There’s no denying that we’re living in the digital age. I’m fairly sure that if you never want to step foot outside your house again, the internet could make that happen. But even with the growth of online shopping, it can sometimes be difficult to translate your brick-and-mortar store into the digital landscape.
Today’s virtual shoppers know what they want, and they’re used to sites like Amazon and Etsy that execute online sales efficiently and intelligently. If your online presence is struggling to bring in a profit, perhaps there are some changes that need to be made.
1. Offer More For Free
People crave information, and the bottom line is that almost everything you’d ever want to know is on the internet for free. I recently wound up on a page offering to sell me the “Five Words To Say To Your Bank Teller To Get Free Silver.” Instead, I googled it and learned the five words for free. (For those who are interested, it’s “Do you have half dollars?”) My point is this – selling information, unless it’s very specialized information, can be extremely hit-and-miss.
However, this doesn’t mean that the information isn’t valuable. In fact, giving people information is one of the best ways to build brand loyalty. Instead of charging for your “special report,” offer it as a free gift for signing up for your newsletter. That way, your potential customer feels like they’ve gotten something of value, and you’ve made them more likely to try your products.
2. Rewrite Your Copy
The way you phrase your copy is extremely important. People know when they’re being sold to, and they’re also pretty quick to see through disingenuous copy. Additionally, poor writing will either make people wary that your site may be some kind of scam, or simply assume that what you have to offer is of little value. If your website isn’t converting as well as you want it to, take a good hard look at your copy and see if there are places it can be improved.
3. Market Your Website
“If you build it, they will come,” is not a saying that applies to online retail sites. Perhaps, “If you build it well, make it easy to use and then market the heck out of it, they might come,” would be closer to the truth. The simple fact is, if you’re not getting visitors, there’s no way you’ll get sales. In order to get your numbers up, try avenues like guest posting on relevant blogs or websites, becoming more active on social media, or increasing your advertising budget. You have to get people in the door before you can sell them anything.
4. Sell One Thing On Your Home Page
When people come to your website, you should have a pretty clear understanding of the path you want them to take. Depending on your business, the main path should probably culminate in a sale. It’s a known fact that people who are confused will freeze up, and will likely take no actions at all. In order to ensure that people understand what’s going on, try this – take all the space on your front page that’s used for marketing your products, and have them focus on a single item or a similar group of items. This will give visitors a focal point that will take them to your online store, but won’t overwhelm them with options to the point that they shut down.
5. Upsell Cheaper Relevant Products
Upselling is a tried-and-true method of increasing sales. Just look at Amazon – “You might also like” is so well-known that it’s the premise of most of the jokes about their company and CEO. In order to maximise your upselling potential, learn the “60×60 rule.” Customers will buy an upsell 60% of the time for up to 60% of the value of the original product. The upsell should also be related to the purchased product. At this point, you’ve already secured the original sale, so the only thing you’re doing by not offering an upsell is losing yourself money.
Do you have a tried-and-true method for increasing your online sales numbers? Share it in the comments below!
