10 must-have features to increase your sales

Are you running an online shop but struggling to increase your sales? While having a well-designed website and quality products is important, there are other essential features that can make all the difference in turning visitors into customers. In this article, we’ll explore the 10 must-have online shop features that can help you increase your sales, attract new customers, and build a loyal following. From personalized marketing to user-generated content, these features are proven to boost sales and drive revenue for online businesses. So, let’s dive in and discover how you can take your online shop to the next level!

In this article you will find:

• Fundamental requirements for every online business
• Customer Testimonials
• Variety of Payments
• Pop-ups
• Order Tracking
• Personalized Email Marketing
• Advanced Product Search, Filtring and Sorting
• Whishlist
• Live Chat Support
• Currency Converter
• Push Notifications
• Bonuses

But before we move on to the functionality, let’s take a closer look at the two fundamental requirements for every business.

Strong Value Proposition & Clear Target Audience

A value proposition is a critical component of any successful online shop. It’s a clear and concise statement that communicates the unique benefits and advantages that your products or services offer to customers. Your value proposition should be the first thing visitors see when they land on your website, and it should be prominently displayed throughout your site.

Understanding your target audience and what they are searching for in a product or service will help you develop a successful value offer. Your value proposition should highlight their challenges and demonstrate how your good or service may help them by satisfying their demands or resolving their issues.

Make sure your value proposition is compelling, brief, and perfectly clear while writing it. Use simple language that is easy to understand and avoid jargon or buzzwords. Focus on the benefits that your product or service provides, rather than just its features.

Your value proposition should be compelling enough to convince customers to choose your product over your competitors. It should be unique and memorable, setting you apart from other online shops in your niche. By creating a strong value proposition and making it a central part of your marketing strategy, you can attract more customers, increase your sales, and build a loyal following for your online shop.

Now that you have a simple and strong value proposition and a clear understanding of your target audience, it’s time to explore the essential online shop features that can help you increase sales and grow your business.

Customer Testimonials

Customer reviews are an essential part of any profitable online store. They provide social proof and help build trust with potential customers by showing that your products or services have satisfied previous customers. Positive reviews and testimonials can also help increase sales by providing valuable information about your product or service, addressing common questions or concerns, and highlighting key benefits.

Be sure that client testimonials are authentic and credible before using them. Using faked or false testimonials can harm your reputation and lose the trust of potential customers. Instead, concentrate on gathering sincere comments and evaluations from pleased clients.

Variety of Payments

Providing several payment methods makes it easier for customers to pay in a way that is convenient for them, which can increase sales and customer loyalty. It also allows you to reach customers in different parts of the world who may have different preferred payment methods. In addition, providing multiple payment options can help reduce cart abandonment rates, as customers are less likely to abandon their purchase if they have a payment method that they are comfortable using. It can also help improve the overall shopping experience for customers, as they are able to choose the payment method that they feel most secure and confident using. Finally, offering multiple payment options can help you stay competitive with other online shops that may offer similar products or services, as customers are more likely to choose a shop that offers the payment methods they prefer.

Most common payment methods: Debit/Credit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, local wallets, PayPal, cash on delivery, bank transfer.

Pop-ups

Pop-ups can significantly boost sales in internet stores. They can be applied in a number of ways to interact with customers and persuade them to buy. Pop-ups can be used in the following ways to increase sales:

• Collect email addresses and build list of subscribers for email campaigns;
• Offer discounts or promo codes to customers who may be hesitant to make purchase;
• Gather feedback about shopping experience to identify areas for improvement.

Order Tracking

Once a customer has placed an order, it’s natural for them to wonder when their purchase will arrive. Providing a simple and easy way for customers to check their order status can help alleviate their concerns and improve their overall shopping experience.

There are a few different ways that online shops can make it easy for customers to check their order status. One common approach is to provide a tracking number or link that customers can use to track their shipment. This can be included in a confirmation email or on the customer’s account page on the online shop’s website.

Another option is to provide real-time updates on the order status directly on the website. This can be done using a simple order tracking tool or plugin that displays the current status of the order, such as “processing”, “shipped”, or “delivered”. Customers can simply enter their order number or other identifying information to see the current status of their purchase.

Making it easy for customers to check their order status is important for a few different reasons. First, it can help reduce customer anxiety and improve their overall satisfaction with the shopping experience. Second, it can help reduce the number of customer service inquiries related to order status, freeing up time and resources for other tasks. Finally, it can help build trust and loyalty with customers, as they know that they can rely on the online shop to provide accurate and up-to-date information about their purchase.

Personalized Email Marketing

Personalized email marketing involves sending targeted emails to specific groups of customers based on their behavior or preferences. This can help increase sales by providing customers with relevant and timely offers. Some ways to implement personalized email marketing include:

• Sending abandoned cart emails with personalized product recommendations;
• Segmenting your email list by customer demographics or purchase history;
• Sending personalized offers or promotions based on customer behavior or preferences.

