In my last article, I review 5 advanced ecommerce storefront features that I feel every website should be using to increase sales. I classify an “advanced feature” as any website or storefront function that goes beyond the basic shopping cart and checkout system which are standard in every ecommerce website. Please go back and read part 1 if you haven’t already.
There are so many advanced features available that I think can help with sales, in this article I have expanded the list of features to include 5 more essentials your ecommerce website should be using.
Product Upselling
Once your customer finds the product they are looking for, you want to capture their attention by offering them additional products that are possibly more profitable for you. This is done it two ways.
On the product page itself, you should choose a set of additional products that you feel the customer would be interested in purchasing. View this example on our fashion demonstration site.
Once a product is added to the shopping cart, you should also consider adding similar “You may be interested in…” products to be displayed in the cart. You are hoping here, of course, that the shopper will be induced to add additional items to their cart before proceeding through checkout.
The specific products that show up in these lists need to be selected for each product which can be a lot of work. This is where the value of our ecommerce package becomes clear. We take care of the product links for you!
Customer reviews
One of the ecommerce features that has made Amazon the powerhouse in the online retail industry is its ability to gather valuable product review from customers. Amazon has become not just a place to shop, but a place to figure out what to buy based on their reviews.
If your ecommerce site is small, you’re not going to get many reviews at first, but you should at least be giving the customer the option. The ability to leave reviews is reassuring to customers that you are open and honest about your products.
As part of our ecommerce subscription package, we can even set up an automated email response asking for reviews from past customers. The likelihood of a customer returning to your site to leave a review is greatly increased if they receive a friendly reminder from you. Making it automated just makes it easier for busy business owners.
Advanced Shipping
There are tons of shipping methods that can be programmed into your storefront. I think the most valuable, though, is the ability to offer free shipping on orders that exceeds a preset amount. This will incentivize customers to purchase a little bit more if they are nearing the threshold.
This sample shows shipping of $10 which becomes free over $50.
My Account Section
The importance of having a My Account page on modern ecommerce websites can not be understated. It’s basic customer service. The My Account page holds an archive of your customer’s interactions with your company. The customer can see a list of past orders, with their order numbers. Order numbers go a long way to helping you provide customer service after the order has been placed.
The page is also a single, password protected location where customers can update their email address, physical addresses, passwords, etc.
Gift Cards
Too many businesses don’t consider digital gift cards because they think they are too complicated. Included with our ecommerce subscription, we make selling gift cards completely automated.
The customer can configure the gift card amount, recipient, and even the look of the email that is sent to the recipient right on your site. The recipient receives a digital code and can shop on your site any time. The business owner never has to get involved.
