, and tell their friends how fabulous the whole experience was.
And you can do that by avoiding these revenue-killing mistakes that online retailers make.
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Many companies just use product descriptions that are provided by the manufacturer. And while it
is technically correct, do those words even remotely describe what the product would look, feel or
smell like in an actual store? Do they provide the information about the product that a buyer wants
to know before making a purchase? Do the descriptions
have any personality so they fit with the brand of the
retailer? Most often, these descriptions are technical and
boring. They leave important questions about product
quality and product experience on the table, and
unfortunately many times they are never addressed.
MISTAKE ONE: Using product descriptions that suck
Since users can’t actually touch them, your descriptions need to work a lot harder.
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Online shopping is a form of entertainment— so make your descriptions a pleasure to read.
Yes, sizes and specs are important. That’s
what the little product detail tab is for. The
description, however, is working with the
photos to entice and delight the user. Make
sure you include information about the
quality of the product and the experience of
using it for the first time. That is what
buyers are trying to determine when they
look at the description.Which would you rather buy?
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Shoe porn, house porn, food porn. When your photos look enticing and alluring, interested customers actually love ogling your products. In fact they even like to
brag to their friends after they buy them and pin the photos on their digital scrapbooks telling
the world about their latest purchase.
Feel-a-Vision isn’t around yet so make those photos work hardBack in the dial-up days, one pixilated photo made sense. Now, users expect multiple angles,
the ability to zoom in, and even see a video. What if the manufacturer doesn’t supply you with
these? Or, are you the manufacturer? It’s worth investing on some good photography.
Remember, it’s going to be a while before feel-a-vision is invented, so you need to
let your customers look at your product several different ways. You can even one
MISTAKE TWO: Not Making YourPhotos Look Like __________ Porn
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up the real in-store experience by adding a charming video about how your product is made.
Pay attention to lighting, angles and the setting for the shot. Your products should look like
they are a lot of fun to use if you want buyers to get excited about them.
Not only can you see all the different views of this knife, you can even watch how it was
created in Japan.
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Imagine walking into a brick and mortar store and there are no salespeople on the floor. The only
way to find someone is to wander around hoping to find the side room where they might be. You
knock on the door and if no one answers, you slide a note under it.
That’s what it’s like for users on your site if you don’t make it easy to contact customer service at
every step.
In 2011, over 70% of all shopping carts were abandoned. According to USA Today, “Online
customer service improves the chance of ecommerce by 40-60%.” As a live chat provider, we’d
be remiss if we didn’t tell you that live chat can drastically reduce shopping cart abandonment.
In fact when users have a problem with checkout, chat is the most preferred way to resolve it.
MISTAKE THREE: Not Making It Stupid Easy to Get Questions Answered
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The Phone is Essential, But it is Not the Solution for Everything
Yes, the phone can be great for helping your
customers — if they are willing to slog through
the wait, go to voicemail jail, and call during
business hours.
Consider Making Your Site
a Social Customer Service
Experience
Some user problems are better solved via live chat. Many simple questions can be
answered with a response and link to the appropriate information. Questions like Do you carry
those running shoes that look like gloves? or How do I change my password? can be addressed in
seconds with live chat. This is much more helpful than an actual phone call. And here’s the
kicker: your customer never has to abandon their shopping cart. They get the answer they
need and proceed with their purchase.
Not all users want to use the phone for customer service
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Service agents can help four chat customers at a time. Adding live chat to a site may feel
like a daunting task because it will need to be staffed. But the reality is online chat is more
efficient than the phone because agents can help multiple customers at once. The faster your
customers can get help, the more likely they are to stay on the site and complete their purchase.
Velaro has found that introducing online chat boosts customer service rep productivity by allowing
them to effectively serve 4 customers simultaneously.
You can pro-actively offer help before a user leaves in frustration.
Perhaps that user has been getting 0 matching results for
what she is searching for. Or maybe they have been wandering
around the site for two minutes. More sophisticated live chat
programs can be set to automatically pop up a chat box to ask if
they need help. They are completely customizable. The pop-up
on the right is just one example that Velaro offers.
