Why does the outlet have no sales? This phrase is scrolled in the head by millions of people - salespeople, private entrepreneurs, managers. If you don't have sales, then someone else has them.
The trick is - there is always a reason for the lack of sales or customers! Of course, you can always refer to the influence of macro-factors, or you can try to understand the situation and still identify the cause of the problems with sales.
The reasons for the fall in sales are always nearby
Why don't people see the reason for the drop in sales, because it is always there, where you never look. Analyze your behavior, when you have problems, it is very difficult to find a way out right away, because we are fixated on our problem and this greatly narrows our objective perception of the real situation. You begin to sort out the obvious, what is under your nose, not paying attention to what is nearby. What will each of us think if sales drop at his point of sale? Of course the standard set:
- Sellers don't want to sell;
- It is necessary to give an advertisement or the advertisement does not work as desired;
- Competitors are choking;
- Economic crisis.
And if you do not take into account these reasons, but think about what else can affect the decline in sales? This is the main problem - you have to think, drop everything and think. You can't analyze the situation on your own, you need to ask for advice from someone who can sell, but don't try to find a problem from the list above - this list is only a consequence, but not the causes of problems.
Sometimes laziness, inability to find and make the right decisions, pride, star fever and other similar reasons, do not allow a person to simply admit that some situations require a fresh professional look at the problem of another independent expert. Start trusting professionals and you will understand that it is impossible to be an expert in all matters.
Factors influencing the lack of sales
If you look at the list above as a list of causes, not effects, you can see your bone and shortsightedness, for example:
Sellers don't want to sell. The manager will think: "the salespeople are" fed up "or are lazy, hence all the problems, you need to fine or update the entire sales department." It also happens, but this does not always help. How to increase sales with demotivated “salespeople”? Let's look at this item on the list - as a consequence. Why exactly sellers do not want to sell with you, but in another part of the city, with a competitor, sellers sell well and want to work?
There are reasons for this - sales plans, motivation, commodity factor;
Let's start with a sales plan
There is an opinion that the sales plan should always be overstated so that people tend to sell more and more each time - so to speak, an amendment to business development.
Question: what has been done to increase sales?
What was the factor that gave the sales manager hope for sales growth? There is no such factor, everything is as always, but I want more sales. The first problem has been identified: market opportunities are not assessed, there is no strategy and tactics for this strategy, threats are not weighed, there are only numbers - a “fake” sales plan and ambitions. Poor planning is the first reason for demotivation.
Next - motivation
Are your salespeople motivated enough? Let's check. In order to squeeze out of the seller all his capabilities, abilities, talents, several types of motivation are needed for the work done:
- career;
- the opportunity to gain new knowledge;
- social motivation (diplomas, a board of honor, the ability to distinguish oneself);
- monetary motivation;
And now the question is: are all types of employee motivation applied in your company and to what extent? Of course not! Well, now the second reason for demotivation is also known.
Product factor
Availability of goods, liquidity of the goods, how the goods are presented to the buyer, the range, the required quality. All of these factors apply specifically to your product. Reasons for the lack of sales in the context of the commodity factor:
- If your product delivery time is longer than your competitor's or is out of stock at all;
- Difficult to sell product, illiquid. There should be as little such a product as possible, and if there is one, get rid of it as soon as possible by any means;
- The product is lying on dusty shelves or is not clearly presented. The condition of the item is unacceptable for sale. The environment in which the product is exhibited is not attractive to the buyer.
- The buyer wants to choose, but not from what, a bad assortment;
- Any product of the same type can be of different quality, you are sure that the quality of your product suits your buyer, if not, this is one of the reasons for the lack of sales;
Nobody will be able to sell a lot with at least one such commodity factor!
Eliminate all factors that create a hindrance and your salespeople will want to work.
Advertising factor
- Internet advertising;
- Outdoor advertising;
- TV and radio advertising;
- Printed advertising;
How do you know which is the most effective type of advertising for you? It's very simple - do not be afraid to copy after the leader in your industry, analyze where the most successful player in the market for your goods and services advertises and repeat his promotion style, but always taking into account the mistakes of competitors. Sometimes you can spend a few thousand on promotion, and sometimes, it turns out that a couple of hundred is enough! Let the stupid overpay, and you learn from their mistakes - they pay, and you analyze.