Advanced Product Search, Filtring and Sorting

Improved product filtering, sorting, and search, enhance the browsing experience for customers and increase sales. They give consumers more options for product discovery, boosting both the possibility of a sale and customer satisfaction.

Advanced product search is allowing customers to find products quickly and easily through a search bar that reduces time and effort. This improves the shopping experience and reduces cart abandonment due to frustration to the customer’s inability to find a desired product.

Similarly, advanced filtering and sorting options can help customers to find products that match their specific needs and preferences by allowing them to filter products based on criteria such as price, color, size, and other features.

Whishlist

The next powerfull functionality is the whislist. One way that wishlists can increase sales is by creating a sense of anticipation and desire for the products on the list. When a customer saves a product to their wishlist, they are indicating that they are interested in the item and may be more likely to purchase it in the future. By sending notifications or reminders to customers about items on their wishlist, online shops can encourage customers to come back and make a purchase.

Another way that wishlists can increase sales is by providing valuable data and insights about customer preferences. Online stores can learn which products are most popular and which products are most likely to result in sales by monitoring which items are added to wishlists and how often they are viewed. Then, using this data, businesses can design focused marketing campaigns, increase overall sales performance, and optimize product listings.

Live Chat Support

Live chat support is a great way to provide real-time customer service to your website visitors. By adding a live chat widget to your website, you can provide instant support to your customers, answer their questions, and help them find the products they’re looking for. This can help improve customer satisfaction and increase the likelihood of making a sale.

Moreover, live chat support can also help you gather valuable feedback from your customers. By interacting with your customers through live chat, you can get a better understanding of their needs and pain points. This can help you identify areas where your business can improve and make adjustments to your products or services accordingly. Additionally, by providing excellent customer service through live chat, you can build a loyal customer base that is more likely to return to your website in the future and recommend your business to others. In today’s highly competitive e-commerce market, providing exceptional customer service can be a key differentiator that sets your business apart from the rest.

Here are some tips for making the most of live chat support:

• Make sure you have a dedicated team to handle live chat support. You want to be able to respond quickly and efficiently to customer inquiries.
• Train your support team to be knowledgeable about your products and services so they can provide accurate and helpful information to customers.
• Use proactive chat invitations to engage customers who are browsing your website. This can help guide them towards making a purchase.

Currency Converter

If you sell products to customers in different countries, a currency converter can help improve sales by making it easier for customers to understand how much they’ll pay. By displaying prices in the customer’s local currency, you can help reduce confusion and increase trust.

How you can use it effectively? Make sure your currency converter is accurate and up-to-date. Display prices in both the local currency and the currency of your home country, and don’t forget to test it on all devices and browsers to make sure it works correctly.

Push Notifications

Push notifications are the next-best method for gaining subscribers from visitors to your e-commerce site.

Visitors can subscribe to your most recent updates via push notification systems in their browsers.

You can send a message to subscribers to let them know about your promotion, and it will be delivered to their notification center through their browser.

BONUS:

Promo codes or gifts on segnificant steps

Offering promo codes can be a great way to incentivize customers to register, subscribe or make a purchase. By offering a discount or special offer, you can create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to take action.

Here are three ideas you can steal to boost your sales and loyal customers through promo codes:

• Offer promo code for first order and ask for registration;
• Offer promo code when people reach some customer level to boost loyalty;
• Give promo code for free shipping.

Bundles

Offering several things at a bargain is known as bundling. A smartphone, case, and power bank, for instance, might all be combined and sold at a reduced price.

Offering bundle discounts as a part of a campaign or sale, or including them throughout the checkout process, is a great move. This may raise the typical order value and lower the rate of cart abandonment. It’s comparable to a restaurant presenting a special offer or package deal at the conclusion of a dinner. Customers are encouraged to spend a little bit more, which could increase the business’s overall sales.

Cross-selling & Upselling

Cross-selling is the practice of offering complementary products to customers who have already purchased something from you, while upselling is offering an upgraded or higher-priced version of a product to a customer who is already interested in buying. For example, if someone buys a camera, you could recommend a camera case, extra batteries, or a memory card – this is cross-selling. And if someone is considering a basic laptop, you could recommend a more powerful model with better features – upselling.

Some ways to implement cross-selling include:

• “Frequently bought together” suggestions on product pages;
• “Customers who bought this also bought” recommendations on product pages or checkout pages;
• Post-purchase emails or order confirmation pages with cross-selling suggestions.

And a fiew for upselling:

• Highlighting premium or higher-priced options on product pages;
• Offering add-ons or upgrades during the checkout process;
• Personalized recommendations based on customer browsing and purchase history.