I was at a really interesting workshop on ecommerce the other day - here are 7 key takeaways:
1. Don't guess - marketing is an art, effective testing will add a big scientific element to the mix. That said, don't test for the sake of it and be clear on the resources required to run a test in the first place. Test only when you don't know the answer. A really useful site to see the impact of testing is Which Test Won.
2. Really understand your audience, cut them up into segments with different promotions & targeted messages for each one (use the personas will bring the segments to life for you). Conversion needs to start long before they reach the form (persuasive momentum)3. Remember most decisions are based on how people feel and people will have FUDs (fears, uncertainties and doubts), so take action to reduce the friction.
4. We'll always have customers who:
a. will always buy (love them)
b. can't make their mind up (big opp for us)
c. will never buy (forget them)
5. Obsess about analytics - you can't do any of this stuff without it, so become experts at challenging and interpreting the insight from your data.
6. Think about every step of the order process - the more steps, the more a user has to think and adjust - therefore the more friction (ie the greater risk of abandonment).
7. Use external expertise to acquire new customers (search, email etc), improve the online customer journey (user-experience) and optimise the conversion points (analytics). Don't try to do everything yourself!
..above all, if something works, keep doing it.
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