We love Conversion Rate Optimization. This is what we live for. We’ve already written an article on How to Increase Conversion Rate at the Checkout Page, which offers precious pieces of advice on how to make sure more users enjoy your checkout page.
This article will give you tips on how to ensure that users who have pressed the “Checkout” button will actually go through all the steps and finalize the transaction.
What is Conversion Rate and why is it important?
Conversion is any goal action you want your website users to take. Micro conversions include sharing your blog article, watching a product video or subscribing to a newsletter, while Macro conversions include requesting a demo, downloading an app or purchasing a product.
Conversion Rate (CR) definition is the following:
Conversion Rate is the number of users who have completed the desired goal – subscribed or bought your services, for example – over a given time period. The more people complete your desired action the higher your Conversion Rate is.
Find all info on what is Conversion Rate including Conversion Rate calculation and everything related to the topic in our fresh article here – What is the conversion rate? Conversion rate calculation formula. So why is improving Conversion Rate (CR) important?
Well, that’s because your Conversion Rate determines how much money your business makes. You can invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into advertisements and bring thousands of new users, but if your website does not entice people to perform actions all that money goes to waste.
So let’s look into how to improve Conversion Rate from checkout to transaction.
Improving Conversion Rates from Checkout to Transaction: Best Practices
In this section, we will review Conversion Rate Optimization best practices or how to improve Conversion Rate (CR).
CRO Checkout tip 1: Show related products
Here’s the first Conversion Rate from checkout to transaction tip – recommend related products before checkout. It really makes a difference for products that go hand in hand, like jewelry sets, electronic devices and their constituents, beauty products that should be applied together, etc.
Display the products that will go great with the already chosen items on the first page of your checkout – your visitors and average cart size stats will thank you 😉
CRO Checkout tip 2: Make it short
Let’s be honest – nobody loves a long ecommerce checkout. No one. Which means – make it as short as humanly possible. If you can, place it all into a single page, if no – spread across multiple, but install the progress bar so the visitor knows it’s all over soon.
Studies prove the fewer clicks it takes to get to the final checkout, the higher your Conversion Rate will be.
CRO Checkout tip 3: Save their info
We all love online shopping, we know how it goes. You think you’re ready to checkout, you fill in all the billing and delivery details, and then, boom – you just noticed you forgot to choose a red sweater with a funky deer for your nice on Christmas.
So you go back to shopping only to later find out that all of your already typed info has been lost. To eliminate your shoppers’ frustration, allow them to shop from the checkout page and save their personal details as they insert it.
CRO Checkout tip 4: Allow checkout printing
This is a commonly, for no good reason, under-used ecommerce checkout practice. When things went digital we forgot how important it is to be able to save the checkout details for accounting, delivery, approval or other perfectly valid reasons.
Allow your users to print and/or email their checkout details so they don’t have to struggle in accomplishing the task of saving it on their own.
Looking for an easy way?
Relax, contact InsightWhale and we’ll improve conversion rates for you 😉
CRO Checkout tip 5: Display contact info
The number one concern for your ecommerce users is the need to feel safe. Consequently, the simple tip on how to increase conversion rate is to create that feeling. You can accomplish this task by displaying security badges, payment certificates and other trust signs on your checkout page, which most trusted ecommerce companies do, but there’s another trust element that is usually underrated.
Make sure to highlight 24/7 Customer Service on your checkout page in whichever form you find suitable. It can be a live chat, a phone number, an email address, or a combination of those. The easier it is for a shopper to contact you, the fewer shopping carts will end up being abandoned and therefore – increase conversion rate.
CRO Checkout tip 6: Emphasize the discount
Another tip on how to improve conversion rate on website is to emphasize the discount buyers are getting. It is always more enticing to buy something if you know you are paying less for it, then previously anticipated.
Display the discount in the “You saved $” or “Was $, Now $” format, to underline the deal they got for each item and showcase the total purchase amount your customer saved on your checkout page.
CRO Checkout tip 7: Show Product testimonials
This is a big one. In fact, this tip on how to improve conversion rate is so effective we have a special article dedicated to it – Case Study: How Video Testimonials Make a Difference (Numerologist.com). Text, image or video testimonials – they are all proven to increase your website conversion rates when placed next to a particular product.
Nothing boosts buyers’ confidence more than seeing live reviews from people who bought the same thing. To gain additional product reviews offer your customers discounts or dollar value off their next purchase.
CRO Checkout tip 8: Upsell and downsell
This conversion rate optimization best practices tip is an effective one, although quite underrated when it comes to checkout pages. Upsell with gift cards during holiday seasons but not limited to them, including the ability to write a personalized note to a recipient before gift card delivery.
Another tip on how to improve conversion rate on website is to downsell. Offer your customers the ability to try out your new service or product in a “lite version” or with a discount.
CRO Checkout tip 9: Disclose the checkout price
We’ve all been there. You really liked the discount on the item you’ve selected and happily pressed the “Checkout” button only to later, 4 steps into the checkout process, find out that with the handling costs, shipping and taxes your newly-discovered item is out of your price range.
Withholding the total order cost until you are far along into the checkout might seem like a good idea to some ecommerce owners, but it is not. Not only it increases the number of abandoned shopping carts, decreasing your conversion rate, it also demolishes your customers’ trust, as they feel tricked and lied to.
CRO Checkout tip 10: Include the final review
The last point on our list of best practices for Conversion Rate Optimization is to include an interactive final checkout review. That means include info on the sizes, colours, and quantities of selected items with the ability to change them right on the checkout page.
This will allow customers to review their entire purchase in detail before pressing the final “Proceed to payment” button, on top of giving the sense of security to change the product’s choices at any moment.
Conclusion
Congratulations! Now you not only know what is Conversion Rate but also 10 Conversion Rate Optimization practical tips on how to improve it.
And remember that when you need Conversion Rate Optimization professionals to take care of your website’s needs – we are only one message away 🙂
