Most of us, at some time in our lives, have bought something simply because the deal was too good to pass up. Perhaps it was a sweater, and you already had five or six, or a pair of shoes, and you didn’t really need another pair? Maybe it was a suit or even a wrist watch? Or if you had the funds, it might even have been a piece of real estate or a company? A bargain is not a bargain until you buy it!

Here are the criteria that the prospective buyer will consider prior to making the decision to purchase. Online marketers/ecommerce merchants need to know this.

• The product has relevance for me. It will be useful now, or at some time in the future
• The product on offer looks genuine
• I know what the market value of the product is
• I believe this is a great deal
• I can fund the purchase
• Buying now would be a smart decision- good upside and the risk (if any) is manageable
• The decision needs to be made now or the opportunity will pass
• I am willing to do business with this organization
• I can make this decision

Even most impulse buying is preceded by logical thought patterns as in the criteria above. These thoughts are processed at the speed of light, but they are processed nonetheless, whether the prospective buyer is online or in a department store.

There is always a percentage of any population, and internet marketing has its population, that will buy right now. Your on page will need to employ the right balance of text, graphics and color to communicate a compelling message to the prospective buyer to trigger the processing of the criteria.

The fewer words you use to communicate the better, but say what must be said. The most powerful online selling messages often come in slogan-type length…brief but powerful statements or questions. Avoid, the ‘But there’s more’ syndrome, Americans and much of the western world are sick of it. Different online target markets may require a modified approach. Not everybody makes buying decisions in the same way.

Designing websites that sell - By Leo Talbot

Be smart enough not to sacrifice your standard margin business by offering great deals based upon price alone. Anybody can cut their prices, and while there are times to do so, there are always other creative ways to be irresistible.

Remember, you must monitor your major competition regularly. What was a good deal an hour ago may NOT be a deal, too good to pass up, right now. The responsibility to remain current is yours!

Note: Improving your internet traffic to customer conversion (tcc) rate, is in effect, a form of search engine optimization (seo). Strictly speaking it is site optimization; seo brings you the online traffic, while the tcc rate is dependent upon different factors.

You may need the assistance on an seo firm, if you do not have the in-house expertise to modify your website to cater for your online ‘deal’ strategies? Be careful about trying to use your home page other than to ‘flag’ specials, unless that is already the place where prospective buyers look for your ‘deals’. It may be preferable to direct visitors to different pages depending upon their particular interest, and the way in which you have structured your incentives. Also, give some focused thinking to how your website caters for campaigns, because you should also want to measure success so that you can know what works, and what doesn’t. The success of future internet marketing campaigns often depends on the data that is captured during a current campaign.

You can do more business online if you are willing to do the disciplined thinking.

• Why People Buy (The Product Provides a Significant Opportunity) - By Leo Talbot
• Why People Buy (Your product fills a want) - By Leo Talbot
• Why people buy - They have a compelling reason - By Leo Talbot

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 14th, 2005 at 7:04 am and is filed under Ecommerce. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.