Experienced marketers take a holistic approach to promotion, and rightly so! If you have not yet created an advertising company, create it correctly, if advertising is already working but not effective, analyze the mistakes, consult with professionals in this area and go ahead.
But what about the competitors?
How can we do without them, because it is the competition that makes the market develop. False reason: "Competitors are choking" - this is just a consequence of mistakes in management and marketing. The reason is a set of mistakes that make your company unattractive to customers. In addition to the reasons described above, we can safely mention the very important ability of the company - to quickly respond to changes in market conditions (legislation, exchange rates, sales markets, suppliers).
The bone structure of the system does not allow some enterprises to rebuild quickly, this creates a favorable environment for competitors who are not so limited in making important decisions. The consequence is that competitors are stifling, the reason is the slow administrative apparatus.
Forgot about the crisis
The fourth point of consequence of the lack of sales is the economic crisis. This point often sounds on the lips of those people who have not done and are not going to do all of the above. Nevertheless, it is a significant factor of influence on business development, which we cannot influence.
It’s like changing the rules of the game during the game itself; you cannot prepare for this and foresee destabilization. The one who accepts the new rules of the game faster than others won, so choosing the right strategy in a crisis is the only way to keep sales and your customers.
Output
We have analyzed in detail the question: why there are no sales, and I hope every reader has a thought about the similarity of problems in your company. An objective and timely assessment of the problem that has arisen can not only not lose sales, but also save the company.
Ready to add to the list? Write your comments!
They write to us: "I created a website, but there is no sales. What should I do?" We answer.
Immediately after creating a website, each entrepreneur consistently has two tasks: attracting visitors and receiving orders from these visitors. The first one is solved with the help of paid and free tools, which we talked about earlier. The second depends on a number of factors: the convenience of the resource, prices, products, the availability of convenient payment methods, delivery and communication methods, guarantees, positive reviews, etc.
If the site has visitors, but no orders, this indicates the presence of errors on it that interfere with sales and force them to go to competitors. In this case, you need to identify and eliminate them as soon as possible. Here are 10 common mistakes:
1. Incorrect display on mobile devices
Check the display of your site on your smartphone and tablet. Is everything visible? Is everything displayed correctly? Probably yes, as it works for Nethouse. Anyway, it's a good idea to upgrade to one of our responsive templates if you haven't already. Their essence is that all interface elements automatically adjust to different screen sizes. This is very important as more and more visitors go to the Internet and place orders from their mobile devices. In addition to its convenience, responsive design is loved and appreciated by search engines.
2. Complex order form
Sometimes site owners unnecessarily complicate the order form and add there not only a standard email and phone number, but also the date of birth, passport number, and some personal data. Some even require registration. Leave in the form only what is really needed to place an order, and all other data can be clarified after. The more fields in the form and the more stages in ordering, the more visitors leave without buying anything from you.
By the way, not everyone is comfortable ordering goods through the basket, routinely filling in a lot of fields. The solution is to add a 1-click buy link to the products. By clicking it, the client only needs to leave a phone number, and then the site manager contacts him to clarify the order. Thanks to this option, you can reduce the number of "abandoned carts".
3. Unsuccessful choice of domain and corporate mail
When creating a website, it is very important to choose a domain name and mail. You should not use a free domain like ivanpetrov.nethouse.ru or the unremarkable divan-347-02-16.ru. After all, if your customers want to return, then it will be very difficult to remember or enter the website address without errors. Also, don't embarrass your visitors with mail. [email protected] Create corporate boxes of the form in a few clicks [email protected] and [email protected] using the Mail.Ru service for business.
4. Inconvenient site navigation
Visitors visit the site in order to obtain some specific information about goods or services. If they can't find it quickly, they leave it pretty quickly. That is why it is necessary to carefully consider the structure of the site and the formation of the menu. Possible errors: bloated menu, unstructured sections, lack of search, the presence of empty pages on the site and links to those already deleted (404 error).
5. Too high prices or their absence on the site
If your competitors have a product worth 3,000 rubles, and you are listing it for 10,000 rubles, do not expect to see a batch of orders. As practice shows, clients almost always compare prices on at least 5-10 sites. The next moment that may confuse visitors is the lack of prices. Even if you sell expensive equipment, indicate them at least in the format "from 120,000 rubles."
