E commerce guide for apparel

How to Optimize Your E-Commerce Site

A Guide for Apparel and Accessory companiesby Jun Loayza of Viralogy

Goal: Increase Revenue

Lets be honest. The goal of every project your company engages is to either generate more

revenue or cut costs.

We understand this, and have created a guide that WILL help you generate more revenue with your

e-commerce site.

How to Increase Revenue

In this guide, we are going to focus on proven methods that successful companies use to convert their visitors by

generating more sales per visit and more items per sale.

1. Increase sales conversions for current visitors2. Drive more traffic to your site

(For more information about how an e-commerce site can leverage the social web to drive more visitors, check out our Social Marketing Guide)

There are 2 ways to increase revenue:

The Problem

converts visitors at an astounding 35%This means 1 out of every 3 visitors buys something

100 e-commerce sites on the internet convert visitors at an average of 10%-15%

The majority of e-commerce sites convert visitors at an average of 2.5%-5%. This means that only 2-5 visitors out of every 100 that land on your site are buying a product.

The Top

You

The SolutionTop 17 methods to improve conversions

Home Page

1. Tell them what they want to hear

“I am a 25 year old male living in Southern California looking for some refreshing clothing for the warm weather coming in Spring.

What products can you offer me that solve my problem?”

Do you have what I need?

Targeted call to action

Value: I immediately know this site has what I need

Do you have what I need?



“I am a 19 year old woman looking for fashionable, trendy clothing on a budget.

What featured products do you have on sale for me?”

Can you give it to me at a good price?

Price is immediately made clear

Value: I know how much I can expect to pay

Can you give it to me at a good price?



Key Takeaway:Understand exactly who your visitors are and what they are looking for on your site.

Therefore, you need to measure, measure, and then measure your data some more. Use Google Analytics as a simple, free analytics tool to understand your visitors.

Link: http://googleanalytics.com

Incentive to buy today

Value: I am more likely to buy because I’m aware of a special discount

Offer special deals to your visitors

2. Create incentives for immediate action

Take note:You don’t have to give incentives 100% of the time, but make sure to analyze and compare your sales and profit when you run an incentive campaign and when you don’t.

Mix it up a bit and change the incentive every month, season, and for holidays.

2. Create incentives for immediate action

Products recommended for me, located right on the home page

Value: I’m here for the products. If I see something I like immediately, I am more likely to make a purchase decision.

Visitors come to see your products. Show it to them.

3. Show them what they want to see

Viralogy will integrate a recommendation app on your home page that understands your visitors and provides them with a set of products that have a high probability of converting into a sale.

How to implement a recommendation app on your home page:

3. Show them what they want to see

Contact Us:

[email protected]://Viralogy.com

Viralogy shows visitors products that they’re likely to buy

Clear incentive to give my info

Value: If I like what you offer, then I’ll give you my valuable information

Why should I give you my information?

4. Get their information

Caution:The pop-focus method of the previous page can at times be very intrusive for a shopper and potentially turn them away from the site.

If visitor bounce rate increases because of the pop-focus method, switch to an on-page version of the newsletter form.

We recommend using Aweber for all newsletter marketing.

4. Get their information

Link: http://aweber.com

Category Page

5. Not all visitors are the same

The three types of shoppers:

The price sensitive shopper“I am looking for the best deal at the cheapest price. It’s all about low cost items and saving money!”

The competitive shopper“I am looking for the newest, top of the line product. I love being the first one among

my friends who is on top of the newest trend or style.”

The emotional shopper“I love wearing what all of the celebrities and stars are wearing. I stay on top of who is wearing what, and go for the most popular items on sites.”

Newest, Most Popular, and Price filtering

Value: Every type of shopper has the ability to filter items to their preference


How to target the three types of shoppers:


Take note:Filters are excellent, but you have to make sure you show the right type of filter first.

Sort by Top Sellers

Sort by uniquely recommended products for each visitor

Sort from A to Z

Sort by price

Value: A clear, cohesive view of my purchase options

6. Don’t be shy. Show it off

Show 25-50 products on a single page

List name, color,and price

Show the visitor how much he will save

Caution:It’s great to show off a lot of products; however, too many products and too much information can clutter the page.

If the page is cluttered and the shopper has too many options, decision paralysis can occur.

