Are You Losing Customers at Checkout?

If you own or manage an ecommerce business then you're probably always looking for a way to increase your revenue and that's normal. We all want to make the most of our business ventures, otherwise, why are we in business? All too often the answer is refresh merchandising on the home page or increase marketing spend. And while those approaches certainly do work, its wise to enlist the help of your web staff to analyze some basic data...checkout conversions. Its a simply process, but, its not always the first course of action taken by managers.

Here's a scenario:

A potential customer (John) searches Google for widget x and comes across your AdWords placement that touts a deep discount for widget x. John clicks through on your ad (hypothetically, it cost you $1 for that click through) and becomes your site's visitor. Great! John likes the product, is satisfied that you're a reputable retailer and more importantly...likes the price! Now John becomes a potential customer by clicking on the 'Buy Now' button and begins the checkout process. This once excited potential customer who is ready to buy quickly becomes frustrated because your checkout process is not user friendly. John doesn't want to create an account, but, reluctanly provides you with the information so he can buy widget x and go on happily with life. But, he hits another roadblock...he has to submit his payment information before submitting his shipping information or the final price even! John exits the site out of frustration and goes to your competitors site where its easier to shop and make a purchase.

The point is, before you swallow the magic potion of 'better' merchandising or increased marketing spend, take an hour to make a purchase on your own site and make notes of the checkout process. Do the same on your competitor's site and on well-known sites like Amazon. This brief excerise can yield enourmous results. Here's how you can quantify it:

Before Checkout Optimization:

Total Visitors: 100,000
Conversion Rate: 1.50%
Total Orders: 1,500
Average Order Value: $75
Total Revenue: $112,500

After Checkout Optimization:
Total Visitors: 100,000
Conversion Rate: 2.50%
Total Orders: 2,500
Average Order Value: $75
Revenue: $187,500

The above results are very attainable through simple tweaks. Its not rocket science just applied common sense. A minimum of 3 changes and you'll see immediate results. Email me at info@mjmecommerce.com and I'll be more than happy to go through your site and tell you what you can do.