Luckily, we know a thing or two about e commerce. What wasn't so clear is why so few bought online. So we found out. First we tested the current poorly performing site to identify where it was going wrong. Then we investigated what buyers wanted when purchasing their bed from a website.
Here's what we found. Because not many bought a bed often product knowledge was low. Plus the overuse of confusing terminology added to the mass exodus before the checkout. The answer, just like the website we redesigned was perfectly simple. Make it easy to navigate, make the terminology meaningful and most of all make buying the right bed easy.
We created more intuitive ways for customers to find what they wanted. Visitors could search directly for specific sizes, types, price and even styles for products such as Leather Beds. Alternatively they could click on product imagery, which removed the need to be familiar with the sometimes confusing range of bed terms (e.g. "divan beds", "memory foam mattress"). We also added a few helpful features including a mattresses recommendation function, last minute buys at the checkout for accessories and a rapid 3 stage checkout with optional registration.
Within two months of launch the order conversion rate had almost trebled for the full range of products including metal beds and wooden beds. To build on this we implemented an online marketing strategy combining Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimisation, which has seen site traffic increased by an amazing 258%.
Services used: Usability research, design and build, e-commerce, search marketing, analytics
