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I have a topic that I haven’t been able to find here, and would like everyone’s ideas that they have used which work. I don’t want to hear about advertising on other websites or pay per clicks. Not even about having more inbound links will help your sales.
I want to hear about website tricks that relate to sales that are on your website. For example: $19.95 is much cheaper then $20.00, or having by the item price “SALE” in red and bold.
I would like to hear of marketing tricks that are done on your website that you feel are helping to increase your sales. Maybe we can learn a few new tricks from each other.
I’ll start. I have found that once someone wants to buy one of our products that we can charge an extra $1.00 more then we need to in shipping. For example: I have a product that cost me $2.40 to ship including packaging. But I charge $6.95 for shipping and handling. It only takes me 4 minutes to get it ready for shipping. Keep in mind that I still have to take it to the post office and that cost me in time and gas, but if you take 10 packages or more each trip, then the trip is well worth it. Especially if I have to go to the post office to check our P.O. box anyway.
I want to hear tricks that you have learned.
In this case I'm referring to an affiliate based site (the site is an info site), but I think it relates well enough.
So I have two merchants, one with a more expensive product and one with the same chaper. The cheaper one pays more commission so I end up getting the same. What should I do:
A: Only displlay the cheaper one, in the hope hte price will sell.
B: Only show the more expensive one, perhaps it'S a fancier site and will sell better.
or C: Show both next to each other with price and let my visitor choose, since I get commission either way.
I've always tried to go with C and give 2 or more choices. Question is, am I perhaps loosign customers because they ahve too much choice and don'T buy ion the end?
SN
It has been shown in supermarkets and other places if people normally buy 1 or 2 and they put a sign with a limit of 4 per customer people will buy 4.
this depends on the product you are selling. The funeral industry has not figured out how to get past the one customer point.
Limited time offer.
Stores have used sales flyers and in store sales to drive impulse buying. (can't compare, have to buy now while on sale).
Amazon has taken this to the next level with thier gold box. they give you one chance to review the day's specials. if you click on past a special there is no way to go back and the deal is lost to you forever. They are definite go after the impulse buyers.
iow: don't lie.
"Prices going up soon. Order now for big savings!"
"Lower prices only for next 24 hours"
"Free shipping on all orders over $100!" or "Free gift on all orders over $100"
This last one is basically to convert $80-$90 sale into $100+ sale and it works. Remember gift has to be something that is shipped to the customer along with the items that they bought. Free downloadable ebooks simply don't help/work.
Should still use Good Product?
Time-limited offers create urgency in the prospect and force them to either A)buy the product before the special runs out or B)forget about getting it ever(because no one wants to buy it later when its more expensive!) and often they can't decide to 'forget it' so they buy it.
Whatever the reasoning behind it, limited-time offers definitely work. Use them every chance you get, even if you have to raise some regular prices so that the 'limited time sale price' is a price you can accept.
marketing tricks that are done on your website
Perhaps you are not looking for the right info.
What you've described are sales tricks, not marketing.
Marketing ends when a visitor gets to your site. From that moment, it's all sales.
You can find tons of info on sales. Look for direct mail tips, those (adjusted for the web) are the most valuable tool.
#1: Cross-sell, cross-sell, cross-sell. The hard part is getting a new customer, once they decide to buy, offering them MANY supplemental products and they will likely buy them. This is an easy way to turn a $20 sale into a $50 sale.
#2: Buy 2, Get 1 Free. If you sell a product that would allow you to give one away free, offer it free if they buy two. Many people will.
#3: Use a javascript date script. Such as "Order by midnight 'todays date' and we'll guarantee you the low price of $XX." Or... "Hurry! Order now. We will be raising our price to $XX after midnight 'todays date'."
#4: Sell an online membership. If you sell a product, offer the customer a lifetime access to an online membership for $10 or so. Alot of people who buy it.
Those are a few tricks I use. Let's keep the good ideas coming....
-Tom
We do pretty good on our sells and the first trick you listed we already do up to a point, but I really like the second trick of "buy 2 and get 1 free". I think I will try that one on our website for some of our products.
Thanks for the good tip!
Cygnusx1
However, she got the idea to add a RFQ link next to every item they offer and their requests have gone up about 45% in the first month.
Also, at the grocery store I see a lot of promos that read 2 for $2 or 2 for $4... I've caught myself often picking up the 2 items. When in reality the items are really 1 for $1 or 1 for $2...
But by having the sign there it makes you think that you only get that price if you purchase 2 units of the item...
After a customer has selected a product for purchase, suggest a supplement or related item they may like. We keep these impulse items under $5 (kind of like the chocolate bars in the grocery line..LOL). I usually tell them if the buy the impulse item, they will get something free. Ususally an e-book, but that's our market.
Test out some ideas and watch the responses. Good luck!
He said that his sign-ups for his email newsletter went up 35% when he added the following words near his submit button:(I'm paraphrasing a little, I think)
"Privacy Policy: We do not sell, rent, or trade your email address with anyone. Period."
Up to date testimonials with customer e-mails address (with permission of course!) work very well for me. Not Hotmail, Yahoo etc but proper ones, I have had potential customers contact previous customers and they have given us glowing reviews and then they used our service.
To reduce these follow up the sale with an email, a little after the product arrives and congradulate the buyer for his/her wise product choice (lay it on as thick as you like). This helps reduce the dreaded "buyers remorse", that feeling those impulse buyers get when the product arrives. They think, "ya know I should have bought food for the kids instead of this designer scarf, being it's summer and all." <-- we don't want that. Also include links to your faqs and/or support pages to help ensure they don't think your product is broken and send it back, when really they just had to put the batteries in.
Also be proactive and ask if the product is what they expected and if there were any problems. This shows that you care and that your a responsible seller. The buyer will spread good word of mouth about you and buy again.
Mktman
Where in a brick and mortar setting you may only have one company selling the product, on the internet you have alot of competitors.
In my opinon here are the things that count most.
1) A well designed site with a easy to use Shopping cart
2) Price Price Price. You have to be the cheapest and it has to be listed near the product. People hate to have to call to get a price.
3) Visible phone number listed on every page.
4) Someone to answer the phone whenever it rings.
Online advertising is difficult in that it is hard to create a since of urgency. Most people will honor their competitors pricing. Even if there is a time limit.
Nothing takes higher presidence over Quality and pricing.
Also--and I can't stress this enough:
Benefits!
You have to tell people why the thing that you are selling will positively impact their life. Don't tell them what a thing does, tell them what they will get out of what that thing does.
Example: If you are selling them a car, you can certainly tell them that it has dual overhead cams, but what will sell them is if you paint a picture of the car letting them go REALLY FAST!
That is what makes the sale.
We use GeoIP to detect the customer's country and post messages next to items like
"Shipping charges to Australia is only U$2.99" (If the customer's IP resolves
to Australia)
Our International sales went up by 20% after this.
BTW, Anybody know of a good book published on this topic?
