Skip to main content
Blog eCommerce

How To Increase eCommerce Sales 2021 – Marketing Psychology 

Revathi T
January 29, 2021 |
increase ecommerce sales in 2022

The eCommerce business is continually evolving. Thus having a strategy in place could be impactful for boosting our 2021 year sales and drawing new clients for the eCommerce business and look at new ways to increase eCommerce sales. 

For example, most of the eCommerce stores would like to present products on-site, attract users to purchase, and process payment, right? Well, let’s just say it isn’t easy as it sounds. 

To meet our objective, we got put in a lot of work, particularly in the case of attempting to build and grow our business. However, sometimes businesses lose sight of the significant things and spend days making an ideal store just to see a dip in sales. What genuinely fuels our store is sales, and it should be the heart of our business goal. Attracting traffic to stores could bring sales and then sales itself brings more sales again, like a virtuous cycle.

Apparently insignificant things could annoy a user in their buying journey. Thankfully we marketers test these things, again and again, to make sure what’s working and what needs to change. These design changes persuade clients to purchase.

Research conducted by Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, says that about 95% of clients’ buying decisions are led by the subconscious mind.

Neuropsychologists have also proved that when buyers find a good opportunity they produce positive emotions. As a result, the brain automates to take any action or decision to seek fulfillment. 

Hence we marketers carefully evaluate the website structure and designs to create a design that acts as a direct selling tool. By understanding users’ behaviors and actions, we use marketing strategies and psychological triggers that influence users to take the desired action. Now that you know website design can persuade users to drive sales. We have put together a few lists of techniques and tips to help you design a more intuitive website.

Primacy Effect

When people are asked to memorize a list of items or just try to remember a given list of items, people are most likely to remember the very first one. But the ones in the middle are often forgotten or didn’t draw much attention to people. This is due to the primacy effect.

The primacy effect recalls the information presented at the start or top of the list. Thus if you want people to check out your major benefits. Put it in the very beginning. It could either be a product discount or free delivery, let your users know about it.

Example

Have you ever noticed, when we search for certain search queries on google we most of the time tend to click the 1st link and the rest are a bit hazy? The latest study conducted by online ad network Chitika uncovered that “No. 1 Position in Google Gets 33% of Search Traffic

Scarcity 

If a product or service is more difficult to obtain, the more valuable it becomes to users. This happens due to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) we fear that the product or service would soon be undersupplied to us, as a result, we are more likely to purchase. 

This implies that it is not only important to outline the benefits but it is also equally important to point out what is your business’s unique selling proposition and what they stand to lose if they fail to consider the proposal. 

eCommerce businesses can use the scarcity principle to persuade users to fill out a lead form, buy a product, or nudge users to take the desired action. 

A scarcity study called Effects of supply and demand was conducted by social psychologist Stephen Worchel and his colleagues. They offered cookies to subjects from two jars. One jar with 10 cookies and the other with 2 cookies. Finally when subjects were asked to rate the attractiveness & value of the cookies. Subjects preferred a jar with 2 cookies even though both were identical. 

Example

Amazon uses the scarcity principle to sell its products online

Consistence

A small initial request could prelude users to commit to a second large request. It creates a self-imposed pressure to stick with past decisions.

Buying decisions could be more complex and tedious. Therefore to reduce the intricacy users would be more likely to rely on previous decisions to make a related decision. Most people want their thoughts & behaviors to be consistent and as a result, they like to stick to things and stand on them. 

These small actions allow users to understand and explore service or product value better than before. Previous engagement and interaction act as a driving agent to take action.

Small tripwire offers such as free trials or membership sign up for product discounts could encourage users to take a small step. Once after a small commitment users would be in a better position to say yes to the core product offering.

Example

Marketing automation software provider Hubspot offers their software for free with limited features urging users to make use of free features with the exchange of email id. 

Consensus 

Social proof is powerful at states when users look for actions and behaviors of others when they are making a buying decision. Buyers naturally tend to look for responses from others in uncertain situations to determine their own actions.

One of the best examples for social proof would be testimonials, reviews & social media followers. Also WOM (Word Of Mouth) recommendations by people who we trust. 

This social proof can help build reputation and credibility among your target audience. Offering social proof can dramatically influence clients buying decisions. Leveraging social proof on websites not only gives you an edge over your competitors but also makes your brand more believable and effective.

The term social proof was coined by psychologist Robert Cialdni. He noted that hotels persuaded their visitors by simply including information on the card that said: “75% of our guests reuse their towels at some time during their stay” and later after that the towel reuse went up to 26%. Because people want to be sure that they are doing the same as other people do.

Example

G2 Crowd offers businesses a database of reviews and information about software purchases. It is widely used by most businesses to check software reviews before making a purchase. It is beneficial to their company and as well as their users.

Rewards & Loyalty

Buyers are more likely to repeat an action if it is rewarded or acknowledged positively. Positive reinforcement inspires clients to take action, motivates them to explore more products, and encourages more future purchases. These small gratifications induce users to build a stronger connection with the brand. 

Most of the B2B business clients seek business benefits and they always tend to think how a particular product or service could add value to theirs. Hence launching a digital reward system or loyalty schemes could be a perfect strategy for acquiring new clients as well as old ones. 

Positive reinforcement was first introduced by B.F Skinner in his theory called operant conditioning. He proved how behavior or response is strengthened by a desirable stimulus i.e reward to encourage certain behavior.

Example

REI Co-op sells gears and outfits for outdoor activities. Their membership program focuses on giving back to the community & outdoor conservation. These programs make consumers feel valued and supported therefore they like spending their money at REI

Personalization 

Personalization is more than knowing customer names. It’s about knowing customers’ likes and dislikes and providing recommendations & suggestions based on their preferences. Delivering the right product at the right time with the right message.  

44% of respondents said that they are more likely to repeat purchases after a customized shopping experience. Offering relative products to your focus group not only helps to drive revenue but also assists buyers to find their desired products easily. 

Hence personalization plays a huge role in users purchasing decisions. If a product or service that we offer isn’t tailored properly to users, then they won’t feel engaged with our product or service. Therefore, they are less likely to purchase from us. 

 Example:

Google News, Youtube, and Netflix; use users browsing history and pull relevant information to give users a range of suggestions to take a look at. This enables users to explore more. Similarly, eCommerce businesses could use users’ purchasing history or recently viewed product data to provide a relevant range of options to consider.

Revathi T

Revathi is a SEO Analyst at DCKAP who brings in her fascination with stories in her strategies. Her constant knack for insights about communication value lead her to Marketing in a proper B2C and B2B space. She believes that a perfect marriage between marketing and digital psychology lies in an understanding of the psychology of customers. Her goal as a SEO Analyst is to provide value and develop value based knowledge with the goal of maximising profits.

More posts by Revathi T