Why You’re Not Selling Online

At SGD we can set you up with a powerful content management system (CMS) and sleek product gallery for your eCommerce site. Fawn & Fox, Polaris Melbourne and Clax are some good examples. Unfortunately, showcasing your product lines and having the ability to easily manage your inventory only matters if you’re actually selling and restocking products. Maybe you’ve tried different tactics, such as discounts and coupons, but the buyers aren’t showing up. You’re definitely not alone there. It’s a frustrating and disheartening experience that many online businesses share. But all is not lost! Usually, there’s nothing wrong with your products, just with your presentation. While you can’t force people to buy your products, you can take steps to increase your conversion rate. Let’s look at a few of these methods.

Sometimes the actual design of the site is not user-friendly. With an eCommerce site, this can lead to a high bounce rate and aborted purchases. Ideally, you want users to find your site and stay on it to view products or read articles, and also eventually to purchase a product, sign up for a newsletter, or contact you directly. A high bounce rate means users may be losing their way or their interest. Maybe the site doesn’t work on all browsers or isn’t responsive on mobile devices. It could be a number of things. But the way to figure exactly what’s going on is to get together with your web designer and do some user flow mapping to follow a potential user’s path through the site. Google Analytics provides tools to track visitor flows and purchase funnels. If you have a WordPress site, you may also consider installing the Hotspots Analytics plugin, which utilises heat map tracking to show which areas of your site are “hot” (i.e. frequently visited).

Another reason you’re not selling online could be that you’ve targeted the wrong audience. Perhaps you’ve tried to make your products appeal to too large or too small of an audience, or to an audience whose demographics and purchasing characteristics aren’t appropriate for the product. For starters, think about the concepts, ideas and feelings that go along with the physical item or service, and remember that you’re selling these intangible things too. Next, determine who the buyers will be and make sure you market to them, not just to the end user. This is especially important with gift stores. Also think about how the product will be used so you can present it with relevant images and information; always differentiate between casual and professional users. Once you’ve nailed down your target audience, review your site to ensure that it’s tailored to that audience. Try your site out on a focus group, record their feedback and refine the site accordingly until it’s honed in.

Making your pitch to this target audience requires a lot of thought. It requires getting inside the head of a potential customer, identifying their needs and then convincing them that your products or services will indeed meet those needs. Without lying or twisting words, you must persuade them that their lives will be changed for the better after purchasing from you. This usually involves presenting them with numerous examples of the better life awaiting them post-purchase. And every once in a while, for instance when you’re launching a new product, you’ll need to make a strong impression that they won’t forget. Don’t be afraid to push those products and services that you really care about; but exercise moderation, because people want consistent value and good content more than in-your-face sales tactics.

Image © Elnur