The next important point. If you have set high prices for goods, then users with the Yandex.Advisor extension installed in their browser will see competitors' offers with the best price. We have a solution.
6. Poor quality images of goods or their absence
A feature of any online store is that the product cannot be viewed "live", tried on and touched. The main selling elements are photographs. Make them yourself or invite a photographer. Do not use low quality pictures, and even more so with the copyright of another site.
7. Terms of delivery and return, warranty are not specified. No reviews.
Efforts to attract visitors to your site can be diminished by a lack of shipping, return and warranty information. These are very important points, so many online stores put them on the home page in the form of triggers, for example, "free delivery in the Russian Federation", "return within a year" or "lifetime warranty".
Also, positive customer reviews can become a decisive argument in favor of ordering on the site. Ideally, they should be from accounts authorized through VKontakte or Facebook.
8. Few contact details
Sometimes it feels like some sales-oriented website owners want customers to never find them. Remember, the more contact details the better. Don't be afraid to overdo it. Specify a detailed address, phone number, e-mail, opening hours, details, messengers, skype, online consultant, etc. Show the location of your office or store on a map. Submit additional photos to the address. This, at a minimum, will emphasize your openness and build trust among visitors.
9. No online payment
Another argument in favor of buying on your website is the ability to pay online. This is not only convenient and encourages impulse purchases, but also inspires trust among visitors. For some reason, some site owners think that it is enough to indicate the numbers of bank cards and electronic wallets on the site. This is fundamentally wrong and repulsive. After all, if the client makes a mistake in one number during the transfer, or simply does not receive the goods, the money will not be returned to him. On the other hand, if payment is made through integrated methods, then the client can always request a refund through his bank or payment system.
10. There are errors and typos on the site
Despite the mass of services for checking the literacy of texts, sites with errors and typos are quite common. It also generates negativity from potential customers. Use Advego.com/text or Online.orfo.ru to check spelling and punctuation.
Check your site for errors now and get it to sell. Remember, you must like him. Good luck!
So, you launched your online store, it was indexed by search engines, and now you can finally sit back and wait for sales.
But, for some reason, these very sales for some reason are not. Well, or there is, but, not in the amount that you expected. In this case, you will have to figure out what the reason is.
Sometimes, even a great site may not make money. And some never will. Here is a small list of reasons why there is no sales in the online store, or they are at a very low level. Check your site for this checklist, maybe you have exactly one of the listed problems, and its elimination will help to raise income.
1.Photos of the product are terrible
A visitor to an online store does not have the opportunity to touch the product with his hands and inspect it from all sides, as in a regular outlet. That is why the visual presentation of information for an online store is extremely important.
Think for yourself - would you buy a product "by touch", without the opportunity to examine it well, and make sure that this is exactly what suits you? Most likely no. And your customers have the exact same point of view.
If possible, hire a photographer, let him take high-quality, professional pictures of the product range for you. If not, then try to at least knock out the best quality images from the supplier. Or steal from competitors.
Take a look at the sample product images below:
They look amazing and you really want to buy them! Invest in photography, it will pay off.
2. Product descriptions are boring
Take, for example, the product page for the Green T-shirt. And in the description you write this: the T-shirt is green. Applause - the prize for originality is guaranteed to you (irony, of course). Now let's think about what else to say about this green tee to convince someone to buy it.
Perhaps it is made of the finest natural silk? Or hand-sewn? Perhaps the drawing on it was painted by a professional artist according to your individual order? Here's a whole host of ideas for creating a really interesting description.
People need to understand what they are buying, what is the advantage of this product, and why they should make a purchase from you and not from someone else. Providing this information to potential buyers helps bridge the gap between no sales and generating a stream of orders.
3. Prices are too high (or low)
In the first case, everything is clear, if many sellers offer the same product (for example, a laptop model), in most cases they will buy from the one who offers cheaper.
The second option is related to trust - if you offer a product at a too low price, a potential buyer may have an idea if there is any catch in this, which, in the end, will again lead to a refusal to purchase.
Finding the optimal price value is not such an easy task as it might seem at first glance. Indeed, in this price it is necessary to include the costs of logistics, storage of products, marketing and payment for the work of employees. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate everything well and conduct a small market research, analyzing the pricing policy of the closest competitors.
