E-Stores: Increasing Conversions and Sales
This idea stems from a new line of products we’ll be carrying in one of our webstores. Specifically (shameful self promotion) shower curtains. Along with the curtains, we’ll also be offering tissue box covers, lotion pumps, waste baskets, etc. We haven’t put the full line on the website yet, but while getting dimensions and pictures of each of the items, I was hit by a brilliant (?) idea – and I noticed that even sites like Target.com does not implement (or is implemented very poorly). Here is a link to a page in question on Target. Notice that the item is a “frog shower curtain”. Scroll down a little on the page and check out the section “Guests who bought this item also bought” There are 7 other items there.
How can we improve the customer experience here?
Now, imagine if you give the customer the option to buy a “kit” - which would include all 7 items with a single click. Don’t you think that they’d jump at the opportunity? Give, say, 10% off the products as a group than if they were bought individually.
Our stores are hosted by Yahoo, so we are limited in our ability to do things. But; here is a clever method (at least in my eyes) to make it happen. If you have real time inventory implemented on your store, you set up a SKU for the “kit” – on the server side, the software would know that that SKU is actually a compilation of 7 different items. If all 7 are available, the kit would be orderable. If any 1 (or more) item is unavailable, the kit wouldn’t be orderable. Items would have to be purchased individually. If a customer does buy the kit, you’ve accomplished several goals:
- Increased your per sale order amount
- Decreased the time spent by the customer shopping (less time clicking = higher conversions)
- Turn over inventory more quickly
Plus, it’s far more fun to sell a $150 order over a $30 order. Especially when multiple items are involved.
Taking the frog shower curtain example above. Especially if you are a parent, you’d want a themed bathroom. A frog bath mat, a frog toilet seat cover, etc. So, as a store owner it makes a whole lot of sense. Offer it.
The idea is very extendable to hundreds of products as well. Do you sell pool chemicals? Why make a customer add 10 different chemicals to their cart. Make a kit, let them order 1 item (for a 10% discount if you wanted to incentivize it) and they’ve just bought 10 of your products. Less time spent by the customer. Make their life easy and you are bound to increase sales and revenue.
After the epiphany I had on Friday in this regard, I’ve thought of a ton of products it’d work with. Christmas ornaments (we sell elf christmas ornaments and had several orders where people ordered the whole set of elves individually – imagine how many people would buy them as a group!), placecard holders, hundreds of different items. For collectibles, imagine if you put all the 2007 releases as a single item and let people catch up with their collection in a single click.
If you have an e-store, its a concept you should definitely look into. Conversions are one of the most difficult areas we all deal with. Taking steps to improving them will lead to a more profitable life online.