If you’re like most savvy businesses, then you are probably always seeking ways to increase online sales. However, as the Internet has attracted new buyers to the online marketplace, competition has forced corporations to continually employ new strategies in hope to capture more sales.

Enter The Paradox
Most companies continually seek how to increase online traffic with the fundamental belief that it will directly increase their amount of Internet sales. What seems logical is really a paradox that couldn’t be father from the truth. The fact of the matter is that companies seek increased sales and not traffic. In short, all the traffic from search engines, banners, e-mail, etc. won’t help unless you have a solid strategy for converting your visitors to buyers.

Increasing Internet Sales
There are literally thousands of journals and articles written on how to add to your bottom line, however few tell you how to really get the job done. I do not claim there is one strategy that “fits all”, however some fundamentals will aid your search for finding the buyers. In part one of this series, I will describe some basic strategies to identify the best Web strategy for increasing online sales. Part two will discuss website navigation, ease of use, web design reinforcement, and how it can significantly impact the sales funnel.

From Visits to Sales
Question: “what is it that you really want your visitors to do?” Do you want them to order online? Come to your store? Call you on the phone? Or a combination of the above? This important question is crucial in determining where to focus your Web strategy.

Ordering Online
One of the most sought after Web strategies is to get more sales to occur online. When properly executed, sales generated online are rewarded with lowered order costs, detailed visitor information (great for CRM), and measurable results.

Typically, Web-based strategies that work best for increased online sales are well branded, exhibit high demand, and carry less perceived risk. Pricing also plays an essential role, however is not the single attribute visitors will use to evaluate your product or service offering. When optimizing for more online sales you may consider the following:

Shortening the amount of steps required to purchase online Be highly descriptive and identify emotional buying motives (EBM) Widening selection of products (we suggest a minimum 25/product category) Price competitively- especially if the product can be found locally Business/Website has unique selling proposition Closely mirror landing pages with online advertising

Getting Online Visitors to Your Doorstep
Believe it or not, not all online strategies focus on getting visitors to purchase online. For example, Best Buy focuses its efforts to get you in the store. Why? Studies suggest that many so-called Web related conversion occur offline. In addition, the more expensive and non impulsive the purchase, the more consumers want to touch, demo, and see the product in person. Moreover, when was the last time you bought a TV sight unseen?

Strategies that require more in-store contact have several options:

Publish detailed information on products or services Prominently display phone number and address on all pages Present online coupons for in-store redemption Offer “holding” of merchandise for in-store pick-up

The Power of Phone Calls
Phone calls are no doubt important to any successful online business strategy. For some businesses (especially regionalized or local companies) phone calls can outweigh online sales in excess of 10 to 1. However, getting the phone to ring with motivated buyers can be a challenge. In addition to the above bulleted items one can increase phone calls by:

Using a 1-800#
Presenting a “call to action” with a time constraint such as “Call today, offer ends soon!” Require visitors to call for pricing or more details (Requires special attention to execution)

Summary
The above tactics are not only designed increase your Internet sales, but also identify some good strategies to leverage your website’s conversion strengths. When combined with a strong compelling offer, attractive website, and quality visitor traffic, don’t be surprised when sales soar!