4. Navigation confusing
After going to your site, the visitor should easily find what he is interested in. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to the navigation and structure of the online store catalog.
Site navigation should be logical, search should work correctly, products are correctly categorized. Also, don't forget about filters and tags, which make it easier to navigate with a large number of pages.
Likewise, you can use separate blocks for the best-selling and most talked-about products that can become the engines of sales. It often happens that people themselves do not know what they need until you give them a hint.
5. Problems at work
If there are no sales in the online store at all, or for some reason they have dropped sharply, try to go through the entire checkout process yourself, as the buyer should have done. Perhaps the problem is that making a purchase is simply impossible due to the fact that nothing works.
In my practice, there was an example when a client's sales dropped sharply, and no one could understand what was the matter. Until it turned out that the staff programmer, in the process of introducing a number of edits, somehow disabled the "Buy" button. Customers, probably, unsuccessfully pressed this button in despair, but they never got an order to place an order.
There are many points related to user experience that can lead people to abandon a purchase during the checkout phase. For example, there are too many steps to complete to complete a purchase, complex shapes, etc.
6. The site is not credible
When you have to compete with e-commerce giants, there is one thing to understand: they have the opportunity to enjoy one of the important advantages of the brand - the trust from the user.
But you should make sure that you appear to potential buyers as a reliable seller. Write down the terms of payment and delivery, guarantee and return, provide more contact information, if necessary - add photos of the office and scans of quality certificates. Do not forget about the reviews of existing customers.
Well, remember that they are greeted by their clothes, and if the design of the site resembles "hello from the 90s", you should not be surprised that against the background of "licked" and modern competing sites, your online store looks like a handicraft of schoolchildren, in free from lessons time.
It is not necessary to sell an apartment and order a redesign from Lebedev Studio, it is enough to at least buy a nice paid template.
7. You have no visitors
Suddenly. Strange, but for some entrepreneurs it is still a revelation that in order for an online store to sell, it is necessary to invest in online marketing. Moreover, invest regularly. No marketing, no sales.
It is important to understand that it can be divided into two large groups - those that give almost instant results, and those, the return on which is manifested only in the medium and long term.
To obtain the best effect, it is necessary to apply them in a comprehensive manner: to get quick sales, we launch contextual advertising, and at the same time we start work on SEO and content marketing to build a stable base.
In addition, you need to take care of collecting a subscriber base for email newsletters (repeat sales) and developing your pages on social networks.
8. The manager is an idiot
Moreover, sometimes, literally. It is not uncommon for a sales assistant to understand absolutely nothing about the product he is selling. And, first of all, the owner of the online store is guilty of this, who, most likely, considered it unnecessary to hire professionals in their field. Well, or just squeezed money.
This is especially important for niche online stores in complex topics, where expert advice is highly valued by the client. For example, audio equipment and power tools, industrial equipment, photographic equipment, etc. In such cases, the owner of the online store needs to either consult himself or hire real specialists.
9. Site design - shit
Like this. No censorship. Calling a spade a spade is my favorite weakness. A beautiful, professional-looking website is a must-have item these days, when most users, as they say, are greeted by their clothes. Will you buy jewelry from a gypsy who sells them in an abandoned basement? Unlikely.
The good news is that in the catalog of the same Themeforest.net you can find excellent templates for most popular CMS, or PSD files, on the basis of which you can make up a nice, modern design for a small fee.
10. Marketing at zero level
Marketing isn't just about driving traffic. First of all, you need to give an answer to the key question of potential customers - how are you, in fact, different from all the others, the same online stores? And fairy tales in the style of "excellent service" and "fast delivery" are not available here.
You need to work to earn audience loyalty - to hold promotions, organize contests, offer discounts and do seasonal sales. The combination of all the listed marketing tactics and constant experimentation allows you to ensure repeat sales and significantly save advertising budgets.
It will be difficult (if not impossible) to build a successful business if you ignore these things.
11. Unrealistic expectations
A week ago, you opened an online store, and still have not surpassed the mark of 100 sales per day? Haven't you even bothered to print the website address on your business cards? Forgot to answer customer questions by mail and still wonder why people aren't buying?
