Optimising retail online web traffic

Optimising web traffic

Retail web optimisation is starting to pay a key role in the battle for retailers to secure our online spending - but does it really make that much of a difference?

We've all been there, you have searched online for a particular item you want to buy, you go to the site, select your item and then the fun really begins. You find the 'buy it now' basket has vanished; lost in a sea of advertising and sales offers. Then on top of that, there is no price of delivery, so we are apprehensive if we're going to get hit hard. But there's more - the real kicker is having to go through endless screens of payment - when the screen crashes we have no idea if our purchase orde r had been taken. Some websites will also ask if we're a member of the site or company and to log-in, and when we click no, it takes us back to square one. It isn't a push to say its infuriating and annoying, and more often than not, means we are driven to another less complex website to make the purchase. In short, it isn't a fun shopping experience.

This kind of issue isn't uncommon, and online retailers are really taking it seriously. And so they should, as it means a less than satisfactory shopping experience, plus the online retailers losing revenue.

Max optimisation

The key for large retailer websites is optimisation. In other words, doing more with less content, having a clear page-layout for visitors to navigate, straightforward click-through options, and no hidden agenda.

Software is now available for retailers to test their optimisation. Testing allows businesses to present multiple variations of content and discover which content visitors prefer while targeting enables companies to understand visitors better so that they can present them with relevant information and offers, such as sales items.

"We needed a way to raise the bar for ShopNBC.com's user experience, making the site as intuitive and easy to use as possible," said Geoff Smith, Vice President of ShopNBC.com. "Our testing program has delivered significant returns in a shorter period of time than we originally expected, and we're seeing many benefits in results that we didn't anticipate."

ShopNBC identified five elements to test what might influence the actions of users who were contemplating a purchase.

The location of the "Add-to-Cart" button, bold headlines identifying cross-sell items, the styles of tabs that link users to product details colour, size, and style of clearance and limited time pricing offers, and the highlighting of payment options for qualified buyers.

The result of upgrading these five elements? Four percent more visitors began the check-out process, and the average price of items in a customers basket was 16 percent higher.

With the number of online retailers set to grow as the internet become available to more and more people worldwide, companies are really going to have to invest in making their customers' online experience better. With the world still submerged in a recession, the time for optimising sales has never been so prevalent.

Related articles:

Is digital signage the face of the future? | Walmart - Does bigger always mean better? | WireSpring tech joins retail alliance

Like this article? Get the RSS feed: