Conversion rates are something that tons of people want to learn about and know how to increase. The truth is that all you have to do is step away from your site and think about the obvious, and what you can help to create a better user experience which could also help to increase your conversion rates. For this post I am going to focus on eCommerce sites in the checkout process and how to work on increasing your conversion rate within the shopping cart. This is not just important for eCommerce sites, but also for Affiliates, PPC people, SEOs, etc… to pay attention to as well since their income relies on how well their traffic can convert.
1. Can people see and easily use your checkout?
You have to remember that just because you may be in your 20’s or 30’s or you can see a site well enough, older people, near sided people without their glasses on, etc… may not be able to see it as well as you. Especially because they aren’t looking at it every day. Look at the font types you are using and make sure they are visually friendly, but more importantly look at the radial buttons and check boxes and font sizes within your shopping cart. Ask a few older people to click on things and if they cannot figure out or have trouble finding the right radials and even worse can’t click on the right one, you have an issue. Here’s what you can do.
- Space out your radial buttons and check boxes further apart and make them a bit larger. Not only does this make it easier to click the correct one, but by making them a bit larger, people can click on them easier, especially if they have shakey hands or bad eye sight. You can also make the text by them larger and space it out a bit more (one or two spaces) so it isn’t directly next to the button or check box.
- Add in a zoom in to see better section on top of the form that can scroll. Make it obvious so that if the person is having trouble reading your site, especially on an iPad or other tablet, they can auto zoom in or make your site zoom in so that they can see easier. You may even want to put a small note on it that says something like “Having trouble seeing our site? Click here to make it larger”.
2. Do people have to take their hands off their mouse?
One thing to think about and that you can test on your own is checking out without having to remove their hand from their mouse. Besides typing in their shipping information, credit card, etc… can everything else be done with a simple scroll down the screen and click? This is one way that you help to make checking out faster and easier. If you have the zip code for the person, auto-populate the state they live in or for their credit card if they are shipping to the same address. If they have to type in state, try using a drop down and make sure the drop down can type in the first letter or couple of letters and it automatically drops down. You can also think of other ways with auto fills, drop down menus, same as buttons and other ways to speed up the process.
3. Can they bypass registering or opt into a quick checkout?
This is an old trick and I’m amazed that people still aren’t using it. If your checkout process says something like register or become a member to check out, you’re driving away customers. This is also true for sites that say current customers log in, not a current customer, click here or register now. What you might want to try is to add in a text link or a different colored button next to it that says skip registering or checkout now. You can also try express checkout.
You don’t have to skip any of the information they would have filled out by becoming a customer or a member, but in the shoppers mind they aren’t joining a club, they are getting through the check out process faster and you won’t lose as many people who are in a rush. If you do add this feature, you also need to make sure that when they finish the regular “registration process” you don’t say something like thank you for registering. Your messaging still has to be about quick checkouts. This is key to helping keep some of the sales you may have lost due to people not wanting to register, become a member or that were in a rush.
There are a ton of things that you can do to potentially increase your conversion rates in the checkout process. Placing coupon codes above or next to the coupon code box if you have them, removing the coupon box all together and letting the person automatically add the coupon by clicking a link in the process or just having one special that they have to meet to have the discount applied also work to your advantage. Think about how you can speed up the process by not making the person leave your site, search around other sites, distract themselves, have to find glasses or squint to read, take their hand off their mouse or have to register and you may be able to start seeing your conversion rates begin to climb. If you have another good conversion rate checkout tip like adding on a 100% guarantee or satisfaction guarantee starburst or image on the check out or purchase now button or even just adding in an SSL and icon, please feel free to share them below by leaving a comment.