All of these scenarios and more can be classed as unrealistic expectations. As with any business, you can build a steady stream of sales in e-commerce, however, this does not happen overnight.
But, if you work hard on your online store, take quality photos and product descriptions, provide excellent customer service, actively promote your website, and set competitive prices, you have every chance of success. And almost always, it's only a matter of time.
What other reasons do you think the online store may have problems with sales? Anything to add to this list?
Yesterday, in the Turbo Launch training, which we are conducting together with Azamat Ushanov, a serious problem arose among students, which most entrepreneurs (especially beginners) have.
I usually rarely pay attention to this problem in public, because my solution is such a high priority that, in a sense, it turned into a marketing reflex. (however, it is with this problem that I begin absolutely any personal consultations with clients).
This problem is so serious, and its solution is so important that without solving this problem, all other actions in your business become meaningless.
In part, I already wrote about this issue in the note “”. However, I have not fully disclosed it until now.
So, you want to know what the problem is?
You may have heard the phrase: “The Right Sentence to the Right People”... This phrase implies that you convey to people the offer that they want to receive from you!
There are 3 key components to this:
- This is the very offer you are making
- These are the wishes of the people to whom you are making this offer
- This is your identity (or the identity of your business)
If at least one component is absent, or it does not fit with others, then you can forget about business.
Let me explain with an example.
Imagine a man in the desert. The sun beats down mercilessly, thirst torments a person. He is ready to give everything for a sip of water, but then you appear and offer to buy him a miracle vacuum cleaner that removes dust in seconds, refreshes the air and does all this silently on a full automatic machine, and the discount on it is only 50% today!
Do you think a person will buy this vacuum cleaner from you? Obviously NO. Yes! You have a good suggestion, but the person does not need this vacuum cleaner now. He is thirsty. If you come up with such a proposal to a housewife, then you would quickly exchange the vacuum cleaner for money. But with a wanderer thirsty for moisture, this number will not work, no matter how chic offer you have.
You just chose the wrong audience for your awesome proposal.
How to get money from a wanderer? You just need to offer him water!
But there is one more nuance here. He does not always play a role, but he should not be neglected.
Remember the old Russian saying: "Take care of honor from a young age?".
Yes! In the modern world, honor is rarely appreciated by its owners, but this makes it even more valuable to other people.
So if everyone knows that you sell poisoned water, and then rob travelers, then of course you will be bypassed, no matter how thirsty a person is.
Therefore, the role of your personality (or the personality of the company) is very important.
Sometimes it happens that in one business, sales are going well, but in another, where all the processes are the same, there are no sales. Why? It's about personality (brand if you like).
So if you want to make big money in your business, then ...
Make a great offer to people who are eager to get it from you!
As soon as you have found such an offer and audience, then not a single selling text will be able to spoil your sales :-)
Greetings, dear friends!
This article is dedicated to those who already have an online store, but no sales. I myself was once in a similar situation and, to be honest, this state of affairs is very demotivating. After reading the article, you will understand in which direction to move and how to emerge from the current situation. This is the first in a series of articles planned on this topic.
And, before we continue, a few words about what I have prepared for you in 2015:
Now let's go directly to the topic of our today's article and I will clearly show you 10 reasons for the lack of sales in your online store.
ATTENTION!
Several articles are planned, aimed at a step-by-step approach in solving the problem of no sales in your online store. But it is definitely worth starting with this article, it will give a general impression of the situation.
Loneliness
An online store is opened, a lot of effort and money is invested in the creation of the site, its content and preparation for the start. And then either the money runs out (less often), or a complete lack of understanding where to start and what to grab onto (more often).
To be honest, I myself once opened an online store and sat down to wait for customers, who, however, had nowhere to come from. This is comparable to the situation when you get a new number for a mobile phone, insert a SIM card into the phone and silence ... After all, until you give out your phone number yourself, how will they know about you?
Solution: Estimate your monthly advertising budget and start slowly introducing your first target audience sources. From experience, the easiest place to start is with contextual advertising. You can ask for its professional setting. Just leave a request and I will answer you. We have already done more than a dozen campaigns and can be proud of our CTR!
Did not reach the victorious
On the first day, I chalked it up to failure.
On the second day, I suspected something was wrong.
On the third day I re-furred the ad, but it didn't help.
