Actionable Tactics to Overcome Ecommerce Conversion Obstacles
You’ve built an online store with a stunning design, top-notch products, and effective marketing campaigns. Yet, despite attracting visitors, your conversion rates are still quite disappointing.
Sound familiar?
Many ecommerce store owners find themselves in the same frustrating situation. You have all this potential, but something seems to be holding you back.
Even the most beautiful online stores can contain hidden roadblocks between their visitors and the checkout page. These obstacles might seem subtle at first glance. However, their impact on your bottom line can be devastating, as they might discourage potential customers from completing their purchases.
Imagine the difference in your revenue if more of those visitors became loyal customers.
That’s why we’re here. In this article, we’ll identify the potential barriers and equip you with practical, step-by-step solutions to turn those ecommerce window shoppers into buyers. From building trust to streamlining the checkout process, these tactics are designed to address the common issues that ecommerce businesses face.
1. Building Trust and Credibility
Obstacle 1: Lack of Trustworthiness
New visitors are often unsure about a brand’s credibility and the legitimacy of your products or services, especially if they haven’t interacted with your business before. This lack of trust can make them reluctant to give their personal information or complete a purchase.
In fact, 17% of users abandon their carts because they don’t trust the site with their credit card information, while 35% of visitors will abandon a website if it doesn’t have a security badge.
Solution: Display Trust Badges
Trust badges act as visual cues that assure customers their data and transactions are safe. These symbols represent third-party verification of your website, product, or services, immediately easing concerns about your business’s legitimacy.
In addition to general website security badges, such as McAfee or Norton, consider displaying product-specific certifications or seals of approval relevant to your industry, such as organic or fair trade certification, cruelty-free or vegan certification, or country-of-origin labels.
Take a look at how Transparent Labs, a popular supplement brand, prominently displays the “Informed Choice” logo on its Rapid Electrolyte Replenisher product page. The logo signals their products have undergone rigorous testing and met high-quality manufacturing standards. This third-party certification instills confidence that Transparent Labs’ supplements are high-quality, minimizing concerns about their purity and safety.
In addition, the product page also contains badges addressing three of the biggest concerns that the brand’s health-conscious customers might have: artificial sweeteners, coloring, and genetic modification.
Step-by-step implementation:
Identify relevant trust badges. Research and select trust badges relevant to your industry and recognized by your target audience.
Apply for certifications. Apply for the necessary certifications from reputable organizations. This may involve providing information about your business, undergoing inspections, or meeting specific standards.
Integrate badges on your website. Place trust badges on your homepage, product pages, and checkout page. Ensure they are visible but not intrusive.
Communicate their meaning. To help customers understand what these seals and badges mean, add brief explanations. For instance, you can explain that the McAfee badge indicates your website’s security while the organic certification badge assures the quality of your products.
Obstacle 2: Brand Reputation Uncertainty
Even after you establish initial trust, customers may still be unsure about the overall reputation and quality of your brand and products. This is especially important for encouraging repeat purchases and building long-term customer relationships.
Solution: Leverage Social Proof
Leveraging social proof is an excellent way to display trust and credibility. For instance, Ovaeda, a provider of eco-friendly composite decking, prominently displays its Trustpilot ratings and reviews directly on this collections page. This strategic placement of trusted reviews assures customers of the brand’s quality and reliability and improves trust.
Step-by-step implementation:
Collect customer reviews and testimonials. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews and testimonials through follow-up emails, incentives, or a dedicated review section on your website.
Highlight reviews on product pages. Display relevant reviews and ratings directly on product pages to provide immediate social proof.
Showcase media mentions and awards. If your brand has been featured in reputable publications or received awards, create a dedicated section on your homepage or About page to highlight these accolades.
Partner with influencers. Identify influencers or industry experts whose audience aligns with your target market. Reach out for collaborations, such as product reviews or social media endorsements.
2. Bridging the Sensory Gap
Obstacle: Uncertainty about Product Quality
Online shoppers can’t physically touch, feel, or try out products before purchasing. This lack of tactile experience may lead to many open questions, uncertainty, and hesitation.
They may wonder:
What does the fabric feel like? Is this material soft or rough? Is the product heavy or light?
Will this clothing item fit me properly? Is this furniture the right size for my space?
How does this product actually work in real life? Does it feel comfortable to use?
The inability to fully experience the product before buying can trigger doubts and concerns.
This is especially true for products such as clothing, furniture, and cosmetics, where sensory experience plays a crucial role in the decision-making process.
Solution: Allow Customers to Upload Media
Encourage customers to share photos and videos of themselves using your products. User-generated content (UGC) is authentic social proof, showcasing how your products look and perform in real-life scenarios. It helps potential customers visualize themselves using the product and builds confidence in its quality.
Mannequin Mall makes great use of UGC, featuring real customer photos of the mannequins as shown on this product page. This allows potential buyers to see how the mannequins look in different settings and better understand their size and proportions.
Step-by-step implementation:
Create a UGC program. Offer your customers incentives, such as discounts or loyalty points, for uploading media. Promote the program through your website, social media, and email newsletters to increase participation.
Integrate UGC on product pages. Use a platform or plugin to display user-generated content on product pages. Ensure the content is moderated to maintain quality.
Provide detailed descriptions. Write comprehensive product descriptions that cover texture, weight, dimensions, and other sensory details. Use vivid language to paint a clear picture.
