It’s no secret that consumers are turning more and more to online retailers when shopping for the holidays. People don’t want to deal with crowds or having to go store-to-store trying to find that perfect gift. Cold weather and a cozy couch often keep people at home to do their shopping. This begs the question, is your company website communicating with your entire audience and inviting them to camp out and explore all you have to offer?
A recent survey by Deloitte revealed that “shoppers expect to spend as much of their shopping budget online as at traditional stores.” Of course, it’s fun to drive to different stores and admire the holiday displays, but when trying to accomplish item-specific shopping, many people prefer to stay home and find exactly what they need at the best price available online. Some stores have tried to appease shoppers by offering digital price tags that automatically update with the lowest price possible, or order online, pickup in store options. This allows shoppers to order what they want without having to wait or pay shipping. The opposite also occurs, with people going into stores to touch and see the products they want, and then returning home to purchase online. In fact, according to CNBC, retailers sold $1.93 billion worth of product online this Thanksgiving, while The Christian Science Monitor noted that a few days later, on Cyber Monday, shoppers set a new record by spending $3.39 billion on online products, a 10% increase from last year.
With online shopping seemingly becoming the go-to option for consumers, it’s important to have a user-friendly website that connects with potential customers like an in-store associate would. Small Business Trends recently published an article stating the top four reasons consumers don’t make online purchases:
- Inconsistent information on different webpages
- Incorrect contact information
- Missing reviews and ratings
- No photos or videos of products or business
If a company’s website is too complicated, boring or not validated with customer reviews, wary consumers will not take a chance and make a purchase. Online shops like those found on Etsy are a testament to this ideology. Successful stores often feature unique products, dynamic pages, quality product photos and numerous customer reviews. It’s no longer just the product that determines the success of a store.
So, what constitutes having a purchase-inducing website? Vandelay Design outlines nine must-haves for any successful site:
- Easy navigation
- Subtle design
- Easy checkout
- Branded
- Design style matches products
- Showcase popular items
- Promote related products
- Detailed product photos
- Efficient site search
We’d like to add a 10th tip to this list: accurate website translation. The Internet stretches across borders, time zones and cultures, making your audience virtually limitless. Therefore, your website should communicate in virtually any language in order to connect with every audience.
ASTA-USA Translation Services, Inc. can help you translate your existing website into and from 70 languages. English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, Dutch and Italian are just a few of the languages we handle on a daily basis. Our accredited translators are native speakers of the language you need, which means they understand the culture, grammar and sentence structure that are unique to every language and dialect. The integrity and message of your original website will be kept intact. Our certified experts are prepared to translate websites, product packaging, marketing materials and other written business documents for over 50 industries, like corporate business, finance, legal, marketing, education, government and technical.
Increase your online presence and sales this holiday season by partnering with ASTA-USA and ensuring that your website is connecting with your entire audience, regardless of location. Contact us today for your free quote.