Conversion optimization is on everyone's mind and is considered by many online marketers to be the holy grail of revenue growth. The list of different methods, possibilities and approaches that promise an improved conversion rate is long - and more and more website operators are starting with various optimization measures. But despite increasing traffic, the desired actions often fail to materialize. Often small but avoidable errors have sneaked in, which prevent a successful optimization of the conversion rate. These can easily be avoided with some know-how, strategy and planning.
We show you 5 frequent killers of the conversion rate, that like to sneak in, but can be fixed easily.
Conversion Stopper 1: Website Optimization
Many companies eventually reach the point where "the old website no longer performs this well. After only a few considerations, the decision is made, the relaunch is planned and many good elements of the old website are thrown overboard. New elements and designs are also implemented according to personal taste and gut feeling. In the age of data driven and individualization a big mistake. Because what your team likes intuitively doesn't have to appeal to your users. At the same time, you are giving away important learnings: Which of the changes made really improved performance is difficult to see with the "one shot" method.A relaunch project should be considered as a continuous process. Analyse in a focused and systematic way on which approaches might not work optimally, in order to improve them step by step. The methods A/B-Testing or Multivariate Testing are helpful for this. This is more about a permanent optimization process than about the "one shot, one hit" mentality that is so often preferred. So take your time and make individual changes in succession. Measure the performance after some time and then adjust other aspects.
Conversion Stopper 2: Many Questions, No Answers
The marketing campaign is complete, the stylish landing page has been created and the product is optimally presented. In addition, you attract many users who spend time on the landing page and who are interested in the shop's offers. Optimal conditions for a high conversion rate. Right? The only bad thing is, if questions arise, without giving the user direct answers. How do I log in? How do I get a copy of my invoice? How do I return the article? Only very few visitors will spend the time and effort to search for information on their own. It is much more likely that insecure users will leave your site and reduce the conversion rate significantly.
In order to eliminate this conversion killer, you should search for possible user questions (at best when creating your online shop). Then you can record these and answer them. In addition, FAQ pages are essential in order to include regularly occurring questions, which are answered by short, unambiguous statements. The finishing touch to optimization is the live service, which ideally can be provided via chatbots or chats with service staff. So you are guaranteed not to leave any questions open for your visitors.
Questions without an answer can lead the user to leave the site.
Conversion Stopper 3: Payment process versus conversion rate
The purchase process is almost complete and only the last step is missing. The payment.
The shopping cart is filled, the shipping details are typed in, but shortly before the check-out is completed, the purchase is often cancelled. However, 50% of German consumers decide against the order because of missing payment methods. But since companies are confronted by a variety of payment methods, which have different advantages and disadvantages, they offer only the most common payment methods.
Another Conversion Killer in the payment process hides behind hidden extra costs. Often these costs are not shown transparently until the last steps of the checkout process.
Since the payment process is decisive for the purchase decision in the online shop, it is important for optimizing the conversion rate. In order to improve this on a long-term basis, shop operators should evaluate the conditions of the payment providers and examine costs and benefits with regard to the preferences of the customers. In addition, a balance between security and convenience for the user as well as risk and cost minimization on the merchant side is important.
In order to avoid intransparency, you should proactively provide a transparent overview of the additional costs incurred (e.g. for payment by surname, delivery costs, etc.) and inform the customer of the reason for these costs. Simple sentences such as "Check your order again in the next step" also provide information about the subsequent steps, inspire confidence and give the visitor the feeling of control.
The payment process is essential for the success of an online shop. To improve the conversion rate, you should thoroughly plan the final step of the purchase process.Conversion Stopper 4: No clear call to action
Just don't overwhelm the customer on his Customer Journey. Many companies pursue this basic idea and drastically reduce all kinds of requests to optimize the conversion rate, which induce the customer to take action. Because no customer wants to click his way through a jungle of buttons. For this reason, they are placed almost transparently on images, not obviously behind much text or hidden in the corners of the landing page.
But especially strong calls to action (CTAs) are true conversion boosters for websites and online shops. For this reason, online marketers shouldn't be afraid to make CTA elements sufficiently prominent. CTAs that even prevent customers from jumping and thus improve the conversion rate are helpful. Examples are: "Order now", "Subscribe to newsletter", "Notepad", "Product comparisons", "Product information" or "Add to shopping cart". Place the button in an environment where the user is not distracted by other things. The actual CTA should be initiated by a simple sentence that generates trust. At the same time, the call-to-action should express the urgency of the situation, which will make the visitor click the button. By cleverly placing requests for action, you offer your users an uncomplicated and pleasant stay in the online shop, without overwhelming them.
Your customers need clear requests to find their way around.
Conversion Stopper 5: Personalization à la "You might also like..
The personalization of the online shop or website is considered the ultimate discipline on the path of conversion rate optimization. This starts with the shop construction and leads to customized product recommendations. In this way, content is played out that is adapted to the order history, click ratios and habits of the visitor. Companies want to enable customers to have a personalized shopping experience with this individualization and thus make the right decision to optimize the conversion rate. This is because customers want to see content that is relevant to them in order to spend less energy and time.
But companies do not succeed in responding to the exact needs and wishes of shop visitors by presenting "articles that could also be interesting". Because of all users the on-line Shop knows typically only 20%. Therefore: The right approach to the CRO, but not the optimal execution. The solution is called situationalisation: ODOSCOPE manages to offer customers an individualised online shop on the basis of situational data, i.e. the device, referrer, time, season or weather at the moment of the page call. The automated playout of individually relevant elements ranges from product lists, category pages and product recommendations to personalised searches and content. This new type of personalization offers each customer an individually relevant shopping experience and generates a higher conversion rate. Personalization à la "That could also please you" is therefore a thing of the past.
If you want to know more about ODOSCOPE, request your live demo now!
