You have to assume that the majority of consumers visiting a retailer’s website today expect that they can browse your inventory and buy online.
If you don’t offer that option, you are turning away a customer - or at a minimum - reducing your conversion rate for a qualified lead.
Merchandising and discovery
The vast majority of customers visiting your website enter through your homepage - your virtual front door.
The homepage is your opportunity to effectively showcase new products, hot categories, or current promotions. Effective online merchandising can capture attention and pull customers deeper into your website to advance the purchasing journey.
Your homepage is also an essential navigational tool. Customers find their way around your site by reviewing your homepage - often before they turn to navigation or search.
Your job is simple, make it easy for customers to find their way to your most popular categories. Make it easy to find electric bikes, kids’ bikes, apparel, accessories, etc. Don’t forget services like bike repair or fit.
Don’t stop there. All of the pages a customer visits warrant careful merchandising. You want your electric bike page to be compelling, with images and information. Same with your service page - it isn’t just transactional - it is your opportunity to stand out from your local competitors.
Drive qualified traffic
Of course, your best opportunity to convert visitors to your website is to make sure the right people walk through the virtual door.
You do that by making sure that you have a wide assortment of products to shop. A SmartEtailing website ensures you show the largest selection with SEO, search engine optimization, baked into every product page.
Make sure your service and location pages have engaging content that encourages visitors to linger a moment to gather information and maybe link to other pages on your site. Time spent and pages visited are both signals to search engines that your website has valuable information for consumers.
The most qualified traffic you can attract is your loyal customers and followers. Have an active email marketing program and stay engaged with your social media accounts so you are always sharing reasons to visit your site. Each one of these visitors is a potential sales opportunity.
Be accessible
The website on its own is an effective passive way to convert sales. It is a silent salesperson working 24/7 to engage qualified buyers.
But you are a local business, so give your customers more.
Add a live chat widget to your website. Add “contact us” or “talk with an expert” links throughout your site. Both can reduce barriers for shoppers.
Don’t forget about SmartEtailing’s Quote feature. This is a great way to send recommendations to customers who engage with you online. Sending a personalized quote through email provides the customer with a hyperlink to a pre-populated shopping cart with your suggestions. The customer is one click away from buying from you.
It’s all about achieving your goals
Hitting your revenue targets is crucial to ensuring you have a healthy and sustainable business.
As retail changes, your revenue can’t just be measured by revenue-per-square foot in the traditional sense. That limits your potential only to the people who walk through your door.
You have to join best-in-class retailers like REI or Dick’s Sporting Goods in offering an easy way for customers to buy from you online - so you can achieve your true revenue potential.
If you have questions about anything we’ve shared here - please find us. We are happy to talk about our technology solutions or the marketing services we offer to amplify your results.
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