In this post, we will explain exactly what an online conversion rate is, and give you concrete steps you can take to increase your online sales. Ecommerce conversion rate refers to the percentage of people that come to your site and book tickets on online. For example, if 100 people came onto your website, and three actually booked tickets, you would have a conversion rate of 3%.
The average conversion rate is around 1.5% to 2.5% but (there is always a but), it is heavily industry dependent, and frankly, there is no “right conversion rate” there are just too many variables. However, no matter how great your conversion rate is, you can probably do better. So let’s take a look what we can improve.
Analytics Integration
The first and most important step in targeting conversions, is to get your online ticketing process linked to web analytics. Ticketsolve customers can do this easily as we are fully integrated with Google Analytics. This integration will enable you to see where your customers are coming from, what they do when they are on your site, how long they spend on each page, and much much more.
Be sure to set up a weekly dashboard report on exactly what you want to track. This weekly report is sent to you automatically so you can analyse what is working and what's not, and make adjustments quickly.
Ecommerce Integration
Once you have set up your analytics tracking, it’s also important to track the sales activity on your site so that you can see your conversion rate (people who come and actually buy something), average weight of purchase (how much they are spending per visit), top selling shows, ticket/seat types etc. This data is vital in understanding your customers behaviours and actions on your site. With buying behaviour trends, you can start to put together a strategy on how to increase online sales, and really understand what is working and what needs to be strengthened.
Enhanced Ecommerce Integration
This is our newest integration - only introduced to our customers in the last 2/3 months, but we think it is going to be a game changer. With the enhanced integration, our customers will be able to see where customers are leaving in the checkout process. So while it is of course important to get the analysis on what people are buying and how much, even more telling is why they aren’t.
This newest feature will allow you to create powerful remarketing lists for each step so that you can target the customers who abandoned the cart or checkout. Focused remarketing adverts can entice them back to your website, and ultimately make a purchase. According to Google, remarketing is 22% cheaper than typical adverts, and will increase conversion rates by 300%-400%.
Combining traffic and sales data with abandoned shopping cart data, you begin to get a picture of your customer’s journey online, from their initial research, intent to buy and final purchase.
Responsive Design
Mobile and tablet purchases are definitely more the norm. Even if your target audience isn’t finalising their purchase on a mobile device, chances are they are visiting your site on a mobile device to see what you have on offer. This is why you need to make sure that your website is responsive. A responsive design website, looks and behaves the same across any platform, any browser and any device. From a user’s perspective, the site looks exactly the same, and allows them to interact with the site in the same way whether on a laptop/desktop or their mobile.
If your site is not responsive you may lose sales, plus Google will not be happy! Luckily Ticketsolve’s online platform is fully responsive so no matter what device your customers are using, they will get the same buying experience which in turn should increase mobile and tablet sales.
Good Images and Copy
Did you know humans are much better at processing images than text? There is an oft quoted (but rarely cited) statement that we process images 60,000 times faster than text, whether it is really that fast or not, we really do like images. So at the risk of being named Captain Obvious, images - quality images - are critical to hitting that all important conversion sweet spot. Images, videos and the relating copy needs to be tailored to your target audience.
Leicester Square Theatre have a really good show page that gives their customers all the relevant information they need, plus encourages them to buy with videos and reviews. They do a great job with giving enough information to help customers move from an “intent to buy” to a “buy”.
Booking Fees
Booking fees are really unnecessary. Customers hate them, and even if they do pay them, the idea of a fee in the customer's’ mind can be really damaging to your brand. Avoid fees if you can, and implement a donation options instead.
Exclusive Access
Give your members or friends exclusive access to shows before anyone else. Members are more likely to purchase in advance online when given perks and added extras.
Online Discounts
With Ticketsolve you can add exclusive online discounts to specific shows or events. These discounts can be automatic, for example, when a customer buys for two specific shows together, the cart will automatically be discounted by 20%. Or discounts can be redeemed using a discount code. If you are going to add discounts, be sure you state that they are only available online, and for a limited amount of time. This will create a sense of urgency, as well as drive your customers to buy online.
Ask your customers
After your customers have purchased their tickets make sure you ask them what they thought about the online process. Send them a quick survey they can complete or speak to them when they arrive at the venue. Those are just a few tweaks you can make to boost your ecommerce conversion rates.
There are many more things you can do such as, A/B testing, Custom Landing Pages, Facebook & Twitter adverts targeting custom audiences.
If you would like to know more about increasing your online sales get in touch with us and we will talk you through how Ticketsolve can help achieve your goals.
