Quick Pick: Useful Article on Increasing Conversion at Each Step of the Buying Process

July 10, 2006 | In Best Practices, Marketing/Promotion |

Just a quick note to point merchants to an article I read over at MarketingProfs.com about online conversion. The author outlines how your site can best be positioned to attract and then convert browsers into shoppers, and shoppers into buyers. The article answers the following questions:

  1. Purchase intent: Potential browsers may have a general sense of a product need, but how do they decide on pursuing a single (or perhaps limited set) product? (For example, ”I want a new television, but not sure which brand to choose.”)
  2. Purchase fullfillment filtering: Browsers may know what product they are looking for, but how do they know which merchant from which to buy the product? (For example, “I want an Acme brand plasma television. Which sites sell this model that look legitimate?”)
  3. Purchase fullfillment selection: Shoppers may know your site looks trustworthy, but how do they answer any remaining question they may have about the product or your ability to fill the order? ( For example, “If I buy from this site, when will I receive my order? What is the return policy?” )
  4. Purchase completion: Shoppers may want a product and wish to purchase it from your site, but how do they check out to buy the product? (For example, “Where do I click to begin check out? Can I select a different shipping and billing address? Where can I review my final order total?”)

Using some of the overall tactics discussed in the article can answer these questions and turn browsers into buyers.

Paul Boisvert
Yahoo! Small Business

4 Comments »

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  1. Shopping cart abandonment is a HUGE concern for every online business. I really want to convert potential buyers and have very few reasons for them to leave my site before doing so. I have a Yahoo! store and love all of the built-in features provided. However, as a Merchant Standard user who has NOT yet converted to the “just out of Beta” check-out manager, I do not have the ability to remove the coupon/gift certificate box. I feel that this box, when not in use, might send a potential customer off looking for a coupon somewhere on the web to use in my store. What if they get distracted on the web by the latest picture of some hot celebrity and forget that they were placing an order with me for home decor?! I am willing to take gift certificates off of my site because I sell SO few. If I have no current coupons, why can’t I remove this field?? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

    Comment by katie — July 13, 2006 #

  2. I found that switching to the new checkout manager, which allowed me to put the billing and shipping adress info all on one page during checkout, helped a bit on the abandonment. However I do wish we had more “built in” options besides just the UPS tables, other than creating our own. It would really help if they allowed USPS built in tables for Priority Mail for example - I mean, even EBAY has that :)

    Comment by Pat — July 13, 2006 #

  3. This is good info. I am trying to get a better return for each visitor.

    Comment by Mandy — June 10, 2007 #

  4. Thanks for the info. I agree with Pat that it also helped a little after switching to 1-page checkout. I also agree that the availability of other built-in options will be a big plus.

    Comment by The Dog Clothing & Dog Collar Company — July 15, 2007 #

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