Why visitors do not become buyers or 17 steps to the perfect online store

It often happens that the owner of an online store allocates a lot of money for advertising - places his goods in retail chains, gives ads in contextual advertising systems, puts banners on sites of similar topics. All this, of course, attracts a huge number of visitors, but the problem is that only an insignificant number of them actually make an order. This article is dedicated to this problem.

What makes a visitor to buy it in a particular online store? To answer this question, put yourself in his place. Suppose you read a review of a recently released phone / communicator, spilled a little saliva on your keyboard, mentally presented this phone in your hand, reviewed a bunch of videos where your favorite phone is shown "in action", and plus to everything your friend has already bought exactly the same and now all the girls in the yard want to walk only with him. That's when you decide that you must buy this phone, and it seems like you have enough money (of course, you have to save money for dinners for a month, but you seriously think it's worth it). Only you had time to think about it, as you have already opened your favorite search engine and entered the model of the desired phone there. Hundreds of stores appear in front of you, ready to help you spend your money. You immediately start clicking on all the offers in a row, opening each of them in a separate tab, then go to each store separately and study all the pros and cons of the purchase in that place. Where do you make the purchase? What factors make you buy a phone right here? Let's figure it out.

1. Find the best price.

It is logical to assume that the lower the price, the more buyers. In reality, this is not entirely true. And sometimes even quite the opposite - too low a price can scare off the buyer. The fact is that the level of trust in online stores in Russia is not high and there are reasons for that. When you see a price that is noticeably lower than the prices of competitors, you can safely assume that all this is not casual, and that the goods may not be of the highest quality, may even be fake or simply be stolen. Most likely, despite the temptation of such an offer, you will close this store and will no longer consider it at all. Therefore, even if you have the opportunity to seriously dump, do not do it, or try to explain to the visitor why your prices are so low.
Another thing to say is that, as a rule, if you sell a product, say, worth 25 thousand rubles, then a couple of extra thousand for the customer will not be critical, if all the other conditions of your store suit him - we will talk about them later.

2. Earn feedback in retail networks

As a rule, a huge part of users come to stores through retail chains, where online store owners post their offers and pay for referrals to their website. A prime example of such a network is the well-known Yandex. Market. As a buyer, I often select a store to buy it there and the main criterion for selection is the presence of positive reviews about the store. Often it is enough for me to look at the general evaluation of the store and look through a few reviews for a decision. Therefore, I recommend that you, as shop owners, collect positive feedback. To do this, after the delivery of the order, send a letter to the customer with a request to evaluate the work of the store, leaving a review in the Yandex.Market sales network. However, in order to get a positive feedback, you also need to be at your best and make sure that the client at least does not regret that he made the order from you.
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3. Spin your store brand

The well-known fact, on which the whole industry of brand advertising is built, says that people tend to buy those goods about which they have already heard somewhere. A person will never buy yogurt or toothpaste, the name that he had not heard in advertising. So this world is arranged, so if a client has previously met an advertisement for your online store, saw your logo, then this will be a huge plus. On the other hand, the cost of branded advertising is often simply colossal and the novice store simply will not pull them, but we must strive towards this.

4. Deliver fast

When you want to buy something, you want to get it right here and now. You do not want to wait, you have already made a purchase decision and are ready to quickly give money to finally start using what you are buying. But not all online stores share your ambition and deliver goods at best the next day, if not later. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to arrange a quick delivery, for example on the same day, do it and write about it in large letters on the store's website.

5. Offer various ways to consult.

Often you need to directly contact the store representative for advice, to ask a question about the product, picking the goods, delivery. Most stores are limited to a phone number and email, which is checked once a day.
To begin with, phone calls are not always convenient. For example, a person may be at work and most likely will not really want to discuss the purchase of a new dildo in your sex shop with colleagues, or being in the same apartment with his wife, order the delivery of flowers for her mistress by phone. This is of course an extreme, but you will agree, there are still many situations where the phone is not very convenient. Some simply do not like him, because on the phone there is no time to think before answering, you need to think quickly and make decisions quickly. Another thing is ICQ. Quietly wrote, quietly received an answer, if you need to have thought and decided to buy. Even more convenient online messengers - one click and you already communicate with the operator. Pupils of the old school may prefer e-mail, but for this it should often be checked by store operators about what you need to write on the site - “Our E-Mail: support@someshop.ru (checked every 5 minutes)”. The more ways to consult and the faster the operator responds, the greater the chance that the customer will make an order from you.

