E-commerce success require constant optimization. Here are 10 key steps to improve your online sales performance during the holidays and in 2022.
1. Google Analytics (GA) Audit & Configuration: This is step 1. You must have confidence in your reporting so you can test and learn. Review and validate all GA configuration & reporting including sessions, visitors, conversion funnel (visits>product>cart>checkout>order), mobile vs desktop metrics, and page bounce.
2. Google Page Speed Analysis & Optimization: Analyze page speed metrics at Google Page Speed and identify improvements to make site faster and easier to navigate including image optimization, JavaScript minification, and plugin improvements
3. Heatmap Session Recording: Implement session recording to watch actual recordings of customer site experiences to help improve content and conversion. Hotjar and MouseFlow are leaders in this and both have free plans.
4. Mobile Optimization: Your mobile traffic is likely 3-5x your desktop traffic but converting into sales at a much lower rate. Check the mobile device statistics and experience from steps 1-3 above. What’s the conversion % for desktop vs mobile? If mobile is under converting vs desktop, use analysis from steps 1-3 above to identify improvements to mobile experience to improve mobile conversion.
5. Google SEO Optimization: Evaluate and test keyword bids for driving traffic and conversion, test new geographies, keywords, and demographics the evaluate ROI.
6. Improve Checkout: Keep checkout simple! Few decisions, small words, and easy to navigate. Identify improvements to checkout process including shipping options and cost – 2-4 shipping options max is good. Check carrier options and select best for price and reliability (likely UPS). Review each step of checkout process for streamlining opportunities. Review and streamline order confirmation emails.
7. Product Bundles & Upsells: Product bundles, product recommendations, and upsells increase basket size and conversion. Make sure that bundle configuration works with your ERP integration to manage inventory and reduce accounting data entry. Shopify users can consider various plugins for bundles and product recommendations.
8. Customer Segment Analysis & Promotions: Use your customer, order, and GA data (step 1) to identify key customer demographics and behavior for testing niche promotions via email, SMS, Google, Instagram, Facebook etc. Find niche products, keywords, and audiences for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, local Back to School weeks, Spring Breaks by region etc. Promote on platforms including Reddit, Google, Instagram, and Facebook.
9. Text Promotion & Ordering: Customers are 10x more likely to notice an SMS message than an email. Pilot SMS marketing with customer segments using tools like Klaviyo, MailChimp, or SimplyTexting. Pick a small customer subset and with an exclusive text only sale to test results. Continue to test, learn, and slowly expand. Customers are more likely to read and respond to SMS, but you must be sensitive to not overloading them. One message a month max to start.
10. Product and Customer Service: This is really #1. At the end of the day, customers return because they love your products and customer service. No matter what your e-commerce to-do list is, make sure you’re focused on providing exceptional products and service.
Need help growing your e-commerce business? Contact us to build it together.