And on the fourth day I tried to place an order on my own website.
Imagine my surprise when it turned out that it was simply impossible to place an order through the website due to an error in the program code.
Solution: if you see a sharp drop in the number of orders through the site or their complete absence, then try to place an order yourself. Suddenly, and you will not succeed, like me?
Additionally, you can connect Google Analytics Alerts, which will automatically notify you of all significant changes in traffic. For example, you may receive a letter when the traffic from Moscow has dropped sharply. Try to track this change manually, it will be much more difficult!
Have you invited those?
In my practice, many times there was a situation with clients when a non-target audience was attracted. You yourself understand that this led to an almost complete lack of sales in online stores.
Simple example:
The online store of dresses for women 40+ attracted a young audience. You yourself understand that the styles for these audiences are different and the young people simply did not bite the offered assortment.
Now do you understand what this is about? They just didn't make it to their audience ...
Solution: in order not to waste the advertising budget, I highly recommend that you clearly understand who and how you are going to attract to your online store. Cut off and don't pay to attract non-target audiences. If you sell clothes for children, then it makes sense not to advertise in a motorcycle fancier group. Although there are wonderful exceptions, but rarely
If we talk about the example above, then in their case we started our work with the following:
- Contextual ads were designed so that they immediately cut off the youth audience;
- The ordering process has been simplified to a minimum, since the older generation is not always familiar with sites;
- Also, great emphasis was placed on telephone orders. It is easier for this audience to place an order by calling than to fill in the fields on the website. 8-800 was put into operation.
- And then, according to the results, they increased their momentum.
The result is obvious (click on the image to enlarge):
When the cancer on the mountain whistles
Oh, this is one of the most common mistakes when starting an online store and I have already mentioned it several times in my articles. It often leads to a lack of sales in the online store at the start-up stage.
Here you have opened your online store and:
- We ordered an internal optimization of the content part of the site (from 5000 rubles);
- We also added external SEO optimization (from 10,000 rubles / month);
- We invested in an even greater spread of word of mouth (flyers, catalogs, offline promotional codes. From 10,000 rubles);
- We ordered powerful email marketing, developed triggers and series of letters (from 50,000 rubles and above);
- We decided to spam on forums in our free time (free or very cheap);
- And finally, we asked your VKontakte friends to repost your messages about the opening of an online store (priceless!).
What is the bottom line? ZERO SALES in your online store !!! Or quite a minimum. But how much has been done and how much money has been invested.
And the solution lies on the surface: you are using really high-quality tools for attracting the target audience, but their action is greatly delayed in time:
- Internal and external SEO optimization takes effect in 2-3 months;
- Word of mouth advertising also yields results as the number of orders grows;
- E-mail marketing is directly proportional to the size of the subscription base and site traffic, and this is bad at the initial stages;
- And spam on forums in its classic form has long ceased to give an effect;
- And only friends who repost your VKontakte posts could give the first sales.
In 1-3-5-7-10 months, you will be able to feel a significant effect from these investments, but for now, use faster methods like contextual advertising. At least it gives immediate results. And in the initial stages, use quick methods to attract your target audience.
Feeling the soil
Often, the lack of sales in the online store is due to the not entirely correct choice of a niche. Here are some examples:
Solution: here I can give only general advice, since each project has its own subtleties. Take a look at your niche from the outside. Evaluate if you have a clear market positioning. Is the assortment in your online store sufficient?
These and other similar questions will help you figure out which way to dig. Sorry, but I can't give you clearer general advice. But you can get them within the framework.
Pricing
Another important reason why you may not have sales in an online store: high prices, which can scare away the buyer.
No, I will not ask you to lower prices (this is a dead-end path), I will ask you to answer yourself the following questions:
- My online store is actively represented on Ya.Market or a similar aggregator;
- I rarely track competitors' prices;
- It is easy to compare my products by price in other online stores (electronics, household appliances, car products, etc.).
If you answered yes to at least one statement, then read on.
In this situation, experienced ecommerce market players will offer:
- Monitor competitors' prices on a daily basis;
- Write software parsers for automatic price grabbing from sites;
- Automate Yandex.Market (or another aggregator);
- And if you work with several suppliers, then write a software package for purchasing from a supplier with the lowest price for a specific product ...
