Meeting site visitor’s needs is a cumbersome practice. And that’s amplified for ecommerce sites. Not only do you have to try to convince people to want your product, you have to get them to buy it too. Nobody needs that kind of headache!
So let’s look at a few things you can do to relieve yourself of those burdensome sales.
You hear a lot of talk about improving shopping cart abandonment rates. Now that’s what I’m talking about, let’s take those rates from low numbers to the high double-digits!
Some things you can do to complicate shopper checkout:
- Require more information than you really need. There’s so much information you can squeeze out of your shoppers. Now’s the time! Don’t just ask for a home number. Get the mobile too. Find out how they heard about you. Throw in a mandatory comment section while you’re at it. Every business is different, so I’m sure you can find some industry-specific ways to complicate your forms–some you may already be doing. If so, great job!
- Require visitors to create an account. Everybody hates having to create an account just to make a purchase. And many shoppers, like me, simply won’t do it. If your system already requires an account to make a purchase, require shoppers to create it before they can proceed to checking out. That way they can leave before using up your valuable bandwidth!
- Demand that certain information is input with strict guidelines. Anyone can accept a phone number as 333-333-3333, (333) 333-3333, 333 333 3333, and 3333333333. However, you can make sure that your form only accepts ONE of these options. Preferably the most annoying. Let the customer have the fun of figuring out which one it is.
- Clear forms after an error. If the visitor makes an error filling out the form, that’s their own fault. Be sure that any information they fill out is erased so they have to do it all again. If they left out an email address or forgot to check the confirmation box, don’t let it process. They should have to start over and do it right.
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eCommerce