Provide service the way customers want. The best
way to prevent customers from bailing on their purchases is to make sure they have several options
for getting service. A phone number, email and live chat provide a great mix so that customers can
get their questions answered the way they want.
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Do you worry that you’ll appear too much like a pushy car salesman if you suggest additional
purchases? You should definitely buy the special undercoating and premium floor mats!
Don’t think of it is pushy. Think of it as helpful. Your buyers may be in a hurry and forget
other items they may need so if you offer them complimentary products at check out it’s
another way to provide great service.
Recommendations can save users time. Do you need D batteries with that toy? Do you
want to get a swim cap with your goggles? Instead of multiple trips to the store and multiple
shipping charges, help them get everything they need with one stop.
Seeing what else other customers also bought can be inspiring. Amazon has based
much of their business model on this. You bought the Star Trek Phaser? Here’s what other
geeks also bought. While “The Next Generation Deluxe Shirt” is a little much for our taste, it
may be just what the guy with the phaser wanted next.
MISTAKE FOUR: Not Offering Recommendations with Customers’ Selections
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Offer real-time personal recommendations. Even the best algorithms can’t always
figure out what to recommend for the user. A live person who really knows your products may
be the best advisor. A live chat pop up offers you the option to provide a bit of personal
shopper assistance.
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MISTAKE FIVE: Requiring a Log In
A user sees your display ad with the most beautiful shoes in the world. She has to have them
NOW. She clicks, she selects the size, the color, signs up for faster shipping and now--she has
to log in. She tries to register but apparently she registered a long time ago with her email
address. But she can’t remember her password. But it was a long time ago. Now she has to
reset her password. The only way she can do that is to wait for an email from your site with a
link. An email that might even go into her spam folder.
Suddenly, those shoes don’t seem so urgent.
Provide a Guest CheckoutWhen someone is in the mood to buy, let them buy. Offer a guest log in option AFTER they have
purchased, then you can follow up with updating their
old registration information and ask if they would like
the site to remember them for future purchases.
Are your log in and registration requirementsmaking it harder to shop?
Photo Credit: http://www.urbanmonarch.com
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MISTAKE SIX: Not Including User Reviews
Users are going to look for reviews somewhere. Why not make it one stop shopping by including them on your site. More importantly:
But wait, there’s MORE…reasons to have user reviews
1. They help you gain much more insight about what your customers really think about your products and how you
can improve them.
2. They are another opportunity to connect with your customers.
3. It’s fresh content. That’s good for other users and good for your search rankings.
Don’t be afraid of bad reviews. One or two bad ones gives you credibility that these are legitimate.
And it gives you an opportunity to make it right with poster.
of users said they were much more
likely to buy when there were user
reviews
64%
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MISTAKE SEVEN: Not Proactively Asking Users If They Got Everything They Needed
You can pore over all the Google Analytics you want. Were users on your site for a long time
because they love it? Or because it’s so confusing? Did they only buy one item because that’s
all they needed or because they couldn’t find the other three things they were looking for?
There is only one way to definitively find out: Ask.
There are several ways to do this:
1. Have an automated question pop up like this
example to the right:
2. Have a chat window open up asking if they need any
more help.
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3. After purchasing, use the thank you page to ask if they found everything they were looking for.
4. After purchasing, the confirmation email can ask if they found everything they needed and
ask them to provide feedback on their experience.
While not every user will respond, you will get insights from those that do. You also have an
additional opportunity to engage your customers and make things right if needed.
There are plenty more revenue-killing mistakes out there, but avoiding these major ones will
help your online revenues soar.
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Do you want an analysis of your online shopping
experience to see how live chat may improve your
online retail experience?
Chat Now Call UsMonday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
p: 800.9.VELARO (800.983.5276)
f: 443.320.0343
Email [email protected]
(See, we even follow our own tips.)
Chat Now
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