How to improve conversion rates on high-value items

Selling high value items online can be hugely profitable for businesses – but it can also be a challenge. Naturally, the more expensive the item, the harder it is to convince a customer that they need to make the purchase, and (even harder) to convince to make that purchase from your store.

You need to be doing everything you can, then, to make your store the most attractive place to buy a high value item. In short, you need to improve your ability to convert. And you might think that this is as simple as offering a great price and a fantastic service, but it is about so much more than that.
Here we take a closer look at how you can improve conversion rates when selling high-value items on your ecommerce site.

Improve informational content for mobile pages

For high-value items, customers will typically take an average of 68 days doing research before they are ready to complete their purchase. This shows us something very important – making conversions is about much more than just the moment the customer clicks ‘add to basket’. There is a great deal of build-up to get to that point.

It is also interesting to note that when people carry out research on products, they are actually more likely to do it on their mobile devices. So, optimising informational content for a page on a desktop screen isn’t actually your best bet. There is some evidence to suggest that customers are still more comfortable making purchases on desktops and laptops than they are on handheld devices, however, the majority of internet traffic is now from mobiles and tablets.

Optimise the call to action button

Just as we have stated that it can be important to remember that there is more to a sale than the final click, it is still important to do everything you can with regards to the optimisation of the product page itself. This is something that can be done through A-B testing to find out the best available option.

“We rigorously test our CTA buttons,” says Steven Joy, Director at Golf Swing Systems “on expnensive products it is surprising how much of a difference can be made by simply changing the colour of the button from green to orange, or by changing the wording just slightly”.

Limit the choice available

Many ecommerce sites believe that the best way to sell is to give customers as much choice as possible – but this isn’t always wise with very high end items. Having a lot of choice gives customers a good selection, but it also makes it harder for them to pick out what they are going to buy.

There’s a reason that Apple brings out its iPhones in such a limited range of colours: it gives customers less to decide on. Having to make a decision takes time, and can eventually lead to someone rethinking a purchase. So while it might seem like a benefit to have a large variety of options available, it isn’t necessarily a positive.

Use a broader range of content

It’s a great idea to use a variety of different types of content on the page in order to appeal to as many customers as possible. Some will be looking for a fast overview of the key details of the product, others will want in depth descriptive details.

It can also be hugely beneficial to use supplemental content such as videos and a wide range of photos in order to give the customer as much context and information as possible. This can be an extremely valuable way to set up your page to convert.

Final thoughts

Selling just a small number of high value items can be extremely valuable for your busines, so if you can make even a small difference to your ability to convert, it can pay dividends. Perhaps most important is to note that you need to establish what works for you and your website – some things that are extremely effectively for some, will be not be quite the same for others.

The techniques above have been shown to work as ways to improve conversions on high value items, so they are worth trying.  To learn more, check out this CRO Guide.