Shopify Style Series: Increase Your Conversion Rate by Tapping Into These 5 Consumer Demands

Wondering how to increase conversion rates? Learn how to convert more shoppers and build brand loyalty by delivering on the five things that customers want most.

This article is the first part of the “Shopify Style Series” powered by Klarna and Sellry. 

Attracting more shoppers is always in style. But how do you increase your conversion rate once they’re on your site? The best way to avoid abandoned carts is to pay attention to consumer preferences. After all, when you give the customer what they want, they’re less likely to go elsewhere.

Since today’s digital world makes data collection easier than ever, consumer demands are no longer difficult to pinpoint. The only mystery left is…why aren’t all online retailers delivering on those preferences?

With so many new features and technologies becoming available on Shopify, it can be hard to determine which ones are truly worth the investment. That’s where we come in. By focusing your energy on the following areas, you can move the needle forward on conversions while building brand loyalty at the same time.

1. Harmony In-Store and Online

Today’s most successful retailers have dedicated entire teams to the omnichannel experience. Why? Because despite what you may have heard, people still love shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. In fact, 60 percent of shoppers are using their mobile devices to help them shop while inside the store. That means synchronicity between your site and your store is more important than ever.

For example, if a customer visits your store to try something on but is unable to purchase it later from their phone or computer– the magic is broken and the sale is lost. Make sure that your technology tracks inventory across all possible channels and allows for easy, pain-free purchases in person and online.

2. More Payment Options than Ever

Today’s shoppers are used to having multiple choices, and if they don’t see their go-to payment method on your site, they might end up looking elsewhere. The most successful online merchants offer shoppers 8+ payment methods (yes, really!). These include payment solutions that allow shoppers to finance items over time, split their purchase into interest-free installments, or even order items and try them on before paying at all.

And before you get nervous about the risk involved with these features, some solutions actually take on the risk for you, making it possible to offer flexible payment options while still getting paid upfront. For merchants and customers alike, technology like this is a win-win.

3. Frictionless Shopping

Raise your hand if you love filling out forms! Everybody wants their shopping journey to be fast and easy, and nothing slows you down more than typing out your credit card number, address, and password over and over again.

And no, this is not just anecdotal. According to the 2018 Checkout Conversion Index, auto-fill “had a particularly profound effect on merchants’ checkout processes.” A one-click login option, or even an auto-filled billing address, can speed up your checkout and create a positive impression of your online shop. The easier it is to buy, the higher your conversation rate will be.

4. Exceptional Customer Service Around the Clock

Few things are more annoying than running into an issue and not being able to find help, and because of this, few things hurt conversion rates more. Today’s customers expect 24/7 online support, and if they don’t get it, they might leave your site upset and angry, or worse, they might just forget you. When a shopper can’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll go somewhere else to find it, costing brands not only a conversion but the ability to hook a repeat customer.

Don’t let frustration ruin your reputation. Invest in the best customer service support, including a quick-and-easy online chat option. Good customer service can transform a bad experience into a great one. Simply being there for your customer goes a long way toward brand loyalty and repeat sales.

5. Pain-Free Returns

No matter how easy your checkout is, an unclear or unreasonable return policy will still cause customers to abandon their carts. Your customer hasn’t even seen the product in person yet, so why should they commit to owning it? Retailers who acknowledge and plan for this inherent risk by offering free and easy returns are rewarded with higher purchases and less cart abandonment overall. The more confident your customer feels about your policies, the less likely they are to abandon their cart.

Increasing conversions isn’t as hard as it seems. All it takes are the right technology partners (and Shopify has a lot) in order to transform your shoppers’ most important preferences into tangible ecommerce solutions. Customers who get what they want when they want it will always come back for more. 

This article is part of a 4-part series about sustaining and growing your ecomm business in 2019. Insights are brought to you by the ecomm and payments experts at Sellry, Klarna, and Shopify.