The pandemic has sent shockwaves through the e-commerce industry. People are shopping online more, but also spending less. You might find yourself with a larger audience that’s less likely to make purchases. Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to create relevant connections with consumers and drive more sales.
In this article, we’ll cover some of the reasons why visitors might browse your site and leave without making a purchase. Then, we’ll provide three tips to help you change their minds. Let’s get started!
Why Your Window Shoppers Might Not Be Making Purchases
If your website is attracting a lot of curious visitors, that’s probably a strong indicator that your marketing efforts are working. However, not everyone will purchase a product during their virtual visit to your business. There may be a few reasons for this.
For one thing, some of those users may have never bought anything from your store before. First-time buyers tend to be a bit warier about giving your items a try than repeat shoppers. By the same token, visitors may not understand what makes your product different from the competition.
On the other hand, the decision not to purchase could be a result of external factors. For example, a consumer may be planning on buying your product at a later point in time. They may be saving up their cash, or just waiting for a special occasion.
Additionally, some visitors might just be shopping to enjoy themselves. They could have no initial intention to buy anything when coming to your site. Instead, these consumers might want to learn more about your brand, or simply pass the time.
You might feel disappointed to have window shoppers leaving without making purchases. Nevertheless, this demographic can represent a valuable opportunity. These users have already been drawn to your site. With a little bit of strategy, you can take advantage of their curiosity and boost your sales.
3 Tips for Turning Your Curious Window Shoppers Into Happy Customers
If you’re looking to encourage purchases from your visitors, there are a few techniques that you might want to try. Below, we’ve covered three strategies for making the buying process more attractive to casual shoppers.
1. Offer Targeted Discounts
Personalization can be a powerful tool. A recent study showed that an impressive 90% of consumers are interested in personalized online experiences. As such, adding a little bit of customization to your sales strategy could be helpful in boosting conversions among window shoppers.
If you want to attract potential buyers who are on the fence, consider offering targeted discounts. For example, you could email coupons to shoppers who have abandoned their carts. Alternatively, you could provide first-time visitors with a ‘welcome discount’ as Kate Spade does after a few minutes of browsing:
The offer is simple, yet attractive. It makes the brand appear generous while lowering the price. Visitors who have never purchased from Kate Spade before may feel more inclined to do so with this deal.
Another option could be an interactive quiz. If your store sells novels, for example, you could offer a simple survey designed to match customers with one of your best sellers. You could offer a unique discount code for the book the quiz returns as a recommendation.
Targeted discounts combine an attractive sale price with a touch of personalization. It’s also a fairly flexible approach. If you want to add a sense of urgency to these offers, try adding a countdown timer to encourage faster purchases.
2. Tell a Story With a Brand Blog
Chances are that your products come with descriptions. However, this short copy can only do so much. A single blurb may not adequately introduce your business, so you might want to consider creating a blog to enrich your brand’s virtual storytelling.
A more comprehensive body of written content can help establish your company as an authority in your niche. Posts don’t necessarily always need to focus on selling products, either. For example, take the Nike News blog:
Nike uses this page to promote some of its sneakers. However, it also shares its brand ideals with some more human-focused articles.
You can accomplish similar effects by telling personal stories or posting informative articles. A well-rounded blog can be a natural way to connect with consumers while also boosting your search engine rankings.
If you’re looking for help launching your e-commerce blog, we recommend WP Engine:
WP Engine can help you incorporate authentic content into your sales strategy. With buzzworthy posts on your side, you can boost conversion rates and communicate what makes your brand special to wary customers.
3. Enable Customers to Save Their Favorite Products
If a visitor sees an item on your website that they like, they might want to save that product for later. Unfortunately, one study suggests that many customers are doing this by using their shopping carts as wishlists.
This common habit may negatively affect your shopping cart abandonment metrics, but it’s a positive sign overall. It could indicate that people are considering purchases in the future. Therefore, it might be worthwhile to give your customers a dedicated wishlist to store their favorites instead of using their carts.
Macy’s offers this functionality on its website:
Not only can this give you a clearer idea of your site’s shopping cart abandonment rates, but it will also enable your customers to quickly access their favorite items. A wishlist option could also encourage more users to sign up for accounts on your site.
Additionally, this approach may provide you with more visitor data. If you notice one product is often saved but not purchased, for example, you can target your efforts to encourage more transactions.
Finally, you can also combine wishlist functionality with other approaches. You might choose to use it alongside targeted discounts to provide deals on items that have been on shoppers’ lists for a certain period of time. You could also offer to send customers alerts when saved items’ prices drop.
Conclusion
High traffic but low conversions don’t have to throw a wrench in your online business. Sometimes, even small adjustments can encourage more purchases. By offering consumers information and features that meet their needs, you can transform casual window shoppers into loyal buyers.
How will you use these techniques to support your online store? Let us know in the comments section below!
Image credit: Pixabay