- \n
- 65% of consumers are more likely to buy from retailers that know their purchase history<\/li>\n
- 58% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when they get recommendations based on their preferences or past purchases<\/li>\n
- 65% are more likely to buy from retailers who provide them with personalized promotions relevant to them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
More and more marketers are starting to realize the importance of providing a personalized experience to shoppers.<\/p>\n
Evergage<\/a> reports that 88% of marketers believe their prospects or customers expect a personalized experience.<\/p>\n
A striking 96% also agree that personalization helps them improve their customer relationships.<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/evergage-personalization-study.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nThe same study also found that the biggest benefit of in-app or website personalization is CRO.<\/p>\n
The second biggest benefit is an improved customer experience, followed by increased visitor engagement.<\/p>\n
Personalization also helps in many other aspects such as improving brand perception, reducing churn rate, etc.<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/evergage-personalization-benefits.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nThere are plenty of ways to personalize your visitors\u2019 website experience.<\/p>\n
You can segment your visitors based on location, demographics, browsing behavior, etc.<\/p>\n
And then you can use these segments to deliver personalized landing pages<\/a>, offers, pricing, recommendations, and more.<\/p>\n
Example: Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows<\/strong><\/p>\n
Evergage<\/a> conducted a case study on the effects of personalized experience on the Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows<\/a> website.<\/p>\n
They segmented their visitors in several ways to provide hyper-personalized website<\/a> experiences.<\/p>\n
First, they automatically segmented visitors based on their location and displayed landing pages relevant to their referring geography.<\/p>\n
They also created key segments such as families or novice skiers and provided them with content relevant to their needs.<\/p>\n
For example, visitors who belong to the \u201cfamilies\u201d segment will get to see content that showcases some of the best reasons why Squaw is such a great option for families.<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/squaw-valley-family-content.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nSquaw Valley placed visitors into the relevant segments based on the group with which they identified as or according to the content that they engage with.<\/p>\n
As you can see in the screenshot below, visitors can choose from four different groups.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve even taken care to personalize the CTA copy for each of the groups. It\u2019s one of the best practices that can have a significant impact on your revenue.<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/squaw-valley-group-selection.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nThis conversion rate optimization practice helped Squaw Valley cater to the unique requirements and preferences of their website visitors.<\/p>\n
They were able to increase the conversion rate in the \u201cfamily\u201d segment by 38%. The revenue-per-user also increased by 41% in this high-value segment.<\/p>\n
#2: Help Shoppers Get Answers Quickly<\/h2>\n
People who shop online tend to do so because it\u2019s convenient.<\/p>\n
They don\u2019t want to waste their time traveling to the store when they can get what they need from the comfort of their homes.<\/p>\n
So naturally, these shoppers would also expect to find what they need quickly and purchase it without any hassle.<\/p>\n
When they\u2019re unable to do this, it could frustrate them and result in a loss of conversion opportunity.<\/p>\n
Keep this in mind while designing your conversion rate optimization strategy.<\/p>\n
A Pew Research Center<\/a> survey found that being able to ask questions is important for 83% of U.S. adults when buying something they haven\u2019t bought before.<\/p>\n
But when they have questions that can\u2019t be answered by your FAQ page, they don\u2019t want to go through the trouble of calling you up.<\/p>\n
According to Avaya, consumers prefer not to call a business and would rather communicate through messages. This is particularly common among millennials.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Bentley University<\/a> and NeuraFlash discovered that every respondent in their joint study would rather have chatbot conversations with businesses if it\u2019s going to help them save time and solve their problems.<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s clear that one of the best practices for CRO is to help shoppers get answers quickly. Don\u2019t make them call you. Instead, provide answers instantly.<\/p>\n
This conversion rate optimization strategy could work for both B2C and B2B companies in enhancing the visitor experience and driving conversions.<\/p>\n
Live chat support can be an excellent addition to your site if you wish to make more sales.<\/p>\n
Visitors can get quick answers to their questions. This could make it easier for them to decide on a product to purchase.<\/p>\n
Example: Logical Position<\/strong><\/p>\n
Logical Position<\/a>, a PPC management company, was able to make use of live chat support to increase their conversions.<\/p>\n
According to a LiveChat<\/a> case study, the company has experienced a 150% increase in inbound leads after introducing live chat to their site.<\/p>\n
Their inbound sales also increased by 30-40%.<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/logical-position-live-chat.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nEven if your agents are unavailable to chat 24\/7, you could clearly display the hours during which they are available.<\/p>\n
You could also encourage visitors to leave a message so the agents can get back to them quickly as soon as they\u2019re back online.<\/p>\n
#3: Implement UGC More Effectively<\/h2>\n
Trust is an important factor for CRO. You may optimize your website landing page with statements and points to prove that people can trust you.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not going to cut it.<\/p>\n
People are more ready to trust other customers than they would trust your claims.<\/p>\n
So you need to prove your claims through social proof such as user-generated content (UGC).<\/p>\n
In fact, Pew Research Center<\/a> compiled quantitative data and found that 82% of U.S. adults read ratings and reviews from other customers before buying something online for the first time.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s likely that you already know that. Maybe you already have reviews and ratings up on your product landing pages.<\/p>\n
This may work well enough to drive a decent amount of conversion rates.<\/p>\n
For 2018, however, you could further focus on how you display user-generated content for CRO.<\/p>\n
