I\u2019ve gathered up 4 low-tech strategies, tools, and techniques you can use to boost your store\u2019s sales.<\/p>\n
1. Customer chat box<\/strong><\/h2>\nOne of the great, recent additions on all kinds of\u00a0websites is live chat. Live chat has a lot of benefits that can really help you understand your customers and your site as a whole. Live chat has also come a long way in the last few years. Before, it was clunky with a bad user experience, usually requiring a pop-up window and a lot of information from the site visitor. Now they\u2019re dynamic, persist on every page, and your visitor just starts typing their questions immediately.<\/p>\n
Why you should use site chat:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- They give your site a \u201clive\u201d presence so your visitors have the feeling that actual people work there<\/li>\n
- Interact with new customers that may not be familiar with your offerings (works best with unique products that need explaining)<\/li>\n
- Discover\u00a0opportunities to improve your\u00a0site\u2019s content. If people keep asking you the same questions over and over, perhaps that information could be put front and center when people land on your homepage.<\/li>\n
- Take messages from visitors when you\u2019re away, which are potential warm leads for sales you may not have gotten otherwise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Where to get it:<\/strong><\/p>\nThere are a lot of live chat offerings with the two most popular services being Olark<\/a> and Zopim<\/a>. Both are great chat software clients and both have free plans that can be used to see if they are a good fit for your business. Popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Bigcommerce have apps dedicated to adding these services to your site, so installing them can be\u00a0as simple as a one-click install and creating an account.<\/p>\n 2. First-time visitor incentive coupon<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen someone visits your site for the first time, it suggests some level\u00a0of intent to purchase something from your site. Every bit of research out there about first-time visitors to a site shows that their attention span is extremely low. On top of a low attention span, the vast majority of first time visitors don\u2019t make a purchase.<\/p>\n
You need to sweeten the pot for a first-time visitor so they do in fact, make a purchase. The easiest way to accomplish that is simple: give them a discount! Very few things will get them excited about a purchase like that, and with new-visitor discounts, you can choose to have them opt in to do certain actions, depending on what you think works best.<\/p>\n
Opt-in commitment for first-time visitor pop-ins:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Be a new customer (generic coupon, usually validated by address) \u2013 no commitment<\/li>\n
- Like on Facebook\/Twitter\/social media site of choice to retrieve new customer coupon<\/li>\n
- Enter email address to receive a first-time coupon (and also sign up for newsletter\u2026)<\/li>\n
- Any combination of the above<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Clearly, the greater the commitment you require for your first-time visitor pop-in, the fewer people will opt in. Make sure whatever information you want to gather from visitors is worth it, or you could be missing out on sales and even repeat purchases. Personally, I have\u00a0seen a lot of success with sites offering a coupon code for joining their newsletter featuring new products.<\/p>\n
One great example of these tactics in use is from online clothes retailer Caralase<\/a>. First-time visitors get a simple pop-in for a 10% discount if you sign up for their newsletter:<\/p>\n![\"Caralase](\"https:\/\/shippingeasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Caralase_Newsletter_Signup_Discount.png\")
<\/p>\n
And the top navigation of their site offers another 10% discount if you Like their Facebook page:<\/p>\n
![\"Facebook](\"https:\/\/shippingeasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Facebook_Like_incentive_Caralase.png\")
<\/p>\n
Why you should use first-time visitor coupon pop-ins:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- The attention span of first-time users is short, have them focus on a good deal<\/li>\n
- Most people don\u2019t purchase on their first visit, send them the coupon through email so they can refer back to it (and if you sign them up for a newsletter, they can keep up with your store offerings)<\/li>\n
- Getting new visitors to purchase is hard, this is one extra push to boost sales<\/li>\n
- People aren\u2019t as bothered by pop-ins as it is commonly believed. As long as they are relevant, useful, and easy to bypass, you\u2019ll gain more from them than lose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Where to get a pop-in form:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Use your store platform\u2019s app store to find an app to provide that function, the Shopify app store has popular apps like Better Coupon Box<\/a>, WisePops<\/a>, Pop-Up Window<\/a> and Coupon Pop<\/a>. Read about their functionality and some reviews to get an idea of which sounds best for you.<\/li>\n
- Just about every e-commerce platform will have an app store with a variety of these kinds of apps. Go to your platform\u2019s specific page and see their offerings, otherwise, you might have to do some hunting on Google.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3. Send your existing customers a follow-up coupon<\/strong><\/h2>\nThere is a common rule in business you\u2019ll hear repeated over and over again: It\u2019s cheaper to sell to an existing customer than to get a new one. If you make a sale and get a customer, don\u2019t just rely on them making new purchases from your newsletters and repeated site visits, give them an incentive every once in a while.<\/p>\n
A coupon to an existing customer is especially useful to have a customer make a second purchase to get them in a cycle of buying from your site.<\/p>\n
Why you should send your existing customers the occasional coupon:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Remind your customers about your store, products, and new season merchandise<\/li>\n
- Give them an incentive to come back NOW \u2013 an effective way to trigger a purchase<\/li>\n
