If you’re in eCommerce your goal is quite simple – you want to drive traffic to your website and increase that all important conversion rate. 

Whether you’ve just started or you’re well established – one things for sure, you share a common goal – increasing sales. 

Within this article we’ll list 5 practical tips to implement into your strategy and increase your eCommerce conversion rate to help drive your sales. 

We’re looking at low cost (sometimes free!) solutions, that can have a big impact on that all important revenue. 

First, a look at the basics. 

What is conversion rate? 

Conversion rate is simply the percentage of visitors to your site that complete a desired goal – and in eCommerce terms – that’s purchasing something. 

How to calculate conversion rate

To do this, you divide the number of conversions you get within a given time frame by the total number of people who visited your eCommerce site, and multiply this by 100. 

This number will give you an overall impression on whether things are going well, or not so well.

If it’s below industry standard, you’ll need to identify where the problem is fast. Some suggestions to help you out. 

Average conversion rate by industry

Developing your own goals and an in-house benchmark is key to your success when tracking your conversion rate.  

It’s always better to look at industry-specific and country conversion rate standards as a point of comparison. This will give you some sense of where you are within your market.

(source)

So, we’ve got the basics out of the way. Now let’s get started on those all important practical ways to increase your conversion rate.

Website translation

It’s no secret that the web is optimized for the English language. 

Although it’s still the leading language, there are literally billions of non-English speakers that could bring some serious revenue your way. 

And, at Weglot, time-and-time again, we’ve discussed the benefits of a multilingual website for improving conversion rate and boosting sales. 

But, what you might not have realised is that making your website multilingual is much easier than you think…if you choose the right translation option.   

It’s one of those tasks that sounds daunting, but by using a multilingual translation solution, you can optimize your time and budget and get new visitors to your e-commerce site. 

At Weglot, we created a translation plugin (definition: plugin that integrates with your website to display it in multiple languages) that takes your website from 1 to 2, 3, 4 (5,6,7…) languages in minutes. 

It’s simple to install, works on all website technologies and you won’t need the help of developers. Get more from your budget through an initial first layer of automated translation and use the add-on service of human translation to enhance your localization. 

And SEO? We’ve got you covered so you’ll be searchable within your new markets. 

But, let’s take a quick step back. Before you go diving into making your website multilingual, you’ll need to determine your new markets and which ones are worth it, which we’ve discussed here.  Don’t just take our word for it. Guru Niel Patel of SEO blog fame saw a 47% increase in website traffic when he translated his blog.

Website popups

Popups can convert your traffic, build your email list, drive more sales and reduce your cart abandonment rate. They basically add an incredible amount of value.  

To quote WisePops, “One of the easiest ways to drive more eCommerce sales month-over-month is by creating and launching new popups on your website”. 

There are a number of different popups you can choose for your eCommerce site. Exit, lightbox, mobile, email and video popups. 

But, don’t go adding popups to every part of your website. They need to be strategically thought out. 

Your popups should create value, offer an incentive and have no impact on the user experience.  

It’s often misunderstood that popups negatively impact your conversion rate, but if that’s the case, it’s a problem with the offer of the popup. 

Advice from WisePops when creating an impactful pop-up includes: 

They’ve written a great article on how to make the most of your popups, which you can check out here.

To summarise it in basic terms, they point to these factors when creating your popups:

• Use compelling imagery 
• Use conversion-driven copy
• Think about timing and display 
• Customize based on audience and location 

And, most importantly, continue to test your popups. You’ll need to measure and evaluate their effectiveness once live and make adjustments where needed.  Popups are low cost solutions, and if used correctly, there’s huge ROI potential.

Customer testimonials

Now we’re talking, a completely free solution to improving your eCommerce conversion rate – customer testimonials. 

This is an incredibly impactful way to add unbiased comments that prompt visitors to buy without the need for a hard sales pitch (which let’s face it, doesn’t usually work). 

What better way to persuade potential customers, than with your satisfied customers. And, look at the numbers – 92% of consumers say they read customer reviews before making a purchase. 

Think about it, you’re hardly a credible source when it comes to talking about your own product. Testimonials add credibility to your store and establish trust. They’re there to convert prospects into sales and create social proof. 

Used right, they answer any doubts a potential customer has and puts their mind at ease. 

And, if you do have some budget – why not turn these testimonials into video. It’s an even more powerful form of persuasion. 

Shopify do this one well. A simple, powerful quote, then a link to the full video story if you want more.

Product videos

You’re an eCommerce site after all, so it’s only right that we take a look at how you’re displaying your products. 

Video is king – that’s what they say, right? But, interestingly, product video is one of the most underused eCommerce selling tools. 

Apart from simply showcasing your product better, video benefits your SEO ranking and can increase backlinks to your site. 

It’s also much more compelling than just text and images, and is more digestible for your site visitors. 

It’s been proven that people are 4 times more likely to watch a video about a product, rather than read about it. 

And, when you see stats such as 96% of consumers finding video helpful when making an online purchase – it might just be the moment to invest. 

Email marketing

We just need to look at the graph below (via Smart Insights) to see the power of email marketing.

As the highest referrer by conversion rate, email marketing is incredibly effective at driving sales – so it’s time to get your email marketing in shape. 

And, email marketing accounts for approximately 23% of sales. 

But we’re not just talking about a once a month newsletter. We’re looking at strategic email marketing focusing on:

• Email signup welcome emails 
• Cart abandonment emails

Welcome emails

A quick win, so to speak, is to send a welcome email to all new signups. 

You’ve got leads from your popups, so now it’s time to get them to convert and make that all important first purchase by sending them an offer. 

I mean, it’s probably worked on you, so why not see how it works for your customers. 

42% of people are more likely to read welcome emails than any other email – better start making the right first impression then!  

Some great examples include offering free delivery, or a discount on the first order. The key is to influence people to make their first purchase. 

Cart abandonment  emails

These are considered one of the most effective forms of email marketing and a way to contact customers that signaled they were about to purchase from you.  

Cart abandonment emails are for people who had something in their cart but didn’t follow through with purchasing it.  

Staggering numbers show that 69% of people don’t go through with their orders, but, great news – 63% of abandoned carts are potentially recoverable. 

So a follow up email is well worth the time investment. 

Some great examples include:

You can read a full guide all about cart abandonment emails here. 

Summary

So, we’ve gone through a lot. And, hopefully you’ve picked up some key ideas that will help improve your overall eCommerce conversion rate, such as: 

• Translate your website to reach new markets 
• Use popups to catch new leads 
• Utilise customer testimonials to improve customer trust
• Product videos will improve your SEO and user experience 
• Use welcome emails and cart abandonment opportunities to make customers purchase