In addition to the usual method of displaying reviews and ratings, you could opt for more visual user-generated content.<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/olaic-ugc-study.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nAccording to an Olapic<\/a> study:<\/p>\n
- \n
- One out of four respondents has purchased a product after they saw it featured in user-generated content.<\/li>\n
- 56% of respondents are more likely to buy an item after they have seen it in a user-generated image that was either positive or relatable to them.<\/li>\n
- 52% of respondents say that photos are the most appealing form of user-generated content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These numbers suggest that the visual user-generated content can significantly improve your conversion rate optimization strategy.<\/p>\n
Try displaying photos submitted by users through social media on your product landing pages or your home page.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s not a widely used strategy yet, it\u2019s one of the best practices that can help you get ahead of your competitors quickly.<\/p>\n
Example: Byron Bond<\/strong><\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how Byron Bond<\/a> displays user-submitted photos on their homepage:<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/byron-bond-ugc.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nYou could also display the same text reviews as before. But this time, highlight the best ones in a text overlay image or along with the customer\u2019s photo.<\/p>\n
This ensures that the review is more prominently visible and could compel many shoppers to buy from you.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s another example from Byron Bond, where they display customer photos along with their reviews:<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/byron-bond-reviews.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nIn case you\u2019re a B2B company and you want to display user-generated content, try adding photos of your actual clients or users next to their reviews or testimonials.<\/p>\n
This conversion rate optimization strategy can provide social proof that your services are well-liked.<\/p>\n
Example: GroupHigh<\/strong><\/p>\n
Take a look at how GroupHigh<\/a> displays their client testimonials, for example:<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/grouphigh-ugc.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n#4: Optimize Your Checkout Page<\/h2>\n
Your checkout page is one of the most crucial elements in your sales funnel. It\u2019s the page that determines whether or not you close the sale.<\/p>\n
Even if a shopper has made it all the way through, there\u2019s a good chance they may still change their mind if something goes wrong at the checkout page.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In fact, the Baymard Institute<\/a> has found that ecommerce retailers experience an average cart abandonment rate of almost 70%.<\/p>\n
This shows that a lot of retailers may not be doing enough to ensure that their checkout pages are optimized to boost conversion rates.<\/p>\n
So, it\u2019s vital that your conversion rate optimization strategy also involves optimizing your checkout page.<\/p>\n
According to the Baymard Institute study, the biggest reason for cart abandonment was extra costs being too high.<\/p>\n
This suggests that most retailers are still failing to properly display the extra costs for products before customers add items to their carts.<\/p>\n
Although this may be uncontrollable for many retailers, look for ways in which you can be more transparent about the extra costs.<\/p>\n
Your CRO efforts should focus on highlighting your USP. For example, if you have a flat shipping charge, make sure you display it.<\/p>\n
Or if you have a minimum requirement for free shipping, make sure you prominently display the terms.<\/p>\n
You can display it as a banner and you can also display it next to the pricing details of the products being viewed.<\/p>\n
Many big brands have used this best practice for conversion rate optimization with phenomenal results.<\/p>\n
Example: Amazon<\/strong><\/p>\n
For example, Amazon<\/a> displays the free shipping terms just underneath the cost of a certain item.<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/amazon-pricing.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nIf you offer international shipping, you may be unable to provide free shipping everywhere. And the shipping costs may differ from region to region.<\/p>\n
But make sure your customers have the option to see how much they will need to spend on shipping charges before they decide to add the item to their bag.<\/p>\n
Example: Innisfree<\/strong><\/p>\n
Brands like Innisfree<\/a>, for instance, provide shoppers with a shipping fee calculator.<\/p>\n
Shoppers can calculate the cost of shipping based on various factors such as location, shipping method, and package weight.<\/p>\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/innisfree.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nAnother common reason for cart abandonment is a long or complicated checkout process that often involves mandatory account creation.<\/p>\n
To optimize your checkout page in order to boost conversion rates, make sure you reduce the number of steps involved to complete a purchase.<\/p>\n
Start by eliminating the need to create an account and introduce a guest checkout option.<\/p>\n
If this isn\u2019t viable for the kind of business you run, you could also give shoppers the option to register using their social media accounts.<\/p>\n
You could further optimize your checkout page by adding trust seals. This is crucial because 22% of consumers abandoned their carts because they didn\u2019t trust the site with their card information.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also important to provide shoppers with several payment options if you want to drive more sales. The convenience of customers is key for CRO.<\/p>\n
#5: Make Use of Machine Learning to Identify Website Issues<\/h2>\n
The machine learning landscape is gradually evolving as evident by the influence Google Analytics has on conversion rates.<\/p>\n
Machine learning is creating more opportunities for online retailers to implement it into their conversion rate optimization efforts.<\/p>\n
Zebra<\/a> predicts that by 2021, machine learning will be widely used by retailers to personalize customer experiences.<\/p>\n
It will also improve their ability to forecast trends and changes in consumer requirements as well as enhance their visibility.<\/p>\n
Machine learning algorithms can also be used by retailers to identify the biggest website issues that result in a decrease in conversion rates.<\/p>\n
The best part is that these algorithms reduce the time taken to identify these issues.<\/p>\n
SessionCam<\/a> has recently developed a CRO tool known as Customer Struggle Score or CS Score, which leverages machine learning technology.<\/p>\n
The tool runs in the background and analyzes thousands of website sessions at all times.<\/p>\n
Through this analysis, the tool identifies visitor behaviors that indicate some of the common usability problems on a website.<\/p>\n
This cuts down the time and effort taken for CRO.<\/p>\n