Part of looking for ways to improve your conversion rate is to remove any hindrances in the sales funnel and the buyer’s journey. This includes taking away any buyer uncertainties or hesitations that consumers may have to make that first purchase from you or your company. But one of the most challenging demographics to convince would be the first-time eCommerce customer.
This doesn’t refer to a customer who has never bought from your online store before. A first-time eCommerce customer is someone who has never bought anything online before. Sure, they may have made use of the internet to pay for conveniences and the like, but they might have never shopped online before or bought any goods through the internet, whether those goods are digital or physical.
Don’t underestimate how this demographic affects your efforts to improve your conversion rate. According to Statista, approximately 70% of shoppers prefer to make their first purchases at a physical store. Afterward, if they are pleased with their purchase and enjoyed the product, then they are much more likely to be comfortable ordering the identical product from your online store.
As they’ve already seen and tried the product for themselves, so they are more amenable to making their repeat purchases online. Three-quarters of repeat purchases happen in this pattern.
Know Your Ecommerce Rookie
So how do you improve your conversion rate when faced with this type of consumer?
First, it’s vital to put yourself in this customer’s shoes and understand their point of view. First-time eCommerce customers don’t frequent the internet and prefer to shop in physical stores where they can see and shop for the items they want directly. Understandably, this demographic will show hesitancy when ordering something online, as it’s not something they can see or touch for themselves. There’s a certain level of trust that needs to be established before they can even begin to consider adding to cart.
To improve your conversion rate with this demographic, you also must consider what has driven them to shop online in the first place. Given the changes in the world thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are now more first-time eCommerce shoppers than ever. Many physical stores have shuttered due to lack of foot traffic; some didn’t survive the economic fallout. So first-time eCommerce consumers are driven to online storefronts, which offer delivery services for their daily needs and wants.
A study by ClearSale analyzed the eCommerce data from 2020 to understand where these first-time eCommerce shoppers are coming from and what the numbers are. These numbers help eCommerce companies study eCommerce statistics and improve their conversion rate.
According to the data, first-time eCommerce shoppers rose by 12% within the USA, Canada, Australia, Mexico, and Argentina. There were so many new customers that the percentage of returning eCommerce shoppers dropped by comparison; the new customers took up a share of the market as they started to explore shopping online.
Woo The Draft Pick: How to Convince a New eCommerce Shopper
Why is it so important to convince these newbie eCommerce shoppers? Wouldn’t it be easier to stick to experienced eCommerce shoppers, who already make up a large percentage of the online market?
If you want to improve your conversion rates, you need to ensure that your website, marketing, and overall campaign appeal to this demographic as well. Every returning eCommerce shopper started somewhere and opened up their line of experience in shopping through eCommerce sites.
As they say, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. If you tap into this demographic’s needs, remove their buyer uncertainties, and provide them with that all-important excellent customer service, you build an immense amount of brand equity with them. They will be more likely to become return customers.
Furthermore, with all the particular steps you will take to convince first-time buyers, you’ll reinforce returning buyers’ trust in you. You can reduce their buyer uncertainties even further, and the other first-time buyers they might recommend to you will be more likely to make their first purchases with you as well.
9 Effective Ways To Lead First-Time Ecommerce Shoppers To Make Their First Buy
Here are 9 things your could do to persuade first-time Ecommerce shoppers make their first buy.
1. Make your online storefront eye-catching and exciting
As mentioned earlier, first-time eCommerce shoppers are much more accustomed to shopping in person. Physical stores often have well-branded aesthetics and visuals that encompass what the store stands for. In the same way, your online storefront should be just as striking and eye-catching.
Imagine a buyer walking down the street. If they see a bright, exciting storefront, they would likely step in and have a look. By the same logic, presenting your online storefront with pleasing, professional design, eye-catching aesthetics, and excellent organization generates the same interest as a physical store.
More curiosity leads to more traffic, more leads, and more conversions. And if the navigation, checkout process, and other elements that lead to a good experience are taken care of, then they are more likely to trust you.
2. Show off your social proof
This method is another way to build trust with your hesitant first-timers. Social proof is what marketers call reviews, testimonials, and other posts from your existing customers. When people see other buyers’ positive testimonies and reviews, first-time eCommerce buyers’ fears are alleviated as they see that other people trusted this brand and had great experiences.
