How to improve conversions on your e-commerce site
Article written by Tanguy SEVOZ, Web Copywriter at Orson.io
Whether you are a new brand with an e-commerce site or a market leader in ready-to-wear, we are going to look at the improvements you can put in place to improve conversions on it.
The first step, creating a professional website, is behind you, so we can move on to advice about optimising what you offer. The ready-to-wear sector records an “average conversion rate” of between 1 and 3%, although this can vary depending on your size, on what you sell and on the volumes you sell it in. The aim, of course, is first to cover your costs and then to achieve a good ROI.
There are a great many variables that affect conversion rates. That makes it very difficult to compare one site with another. What counts above all is the quality of the traffic coming to your website.
So let us look at how to improve that conversion rate on your e-commerce site.
Quality images for a successful customer experience
If we had to pick a single factor that allows a product to sell online, it would be its image.
If your site has nothing but pictures of your products, or conversely nothing but descriptions, it is time to change all that.
Visitors want to see what they are about to buy. To boost conversions, you need quality images of the products you sell. The more quality images of your products you put up, the more confident your visitor will feel. Shoot the product from several different angles and make sure the image can be zoomed in on.
Products from every angle on the Tara Jarmon site
A good description to make the purchase decision easier
Your product descriptions matter: 80% of shoppers in the ready-to-wear market want personalised information while they shop.
The job of a description is to give buyers enough information to convince themselves that this is the product they need. The ideal description therefore gives complete and precise information about the product without laying it on too thick.
How long should a description be? You should offer both, a short version and a longer one. In the shorter one, put the essentials: who the product is for, what it is used for and why it is a good product.
In the longer one, you need to give more information so that you answer every possible question a visitor might have. If they read the description in full and still have questions or doubts, then you have a problem with the content of that description. Conversely, if you are clear and manage to convince them within a few lines, they can go straight to buying the product.
If you are a marketplace, do not simply make do with the manufacturer’s description. Add your personal touch and your recommendations. Tell customers why you think this product is made for them and how it can help them meet their need.
A full description and care instructions for Celio clothing
Use video
Images are all very well, but everything suggests that video is the future. Photos have their limits, and video is the halfway house between a photograph and how the garment really feels.
If you are not yet filming your products, try producing videos for part of your catalogue to begin with and see whether you notice a difference in sales. The best example on the ready-to-wear market today is still Asos, which showcases a large share of its products through video as well as offering photos with models of different body shapes
Using product personalisation
Users love to personalise the products they buy. It is fun, it is a bit like a game and it creates a sense of ownership for the customer. Once you have spent a few minutes configuring a product, it already feels like yours.
A few years ago, I remember needing to replace my laptop, so I went to the Asus website. For more than 30 minutes, I had great fun personalising my new laptop. In the end, I bought it. It came out at a price well above the market average, but the sense of ownership had done its job.
If your business gives you the opportunity, you can decide to create mass personalisation for several types of item!
Charging for delivery kills conversion
Do you know how many e-commerce sites offer free delivery? Half of them! Some of them always offer it, others attach conditions. Amazon, for example, offers free delivery on orders over 25 euros. These shopping habits have given customers the idea that they no longer pay for delivery on their orders.
One study found that free delivery is the number one criterion in customers’ purchase decision (73% rate it “essential”). In another study, 93% of respondents said that free shipping on orders encourages them to buy more products.
Conversely, expensive shipping costs rank as the number one reason for dissatisfaction with an online shopping experience. They are in fact the main reason why people prefer bricks-and-mortar shops to online ones.
Customers want free shipping, no surprises. But just how attractive is it? On average, orders with free delivery are 30% higher than those carrying charges of between 1 and 10 euros.
So keep in mind that the customer experience starts, first and foremost, with optimising your products. Then comes usability and smooth navigation, so that a simple visit turns into an immersive experience that prompts a purchase. Make the right decisions based on what you sell on your site.
Offer exclusive services on your product pages
Finally, to stand out from the competition and offer personalised services to your visitors, optimise your product pages. On a ready-to-wear e-commerce site, tackle the sector’s biggest problem: help your customers find the right clothing size.
With Fitizzy and its plugin, your customers can feel confident about choosing the size that best matches their body shape. Your returns go down and your customers are satisfied, which allows you to secure their loyalty.
Go further in personalising purchase journeys and guarantee an interactive, one-of-a-kind shopping experience.
The Fitizzy plugin on the Sinéquanone site, recommending the right clothing size
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