Have you ever wandered into a grocery store and then realized it’s not where you want to be?
Probably not. You had to drive to the location, drive in to the parking lot, find a parking spot and then walk inside. And, if you do walk out, it’s because it was too busy for your schedule or lacking variety of product on the shelves rather than being in the wrong place.
That’s the funny thing about grocery stores, once you’ve entered their doors they know they have you. Why? Because, unlike convenience stores, it’s a destination location – you’ve spent time and resources into getting there and you’re looking for a return on that investment.
If your website traffic is good but your bounce rate is high – meaning people come and then immediately leave – then you’ve probably organized yourself like a convenience store rather than a destination location. And, there’s a place for convenience stores – low margin, high volume items where people demand best price over quality and service.
But, in our experience, most on-line businesses are promoting more than just candy, cigarettes and sodas – they’re promoting value-added services, world-class products and personalized relationships. Visitors to these sites – real prospects – want to walk around and see not only what you do but how you do it. They want to find a reason to do business with you because they’re not interested in wasting any more time than they have to.
There’s a science to the grocery store – meat and bread, the big sellers, are always at the back so that you’re forced to walk through the aisles.
You create and control traffic direction by putting the coolers and freezers where you want customers to end their travels. Additional revenues are generated by auctioning off shelf space to suppliers and premiums are paid for eye level locations for both adults and children (both walking and sitting in carts).
Your website is not a convenience store – people come there to walk around and take in all that you have to offer. They want depth and variety of product. They want to explore and learn. They want to be inspired to think differently about the same foods that they prepare over and over again. So, give it to them.
Configure your website like a grocery store – merchandising and promotions up front, a flyer of what’s new and exciting as they walk in. Then, divide it into categories and direct traffic to the far back forcing people through the aisles. Group your products and services into good, better and best – similar to prepackaged, fresh and organic. Make it easy for people who want to pay more for better quality to understand the differences quickly.
And, make ordering fast and painless – online check out, no-risk return policy, and secure payment processing.
DIT has worked with some of the world’s best on-line sellers to organize and present website content that attracts and gains the trust of high-value, repeat customers. Call DIT, first, with your ideas or questions about reworking or current website or launching a new one.
Digital Ink Technologies | (905) 209-9079 | solutions@ditcanada.com