Cracking the Code: Key Elements of E-Commerce to Optimise Conversion Rates - Part 2

Here is the Part 2 on the subject of CRO, highlighting five more areas that an e-commerce team needs to focus on to help increase conversion rates.

6. Easy navigation and intuitive site structure:

?? - Use Case: Category and Filter Options

???? - Implementing a straightforward navigation menu and intuitive filtering options allows users to easily find the products they're looking for.

The starting point for this is your taxonomy.

It matters.

A lot.

Poor website structure cannot be trumped by good content, keywords or clever social media marketing.

In addition, sensible category trees and filters will help customers search and discover that they are looking for.

Creating standardised product set up forms will help consistent naming conventions for filters, whilst understanding what filters are important to customers will significantly improve their product search experience.

7. Fast website performance:

?? - Use Case: Accelerated Page Loading

???? - A fast-loading website improves user satisfaction and search engine rankings. Optimising images, leveraging browser caching, and using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) contribute to faster page loading times.

?Undertaking regular speed tests and understanding what is negatively impacting site performance is a key component in reducing bounce and exit rates.

This requires collaboration between IT, marketing/content teams and channel owners, as they can all influence page speed.

It is also strongly advised to build an alert process for site performance issues, for example, site outages and a slow down in response times.

8. Search engine optimization (SEO):

?? - Use Case: Keyword-Optimized Product Pages

???? - Optimizing product pages for relevant keywords and providing accurate meta tags can improve search engine rankings, increasing the visibility of the ecommerce site and attracting more organic traffic.

?There are multiple components that make up an SEO strategy, and it is not advisable for a business to focus primarily on paid search as this traditionally has a significant impact on COA.

Focus more on organic search over the long term to improve both onsite and offsite searches.

Your strategy should be swayed more towards paid in the early stages of a launch (be that site, category or product), with the aim of driving your organic search, so that over time you can reduce your reliance on paid.

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9. Email marketing strategy:

??? - Use Case: Personalized Product Recommendations

????? - Implementing personalized email campaigns that recommend products based on customer preferences, browsing and purchase histories are more relevant to an individual, therefore can drive repeat business and increase the likelihood of cross-selling and upselling.

Most businesses segment customers into large groups (eg Emirati), which is a very basic form of personalisation, as it wrongly assumes every customer in that group has the same wants & needs, and behaves in the same way as all the others.

Hyper-personalisation is the holy grail, especially with AI now the hot topic of the moment. However, data quality remains the key here, as the level of relevant, effective hyper- personalisation is only as good as the data you have.

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10. Customer reviews and testimonials:

??? - Use Case: Social Proof on Product Pages

????? - Displaying customer reviews and testimonials on product pages can build trust and credibility. Positive feedback can influence potential buyers and encourage them to make a purchase.

The inclusion of neutral and negative feedback, which some see as detrimental, can actually help customers make an balanced & informed decision, and also shows an honest and transparent business.

Avoid the temptation to manipulate reviews to only show positive ones, as customers will likely see straight through this, resulting in a loss of trust.

Check back for Part 3 and another 5 key elements of CRO.