The conversion of a website is a fundamental point when it comes to measuring the business. Although the average in Spain is around 1%, according to most published studies, there are some resources that we can use to improve the performance of this metric.
We are human, and as such we are prone to the influence of external elements. In the following, we will unravel those levers that we can use to obtain a higher conversion, applying some simple changes in our website.
We will use reciprocity, scarcity, urgency, authority, social proof and price to boost conversion.
Reciprocity
Offer something in return for the objective we want to achieve. For example, we know that users who have an account created on our website are closer to converting than those who browse as guests. Therefore, we will look for users to register or sign up for the newsletter. To achieve this, we must use reciprocity: whenever we ask the user for something, we have to reward them in some way. And that reward has to be in accordance with what we ask them to do; if it represents a great effort, we must offer them something equally great.
A very clear example is the newsletter subscription modalities that we find in most fashion ecommerce, in this case Mango:
Scarcity
We can use scarcity to create a need to buy in the user. The clearest example used in ecommerce is to show the amount of stock available on a product, especially when there are few units left for sale. If a user is considering buying a product, his attitude will change if he knows that there are only 5 units left in stock and that 15 have been sold in the last hour.
Booking is a very clear example of how this resource can be used to boost the conversion of a website through scarcity.
In case our product is already sold out, but we are waiting to receive new units, we can use the "Notify me" feature to get users to provide us with their e-mail address:
Urgency
We want to receive what we buy as soon as possible. The arrival of Amazon a few years ago completely changed the perception of shipping times: today, anything beyond 2 or 3 days is an eternity. The good thing is that we can also use these shipping times to our advantage by generating urgency in the user.
For example, if we inform the user that if he buys a product in less than 2 hours he will receive it at home the next day, probably the attitude towards the purchase of that user will change quickly.
Urgency is also a lever that can work with very good results in important commercial periods where users need to receive the order before a particular date: Christmas, Valentine's Day, Father's Day... Of course, in this case the best example is Amazon:
Authority
Although it may hurt us, often our business or our brand is not as well known among users as we would like it to be. We are not all Amazon, PCComponents or El Corte Inglés. This is why using authority is fundamental when it comes to demonstrating to users that they can trust us.
Buying online involves providing a series of personal and bank details that can pose a psychological barrier to some users, if they do not know the website or the brand where they are buying. For this reason, resorting to known and trusted institutions is a plus when it comes to getting the user to convert.
For example, we can see how the Apple Watch strap website LuluLook generates trust in the user through the authority conveyed by the logos of PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and other globally recognized institutions.
Social proof
Buying online often means that the user cannot touch or see the product with their own hands or eyes. We need to solve this problem by using the tools and functionalities available to us on the web: reviews, high quality images, videos and recommenders.
A product with reviews, when they are credible and generally positive, will convert better than a product without comments or opinions. Etsy, for example, allows users to comment on products they have purchased and attach images, to provide further social proof of what the product is like and its quality.
When it comes to fashion, the big question is what size to choose: will the M fit me or will I need a L? To solve these questions, we can use a size recommender such as Fit Analytics or True Fit. These tools ask a series of questions to the user, such as height, weight or age, to recommend a size based on previous purchases and returns of users with similar data.
Price
We like to know that we buy at the best price. As a business, we can use this to our advantage to convince the user to buy from our website. Not only that, but we have to correctly convey the feeling of discount or advantageous price for the user.
The clearest example is the use of the original price crossed out, the new one in red and, in addition, the highlighting of the discount percentage. Saving 6 euros is not the same as saving 35%, as we can see in this example from Bershka:
The same goes for our marketplace strategy: we will need to make sure that we are offering the best price available to the user. Otherwise, he will buy it on the ecommerce platform with a lower price.
