New Year’s Resolution – boost online orders

December 17, 2015

A successful website is similar to a shop… getting the footfall is one thing, but persuading people to part with their hard-earned money is something else altogether. So experts from Sage Pay* have outlined five proven strategies that can increase order values and sales online.

Offer free delivery
A staggering 21% of shoppers drop out on the delivery cost page, mainly due to unexpectedly high costs and confusing information. So it’s vital to make the delivery offering extremely clear.

A simple and effective way to combat these high drop-out figures and set yourself apart from the competition – if you can afford to – is to offer free delivery by building it into the overall cost of the goods or service.

Another option is to set a threshold amount, which encourages consumers to add products to their shopping basket, and spend more in order to reach the threshold. Setting the threshold amount too high can have the opposite effect on sales, however, and Sage Pay recommends that you work out your current average order size, add 10–15% and use that as your threshold.

Bundle offers
Bundling products or services together tends to create the perception of increased value and improves profit margins. They can be inexpensive products that complement a best seller, which you promote on the product detail pages for easy purchase, and naturally increase total sales.

Up-sell
Up-selling means encouraging customers to buy a more expensive version of the product they were originally looking for. Either focus on the features that the up-sell product has that are lacking in the original product, or highlight new/just released versions.

Loyalty points
Offering loyalty points increases customer satisfaction, encourages shoppers to spend more and means they are more likely to return to your website. It’s also a helpful way of working out patterns in consumer behaviour so you can promote new products to them based on their preferences.

Cross-sell
Suggest suitable additional products depending on what customers have viewed as a way of enticing them to spend more. But remember that too many options creates confusion.

All the best for 2016! Do get in touch to hear what Griffin Media Solutions can do to help your business in the New Year.

*Source: Sage Pay