At the outset, designing and developing an e-commerce website seems pretty simple. All you have to do is display your products and their corresponding prices, create a shopping cart and payment portal, and you are ready to go. Most people can launch a simple e-commerce website in no time at all.
(Pixabay / Pexels)
The real challenge, though, is making sure that your site gets noticed and that it has the capacity to convert viewers to buyers. There are untold numbers of e-commerce websites selling millions of different products. How do you get people to come to your site and purchase your merchandise?
One way to do this is to make sure that your website appeals to buyers’ varying shopping styles. Not everyone shops in the same way so it follows that not every e-commerce website will reach every kind of customer.
Here are just a few types of shoppers that you can target in order to increase your online sales:
- Impulse shoppers – Impulse shoppers are not interested in seeing every product description. They want products presented in vivid colors with lifestyle shots of people using the products. They also want to see reviews and testimonials. To cater to this type of shopper, use bold colors and images and lively fonts. Descriptions could be hidden behind tabs in case customers decide to click on them. Impulse shoppers also respond well to celebrity endorsements.
- Detail-oriented shoppers – This group is the exact opposite of impulse shoppers. They want to know every detail of the product before they decide to purchase. For this type of shopper, you will need to make sure that extensive product information is readily accessible. Include products sizes and colors and both good and bad reviews. These customers will likely want to evaluate the product’s pros and cons, check people’s opinions on social media, and ask for samples, where available, before deciding to purchase.
- Hesitant buyers – These buyers are very tough to serve. They may put an item in the shopping cart only to abandon or remove it later. You can best cater to this type of shoppers by including a wish list that allows buyers to set items aside without actually putting them in a shopping cart. The buyer can then add or delete these items until they finally make up their minds and transfer them to the shopping cart. Once you notice that shoppers have accrued a number of items on their wish list, you can send them reminders or offer time-sensitive coupons to create a sense of urgency and compel them to commit.
- Paralyzed buyers – At times, giving your customers too many choices may “freeze” them into inaction (paralysis by analysis). When customers cannot decide what to pick from the many available items, they may become overwhelmed and decide not to order at all. Using filters can cut down on the noise of too many product offers, enabling customers to whittle down their options.
The ability to cater to different types of shoppers will make your e-commerce website more functional and informative, resulting in better conversion.