1. Nudge your users towards filters

Filtering is an industry best practice to help users find the products they need faster and more efficiently.

Positioning a layer to point at your category page filters will encourage engagement by your visitors and will create a more positive user journey – no one wants to find the summer dress they’re looking for only to learn it’s not available in their size!

2. Offer cross-selling promotions rather than discounts

If customers are going to purchase anyway, why give them a discount that eats into your bottom line?

Offer a discount on a bikini if it’s purchased alongside a sunshade once the customer has put something in their basket.

3. Highlight your wish list function

Using a pointer within your page that highlights to visitors that they can save a product in their ‘wish list’ can really drive conversions.

This allows them to view the product at a later date or save it for comparison against another item. It’s a useful feature that will allow your returning visitors to review their choices and remind them of products they were waiting to purchase – don’t forget that sun cream! 

4. Use a welcome message

Welcome new visitors to your website with a message that highlights your key USPs and why they should shop with you.

You claim you’re a friendly supermarket website with your mind on the customer? Welcome people with a link to the page where you order Pimms (and show them you mean it). You can even add a little sweetener to a deal with a new customer promotion (free strawberries and cucumber for Pimms, anyone?).

The adoption of ecommerce best practices mean so many online retailers look the same. A welcome message helps you stand out from your competitors and shows that you are the better choice. It’s a personal, positive and user friendly touch that targets people who may have just been introduced to your brand. 

5. Marketing campaigns to increase engagement and drive customer retention

Implement techniques such as daily deals (with email retargeting) or a summer related campaign in order to keep people interested in your site when conversion rates are rising.

People might not return just because you have a picture of a sunflower on your site, but if they can get cheap sunflowers one day and petunias the next, you’ll drive long-lasting engagement with your brand!

Don’t target people with the same message too frequently, though. Customers who see the same messages too many times can lose interest. Don’t drive away converting customers!

These tips are designed to help ecommerce websites update their content quickly and react to changing external factors so that visitors receive timely, relevant offers and products.

Overall, the key to optimising online sales is to understand your visitors, their wants and needs and tailor your website’s messaging accordingly.