Increasing Browser Conversion Rates through Personalized Online Shopping

By  Rolf Elmér, CEO, Avail Intelligence
The advent of online shopping brought an entirely new dynamic to consumerism. The novelty of this retail channel and the convenience of shopping from home excited consumers. Through the steady evolution of e-commerce, customers have demanded more competitive prices and incentives, and retailers have worked to accommodate these needs. Having satisfied those requests years ago, today's savvy consumer now requires richer shopping experiences fueled by personalized treatment and individualized care.

Here are six tips for online merchants seeking ways to increase browser conversion rates:

1. Deploy a system that offers relevant landing pages for individual searches.
Landing page optimization is a unique strategy used to increase Web site traffic. The number of sales that originate via external search engines such as Google, MSN and Yahoo! grows everyday. Designed to immediately direct consumers to the landing page of the product being searched, versus the homepage to the entire site, the technology presents the products and services most likely to appeal to a consumer. For example, searches for 'Harry Potter,' will bring shoppers directly to the pages where books and merchandise for this franchise can be purchased versus a homepage that requires a visual search through offerings of various music and books and the latest 'must-have' products.

Online retailers are only too familiar with the pain of losing consumers' interest if they cannot quickly find what they are looking for. Web sites that offer automated personalization for search inquiries are wisely leveraging social behavioral merchandizing and are the best equipped to maximize the value of online visitor traffic.

2. Generate real-time product recommendations based on personal buying behaviors.
Each shopper provides retailers with the information needed to accurately offer real-time predictive recommendations. For example, click patterns, searches conducted and products purchased are all implicit actions performed by consumers. In conjunction, explicit actions, such as, basket content, click stream and collaborative search results supply the material needed to create behavioral data sets. Through intelligent sorting of this information, the system provides customers with personalized, real-time suggestions, assisting them in finding the products, services and promotions that best fit their needs.

3. Facilitate personal interactions and recommendations.
Web 2.0 and social networking have made online shopping a more communal activity. As such, shoppers have come to rely on product reviews from other consumers. In fact, a recent survey from Avail Intelligence reveals that 42 percent of the shoppers polled seek a high volume of positive reviews when making their purchasing decisions. Offering advanced interactions such as inviting peers to view personal gift lists for the holidays, birthdays, etc. will encourage friends and family to become customers themselves.

4. Use reviews and Q&A to reduce returns and call center workload.
Empowering Web sites with features like ratings, reviews and live chat or question and answer functionality, empowers customers to take an active role in the shopping process. This limits the chances that consumers receive products that do not meet their expectations, thereby reducing both returns and the number of calls made to the call center.

5. Tailor e-mail newsletters to personal buying behavior.
Don't spam customers with items and news that does not fit with what they have shown to fit their needs and interests. Be sure to use previous buying behaviors to structure communications. Targeting newsletters towards a shopper's specific habits ensures consumers receive relevant information, increasing the chances that they will become repeat customers.

6. Enable mobile content.
Today, online shopping does not necessarily only happen in front of a computer. More and more people utilize mobile devices for on the run shopping. Web sites that work properly on mobile devices are sure to become a favored site with harried individuals seeking fast and simple shopping solutions.

Dr. Rolf Elmer was appointed CEO of Avail Intelligence on September 1, 2006, after serving as a non-executive member of the board since the company's inception in 2001. Rolf has previously held positions as the CEO of Carl Bro Energy and managing director of Sigma Exallon AB after several years as a management consultant at Accenture.