As CEO of Trellis, thousands of companies have come to me over the last 11 years, mainly with the purpose of improving eCommerce to increase sales. One of the core metrics to do so is the conversion rate.
Sadly, the industry is full of charlatans selling CRO and SEO services that will magically increase sales!
All you have to do is hire some people for "just X dollars a month" and your business will skyrocket.
Imagine if it was actually that easy.
The reality is that conversion rate is highly complex.
Its a combination of brand awareness, quality of traffic, user experience, product market fit, and of course logistics.
Probably the most neglected part of conversion rate optimization (CRO) is logistics and shipping.
Most companies spend way too much money and time trying to perfect the layout, buttons, and user experience.
As if a slightly better button is really what's killing their business.
Research has proven that more than 70% of shoppers believe that shipping is the main driver to a great shopping experience.
Sites like Amazon and other major sites like Uline have horrible branding and design, yet make billions of dollars.
Why?
They are incredibly good at logistics and shipping.
The reality is, if your product is a must have, it's likely another site can provide it faster for the same price or maybe even less.
That's why you need to have a process for demonstrating delivery dates, buy online pick up in store availability, and follow through on such delivery dates to increase conversion.
82% of shoppers prefer brands that show actual delivery dates in checkout, so adding specific delivery dates is a no brainer.
It's no longer enough to say we can get your product delivered in 5 to 7 business days.
Users expect very clear delivery dates, and even same or next day delivery in some cases!
Conversion dropoff will likely happen among several places on your website.
Homepage dropoff, category page dropoff / search results drop off, product page drop off, cart, and checkout.
In fact, the average checkout abandonment rate is around 70% across all industries.
That’s pretty steep.
When you think about it, there are maybe only 5 or 6 pages that really really matter.
Ironically, arguably the most important ones, cart and checkout, are often most neglected.
Once a user gets to your product page, they are expecting to know when they'll actually get the product.
Sites like Home Depot and Amazon do this well.
This may seem like a fantasy to your small business, but in reality, it's not.
Tools like PrettyDamnQuick enable you to show delivery dates on product detail pages, cart, and checkout.
Take it from someone that has directly impacted billions of dollars in eCommerce through hundreds of clients.
Start back to front.
Too many folks focus on acquisition first with a shaky foundation to get products out.
How do you plan to get your product out the door that makes you competitive?
Get a solid logistics infrastructure in place that allows you to tell your customer in real time when to expect their order!
