By Jim Clanin
The buying cycle is the process that customers go through to make a purchase on your ecommerce website. It starts with the customer becoming aware of a problem and needing to find a solution, then looking for and considering all their options, and finally making the purchase. The Internet makes it very easy for shoppers to do their homework before making a purchase, which means you need to make it easy for them to do their research. This blog post will cover the four stages of the buying cycle, and what you should be doing to walk your customers through each.
Stage 1: Awareness
The customer identifies a need and becomes aware that your ecommerce website may have the solution.
You have to make it easy for your customers to understand what products your company offers. Use wording on the homepage of your website that grabs your reader’s attention quickly and easily and addresses their problem with the solution you offer. The homepage of your website should make it very easy for people to understand who your company is and what you have to offer.
Stage 2: Consideration
The customer evaluates what your business has to offer in comparison to other businesses.
After using easy to understand and attention grabbing content on your homepage, offer a link to find out more about the product. It’s important to provide plenty of information about your product or service for those who want all the details, but also make the text easy to scan for those who just want the big picture or are looking for something specific. Consider using headings and bullet points to break up text, and images that accurately display your product or service.
Provide demonstrations using video or photography from multiple angles. Use customer reviews and ratings, offer free trials or consultations, and compare your product to your competitors. The more information you can provide on your website, the higher the chance is of keeping your potential customer from going to your competitor’s website to do a comparison.
It’s important to do a competitor analysis to understand how your product measures up, and more importantly, how well you communicate the information about your product or service. Check out your competitors to find out what they do well, and what mistakes they are making. Use this information to strategize about the best approach to guiding your customers through the buying cycle on your website.
Stage 3: The Purchase
The customer is ready to make the purchase, and your job is to guide them through the process.
Make it easy for your customer to make the purchase by including a call to action. You can do this with a button that clearly states “Buy” or “Purchase.” Be sure the cost of your product is easily displayed and that the checkout process has very few distractions. The checkout process should be easy to navigate and make sure your customer can see the products in the shopping cart. For more information about how to make checkout easy, check out our blog called Ecommerce Success Hinges on Good Design During Checkout.
Stage 4: Advocacy
Making your client so happy that they become your advocate, returning for more and singing your praises to their network.
Congrats! You made the sale! Now it’s time to consider what you can do to leverage that sale. Keep your customers happy by making it easy for them to find a phone number if they have any problems. Offer your customers a way to provide product reviews. Make it easy to find instructions or product manuals. Implement changes requested by your customers – this is a great way to build loyalty. Provide social sharing options so they can be your advocate.
Do you need help maximizing your sales potential on your ecommerce website?
DoubleDome specializes in building ecommerce websites and can help you maximize your sales. Call us at 888-799-6067 or fill out our contact form for a free consultation.
