Making the break from the 9 to 5 was the hard part, now you’re up and running on your own you know you’ve made the right decision for you and your family. A more flexible working pattern and time spent doing something you love are just two of the reasons why you set up your own business.
But just because you’re great at the product or service you’re offering that doesn’t mean you’ve got the rest of it sewn up. You’re not a marketing expert or accountant and direct sales have never been your strong point. That’s why you’re smart enough to either learn on the job or gather a great team around you to carry out those jobs and free you up to do yours.
One aspect that you might also need some extra support with is your website and not just the analytics and content but how user-friendly it is for customers, particularly when it comes to checking out.
We take a look at what customers are looking for when shopping online and how you can build your site around their needs.
Clarity
Customers are looking to have all the information at their fingertips before hitting that final sales key and this means clearly stating information on your shipping costs and expected delivery times. In fact a recent study revealed that this was the number one aspect that customers looked for.
We need to know that our purchase remains within our expected price range and that we won’t be waiting too long for it to arrive.
Security
This starts with a professional looking website, complete with security badges, customer testimonials and so on and ends after checkout. You’ll want to make sure that your checking out process not only is 100% safe but looks and feels safe too. Make sure you’re up to date with your KYC compliance and can guarantee that your customer’s banking details are going to be kept safe.
Any issues or suspicion over this last part of the shopping experience will leave you with an abandoned shopping cart and the strong possibility that the customer won’t take a chance and return to your site.
Search
Make life as easy as you can for your customer with the little touches that make your website the one that’s easy to navigate and to find what they’re looking for.
If you’re only selling a handful of options the search feature may not be necessary but it’s one of those tools that customers expect to see, so consider installing it in any case.
Consider using auto-complete tools to reduce the chances of returning a ‘not found’ message, which instinctively frustrates users.
Testimonials
As mentioned up post, testimonials go a long way in giving your product credibility. We are simply far more likely to believe what other people tell us rather than the word of an individual seller. There’s also something of the ‘safety in numbers’ mentality that goes along with this; the idea that if it’s worked for other people, it will work for you too. Personal recommendations lead to sales and less instances of abandoned carts.
Reviews will also help you feature higher up in search engines if featured on several outside sources.
Chat
Finally, be there. Offer a chat function where customers can talk through any questions they might have. This has the advantage of being both personal and a great opportunity to turn an inquiry into a lead and later down the line, a sale.
Customers who have to email and then wait a day or two for an answer will generally take their inquiry elsewhere and quite probably their business too.
It might seem that there’s much to remember but the very best way you can determine if your site is working for you, is to try it out as a customer and have friends and family members do the same. Put it through its paces and determine if there any wrinkles that need ironing out.
You’ll want to check all of the items mentioned above to make sure that your website has the look and feel of a site that can be trusted. Test out the sales function and make sure you’re fully compliant in terms of security and privacy and that the transaction is smooth and doesn’t leave the customer hanging, wondering if the sale has gone through or not.
You’re available to your customer, you have a site that reflects your product and your values. You’re up and running and on your way to success.
sAs I am starting a new blog, this was most helpful reading about KFC. I’d never heard of it before. Thank you!