Do you want more sales from your online shop, and you would like them as soon as possible?

You probably have amazing products, all with brilliant features and benefits, and branding which is perfect for attracting your ideal customers. But if you’re selling online, your website could be the crucial difference between whether people buy from you or not. If you’re interested in ways to boost the number of sales you get from your online store, this blog is for you. I’ve gathered my top five tips for helping you optimise your ecommerce site to get more sales. So, let’s jump right in and get you up to speed:

1. Show product categories on your homepage

One thing I tell my clients over and over again when we’re mapping out a website refresh or a new site is that people do not want to have to search out information. When someone lands on your online store’s homepage and they want to buy something, the best result they can hope for is that there are clear categories to choose from. For example, if you sell outdoor furniture and they are after a sun lounger, how helpful would it be if there were clear categories for each type of product including... sun loungers? You’re far more likely to get them clicking straight through to browse the product in that category than if they must click to view subcategories or scroll way down a page. If you have lots of different categories, then a dynamic slideshow is a great way to show a visitor what you sell without them having to scroll or click.

2. Don’t overload dropdown menus

Another way to optimise the navigation of your online store, making it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for is to use filters. Instead of having dropdown menus for each of your product categories (so using the sun lounger example again, you might have varieties including folding, plastic, wood, rattan, with or without cushions, with or without wheels and so on!), offer the website visitor filters to narrow down their search. These are far easier to use than dropdown menus which can be tricky on a mobile or tablet and could be very long and unwieldy if you add more product categories in the future.

3. Highlight your USPs

Some online business owners will be successful in driving traffic to their website and helping visitors find the products they are after, but they still can’t seem to get them to actually buy anything. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your unique selling points USPs) are prominently displayed on your website. If you’re not sure what your USPs might be, here are some ideas and hints. Offering free delivery and returns or you’ve got only 5* reviews for your customer service? Perhaps you sell a more comprehensive selection of products than your competitors? Anything that’s helpful or innovative is a great thing to highlight to help turn website visitors into customers. You can display this information using icons and just a very small amount of text so that it’s on every page of your website.

4. Use promotions and loyalty schemes

Did you know that it’s most cost-effective to retain existing customers than it is to attract new ones? That’s why loyalty schemes are such a great idea! Offering your existing customers a small percentage off their next purchase or giving them points every time they make a purchase with you (that they can accrue and then use for a future discount) is a great way to keep them coming back for more. It’s a great idea to make sure your sales promotions and loyalty programmes stand out clearly on your website. That might be by using bright colours in the text or graphic design or using a lightbox - whatever it takes to grab a website visitor’s attention!

5. Make sure your site is secure

What happens if you’ve implemented everything I’ve listed above - helped your website visitor find the product they want, told them why it’s amazing and given them a discount to use - but then when they come to check out, they notice a ‘site not secure’ message in their browser? Would you be willing to put your card details into a website which is being flagged as unsafe? The answer for most of us is - no! It takes a lot more effort to gain the trust of someone for them to buy online than it does for face-to-face selling, so it’s incredibly important that your site is visibly safe and secure. An SSL certificate is essential for any website which handles data including financial records. This is a digital certificate which authenticates the website's identity and enables an encrypted connection for data protection. Your domain provider should be able to supply an SSL certificate, so if you’re not sure whether you have one, check in with them.

If you think your online shop could do with a redesign or you’d like to start from scratch, I can help. Together we can ensure that when people visit your website, they can see everything they need to know about your products and customer service to make a purchase. Just get in touch to book a consultation today.