Do you use your small business website to sell online? Online eCommerce is a great way to earn extra sales revenue through your brick-and-mortar retail store, or as a stand-alone outlet to make sales for your small business. However, your online sales may be suffering without you even realizing it.
Many small business owners pay little attention to the format or content of their online order forms – which could lead to abandoned orders and lost sales. Here are five important things you should use as your online order form checklist:
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Don’t Call It An “Order” Form
Many online customers are tire kickers or window shoppers. When they see the word “order,” they immediately back away. To help turn these tire kickers into completed sales, try simply calling your form something else like “Risk Free Trial” or “Acceptance Form.”
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Improve the Copy
Don’t let your order form look like a sales agreement. You can improve the enthusiasm of your potential online customers by using first person sales copy. For example, have the customer check a box that states, “Yes! I want to enjoy the benefits of with a 30 day risk-free guarantee!” Continue using first person on all other parts of your order form.
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Avoid Collecting Too Much Info
Do you really need all that information from your customer? Yes, if you need to ship a product, you certainly need a physical address. Otherwise, if you offer an online service that does not require an address or phone number, the customer will feel much better not providing that private information.
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Use Suggested Upsells
What would be a perfect complement to the product being purchased? Feel free to suggest additional products or services that the customer may enjoy. Include a photo of the product. These types of upsells can greatly increase your final sales total.
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Assure Customer Security
Be sure you note clearly on the order form that all information collected from the customer is protected and encrypted, and safe from hackers. Many people are still wary of using their credit cards online, so assure them that their information is completely safe and will not be hacked or shared with any other third party.
