Low conversion rate, high ticket item... but not THAT high

[fangdigital]

Oh great mozzers, I fall at your feet... I feel like I'm going insane...

My client, 35 Degrees (http://35DegreesSteaks.com) is quite the mystery.  I handle SEO and paid search for them, and we're doing great in those areas... however, we're just not seeing the conversions once I deliver these folks to the site.

The people are targeted, the keywords are sound, and from what I can see, the checkout process isn't a mess... but they are just not getting the sales.

We're currently starting to test some price points with some newer, lower cost "intro packages", so we'll see if that's one of the pain points.  I'm also in the process of convincing them to include a Verisign or some other logo in the checkout process.

However, I was hoping the great minds here could take a quick look and see if I'm missing anything else.

Thanks in advance!

Jeff

[jason.irwin]

What have you tried in terms of conversion optimization? I would strongly suggest using a tracking tool (like crazyegg - i'm in no way associated with the company) and/or A/B testing to determine what it is that people like and do not like..

[fangdigital]

At this point, they haven't tried any conversion optimization methods because we can't even see what would be holding anybody back.

Not that I would ever think that they're perfect, but at first blush, I can't see anything that would stop me from checking out.

I guess that's the real crux of this question... where should I even start?  What do you folks see as possible show stoppers for the checkout.

The tracking tool is secondary (I've made GA and a bunch of others work on this task)... I really just need to know the pain points.

[RyanKent]

Hi Jeff.

A few thoughts after looking at your site.

• your trust seals are in the footer, very small and almost impossible to see as the color matches the background. Knowing information like your site is a member of the BBB and you have "Certified Angus Beef" can only benefit your conversion rate. The primary reason I advise clients to add trust symbols to their sites is for conversion rates. Double their site and use colors. An example I like is www.vzw.com.

• Consider adding a special offer or some incentive for customers to order? "Free shipping on your first order". I realize shipping is a large expense for the company, but if you are offering an exceptional product and service, then it's a small price to pay for earning a customer who could potentially re-order on an ongoing basis.

• Perhaps a bit of salemanship on your front page. I don't specialize in marketing but I feel your home page lacks any clear incentive to order. Why should a consumer pay a minimum of $185 and fill their freezer with a lot of meat when they can purchase fresh meat from the grocery store every week? I am sure you have a good answer but perhaps you should let potential consumers know on the home page.

• I read the shipping information and learned you have special containers which somehow keeps the meats cold for 48 hours. I feel some form of education on this topic may be needed upfront. As a consumer, I am not educated on your product and I don't understand how you can keep meat properly chilled as it ships for 48 hours. I am sure you can educate me but it's important you educate potential customers upfront and not make them dig for the information.

I very much agree with Jason on the A/B testing and CrazyEgg.

[fangdigital]

Thanks, Ryan!

• Totally agree on the trust seals... I'm trying to move those up and into the checkout process as well (plus doing a test with Verisign).
• I wish it was a small price to pay... I'm fighting this one right now, but let's just say that $20 for shipping within CA is a right bargain compared to reality.
• There may be something to this... we've tested different copy on the home page recently, but to no avail.  Will just keep trying on this front.
• On the containers, now that's an interesting insight... have to discuss this further with the client.

Thanks again!

Jeff

[ChrisMakara]

Aside from what Ryan pointed out, I made it to the checkout page and felt very overwhelmed with all the information being asked. For the novice web user, they may also be confused as to some steps appear side by side, while others take up both columns. Maybe do some split testing on this page. For example, maybe use Ajax to hide all the required data for each step, and it simply gets expanded when clicked on? Would make the user feel less overwhelmed and at the same time able to easily see how many steps are needed to complete the checkout process?

Also, do you have a rather high bounce rate for the checkout page (/cart/basket/)?

[fangdigital]

Thanks for the advice... I have considered suggesting a different form layout, but since I've seen so many similar ways out in the wild, it's hard to tell (we tested a one pager while I was at Napster and it flopped, yet had success other places, so you never know).

What's a high bounce rate for a cart these days?