Simplifying your shop is all about giving your visitors everything that they need to be certain that they might go from the page they arrive on to payment completed without getting lost. However, it is loads more difficult than it sounds. And the first failing of a few web sites that I have seen is to not give a clear link back to the shopping basket page. I have seen beautifully graphic designed websites for ecommerce that only simply forget to give the reader a link to the basket page. Not everyone will checkout immediately after adding a product to the basket, so allow them back.
Another problem straightforwardly solved is payments. A lot of website owners try to cut costs by using secured hosting and then processing credit cards using the Cardholder Not Present function. However, many customers will (rightfully) not trust this set-up. Always offer simpler alternatives, even though they cost more, such as PayPal. Something that the user trusts and already has an account created for and possibly even a balance could be a huge persuading factor in a purchase.
On top of this never confuse visitors with navigation. I have struggled on sites in the past to find the products I want, even when friends have told me to use the website to buy from them. Keep the categorisation straightforward and make sure that that products are easy to find. A hidden product is unlikely to be found.
Masses of traffic will not actually buy, or add the item to the basket, straight away. There might be many reasons for this but there are 2 straightforward techniques to support them. First, why not provide a selection of recent items that they have looked at, maybe even removing from that collection anything that has been added to their basket? This makes it straightforward to go back to a previous item if, for example, they are looking at various products to find a present.
The other alternative is what if the item they are looking at is not quite what they want? Well add to each item an automatically updated list of items that people who have also browsed that item have gone onto buy. If masses of people have thought round that item and then always bought an alternative, then it is possible that alternative is a good choice. So highlight it!
You could also try a similar trick with the shopping basket once they have added items. Look for other items that other visitors often buy with what is in the basket and offer them as add ons. Make them simple to find and people will buy them!
Finally, loads of possible visitors will want to check the postage and other charges that they will incur. So not provide a clear link to that information and highlight it? I have often left sites only because I am not clear round how much postage I will be paying.
Written by Keith Lunt, who offers a web design Merseyside service. For more useful tips about good web design call into the blog.
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