This document provides tips for optimizing an online store's design, products, and checkout process to improve conversion rates. It recommends using clean layouts with high-quality product images. Products should have detailed names and descriptions along with videos and reviews. The checkout process should be simplified to six steps or less. Abandoned carts should be recovered through automated emails with discounts and shipping reminders. Implementing these best practices can increase sales by making the customer's shopping experience as seamless as possible.

1. © 2013 Bigcommerce Pty. Ltd.

2. Store Design
Make sure your site is product-focused
and easy to navigate

3. Use a clean, uncluttered layout
- Showcase your brand in a modern
way
- “Busy” websites don’t
convert well

4. Images should put the
focus on your products
• 67% of consumers rated image
quality as “very important”
• Highest quality default image you
can get
• Multiple images, multiple angles
• Show product in use when
possible

5. Customer Case Study
BicyclesOnline
Big, beautiful images showcase
their products.

6. Use detailed product names
- Always use the brand in the name
- Include descriptive keywords for
better SEO results
- Use the product name in the
URL, heading and breadcrumb — an
SEO must

7. Write killer product descriptions
• Don’t copy/paste standard descriptions
• Unique, detailed descriptions = better SEO
• List key features in bullets for easy scanning
• Provide both a summary and full description

8. Add videos to improve SEO and conversion
- 53 times more likely to get a front-
page Google result, 41% higher
click-through
- Visitors stay on site 9% longer, are
65% more likely to buy
- Show products in use, close-ups to
highlight features

9. Include trustmarks to increase
buyer confidence
• Add trusted logos from credit card
companies, VeriSign, TRUSTe, Better
Business Bureau, etc Unique, detailed
descriptions = better SEO
• Familiar trustmarks increase sales by up
to 36%
• Highlight fair trade and cause marketing
if applicable

10. Feature product reviews
- 4.6% increase in conversion, 18%
increase in sales
- Show both sides of the story:
shoppers who read bad reviews
convert 67% more

11. Allow social sharing
• 50% of consumers use social media to share
product reviews
• 68% read product reviews on social networks
• Adding social sharing also helps increase
awareness

12. Highlight products and
promotions with banners
- Show your customers what’s popular
and relevant
- Link to product pages or apply
discounts on click

13. Purchase and Checkout Flows
Remove the common barriers
to buying.
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14. © 2013 Bigcommerce Pty. Ltd.
Perform a purchase audit
- How many steps does it take to make a purchase?
- Who does the work: you or your customers?

15. Important metrics to review
• Bounces
• Click mapping
• Average items per cart
• Frequency of purchase
• Abandonment rates
© 2013 Bigcommerce Pty. Ltd.

16. Follow these best practices
- Limit checkout to 6 steps or less
- Offer 1-step checkout if possible
- Don’t ask for information twice

17. Continue to close the
sale through checkout
- Just because they made it to
checkout doesn’t mean they’ll buy
- Add a brief product description to
checkout or make one easily
accessible

18. Reasons customers don’t complete a purchase
• Set up14%: No guest checkout option
- Offer guest checkout, ask to sign up after first purchase
• 12%: Worried about providing too much information
- Highlight privacy policy
• 11%: Checkout process takes too long
- Shorten checkout, compare process to competitors
• 7%: Not enough payment options
- Add more options to increase sales

19. Customer Case Study:
Bump My Lock
Increased sales by adding
multiple ways to pay

20. Don’t let shipping scare off customers
• Simplify and clarify your shipping options
• Never hide shipping costs — make the final price final
• Offer in-store pickup: 31% of shoppers picked up locally
given the option, 27% of those made additional
purchases

21. Abandoned Cart Saver
Bring back visitors who left your
Store before buying
© 2013 Bigcommerce Pty. Ltd.

22. More than 70% of
all shopping carts
are abandoned
But 75% of abandoners
still intend to buy

23. Use an automated abandoned cart saver
- Recover an average of 15% of lost sales
- Emails are automatically sent to shoppers
who add to cart then don’t buy

24. Customer Case Study:
Night-Gear
“In the last month
alone, we recovered over
$8,000 in sales we would
otherwise have lost.”

25. Customize your message to
win shoppers back
• Offer limited-time discount
• Offer free shipping to counteract biggest abandonment
factor — shipping costs
• Include images of the abandoned products
© 2013 Bigcommerce Pty. Ltd.

26. Limit abuse of discounts
- Don’t always offer discounts: sometimes a
reminder is enough
- Foil discount seekers by setting rules to vary
discount triggers

27. Conversion Checklist
 Make sure your design is clean and modern
 Use big, high quality product images
 Write detailed product names and descriptions
 Include videos and trustmarks
 Feature product reviews and social sharing
 Perform a purchase audit
 Make it easy as possible to buy from your site
 Be clear on shipping costs
 Use an abandoned cart saver

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