There are many ways to showcase your social proof. First, you should make it standard practice to ask them to leave a review a certain period after their purchases. You could also incentivize their sharing of product experiences online (perhaps via discount codes for every shared review). You can even have a dedicated age for all your social proof.
3. Don’t underestimate the power of good product packaging
Excellent product packaging is always a good idea. Professionally designed, eco-friendly packaging, and unique containers or boxes are attractive, eye-catching, and make a strong impression on first-time buyers. It lends a more trustworthy and professional impression to the company as well.
Furthermore, the use of eco-friendly or sustainable packaging is a significant trend among consumers. This tells them that you are a company that cares. It’s also another indicator of trustworthiness for your brand. And with more and more consumers looking to support brands with advocacies, placing that environmentally-friendly tag on your products could lead to more recommendations and social proof.
4. Answer customer queries promptly
To best alleviate your customers’ fears, especially first-time e-commerce buyers, you and your customer service team need to answer queries promptly. First-time buyers understandably have many questions that they want answers to before they make the purchase. You need to open up avenues of communication so customers have the opportunity to reach out to you and ask their questions.
Upon receiving those questions, answer them as quickly and as comprehensively as possible. This way, you’re able to show them that you are listening to them and their concerns, again building trust along the way.
If you don’t have a dedicated customer service team to answer questions, one great way to do this is to immediately have a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions page. This way, you’re able to address concerns before they even ask.
5. Establish a culture of positive customer care
As mentioned in the previous section, excellent customer care is a fantastic advantage. If you’re able to address customer queries and concerns, you not only alleviate uncertainties, you also give them a better customer experience, which is critical in convincing customers to purchase from you. If customers feel heard and see that their questions are addressed, they are more likely to buy.
Studies have shown that 70% of user buying experiences is based on how cared for the customer feels.
6. Understand your customers and their needs
The first-time eCommerce buyer should be among the different buyer personas that your company targets. It’s critical that you understand your target audience and you can achieve this by creating profiles of the different customers you are looking to attract. This enables you to have a theoretical baseline you can revolve your marketing strategies around.
What would these people ask? What would interest them? What are their concerns, and how do we develop a campaign that attracts them? These are just some of the questions that can help you in creating buyer personas.
7. Offer discounts, promos, and special offers
Special offers like discounts and promos improve your conversion rate because your customers feel that they’re getting more for their money. Brands go crazy during holidays or special seasons because they know customers love discounts and free stuff. Free shipping, by far, is one of the most popular among the special offers that eCommerce stores can give their customers.
And as an even better incentive, first-time buyers might be incentivized to make their first purchase if they’re getting more for less money. They feel there’s less “risk,” and have more to gain.
8. Understand and handle customer expectations
Customers will always have expectations, though not every company is expected to meet them all. However, the threshold is high. As much as possible, you must be able to deliver on what you’ve promised.
Beyond that, customers have personal expectations of a company. They expect their needs to be met, concerns to be addressed, and demand a hassle-free experience. As such, try to go beyond these expectations whenever you can. This could be in the form of a simple “Thank you” email after a purchase, a discount voucher for their birthdays, or anything that makes them feel special.
9. Stay in touch with the people buying from you
When people buy from a physical store, they know the store will always be there in the same place, and they can walk back in anytime to speak to people working there, see the new products, get the latest discounts, and more. To get the trust of the first-time eCommerce buyer, you need to replicate that same experience.
Reach out to your customers. If they have signed up to your site, make sure to send them emails to let them know about discounts, promos, and when new products arrive. Ask them how they liked their purchase or if they forgot something in their cart. Communication goes a long way.
Final words
When trying to woo the first-time eCommerce buyer, make sure that you put yourself in their shoes. First impressions matter even more with first-timers. Alleviate their concerns by embodying trust whenever and wherever you can.
By getting the uncertainties out of the way and giving them every incentive to make the purchase, you’ll be able to tap into this demographic and, ultimately, improve your conversion rates.
[Recommended reading: 5 Ways To Successfully Retain Online Customers And Make Them Shop More]
[Image credits – Main Photo by Soulseeker from Pexels; Rookie shopper: Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels; Shoe shopper: Photo by Юлиана Маринина from Pexels; Shopping couple: Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels; other images, logos, graphics or videos are from their respective websites and/or social platforms.]
I am a professional web designer and inbound strategist for Grit PH. My goal? Come up with innovative ideas, create good art, and to travel all the best places in the Philippines. You can follow me on Twitter @easyvince