Selling online is very popular today and even necessary for businesses to grow and thrive. Companies large and small rely on websites to supplement their sales or for their entire business alone. Understanding how consumers interact with websites can help anyone with an e-commerce site to improve its function and overall appearance, and to help increase the bottom line.
At First Glance
It’s believed that some 57% of consumers will abandon a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load and appear properly. Some 80% of these consumers will never return. If you’re using flash or another cumbersome program, keep this in mind.
What is the top influencing factor when it comes to actual purchases? For over 92% of online shoppers, it’s the visuals. How products are presented is the biggest influencer when it comes to actually purchasing. These visuals are important because it takes just 90 seconds for most consumers to decide if they’re interested or not in any product.
You can increase your web sales by 58% if you show your product from more than one angle, and 25% of returns were because the product was not what the consumer expected, stressing the importance of a good description.
An online video can also be a great sales tool, as 1 in 2 consumers report having more confidence in a product after seeing a video and some 31% are influenced into purchasing after watching. Of consumers who watched videos of products online, more than 50% said they felt more confident about their purchase and also said they were willing to stay on a website longer if the retailer offered a video of the product.
The Reviews Are In
Online reviews of any business are important, as 85% of consumers report reading these reviews before shopping or making a purchase. Of those who read the reviews, 79% report trusting them as much as they would a personal recommendation.
While reviews are important, some 65% of consumers say that they read fewer than 6 reviews before they decide to frequent a shop or make a purchase.
Other Factors
Beware of your checkout procedures, as 41% of those who abandon a purchase do so when they see hidden charges at the checkout screen. Some 29% abandon purchases when they realize they have to register at checkout, and 10% leave because the checkout process is just too lengthy.
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