Tablets and the need for speed
The importance of fast load times in an online retail environment has been proven time and time again. Online, a shopper’s time literally equates to money.
Now, the research from our recent mobile study shows that it’s a shopper’s time on tablets that should be the focus on your website optimisation initiatives.
In the UK, 82% of mobile purchases are made on the iPad.
Q&A: Ben Jesson on conversion rate optimisation
Conversion Rate Experts was founded when a real-life rocket scientist teamed up with an internet marketing specialist. Its clients include firms like Apple, Google and Sony.
I've been asking CEO Ben Jesson and Chairman Dr Karl Blanks (the rocket scientist) about their approach to conversion rate optimsation, common conversion killers, and the most valuable tools for the job.
I also asked Ben and Karl how they would improve the Ling's Cars website...
The high street is central to multichannel retail strategy: stats
The UK's shoppers are adopting mobile and tablets, yet the high street remains central to the research and purchase process.
87% of survey respondents using a store as part of the purchase journey in the past month, though high prices, crowds, and the time taken are seen as drawbacks.
The stats come from Shoppercentric's 'Shopping in a Multichannel World' survey, and the results show that customers are using a wide variety of channels.
Mary Portas may have managed to produce a retail review containing just three references to digital, but online and mobile is vital for the future of the high street.
Why you need a tablet strategy in 2012
For the last six years, we have carried out an Online Future Shopping Index survey straight after Christmas, to determine whether people plan to spend more or less the following year.
Each year we make a prediction based on the results and I’m happy to say that once again last year’s prediction was pretty much spot on!
We predicted 12% to 17% growth in online sales during Christmas 2011; the actual figure, reported by the IMRG in January was 16.5%.
Tablet shoppers spend 21% more than other consumers
Tablet visitors to e-commerce sites spend 20% more than desktop shoppers, and twice as much as those using smartphones, according to a new report.
Adobe's Digital Marketing Insights report takes its data from 16.5bn visits to more than 150 retailers last year, and shows that AOVs from tablets are higher than from other devices.
It also suggests that retailers should consider optimising the experience for tablet users.
People and processes hold key to conversion rate optimization: study
Companies with a structured and process-driven approach to conversion rate optimization (CRO) are significantly more likely than other organisations to improve their conversion rates and increase online sales, according to research published this week by Econsultancy.
The Conversion Rate Optimization Report, produced in association with RedEye, also found that it is becoming harder to improve conversion rates, with 65% of companies seeing improvements in conversions in the last year, compared to 70% in 2009 and 2010.
The importance of a strong conversion rate in the affiliate channel
As competition in the affiliate marketplace intensifies so advertisers should be optimising their campaigns wherever they can.
An obvious, yet often overlooked, place to start is click to sale conversion rate.
Frequent testing is key to improving conversions: report
Companies who take a more systematic approach to testing and optimisation are reaping the benefits of improved conversion rates, according to the Econsultancy / RedEye Conversion Report.
The report finds that companies whose conversion rates had improved over the last 12 months carried out on average three times more website tests than those whose conversion rates had not improved.
More highlights from the survey after the jump...
Checkout optimisation: 17 posts to help improve conversions
I've rounded up some of the many articles we have written on various aspects of checkout optimisation into one handy list..
For more detail, see our recent Checkout Optimization Guide, a must-read for all companies that accept payments online.
Can different button shapes improve conversions?
Can using irregular shapes for calls to action on e-commerce sites improve conversion rates?
This question has been raised by Linda Bustos on the Get Elastic blog, and it is perhaps something that etailers should consider testing.
