Successfully selling products on the web

[Kal]

Hello Everybody,

I'd be really interested in getting some opinions from those of you who are successfully selling products via your own website. From your experience what have you found most useful when converting visitors to sales?
Has it been using adwords?, changing website design?, newsletters?, competitions? etc. No matter how querky or otherwise I'd be fascinated to hear your stories!

Best wishes

[MartCactus]

One small anecdote... we had a site selling our software that had white background with black text.

During a redesign the background changed to a pale blue. Sales halved.

Initially we thought it was just a random blip but after 1-2 weeks we decided to stick with the new site, but change the background back to white. Sales resumed at their previous level.

Subtle changes to the design of a site can apparently have a massive impact on sales. This experience also made us wonder whether there were other simple changes we could make that would double sales (though we never found that!)

[quikshop]

Hi Kal,

We used to run a couple of very successful online shops. Product is the key, if you don't have the right products for your market it renders everything else about your online shop useless.

Second in importance is useability. You'll find that a lot of customers surf the web on autopilot, so by making your shop ABC easy to use, minimum clicks from product to purchase and simple clear guidence is very important.

Finally, the general design of your shop. Too many graphics are a distraction from the products you are selling, and its also important to match your shops design to the market you are selling into.

[Diggerboy]

I agree, Dave.

We're trying really hard to get our site to the level we think our customers will appreciate. One of the big concerns we hear is that discerning customers are reluctant to spend, say, £600 on a product they haven't been able to prod & poke to check quality.

What are some good ways to reassure people when dealing with you and buying your products?

A few thoughts for discussion:

Testemonials/Product reviews?
"Why shop with us?" banners?
Free shipping?

Any thoughts?

[quikshop]

One of the big concerns we hear is that discerning customers are reluctant to spend, say, £600 on a product they haven't been able to prod & poke to check quality.

With flash 3D modelling of products, high quality multiple product images and even video clips showing the item in use or being presented, I honestly don't believe that the touchy feely real World shopping experience is any longer a concern for Internet shoppers.

If quality is a concern then make it a prominent feature that you offer a no-quibble returns policy, a good quality guarantee statement - it was proven in a US study that retailers offering a 90 day returns policy increased their orders without seeing an increase in returns.

I know if I was buying something for a few hundred off the web, if they clearly stated a good returns policy it would give me confidence to buy from them.

[Kal]

Dear Martcactus,

thankyou for your reply, that's really interesting the point you make about changing the background colour on your website.
Do you think that the internet works better for those selling services rather products?

Best wishes

[J-Wholesale]

The quality of the product images is very important. If you're doing the photography yourself, you might benefit from an evening class if you're not sufficiently accomplished. This is hugely important, as weak product images WILL turn a huge percentage of potential customers away.

The structure of your buying process and shopping cart. Don't simply use the default options that come with your cart, as they don't suit all shops. For example, if you expect most of your customers to buy more than a single item, then directing them to the basket page every time they click an add to cart button can be very annoying.

[MartCactus]

thankyou for your reply, that's really interesting the point you make about changing the background colour on your website.
Do you think that the internet works better for those selling services rather products?

Kal,

I think it works great for both. Ebay and Amazon are living proof that products sell well online!