Your online store is constantly competing with others. While small issues within your online store may not seem like that big of a deal to you, they can slowly kill your business over time.
Take this for example: someone decides to purchase an item from your website. They click “buy now” and then they wait while it loads. Suddenly, an email comes through pulling their attention and they click away from your site before completing the purchase. Chances are, you’ll lose that sale for good.
If you’re concerned that your website might have some weak spots, don’t worry. We’ve compiled a list of stats and research to help you identify and rectify any issues.
People spend 51% of their time online on their cell phones. (Only 42% of their time spent online is on a computer.)
You already know this. Any time you’re out and about, take notice of the crowd around you. Almost every person has their eyes glued to a screen. Even you yourself have probably felt that uncomfortable awkwardness that prompts you to mindlessly check your phone. If your store doesn’t offer an online feature, you’re really missing out.
Not only does it make sense for your store to be online, you should also make sure your site is optimized for quick shopping sessions. In order for people to successfully browse your site in their short pockets of time from their mobile, your site needs to be speedy!
Keep in mind: people should be able to browse your mobile site in about 2 minutes
59% of shoppers want a personalized promotion.
Paying attention to your customers is hugely important. While balancing out customer communication can be a tricky game, it’s been determined that offering personal promotions is a sure fire way to win a customer.
Customers expect a personalized experience without really being bothered. How do you accommodate that? Pay attention to their activity on your website and offer them a deal on an item they actually intend to buy.
Reward your customers with discounts and recognize their loyalty.
People actually like to shop in stores.
With the exception of books, consumer electronics, and office supplies, people like to shop for their stuff in an actual store. Research shows they just enjoy it more. What you’ll see if you pay attention to your stats is that consumers will research a product online but ultimately purchase it in-store. This phenomenon is called webbrooming.
Interestingly enough, a third of Shopify users also sell in the physical world. The most common way to do this is to set up with a permanent, brick & mortar store. But if you’re looking to test this out without making a huge investment, consider trying a pop-up shop or a setting up a table at a group venue (like an event or farmer’s market).
Even a two-second delay in your site’s load time can increase the abandonment rate by 20%.
It’s all about the instant gratification. People want what they want immediately. Slow load times may even cause a consumer not to trust your site/store/brand all together.
Research has shown that slow pages resulted in approximately $3 billion in lost sales across e-commerce sites in the U.S.
It’s important to speed up your pages, but pay special attention to your checkout process.
Paying attention to how your customers behave in your online store can impact your business’s success greatly. Remember, your website is your most important tool and your most valuable employee when done correctly.
We’re e-commerce and Shopify experts, and we’d be happy to work together to fix any issues you might discover within your e-commerce site! Visit our contact tab to get on our schedule!