Understanding Human Behavior Increases Conversion Rates
Monday, January 28, 2013, 2:00 AM | Leave Comment
Having a clear understanding of human behavior in relation to marketing and web design can dramatically increase conversion rates, and the numbers exist to prove it. By looking at websites that are successfully tapping into the psychology of their visitors, we can learn which techniques are most useful for driving sales.
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What is Conversion Rate Optimization?
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) techniques focus on increasing the conversion rate, the number of visitors to the website who are successfully converted into sales. Internet retail giants such as Amazon and Groupon have been using CRO techniques for years, but relatively recent additions to the world of online retail are now putting innovative CRO techniques into action with great success.
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Conversion Rate Optimization Case Study – Wish.co.uk
Wish.co.uk is one such online business. This incredibly engaging site, which exists to sell quirky experience days in the UK, uses a range of techniques to engage with visitors. The site creates a consistently fun and dynamic mood through the use of bright colors and delightfully witty copy. The aim is to make the process of browsing and choosing a product almost as much fun as the experience day itself.
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Using Social Media to Drive Conversions
One of the most effective CRO techniques is social proof. This technique involves showing the website visitor that the brand they are investigating is widely trusted and loved by people in the visitor’s peer group. Wish.co.uk has successfully implemented the concept of social proof by integrating an off-the-shelf Facebook widget into every page of their site.
The Facebook widget on the Wish.co.uk front page shows how many people have Liked the brand. Seeing a huge number of Likes displayed on a company’s home page builds trust in the customer, providing reassurance that the service is sufficiently impressive that thousands of people are prepared to publicly recommend it.
Wish.co.uk takes the implementation of social proof well beyond the site’s main page, embedding a Facebook widget beneath the description of each experience advertised on the site. This widget provides a space for visitors to leave comments using their Facebook account. Comments from previous visitors are displayed, giving an up-to-date snapshot of what other Wish.co.uk customers think of the products offered on the site.
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Build a Brand that People Love
What motivates a person to publicly show their approval for a particular brand on Facebook or another social media site? In today’s socially connected world, it’s not enough to offer the customer an experience that is merely acceptable: the service needs to exceed the customer’s expectations to get them talking about the brand and digitally recommending it to their social networks.
Anything that you can do to make your brand stand out from the crowd will help you to gain attention on social networks. Wish.co.uk combines an unusual product with engaging website copy and shocking images (such as zombies) to create a quirky brand that gets people talking.
Once you have built a brand that people want to share, make it easy for customers to share your brand on their social networks by integrating Facebook or Twitter buttons into your site.
Traffic that comes from social media can sometimes be easier to convert into sales than search engine traffic, as social media users have already seen the brand recommended by their friends. As the influence of social media grows, its influence on conversion rates looks set to get stronger and stronger.
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Tap into Human Psychology to Convert Traffic into Sales
Successful selling requires more than just presenting the products to the customer and asking them to buy. Online retail involves building a relationship between the customer and the brand. To do this, the business must reach out to the customer, appealing to their senses through attractive website design and winning their trust through social proof.
These CRO techniques, when used effectively, can help a business to grow and thrive.
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Jack Harding is a small business consultant with more than ten years of experience. He also enjoys sharing his expertise with others on various business marketing blogs. To see an ecommerce site that understands human behavior, visit Wish.co.uk.
