Halloween is upon us again. The scariest time of the year, when the country is awash with trick or treaters, toffee apples and pumpkins.
It also marks the turning point when consumers are likely to begin thinking about the festive season (apart from those eager souls who have their Christmas shopping all wrapped up in September).
At this time of year, it’s vital that your ecommerce site is ready for the onslaught of online shoppers who will be pouring through your virtual doors in the coming weeks. The last thing you want to do is scare them away!
Here’s our top five ways your store might be scaring off potential customers:
#1 Not Responsive
Whatever you do, don’t fall at the first hurdle. More and more consumers are now browsing and buying using their mobiles. Make sure that your site is ready for these potential customers by investing in a fully responsive website. Don’t make them go through the horrifying experience of pinching and zooming their way through your desktop site. Chances are, they’ll give up.
#2 Long Load Times
We all love a bit of suspense when it comes to watching horror films – not so much when we’re browsing online! A slow site is a huge barrier to conversion, and can become an even bigger problem during busy seasonal periods. Make sure your hosting solution is up to scratch and can accommodate high visitor numbers.
#3 Busy Site Design
When a potential customer lands on your site, their first experience should be a positive one. A ‘busy’ site will confuse visitors from the outset, and will probably encourage them to hit the ‘Back’ button. It’s also important not to overwhelm people with pop up messages and calls to action. A pop up message asking visitors to sign up to your newsletter as soon as they land on your site will just cause annoyance.
#4 Forced Registration
Another huge barrier to conversion. Your customer has found the item they want, and is ready to check out. Don’t then discourage them by making them create an account. Make the checkout process as simple and frictionless as possible, otherwise you could lose out on huge numbers of sales.
#5 Hidden Delivery Costs
The ultimate unwelcome shock when shopping online. Never hide your delivery charges until checkout. Many consumers will search for your delivery costs and may choose not to purchase at all if they can’t find the information they need. Make your delivery costs visible straight away, and consider offering a next day delivery option during seasonal periods.
We know it’s Halloween, but that doesn’t mean you need to scare your customers away! Do everything within your power to make your site as welcoming as possible, and the sales will roll in.