Develop size guides and charts. Create detailed size guides and charts, including measurements and fit recommendations. If you offer your products worldwide, implement conversion charts for international customers.
3. Overcoming Decision Paralysis
Obstacle: Lack of Product Knowledge and Understanding
Customers can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of choices they face when browsing your store. They may struggle to understand how each product would meet their needs or look and function in real life. This uncertainty can lead to decision paralysis and, ultimately, lost conversions.
Solution: Provide Comprehensive Information and Visual Aids
Use product comparisons, informative videos, or other visuals to make it easy for your customers to get information on your products and learn about the key features and benefits.
By presenting information in a clear, concise manner, your potential customers won’t need to navigate back and forth between different product pages. They can quickly identify the product that best suits their needs and budget.
GetSafe, a medical alert system provider, goes beyond simple product descriptions to educate and engage potential customers. They use a humorous video to address common concerns about traditional wearable devices and promote their innovative, voice-activated alternative. This approach allows them to educate their potential customers and make the product more relatable and appealing.
Step-by-step implementation:
Enable detailed product comparisons. Offer a user-friendly feature on your website that allows for a side-by-side comparison. Highlight key differences in features, benefits, and prices.
Educate through engaging videos. A short, informative video can be worth a thousand words for complex or unfamiliar products. It can demonstrate the product in action and highlight key features and benefits in a way that static images or text descriptions cannot.
Use high-quality images. Invest in professional product photography that showcases your products from multiple angles and in different lighting conditions. Consider using 360° product views or even augmented reality (AR) technology to allow customers to virtually “try out” or “place” products in their homes before buying. This can be very effective for furniture, decor, or clothing.
4. Simplifying Product Discovery
Obstacle: Navigating a Vast Inventory
While a wide product selection is generally a good thing, it can quickly become a double-edged sword. An overly extensive inventory, especially without clear organization, can leave customers feeling overwhelmed and lost.
They may struggle to find specific items they’re interested in, wasting valuable time scrolling through endless product listings. This frustration can lead to abandoned searches, increased bounce rates, and lost sales.
Solution: Optimize Navigation and Search Capabilities
To prevent potential customers from getting lost in a sea of products, arm your ecommerce store with intuitive navigation and powerful search functions.
Moto Machines, a motorcycle parts retailer, excels at inventory navigation by offering a combination of smart filtering and sorting options and a powerful search bar. For example, their Bonamici Racing USA product page allows customers to filter by handlebar & controls, brake & clutch levers, rearsets & footpegs, and other options.
Step-by-step implementation:
Implement smart filtering and sorting. Enable filters for brand, price, size, and other relevant criteria. Ensure the filters are easy to use and responsive. Also allow customers to sort products by popularity, price, newest arrivals, etc.
Use robust search tools. Invest in a powerful search engine with features like auto-suggestions, typo correction, and relevant result ranking.
Optimize search bar placement. Ensure the search bar is prominently placed and easily accessible on all pages.
5. Streamlining the Purchase Process
Obstacle: Checkout Frustration
Checkout frustration is a major conversion killer. A long, complicated, or confusing checkout process can quickly turn enthusiastic shoppers into frustrated abandoners. This can happen due to various factors:
Excessive steps. Requiring customers to navigate multiple pages and fill out numerous forms can be tedious and time-consuming.
Hidden fees. Surprise shipping costs or additional charges that appear late in the checkout process can lead to distrust and abandonment. Baymard research shows that extra costs lead 48% of shoppers to abandon their carts.
Forced account creation. Requiring account creation before purchase can create unnecessary friction and deter impulse buyers. In fact, according to the same source, having to create an account deters 26% of visitors from buying.
Lack of progress indicators. Not knowing how many steps it takes to finish the checkout process can lead to uncertainty and frustration.
Solution: Eliminate Checkout Roadblocks
You can do quite a few things to make your checkout process run smoothly. For example, Simply Beach, a swimwear retailer, has implemented a quick add-to-cart button on its bikinis collections page. When a customer hovers over the swimsuit they like, the Quick Add button will appear. If they click this button, a pop-up will display essential product information (color, size, and price), allowing them to add the item to their cart directly from the listing page.
This streamlined approach reduces friction, simplifies the purchasing process, and makes it more convenient for customers to complete their purchases.
Step-by-step implementation:
Quick add to cart. Let customers add items to their cart directly from category or product listing pages without visiting the individual product page. This reduces the number of clicks required and simplifies the buying process.
One-page checkout. Condense your checkout process into a single, easy-to-navigate page. This will eliminate unnecessary steps and keep customers focused on completing their purchases.
Guest checkout option. Offer customers the option to check out without creating an account. This removes barriers and caters to those who prefer a faster, more anonymous experience.
Clear progress indicators. If your checkout process requires multiple steps, include a progress bar to show customers how close they are to the finish line, reducing uncertainty and keeping them engaged.
Transparent pricing. Display all costs upfront, including taxes and shipping fees. Avoid surprising customers with additional charges at the last minute.
Final Thoughts
Overcoming ecommerce conversion obstacles will significantly boost your sales and customer satisfaction. By addressing trust issues, enhancing product experiences, simplifying choices, and streamlining the buying process, you can create a seamless and enjoyable shopping journey.
Start implementing these tactics today and watch as your visitors become satisfied, loyal customers.
