Recent research indicates that most online shoppers take their time in deciding what to buy. So what does this mean to your business?
Help customers compare products
Provide the information people are seeking to distinguish the subtle differences between your products and services. This can be done with tables or charts very easily. A good example of this is 37Signals’ comparison chart for their nifty Basecamp project management application.
Let customers save their selections for later
Amazon.com is the master of this principle. You can leave items in your shopping cart. You can create wishlists of products you’d like. In short, you can window shop at your leisure and come back and easily make the purchase.
How do you handle window shoppers?
Is your site window shopper friendly? Shoppers seek information to help validate their purchase decision. If you don’t educate the customer on your product or service, they will never feel confident enough to buy. What improvements could you make to your site to help encourage window shoppers? Ask these questions:
- Is there enough information on my website to set myself apart from the competition?
- Can visitors to my site describe my products or services to someone else after reading the site?
- Do shopper additions to their shopping cart stay put for a reasonable amount of time or do they get lost the second the person leaves the site?
- Do you provide pictures, measurements, shipping information, return policies, contact information, etc. on your site?
If customers can’t see through your window to shop, they’ll never come in to buy. Give your potential customers the information they seek and allow them to return and easily convert that original “maybe” into a purchase.