E-commerce Link : 'Tis the Season to Buy
Five best practices for the holidays
November 2008 By Ken Burke
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To overcome these challenges while increasing sales, the merchant must create greater product clarity online, especially on the product detail page. According to Forrester Research's The State of Retailing Online 2008: Merchandising and Web Optimization Report, 90 percent of retailers stated that the product detail page was a top investment priority for the next 12 months. And 85 percent stated improved product content on the product page as a top tactic.
To design a more effective product page for shoppers, follow these tips:
- Develop comprehensive product descriptions.
- Optimize copy specifically for the Web that is simple, succinct and scannable.
- Provide easily accessible service information and links, including in-stock status, product availability dates, shipping and delivery information, and links to product guarantees and return policies.
3. Reduce ‘One-and-Outs'
One-and-outs happen when shoppers exit a site after visiting just one page. This happens more than you may know. As a percent of all visits, one-and-outs account for close to 38 percent, claims the MarketLive Performance Index (Vol. 5, 2008). The homepage typically accounts for the majority of this and represents about 13 percent of overall one-and-outs.
To improve the engagement of the shopper on the homepage and reduce the one-and-outs, navigation and calls to action should support key user goals of shopping and service. It is also important to create awareness of the breadth and depth of your product offerings on the homepage by exposing subcategories and testing flash merchandising. Flash merchandising is a technique where a single image rotates every few seconds. Flash provides the ability to show different merchandising themes and promotions using the same screen real estate, ultimately giving the merchant the opportunity to appeal to a larger customer base.
In addition, one-and-outs can be reduced by meeting customer expectations from search engine traffic. First, it is important to lead your users to the most relevant landing pages. Next, make sure trust-building elements (satisfaction guarantees) and site-wide promotions (free shipping) are visible beyond the homepage. Finally, deliver on the promise of the paid search ad or natural search result.
4. For the Holidays, Give Shipping and Delivery Center Stage
According to Forrester Research's report Shipping Issues Continue to Plague Online Retailers, shipping and delivery issues were rated as the top problems/complications shoppers experienced during the 2007 holiday season. The top three included:
- "Shipping prices were higher than I expected" at 48 percent;
- "The item I purchased was not in stock or was back ordered" at 39 percent;
- "Shipping ended up taking longer than I expected" at 30 percent.
5. Promote Worry-Free Shopping
Although many people are becoming more comfortable shopping online, it is still important to reassure buyers by promoting worry-free shopping. Here are three ways to accomplish this:
- Make return and shipping policies, privacy policies, customer service contact information, and product guarantees clearly visible on your site.
- Consider displaying security messaging or certification logos, such as Hacker Safe and VeriSign, within the main page template.
- Aggressively promote free shipping offers.
Ken Burke is the chairman, founder and chief evangelist of MarketLive Inc., an e-commerce technology services provider based in Petaluma, Calif. He can be reached at ken@mmlive.com or visit www.marketlive.com/sitereview.
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