4 Tests to Ecommerce Heaven

If you run an e-commerce website then this the article for you!

Firstly, if you are not making sales (or enough of them) DON'T PANIC!  And don't see your website as failing see it as an evolving experiment from which you are getting results.  The results aren't good or bad (despite how they may feel) they're just results. 

All the results do is point you in the direction of what you should do next.  However, sometimes it's not always easy to see what that should be.  (That's one reason why company’s employ me: I have the luxury of not being close to the problem so I can be more objective.)

Below are 4 things for you to test on your product pages that will increase your sales:

Buy Now

Daft though this may seem you wouldn't believe how many websites I see which conceal the "BUY NOW" button.  Don't make people search for it.  Put it right at the top, make it obvious and never put it out of sight or beneath the scroll line of your page.

Try different wordings on the button; buy now, add to basket, get it today, order now.

Only Just

The psychology of people who are surfing on the net is that they believe the Internet provides them with cheaper prices.  Whether this is true or not is irrelevant.  It is the perception that people have of the Internet and it is a psychology which you can capitalise on.

Using words like "Only" and "Just" in front of your price give your visitor the perception that you are offering a great product at a steal.

And while were on the subject of price... be proud of it!  Don't hide your price as though you were embarrassed.  Place it in large and clear text.

Benefits, benefits, benefits, benefits, benefits

If you've heard this million times before it's because it is that important.  99% of businesses present the features of what they sell to their customers rather than the benefits.  Saying what it does is not the same as saying how your customer's lives will be improved when they buy it.

The fact your car has a GPS is a feature.
Arriving at all your meetings on time and unflustered is the benefit!

Features and benefits are two sides of the same coin - you cannot have one without the other.  Make sure that every feature listed on your product page ends with a benefit.

Nail Them to the Page!

When people are searching to buy they want as much confidence about the product and your business as possible.  It's strange then that so many websites fall short of providing good quality relevant information on their products pages when there is so much to be gained.  Imagine how well your sales team would fare if you only gave them half the product information?  Well, remember that your product pages are your ‘salesman on the screen’.  You've got to give them every opportunity to close the sale for you.

Giving your visitor lots of relevant information means there is more likelihood that you will overcome any resistance they may have to buying from you.  This is called objection handling.  The difference between selling on the Internet and face-to-face is that on the Internet you don't know what to your visitor's objection might be - that's why you must give them everything you can to overcome their objections; PDFs to download, manuals, customer comments, case studies, video of the product in action, podcasts, photographs from every angle, close-ups, specifications, FAQs and so on.

REMEMBER: the more information and help you give out upfront the more sales you will make!

The Little Big Things

Even the little things can make a difference and sometimes a huge difference.  Here are 7 things for you to try:

1. Different coloured text
2. Different sizes of text
3. Put the image on the right hand side
4. Give the product a more exciting headline than just its name
5. Put the price next to the “BUY NOW” button
6. Test audio or sound on the page
7. Put a quantity box next to your BUY NOW button so your visitor can easily buy more than 1 of your products.

Think of every test as an opportunity for you to get more sales, to increase your profits and become ultra successful.

So, only one thing remains: GET TESTING!