An Intutive Website A Key to Increasing Online Sales
An Intutive Website A Key to Increasing Online Sales
Is it easy to tell when items are added to the shopping cart? Users like to see a visual cue that their item has been added, but do not necessarily like to end up on a shopping cart page when they haven't finished their shopping yet.
Is your checkout process fast and simple? Do not require more information than necessary to complete the transaction. The more information you require the less conversions.
Do you show shipping information elsewhere on your site or at the very beginning of your shopping process? Don't make users provide all of their information only to find out that they don't want to pay $60 to ship a book. Don't laugh-we've seen this in user testing. List your shipping rates or provide an option to calculate shipping costs with state and zip code information only.
Does your shopping cart show progress through the checkout process? Users like to know where they are on your site and in the process of making their purchase.
Do you ask for information in the most intuitive order? Don't expect users to supply their credit card information without providing them a final total. Would you provide your credit card number if you didn't know how much you were going to be charged?
Is your shopping cart called a "Shopping Cart"? This is the de facto standard now and what users are looking for. Do you have a link to your shopping cart on the home page (and every other applicable page)? Don't make users hunt for your shopping cart.
Do you use an "Add to Cart" button? This is also a standard, but more importantly it is better than a "Buy Now" as this deters some users who are "shopping" and "browsing" and are not yet ready to commit to the actual buying process.
Do you require users to register with your site in order to make a purchase? Based on our user testing experience, this is a primary reason shopping carts are abandoned. Users do not want to go through the hassle of a registration process if they do not shop your site often. While they may not consider themselves a frequent customer the first time, this may keep them from becoming a customer at all.
Is it easy to remove items or change the quantities of items in your shopping cart? Do not make users struggle to change their minds as they may abandon the whole process if they can't figure out how to remove one item. There should be an easily identifiable remove/delete button. Changing quantities can be accomplished by allowing users to simply change the number; however, you should not require users to change the number to "0" in order to delete the item.
Do you have links to information that users may want to see before purchasing? Users often think about your return policy, guarantees, shipping, and product details during the process. Make it easy for them to access this information.
Does your shopping cart save entered information? If a user decides to check on the return policy or change their order, do they need to re-enter all of their information?
Do you provide a summary page before the purchase is completed? Users like to see all the information they entered and confirm everything.
If users encounter an error during the shopping process, what feedback do they receive? In some user testing we have conducted, the error notices displayed below the fold and users did not know why they were not progressing to the next page unless they scrolled down to find the error. Make the error message easy to see, read, and understand.
The most important thing on the mind of the Web shopper is finding the product they want. Are products easy to find on your site? Does your shopping cart include adequate product descriptions, photos, ratings, etc.? If product information is included as part of your e-commerce engine, be sure that is meets users needs. We have tested several sites where users' needs were placed after the functionality of the engine. If users are not getting the information they need to make a buying decision because of the limitations of your e-commerce engine, it's time to look for a new one.
Have you tested your e-commerce experience with actual users? You may think that you have an easy to use shopping cart, but is it intuitive to your users? What is your rate of abandoned shopping carts? Test users on your Website and shopping cart. What is easy for them? What is difficult? Is it easy for them to find the product they are looking for? You will be surprised at the feedback from actual site users.
Keep in mind that there are only two ways to build Web sales, bring more visitors to your site or convert more of the visitors that are already on the site. To increase traffic, ensure you have solid search engine and affiliate marketing programs in place. To convert Web visitors into customers, incorporate the usability principles outlined above and you will be well on your way to an intuitive Website that drives revenue for your organization.
An Intutive Website A Key to Increasing Online Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Thomas Young's Website.
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Does your Website help or hinder your online sales? Effective e-commerce is more than just putting up a shopping cart and hoping for the best. In our usability research, there are two primary reasons users do not complete purchases online: 1) there is a disconnect between what they thought they were paying for the product and what the final total is, which is usually impacted by shipping; and 2) the user gets frustrated because the shopping process is too complex, time-consuming, or confusing. Review the following usability checklist to make sure you are creating an e-commerce experience that is intuitive and results in visitors becoming customers.
Is it easy to tell when items are added to the shopping cart? Users like to see a visual cue that their item has been added, but do not necessarily like to end up on a shopping cart page when they haven't finished their shopping yet.
Is your checkout process fast and simple? Do not require more information than necessary to complete the transaction. The more information you require the less conversions.
Do you show shipping information elsewhere on your site or at the very beginning of your shopping process? Don't make users provide all of their information only to find out that they don't want to pay $60 to ship a book. Don't laugh-we've seen this in user testing. List your shipping rates or provide an option to calculate shipping costs with state and zip code information only.
Does your shopping cart show progress through the checkout process? Users like to know where they are on your site and in the process of making their purchase.
Do you ask for information in the most intuitive order? Don't expect users to supply their credit card information without providing them a final total. Would you provide your credit card number if you didn't know how much you were going to be charged?
Is your shopping cart called a "Shopping Cart"? This is the de facto standard now and what users are looking for. Do you have a link to your shopping cart on the home page (and every other applicable page)? Don't make users hunt for your shopping cart.
Do you use an "Add to Cart" button? This is also a standard, but more importantly it is better than a "Buy Now" as this deters some users who are "shopping" and "browsing" and are not yet ready to commit to the actual buying process.
Do you require users to register with your site in order to make a purchase? Based on our user testing experience, this is a primary reason shopping carts are abandoned. Users do not want to go through the hassle of a registration process if they do not shop your site often. While they may not consider themselves a frequent customer the first time, this may keep them from becoming a customer at all.
Is it easy to remove items or change the quantities of items in your shopping cart? Do not make users struggle to change their minds as they may abandon the whole process if they can't figure out how to remove one item. There should be an easily identifiable remove/delete button. Changing quantities can be accomplished by allowing users to simply change the number; however, you should not require users to change the number to "0" in order to delete the item.
Do you have links to information that users may want to see before purchasing? Users often think about your return policy, guarantees, shipping, and product details during the process. Make it easy for them to access this information.
Does your shopping cart save entered information? If a user decides to check on the return policy or change their order, do they need to re-enter all of their information?
Do you provide a summary page before the purchase is completed? Users like to see all the information they entered and confirm everything.
If users encounter an error during the shopping process, what feedback do they receive? In some user testing we have conducted, the error notices displayed below the fold and users did not know why they were not progressing to the next page unless they scrolled down to find the error. Make the error message easy to see, read, and understand.
The most important thing on the mind of the Web shopper is finding the product they want. Are products easy to find on your site? Does your shopping cart include adequate product descriptions, photos, ratings, etc.? If product information is included as part of your e-commerce engine, be sure that is meets users needs. We have tested several sites where users' needs were placed after the functionality of the engine. If users are not getting the information they need to make a buying decision because of the limitations of your e-commerce engine, it's time to look for a new one.
Have you tested your e-commerce experience with actual users? You may think that you have an easy to use shopping cart, but is it intuitive to your users? What is your rate of abandoned shopping carts? Test users on your Website and shopping cart. What is easy for them? What is difficult? Is it easy for them to find the product they are looking for? You will be surprised at the feedback from actual site users.
Keep in mind that there are only two ways to build Web sales, bring more visitors to your site or convert more of the visitors that are already on the site. To increase traffic, ensure you have solid search engine and affiliate marketing programs in place. To convert Web visitors into customers, incorporate the usability principles outlined above and you will be well on your way to an intuitive Website that drives revenue for your organization.
An Intutive Website A Key to Increasing Online Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Thomas Young's Website.
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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