How Salesforce Merchants Can Optimize for Conversion

<p>Given that a whopping <a href="https://www.barilliance.com/10-reasons-shopping-cart-abandonment/#:~:text=The%20average%20eCommerce%20store%20loses,Target%2C%20Sephora%2C%20and%20more.">three out of four shopping carts</a> are abandoned, applying the right conversion strategies can make a huge impact in your company’s success. If the majority of shoppers are leaving your store without making a purchase, what is stopping them? For starters, the traditional checkout process requires customers to take too many complicated steps.&nbsp;</p><p>So, how can you optimize your customer's journey for conversion? The good news is by leveraging the power of Salesforce + Bolt, Salesforce merchants can unlock ways to convert new and existing customers.&nbsp;</p><p>Here are five ways for Salesforce merchants to optimize for conversion.&nbsp;</p><h3>Prioritize the mobile experience</h3><p>Mobile devices account for <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/806336/mobile-retail-commerce-share-worldwide/">72% of all Ecommerce sales</a> worldwide. Thus, prioritizing your mobile experience is key to ensuring conversion. <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/guides/elf-cosmetics-customer-journey/?d=cta-body-promo-330">Salesforce’s mobile-optimized</a> tools and seamless checkout experiences create a frictionless shopping experience across all devices. Bolt data found that a well-designed product flow on ecommerce websites can increase mobile completion rates double that of the industry average.</p><h3>Offer promo codes</h3><p>From the moment a shopper clicks into your ecommerce store, retailers <a href="https://www.bolt.com/thinkshop/build-brand-loyalty-webinar-overview">only have a few minutes</a> to get a shopper to complete a purchase. Salesforce merchants can increase conversion by offering benefits such as promo codes and loyalty programs early on in the shopping journey.&nbsp;</p><p>Most consumers expect to get a discount when shopping online. A <a href="https://intelligence.valassis.com/rs/275-QRU-089/images/valassis-consumer-intel-report.pdf">2020 study found that 72% of consumers</a> want to use coupons and discounts to save money, and 54% credit a promotion with helping spur an impulse buy. Offering the right promotion at the right moment can help build brand loyalty and bring shoppers back. Salesforce offers robust <a href="https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/commerce-api/references/coupons?meta=Summary">coupon capabilities</a> that can be tailored to fit your needs.&nbsp;</p><h3>Use trust symbols to reassure customers</h3><p>Building trust with new customers is one hurdle many merchants face. Salesforce merchants can use trust symbols that convince buyers not to worry. These can take a few different forms:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><ul><li><strong>Reviews and ratings. </strong>Solicit shopper reviews on notable platforms, objective media coverage, or reviews from existing well-known customers can help strengthen your credibility.&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Verified badges. </strong>Display symbols from big companies that shoppers already trust. 76% of customers are more likely to make purchases on a site with a safe checkout badge like Mastercard or Visa, or if they see their checkout is powered by a network they trust, such as Bolt.&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Alternate payment methods.</strong> Offer APMs like Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna, and PayPal,well-known brands that give shoppers more options, leading to a faster checkout. APMs also include services that make “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) an option.</li><li><strong>Testimonials.</strong> Add case studies and testimonials that provide proof of the product’s quality and effectiveness. TrustPilot found that <a href="https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/why-and-how-social-proof-influences-consumers#:~:text=An%20average%20of%20sixty%2Dsix,likelihood%20to%20purchase%20a%20product.&amp;text=Positive%20star%20ratings%20and%20reviews%20on%20a%20product%20page%20were,signals%20throughout%20the%20buying%20journey.">66% of customers</a> are more likely to buy a product if they see social proof.&nbsp;</li></ul><h3>Pay attention to analytics</h3><p>You can maximize conversion by closely analyzing how shoppers interact with your ecommerce store. Studying analytics by using <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/commerce-cloud/ecommerce/">Salesforce B2C dashboards</a>, you will understand your customers’ checkout journey. Dig into where shoppers are ending their journey without a purchase. From there, you can make adjustments accordingly.&nbsp;</p><p>For example, if there’s a high drop-off rate between adding to cart and finishing the conversion, improving the checkout process could be the key to unlocking more purchases. A common question you can answer with analytics is: What forms of payment are most popular on my site? Maybe you’re finding that your customers convert at a faster rate when you offer Alternative Payment Methods (APMs). You may want to consider adding more ways for shoppers to pay.</p><h3>Ensure a fast checkout process</h3><p>For every step in the shopping process, customers value speed. If their journey is slowed due to loading time, shoppers are more likely to abandon their checkout.&nbsp; Nearly 70% of shoppers said that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer. And every second matters.&nbsp;</p><p>In fact, increasing website speed by one-tenth of a second can lead to a 8.4% increase in conversion rates for retail sites. One way to speed up your checkout is by turning on Bolt. Bolt’s network includes trusted merchants offering the perfect checkout experience to tens of millions shoppers and growing. Using Bolt can lead to a 52% faster checkout.&nbsp;</p><p>The traditional checkout process involves multiple tedious steps: input shipping information, shipping preferences, billing information, add coupon codes, and confirmation. The more steps you add to the customer journey, the more likely shoppers are to abandon the checkout. With Bolt one-click checkout, Salesforce merchants can focus on waiting around and more on buying.<br><br><i><strong>Interested in adding Bolt One-Click Checkout to your Salesforce Commerce Cloud store? </strong></i><a href="http://bolt.com/salesforce"><i><strong>Sign up here to get started</strong></i></a><i><strong>.&nbsp;</strong></i></p>