6. Offer different types of delivery.

The most popular type of delivery is courier delivery. The advantage of this type of delivery is that you can usually receive the goods relatively quickly and without leaving your apartment. On the other hand, there are some minuses. On the day of delivery, you need to stay at home and wait for the arrival of the courier, which have the properties seriously late. And they often can not find the way, they start calling you and clarify. Personally, I hate it. Especially if you live in the suburbs, where there are not so many landmarks and the way to explain is extremely difficult.
Therefore, I consider it a crime for stores not to make the possibility of self-pickup. Believe me, for many it is more convenient. And the goods can be picked up on the same day, without any costs of delivery. So that the customer was sure that his goods will not be bought at that moment, while he gets to the store, make the function of reserving goods, say, for one day. Also, the advantages of this delivery method include the fact that people living near the point of issue will most likely choose your store.
Not all of us live in large cities or near large cities where a courier can arrive, so there is a need to use the slowest method of delivery - delivery of goods by mail. Some stores send goods only after 100% prepayment. I think this is simply not acceptable: firstly, there is a great chance that they can “throw”, and secondly, prepayment must be made using payment systems or banks, which is not convenient for everyone. Therefore, if you deliver by mail - deliver by cash on delivery, in this case the customer pays for the goods upon receipt at the post office.
There is also express mail, UPS, DHL, but I have never come across them and as far as I understand the delivery in this case turns out to be incredibly expensive, so I will not cover them with this article.

7. Offer different payment methods.

As a rule, the main type of payment is cash, which you give to the courier, the store employee at self-pickup or at the post office when paying cash on delivery. But there are people who find it convenient to pay for goods using electronic payment systems such as Webmoney, Yandex.Money. For example, a person works on the Internet and receives a salary with electronic money, in which case he does not have any sense to withdraw them first in cash, giving them for a commission for the exchange, and then spend this money in an online store. It will be more convenient for him to pay with electronic money directly. It also does not hurt to organize the reception of credit cards, and for legal entities to organize cashless payments.

8. Make the store interface not annoying.

The interface of the online store should not be annoying. You do not need to fill the page with various links, photographs, so that the client can look for the information he needs for several minutes. For an online store, there is nothing better than simple and maybe even an “airy” interface where you can easily navigate and where each further step is clear. And damn it, don't force the user to register to place an order. Leave it to his discretion.

9. Show store activity

The person who is going to make an order must understand that the store is really working at the moment. Show that the store is not abandoned. To do this, create a news column and regularly write something there, not forgetting to set a date or hold promotions, for example, “5% discount on all appliances until the end of May!”. By itself, a five percent discount does not interest anyone, but it is immediately obvious that the store is operating. Just do not forget to remove the share at the end of the term or at least change the month.

10. Provide legal information about the store

If you work legally, indicate on the website legal information about your company (Company Name, OGRN, TIN, PPC, etc., etc.). This increases customer confidence.

11. Be careful with the counters.

If 2-3 people visit your store every day, it is better not to show it. Install a counter without numbers and the ability to see statistics. But if you are visited by at least 40-50 people, you can safely put your counter on the show.

12. Give the user gifts

A gift is a nice bonus. For example, when you buy an expensive phone, you can donate a memory card or cover.

13. Increase consultancy time

People often pick up goods late in the evening, when the consultants of most stores no longer work. And without receiving a consultation, a client may change his mind overnight or simply place an order with a competitor who has round-the-clock support.

14. Keep up-to-date information on availability and pricing.

It often happens that the product is not available, although the site says the opposite. This should not be. Also, in any case, information about prices on the site should not differ from what it actually is. All this leaves an unpleasant impression of the store and most likely the order will not be made.

15. Ensure the money-back term.

If possible, try to guarantee a refund within, for example, 5 days, if the goods suddenly do not like (of course, without any damage, provided the packaging is preserved). Feel free to write this on the site so that it is noticeable. Customers will not use it as often, and orders will be more.

16. Sell related products

Try to have related products sold in your store, i.e. for example, if you are selling hookahs, add tobacco and coal to your assortment so that people can buy everything they need at one time, otherwise there is a great chance that the customer will buy everything in another store.

17. Contact a professional designer.

The first impression for the client is the most important, so you should not save on the appearance of your site. Terrible sites, with antediluvian design, I personally close immediately, because the online store is not any homepage there.

That's all for today. Thanks for attention. Sergey Babochkin worked for you. Wait for new articles.