Maximize Your Point of Sale Opportunities

Shopping via an e-commerce engine or portal is an easy way to buy all sorts of things from clothing, to furniture, to food. It has evolved to become one of the most highly sophisticated means for companies to interact with their customers and prospects. Shoppers have become so used to on-line shopping that the structure and operation of the e-commerce store itself can make or break a sale. There are multiple software packages that are available and designed to add ecommerce to your web site. Just make sure it is suitable for the types of products you sell and that it makes the most of the psychology of selling on line. The purpose of the shopping process is to create a seamless activity that encourages your customers to return and load up their shopping cart on a regular basis.

MAKING BUYERS FEEL SPECIAL

With the sophistication of ecommerce, buyers have come to expect a certain functionality. These fall roughly into three areas. There is the “Friendly Greeter” section. This can be accompanied by an “Insider Sales” section and, of course, ecommerce relies heavily on the psychology of “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out).

FRIENDLY GREETER - PERSONALIZATION

The purpose of this section of the ecommerce engine is to transition you from the real world to the word of shopping. In this shopping world, everyone is friendly, helpful, and calls you by your name. This facilitates the selection process. Your ecommerce engine can get the ball rolling by welcoming you back, reminding you of your last purchase and then asking a simple leading question, like “What are you looking for today? Just check the menu on the left and start shopping”. The shopping engine in your ecommerce section (through the use of cookies or your IP address) will know whether there are certain sizes, colors, price points, etc. that match the shopper’s personality. Just like going shopping with a friend.

INSIDER SALES

As your personal “Insider” sales person, the ecommerce agent can make suggestions that are personalized to your needs. This is where you see offers like, “People that bought this pair of slacks often bought one of these belts”, or “These belts are on sale this week and the sale ends tomorrow. Save 30%”. Your personal shopper has all the insider information and is making sure that you don’t miss an opportunity to look your best and save some money.

However, if you are a bit hesitant you might want to read some reviews, or detailed product descriptions, always with an “Add to Cart?” as a low pressure call to action. Knowing more about a product and what other people think about that purchase can give the shopper the confidence to commit.

FOMO AND SEALING THE DEAL

This can be a powerful persuader. As the buyer is checking their shopping cart and getting closer to completing the buying process, it’s a perfect opportunity to offer special treatment that is hard to resist. This can be anything from discounting shipping if you buy another $20 worth of goods, or you can sign up to be a special member that gets advance notice of sales. Maybe it’s enough of a nudge that you buy the next higher grade of belt or a second pair of pants in a different color. The checkout process needs to be smooth and painless. It should include multiple options to close the transaction: PayPal, Master Card, Discover, etc. and clearly represent the items being purchased, shipping options and expected arrival date. No surprises at the end, or it could derail the transaction. Which brings us to:

ABANDONED SHOPPING CART

Yes, it happens. There are so many ways that the transaction can get interrupted. Usually, absent any other information, assume that the intention is still to complete the sale. Simple reminders, maybe even some additional incentives can often get the cart unstuck. As the operator of the ecommerce site you want to understand what happened. It might be worth it to offer a special gift if they will agree to an interview as to what interrupted the sale.

By paying attention to buying behavior, you can maximize your ecommerce platform point-of-sale opportunities and enhance the overall shopping experience for your customers. Ultimately this drives higher dollars per transaction as well as more frequent transactions. Which means higher conversion rates, fuller shopping carts and more profits.