- Reward your existing customer base with a reason to come back instead of fighting for new business<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- They give your site a \u201clive\u201d presence so your visitors have the feeling that actual people work there<\/li>\n
- Interact with new customers that may not be familiar with your offerings (works best with unique products that need explaining)<\/li>\n
- Discover\u00a0opportunities to improve your\u00a0site\u2019s content. If people keep asking you the same questions over and over, perhaps that information could be put front and center when people land on your homepage.<\/li>\n
- Take messages from visitors when you\u2019re away, which are potential warm leads for sales you may not have gotten otherwise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Where to get it:<\/strong><\/p>\n
There are a lot of live chat offerings with the two most popular services being Olark<\/a> and Zopim<\/a>. Both are great chat software clients and both have free plans that can be used to see if they are a good fit for your business. Popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Bigcommerce have apps dedicated to adding these services to your site, so installing them can be\u00a0as simple as a one-click install and creating an account.<\/p>\n
2. First-time visitor incentive coupon<\/strong><\/h2>\n
When someone visits your site for the first time, it suggests some level\u00a0of intent to purchase something from your site. Every bit of research out there about first-time visitors to a site shows that their attention span is extremely low. On top of a low attention span, the vast majority of first time visitors don\u2019t make a purchase.<\/p>\n
You need to sweeten the pot for a first-time visitor so they do in fact, make a purchase. The easiest way to accomplish that is simple: give them a discount! Very few things will get them excited about a purchase like that, and with new-visitor discounts, you can choose to have them opt in to do certain actions, depending on what you think works best.<\/p>\n
Opt-in commitment for first-time visitor pop-ins:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Be a new customer (generic coupon, usually validated by address) \u2013 no commitment<\/li>\n
- Like on Facebook\/Twitter\/social media site of choice to retrieve new customer coupon<\/li>\n
- Enter email address to receive a first-time coupon (and also sign up for newsletter\u2026)<\/li>\n
- Any combination of the above<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Clearly, the greater the commitment you require for your first-time visitor pop-in, the fewer people will opt in. Make sure whatever information you want to gather from visitors is worth it, or you could be missing out on sales and even repeat purchases. Personally, I have\u00a0seen a lot of success with sites offering a coupon code for joining their newsletter featuring new products.<\/p>\n
One great example of these tactics in use is from online clothes retailer Caralase<\/a>. First-time visitors get a simple pop-in for a 10% discount if you sign up for their newsletter:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nAnd the top navigation of their site offers another 10% discount if you Like their Facebook page:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nWhy you should use first-time visitor coupon pop-ins:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- The attention span of first-time users is short, have them focus on a good deal<\/li>\n
- Most people don\u2019t purchase on their first visit, send them the coupon through email so they can refer back to it (and if you sign them up for a newsletter, they can keep up with your store offerings)<\/li>\n
- Getting new visitors to purchase is hard, this is one extra push to boost sales<\/li>\n
- People aren\u2019t as bothered by pop-ins as it is commonly believed. As long as they are relevant, useful, and easy to bypass, you\u2019ll gain more from them than lose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Where to get a pop-in form:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Use your store platform\u2019s app store to find an app to provide that function, the Shopify app store has popular apps like Better Coupon Box<\/a>, WisePops<\/a>, Pop-Up Window<\/a> and Coupon Pop<\/a>. Read about their functionality and some reviews to get an idea of which sounds best for you.<\/li>\n
- Just about every e-commerce platform will have an app store with a variety of these kinds of apps. Go to your platform\u2019s specific page and see their offerings, otherwise, you might have to do some hunting on Google.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3. Send your existing customers a follow-up coupon<\/strong><\/h2>\n
There is a common rule in business you\u2019ll hear repeated over and over again: It\u2019s cheaper to sell to an existing customer than to get a new one. If you make a sale and get a customer, don\u2019t just rely on them making new purchases from your newsletters and repeated site visits, give them an incentive every once in a while.<\/p>\n
A coupon to an existing customer is especially useful to have a customer make a second purchase to get them in a cycle of buying from your site.<\/p>\n
Why you should send your existing customers the occasional coupon:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Remind your customers about your store, products, and new season merchandise<\/li>\n
- Give them an incentive to come back NOW \u2013 an effective way to trigger a purchase<\/li>\n
- Reward your existing customer base with a reason to come back instead of fighting for new business<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Just about every e-commerce platform will have an app store with a variety of these kinds of apps. Go to your platform\u2019s specific page and see their offerings, otherwise, you might have to do some hunting on Google.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Use your store platform\u2019s app store to find an app to provide that function, the Shopify app store has popular apps like Better Coupon Box<\/a>, WisePops<\/a>, Pop-Up Window<\/a> and Coupon Pop<\/a>. Read about their functionality and some reviews to get an idea of which sounds best for you.<\/li>\n