20 to-do's to optimize digital shopping
TRANSCRIPT
20 To-Do’s to Optimize Digital Shopping
AGENDA
• The Digital Opportunity
• Actions to Take Advantage of the Opportunity
• Put Shoppers on the Path to Purchase
• Help Shoppers Find What They Want
• Don’t Ignore Organic Search
• Close the Deal
• Anticipate Mobile Needs
Ecommerce sales will
grow by 13.9%, while
retail sales overall are
expected to rise 5.7%
US retailers expected to enjoy a strong 2015 holiday season
Ecommerce will
represent 9.0% of total
US retail sales for the
first time during the
2015 holiday season
eCommerce matters more than ever
Put Shoppers on the Path to Purchase
1. CREATE A VISUAL BROWSE EXPERIENCE
Include visuals with
categories to make the
browse experience more
engaging.
Example from Etsy.com
Place calls-to-action in
prominent locations.
This will help guide
customers into getting
started quickly.
2. MAKE IT EASY TO GET STARTED
Shoppers are coming to your site
to explore your products. Engage
them by including a diverse
selection of products and clear
browse / search paths to begin
shopping.
Example from Athleta.com
3. USE DESCRIPTIVE AND EXCLUSIVE
CATEGORY LABELS
Clear categories help shoppers
quickly navigate to products.
When categories are vague or
overlap, they can lead shoppers
down the wrong path and result in
frustration and / or abandonment.
Ensure categories are
intuitive, clear, and have
no overlap.
Example from REI.com
4. PROMINENTLY DISPLAY RELEVANT FILTERS
Too many product results can overwhelm
shoppers and lead to indecision. Easy-to-use
filters that respond to selections immediately
helps narrow results quickly. A more
manageable list of results makes a
purchase decision easier and more likely.
Example from Zappos.com
Utilize specific,
responsive filters to help
shoppers narrow results.
5. PROVIDE ESSENTIAL PRODUCT
INFORMATION ON RESULTS PAGES
Shoppers start evaluating products on the results page.
Showing pertinent product information on the
results pages helps them decide which items to
explore further.
Results pages should include
key product information:
• Price
• Product description
including material type
• Available colors
• Reviews
• Multiple images, ideally on
a person Example from Nordstrom.com
6. SHOW THE PRODUCT FROM VARIOUS
ANGLES
Multiple product images and / or videos
allow the shopper to envision what the
item will look like in lieu of being able to
touch and feel it, which increases
confidence in the purchase decision
Example from Zappos.com
Provide high quality
images and videos to
showcase the item in
action.
7. LET KEY INFORMATION STAND OUT
Increase confidence
and drive conversion by
prominently including
shipping and return
information.
Include the product
price to the right with
the ‘add to cart’ button
just below any relevant
selections.
Help Shoppers Find What They Want
8. SUPPORT DISCOVERY WITHIN THE SEARCH
BOX
Keyword suggestions
are based upon catalog
data, not search history.
Products previewed
must match the
search results.
8. SUPPORT DISCOVERY WITHIN THE SEARCH
BOX
Dynamically update
Product Preview as
the shopper hovers.
9. LEVERAGE THE WISDOM OF THE CROWD
Dynamically order
facets based upon
likeliness to engage
shoppers.
Reorder facet
values based upon
likeliness to convert.
9. LEVERAGE THE WISDOM OF THE CROWD
Correlate search
queries with
purchase data to
suggest products.
Guide shoppers down the
optimal path to purchase
by suggesting highly
converting alternate
queries.
10. SHOW THE RIGHT PRODUCT
Products may come in a variety of colors, styles, or
materials. Shoppers expect to see the correct variation of
the product in the search results
Search: “red dress”
Do not require shoppers to
scan color swatches to
determine if a product is
relevant.
10. SHOW THE RIGHT PRODUCT
Displaying the right
variant can be the
difference between
conversion and
abandonment.
11. DON’T IGNORE ORGANIC SEARCH
Leverage attribute data to
build highly relevant
dynamic landing pages.
11. DON’T IGNORE ORGANIC SEARCH
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=samsung%20galaxy&_dy
ncharset=UTF-
8&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=wireles
scapability_facet%3DWireless%20Capability~4G%20LTE%5Ecolorcat_fa
cet%3DColor~Black&list=n&iht=y&usc=All%20Categories&ks=960&keys
=keys&seeAll=
http://www.bestbuy.com/black/samsung+galaxy/4G+LTE/q/r/
12. PERSONALIZE RELEVANCY
Utilize what you know about a shopper to
personalize relevancy
– What device are they using?
– How did they get there?
– Have they purchased before?
– Are they male or female?
Close the Deal
13. SHOW ALL COSTS PRIOR TO INITIATING
CHECKOUT
Before shoppers commit to a purchase,
they want to know the total cost of the
transaction. Give them the complete
picture so they don’t abandon the cart or
become frustrated by unexpected charges.
Always include the total item cost, lowest
available shipping charges, and sales tax
based on their location.
Offer transparent line items
detailing all costs before
moving into checkout.
Example from Macys.com
14. PROVIDE A ‘GUEST CHECKOUT’ OPTION
Shoppers who do not use a website regularly often
prefer not to create an account or provide their
contact information for fear of being bombarded with
emails. Requiring shoppers to create an account may
discourage them from completing the purchase.
Example from VictoriasSecret.com
Allow shoppers to complete
a purchase with an easily
discoverable guest option.
15. ALLOW FOR EASY EDITS IN THE CART
Give shoppers control by allowing
them to edit their purchases
directly from the cart. At this stage,
they are ready to proceed to
checkout and any frustrations or
unnecessary steps may jeopardize
conversion.
Example from RentTheRunway.com
Offer shoppers an easy
way to edit quantities and
sizes or remove items from
the cart.
What About Mobile, Specifically?
Mcommerce’s share of ecommerce is growing
Q1 mcommerce sales suggest strong growth for holiday
Find the full report:
https://www.google.com/think/multiscreen/
whitepaper-sitedesign.html
Principles of Mobile
Site Design
16. MAKE SITE SEARCH VISIBLE
Full report: https://www.google.com/think/multiscreen/whitepaper-sitedesign.html
17. STREAMLINE INFORMATION ENTRY
Full report: https://www.google.com/think/multiscreen/whitepaper-sitedesign.html
18. DON’T MAKE SHOPPERS
PINCH-TO-ZOOM
Full report: https://www.google.com/think/multiscreen/whitepaper-sitedesign.html
19. KEEP SHOPPERS IN A SINGLE
BROWSER WINDOW
Full report: https://www.google.com/think/multiscreen/whitepaper-sitedesign.html
20. DON’T LET PROMOTIONS STEAL
THE SHOW
Full report: https://www.google.com/think/multiscreen/whitepaper-sitedesign.html
Thank You.
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