Decision Paralysis: When a shopper is presented with so many options that she chooses to not buy instead of choosing from the multitude of options.

To prevent decision paralysis, keep the page clean with uniform spacing, large product images, and readable text.

6. Don’t be shy. Show it off

View and ‘add to cart’ via the category page

Value: Easily accessible products through the category page

7. Give them quick options

Simple browsing and selection through the category page

Show multiple product SKUs

Show Quick View on hover

Key Takeaway:The faster and easier the shopping experience is for the visitor, the more likely that the visitor will convert into a sale.

Browse and purchase capabilities from the category pages allow shoppers to click less, and spend more time making educated decisions about what to buy.

7. Give them quick options

Value: I am able to easily browse all categories without returning to the home page

8. Place categories just a click away

Categories should be accessible 100% of the time

Complete category layout for easy browsing

Product Page

Product is the clear focus of this page

Value: A large image with many views draws my attention

Make the image large and in charge

9. Product Image is KING

Products just make sense when they’re worn

Value: I can see myself wearing the product

Have a model wear the product

10. Show the product in use

Key Takeaway:How does the shirt fit on a person? How would it look on me?

These are questions that are immediately answered when the product is worn by a model.

The goal is reduce ambiguity and uncertainty. The more certain and confident the shopper is about the product, the more likely she is going to buy.

10. Show the product in use

vs

Clearly marked price comparison

Value: I know how much I will save if I buy this product

Show the old price tag compared to the sale price

11. Make savings blatantly obvious

Showcase of products that compliment the currently viewed item

Value: I will likely add products to my shopping cart that go together as a complete outfit

Up-sell and cross-sell through targeted recommendations

12. Sell more through recommendations

Dynamic Insights easily adds the following features to your site:

1. People who bought this also bought...2. People who viewed this also viewed...

How to implement product recommendations on the product page:

12. Sell more through recommendations

Contact Us:


Viralogy recommends products that shoppers will likely purchase together

Shopping Cart

Value: This site is legitimate and I can trust it with my money

Can I trust you with my purchase?

13. Establish full confidence

Reasons why the shopper can trust you

Value: If I see a product I like, I can easily add it to my cart!

What products can I add to complete my outfit?

14. Never stop selling

Apparel and accessories that compliment what’s in the shopping cart

How to implement product recommendations in the shopping cart

14. Never stop selling

Contact Us:


Viralogy recommends products that shoppers will likely add to their cart

Dynamic Insights analyzes the products in the shopping cart, compares them to what has been purchased in the past, and produces recommended products that will likely convert into an up-sell for the shopper.

Value: All my questions are answered and I can focus on making the purchase

How much will it cost to ship? When will the products arrive?

15. Answer all questions immediately

Exact price and ship-time

Key Takeaway:Ambiguity is bad. If a shopper feels unsure about anything, whether it’s the legitimacy of the site or how much shipping will cost them, then they’re likely to take their business elsewhere.

Don’t wait for them to ask you the questions. Beat them to it by answering all questions clearly on the page.

15. Answer all questions immediately

Clearly marked threshold for free shipping

Value: I have a clear incentive to spend just $20 more to save $7 on shipping

Use threshold notifications as incentives to shop more

16. Give them a reason to add more

Exact additional spend needed

Value: Makes it easy for me to click the ‘checkout’ button

What makes a button appealing to click?

17. Buttons that click

1. Increase the size:

2. Add icons:

3. Add gradients and depth:

4. Use colors that stand out:

5. Describe what the button does:

Love your shoppers

The techniques discussed in this guide are meant to help you generate more revenue; at the same time, your ultimate goal should be to make your shoppers happy.

A happy shopper purchases a product. A happy shopper tells her friends about your brand and your products.

It’s not just about recommending products so that a shopper will buy them or about giving free shipping so that the customer will spend more; it should be about making the overall shopping experience pleasurable and fun.

Use these techniques to keep your shoppers smiling and buying!

Viralogy Dynamic Insights

Targeted purchase recommendations that increase sales conversions and items per sale

Contact Us Today:Joseph [email protected]

818.939.9978http://Viralogy.com

Special thanks and credit to Jason Billingsley

his work and knowledge made this guide possible

E commerce guide for apparel

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