And they will be right! But how much effort will you spend on implementation?
Regardless of how long you have been working, I want to offer you a proven path from which you can start working on INCREASING your prices and, accordingly, your ARRIVED... And this path is described in great detail in the article about. There you will also find a step-by-step way to get rid of price competition in principle.
There, by the way, in the comments, readers have already shared the success of the implementation, read it.
Inconvenient delivery and payment terms
Users will only adjust to your harsh shipping and payment terms if you are actually trading in exclusive items. In all other cases, I highly recommend giving shoppers the ability to purchase your product effortlessly. Or they will go to competitors, where it will be easier to buy.
Yes, unfortunately, I often come across online stores that, for reasons unknown to me, significantly limit the market for their products. Those who distinguished themselves are limited to delivery in their home city and only 100% prepayment, motivating this by the fact that “ and it is so convenient for us!”. We wish them success.
I want to give you a different piece of advice.:
- You must have delivery all over Russia! Fortunately, in addition to the Russian Post, there are also other transport companies (CDEK, DPD). By the way, in the training I gave a deeper strategy for the development of logistics and many immediately appreciated its effectiveness!
- Similarly for payment. Gradually, one way after another: cash. cash on delivery, plastic cards, electronic money.
To make everything even more transparent, see how the number of orders from the regions is growing:
The Northwestern and Central Federal Districts are no longer a priority. Now do you understand why I recommend covering the whole of Russia and not concentrating on MSC / St. Petersburg?
IMPORTANT! Already tomorrow tell on the pages of your site that now “Gifts in every order!”. You don't have to write which ones, leave the intrigue. But if the gifts are really valuable, then it is better to tell what you put in the order. Checked, WORKS!
Your sales funnel
We continue to work on the bugs. Answer yourself to the question: Do you know why people do not complete the order in your online store? How many buyers are you losing on your website pages?
When I approach the task of increasing the conversion of an online store, the most precious work is done in the checkout process. Here's why:
The screenshot above shows the customer journey from the catalog to the “Thank you for your purchase” page. And, as you can see, they bought only 2.5% of all those who looked at the catalog pages. By the way, such a conversion is a very good indicator.
Roughly speaking, out of 8187 people who put the goods in the basket, only 1710 completed the order to the end. And, most importantly, immediately clearly visible where visitors go(blurred in the screenshot above).
Remember: the checkout process can and should be constantly improved and such a sales funnel will give you food for thought where to dig.
The illusion of great choice
Another mistake, the realization of which came only with experience. For the overwhelming majority of MI owners, it is not at all obvious.
Let me explain with an example. For example, you are going to open a children's clothing store and over time you realize that there are a lot of categories and subcategories in this subject. And the budget for the initial purchase from you is not so large as to fully “fill” each of these categories with goods.
And then you decide to cover the maximum of categories, but there will be a minimum of goods in each of them. In principle, a logical thought, I once reasoned the same way.
- 5-10 shirts for boys and girls;
- 10 bodysuits for babies;
- 7-10 T-shirts for all children's ages;
- 2-3 expensive sets for the winter;
- And 10 models of shoes for boys and girls;
- Etc.
What conclusions does the buyer make? He sees a very meager assortment and lack of choice. And he goes to other sites, while you have already paid for this visitor
Solution: if you have a small budget for the start or if you plan to further develop the assortment, you do not need to bite and cover many categories. Instead, concentrate on 1 or 2 categories and work through them properly. The effectiveness of these actions will be significantly higher!
This is exactly what we have recently done with a client's online store of clothes and footwear for girls (the children's theme is generally one of my favorites for me, where I work wonders!). And the result was not long in coming (click to enlarge):
If in the summer there were 1-2 orders in week, then by October we reached the standard 2-3 orders per day... And in December, up to 15 orders per day, which is very good for a small store with a staff of 1 person. Further on, the chart shows a decline in the first week of January, but the growth continues. Work is in full swing!
What to do next?
In the next articles on this topic, I will show you how I approach the growth of sales in an online store and you can easily learn from my experience.
Collaboration is highly motivating, let's share our experience together!
And now I will be extremely grateful to you if you share your experience of increasing sales in your online store:
- What mistakes did you find?
- What sales growth methods have been the most effective for you?
