By Karon Thackston © 2009, All Rights Reserved
A recent article found in Internet Retailer revealed that 85% of consumers plan to shop online this holiday season. Sixty-nine percent plan to make holiday purchases online. The survey goes on to say that 57% of shoppers are planning to use the Internet to “compare different retailers to find the best price.”
This comes as no surprise during a time of economic upheaval. But is your ecommerce site ready to convert these shoppers? What if you offer the same price as many other retailers? Or even a higher price? Are dollar signs the only card consumers are willing to play this holiday season? No.
During an economic challenge, the focus isn’t necessarily just on price alone. What shoppers want is value. Sure, it’s an old-school term, but it still holds just as true today as it did in the ‘70s and even the ‘30s.
What customers are really searching for is the most for their money.
How do you prove to them that your site offers greater value than the millions of others they’ll encounter? Through your copy.
You’ve got only a few weeks left before the frenzy of online shopping breaks loose. Use this time to take one last fresh look at your site copy. Does it:
1. Clearly differentiate you from your competition on every page? If I were to happen upon your site during my holiday surfing, could I – in 10 seconds or less – determine that you are a better option than the eight other sites I’ve just seen? If not, insert some copy that lets me know why I should buy from you and not them.
Some call this a unique value proposition (UVP) or a unique selling position (USP). I call it good sense. If you don’t already know how you’re different or better than the competition, it’s time to do some high-speed brainstorming. If you do understand your differentiating factors, don’t keep them a secret. Make them known to your site visitors.
Maybe you offer free shipping. Or free returns. Do you provide samples or swatches? Perhaps you have a rewards program similar to frequent flyer miles. It could be that you really do offer the lowest prices. Whatever your “hook” is, you’ll want to communicate that through your copy on the Home page, Category pages and Product pages. Continue through until the buyer hits the checkout process to ensure she doesn’t forget why you’re the best choice.
2. Hang a welcome sign on all your doors? I just returned from SMX East in New York where I spoke to a session full of ecommerce site owners about this very topic. I’ll fill you in on the gist of my presentation and save you the $1,600 admission fee.
Econsultancy.com recently conducted research of over 60 ecommerce sites and found that the Category pages were the ones that lacked the most. I’ve found the same in my professional experience. We tend to pay the most attention to Home pages and individual Product pages. However, over 60% of visitors come into your site through other pages. Make sure you’ve got them all covered.
While 60% of people who land on Product pages leave immediately, according to the study, only half that many (about 33%) leave Category pages once they arrive. There’s a natural affinity between Category pages, consumers and also the search engines.
If a visitor landed on one of your Category pages, would he get enough information to make him stay and shop? Or would he be part of the 1/3 that clicks away? Make sure you provide easily viewable images, not small photos. You’ll also want your Category pages well branded, including copy that explains your UVP. Lastly, don’t skimp on descriptive copy at the top of your Category pages and/or beside or underneath images.
RosettaStone.com, OmahaSteaks.com and Walmart.com give some creative examples of incorporating these elements.
3. Use canned copy? There’s no doubt, there are numerous benefits to using manufacturer-provided copy on your site. It’s well written; it’s free, and it’s easy to insert into your site. But it does absolutely nothing to set you apart from the crowd. As a matter of fact, just the opposite is true: it only serves to make your site blend into the masses of other resellers online.
Consider your customers’ experience. Suppose they search for a particular stuffed Teddy bear that you – and millions of other sites – sell. The shopper goes to the first site and reads the copy. She looks at the images and makes note of anything the site offers that she could take advantage of (discounts, free shipping, etc.).
She moves on to the next site. Same exact copy. In fact, same exact pictures. Hmm… nothing new here. She clicks away to the third site and on it goes. It won’t take long before she’s seen enough and decides to buy at the next site she visits because they all seem to be exactly the same.
Take the extra time and effort to use unique copy instead of the same, tedious text others are using.
When you give financially strapped shoppers a solid reason to purchase from your site, you do them a huge favor. You cut their shopping time down, and you enlighten them as to how you can provide better value for their money. While it takes a little more work, it also pays off with much higher returns.
