Web Podcast - Episode 28: Must-Have E-Commerce Website Features

Read the transcription of this podcast:

Hey guys, welcome to episode 28.

Today we're talking about five must have features on a shopping website.

When I say features I mean features and ideas. If you have a shopping website, try to cover these five features I'm going over.

Number one: Optional guest/quick check out. When I say guest check out, I mean where people don't have to sign up to your site. Some sites want you to sign up, then verify your email address. That can be a hassle. It's extra steps you're making customers go through to pay you money. It's not ideal. You don't want them to do a lot to buy from you. Make it as easy as possible. You still need to gather certain information, but if you can avoid it, give people the option to check out as a guest so they don't have to check out again as a member. If they're privacy conscious, and they don't want to share their details with you, then make sure that you have that option set up.

A quick check out is a feature where people can check out the first time, then it remembers their information in a secure way. What it allows them to do, is when they return to buy again, they can click buy now, then confirm quickly all their details to place an order. They don't have to type in all their information again, it's pulled through. It's quick because it's a one pager. It's not different steps, there's no summary page, it's just ready to go.

In some business models this doesn't work. You may require information that adjusts how the order is processed.

Number two is: Include abandoned cart feature. It's been around a while, but it's a great tool. It allows you to see who hasn't completed the checkout process. You can see what people are doing and see where they're getting stuck. This means you can optimise your checkout process. It's also good because it's a feature that allows any customer who partially enters the checkout information, it will email them to remind them they haven't completed their order. You can then include offers within that reminder making them more willing to buy. The main things people are doing is that they change their mind, or their credit card declines. If we can entice them with an incentive, then they're possibly more likely to return and buy.

It's important to track this process so you can see what works, and what you can improve.

Number three: Product details and multimedia. This one's important, not enough people utilise it. Basically on product pages they just have a brief description, an image and the price. What you need is a well written description that you can market the product with. Include lots of information. Especially if you're selling electronics. Include product information, specifications, features, multiple images, even a video. If you check out sites like Amazon, they have products that are really well detailed. That's what you want to do, include a lot of information. That's going to make you look trustworthy, it will give the customer a sense that you know what you're talking about and they have all the information they need to make a decision. It's also more content, so Google will see your pages as better value than pages that are just a few sentences.

Number four: Use Google Merchants and remarketing. These are external features to your website. Google Merchants are the product ads that show on Google. They show all the product images and pricing for those using the Google Merchant feed. You set up a feed with Google, that comes from your site. It includes all of your products. The Google Merchant feed allows you to feature in the top ads rather than text ads. It's important that you use Google Merchants if you want to get the product out there.

Remarketing is where your products follow people around. You go to a website, then the next day you see that exact product following you around Facebook and Google. That's remarketing. People are remarketing to you so that you ideally return and buy the product. The good thing about this is that if someone wants to buy the product, but they're busy and close the site, your product will pop up in front of them. It's a good feature to have as you're able to utilise possible lost leads.

Number five: Another little feature that's a bit uncommon, upselling. What you want to do during check out, is have little nic-nak products you display above the checkout now button. Make it easy for people to add to the cart so you can capture that sale and add money to each order. If you're a company that is a computer store, you could have laptops and fancy computer cards, on the basket page when the customer is checking out, below that you could have four columns each with little upsell products. For example USB sticks, or mouse pads. Cheap stuff people won't mind buying.

It's about making people aware of your products.

If you want to take it to a next level, you could have it so that depending on what people order, it can suggest relevant products. If someone is buying a keyboard, we could set it up so that you can allocate a mouse as a related product to that keyboard. Anybody adding a keyboard to their basket gets a mouse suggested. Stuff that's smart. This reminds people of what they need with their purchase, rather than them having to run to the shop and buy what they've forgotten later. Utilise your basket to upsell.

That's five ideas for helping improve your ecommerce website. I hope it was helpful. Join us next time for episode 29. Join us again.