We love to shop online, especially from our mobile devices. This year’s Cyber Monday set a new online record at $3.45 billion, 12.1% more than last year’s online holiday shopping day, reports USA Today. Of this figure, consumers spent $1.07 billion making purchases from their tablets and smartphones, 34% more than they did last year.
These figures indicate that if you have an eCommerce component on your spa or massage practice website, you want to be sure the experience captures its potential in sales. (If you don’t offer retail products through your website, it might be time to start thinking about doing so.). Considering the propensity to shop from mobile devices, the first thing you want to do is make sure your website is mobile-friendly. If a page too long to load, buyers won’t stick around. Design the user interface (UI) so that it requires as few taps as possible to get the needed information. Also, make sure all the buttons and calls to action are large enough so that that they are easy to find and “tap.”
Focus on visual content more than words to make it easier for consumers to get information about what they need while they are “on the go.”
Guide the customer
Whether the site is traditional or optimized for mobile, it should guide the visitor to interesting products. They don’t get lost looking for what they want or distracted by other options and lose sight of their original purchasing goal.
Make it easy for customers to get the information they need by providing sufficient product information or a frequently-asked-questions section. Your site's phone number should also be obvious if someone has a question that can’t be answered online. Even better, provide live chat to answer questions about your spa or massage practice and products.
Drive customers to buy
Some clients may put off retail purchases until a visit, so try to get them to replenish supplies or even try new products without coming into your spa or massage practice. Promote your eCommerce offerings through social media and email marketing to drive more traffic to the purchasing site. Also, offer online specials of popular retail products so that clients and prospects have an incentive to visit your site to see the latest deals.
Other ways to boost online sales
- Feature product specials and sales prominently on your homepage with a link to a landing page and a call to action.
- Offer free shipping for a minimum order.
- Create seasonal bundles of products, as appropriate
- Use product badges to indicate when something is new or “recommended just for you.”
- Collect contact information and use it for future mailings but emphasize that you are ensuring the client’s privacy and not making the information available to anyone else
Even after you’ve updated or enhanced your website to make the shopping experience more friendly, test it out. Try buying or signing up to receive future information and see if there are areas that can be improved.
Your clients are online so make sure that you are too making it easy for them to purchase the retail products they have come to depend on for maintenance in-between visits.