In our last newsletter we warned you - LESS
THAN FOUR MONTHS UNTIL THE HOLIDAY SEASON – Well the news hasn't
gotten any better - LESS THAN THREE MONTHS TO
GO – Take a look at our list of "10 WAYS TO LOSE A
SALE" and make sure you are ready!
10
WAYS TO LOSE A SALE
1. Your potential customer is in your site, but it looks
unprofessional. The colors are cold but you are selling baby clothes, the
colors are warm but you are selling tools. A professionally designed site
with a color scheme to match your products will make your customers feel
comfortable and eager to explore more of your site.
2. They can't find the product they want. They have searched online for
a specific product and now they are in your store and they have no idea where to
find that product. Make sure your site is easy to navigate. Provide
a clear, well thought out navigation that makes it easy to find any product on
your site. Provide a "Search Box". Is your product
price or brand sensitive? Will your customers choose your product based on
how much they are willing to spend or are they Brand Loyal. Be sure to
provide "Shop By Price" or "Shop By Brand" Features that
will make it easier to find your products.
3. Not enough images of the product on your site. If your product is
visually appealing or needs multiple views to show the detail, provide more
images. Make sure you can "Click to Enlarge" so your customers
can see the details.
4. Is there so much information on one page, they don't know how to
"Buy"? If your product is complicated with multiple options or
quantity discounts, provide an order information table that makes it easy to
understand exactly what your customer is getting at the exact price they are
buying.
5. Your customer service pages are not current. Review these pages at
least once a month. If you have changed your policies regarding discounts,
returns, contact information, or shipping, be sure your customer service
pages reflect those changes. Have you looked at your Stastistics
Section of your Store Control Panel? Your Customer Service Pages are often
in the top ten pages of your Page Views. The information contained on
these pages is critical to your customer so make sure it is critical to you!
6. Does your Shopping Cart match your Shipping Policy? If you say
you offer UPS Air, is that one of the choices in the Shopping Cart? Free
Shipping after buying a specific amount is a great offer but if your Shopping
Cart still charges Shipping, you just lost the sale.
7. Can you be trusted with Credit Card information? This is one of the
most sensitive areas for online buying. The news is often filled with
stories of sites that have been hacked lately. Yahoo! offers a secure
Shopping Cart but do your customers know this? If your competitors list
Security features such as Better Business Bureau or HackerSafe, do you?
8. If your customer has questions during or after the sale will you be easy
to contact? Have you provided a toll free number? Is it listed on
every page? List not only a department to call, but also a name - Contact
Joe for Sales, Susan for Orders. If Joe and Susan are both you, then tell
your customer if there are any questions or concerns - Call me - I am the
Owner! If you are missing calls or can't provide a contact person during
business hours, be sure you provide a recorded message that says when you will
answer requests for information and then be sure you do!
9. Are you only selling one item at a time? Make it easier for your
customer to buy two items or cross-sells for your product. List Related
Items, Customers Have Also Purchased, Our Most Popular Item. Or offer a
Shipping Policy that rewards buying more than one item.
10. And lastly, have you provided content, content, content? We
stress content all the time for search engine optimization but it is your
customer who reads this information before they click
"Buy". Provide excellent and unique content that describes
the product with:
-
WHO uses the product
-
WHAT is the product
-
WHERE can the product be used
-
WHEN is the product needed
-
HOW can the product improve their
lifestyle
Use Bullet points when you can so important information can be scanned
quickly. Then provide a "Call to Action" using verbs.
"If you want a unique gift for your wine lover, look
at our great selection" "Don't buy one, buy
two" "Call if
you need any information". Use formatting such as bold or underline
for important words.
And our Pre-Holiday gift to you - Call us for a free review of your site to
be sure you are ready! We will look at your site and suggest features
that can increase your Conversion Rates!
Call Today for your
Free Review!
| 
Level 1 - Overnight Success
We
have started our online course called Yahoo! Store Editor 101.
The main focus of this course is to help you move around within the Yahoo! Store
Editor. Subjects covered include adding products, adding sections, and moving
things around, etc. The class is short and sweet and we are now offering this
course free of charge to our customers. All that we ask is that at the
end of your course, provide us with some feedback. Was the course easy or too
hard? Did we explain things in ways that made sense or were you lost? Let us
know how we did! We are asking you to grade us! Send your comments to
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