How To Make the Buying Process Easier for Customers and Boost Sales

Making your buying process effortless goes beyond improving customer satisfaction.

With a great and personalized shopping experience, you’ll likely witness a substantial boost in sales, positive word-of-mouth referrals, and customer loyalty. 

In fact, according to Salesforce, 88% of buyers believe that the shopping experience a business provides is just as important as their products or services (see image below). 

Source: Salesforce

This explains the need to make your customers’ purchasing experience as effortless as possible.  

Wondering how?

In today’s article, we’ll discuss the best ways to make the buying process easier for customers and boost your sales. 

But first, let’s understand why making your buying process simple and seamless is crucial.

Why Should You Make Your Buying Process Easier for Customers?

Making the buying process easier for your customers is a strategic move that can significantly boost your sales and improve your business’s overall performance. 

Here are three compelling reasons why streamlining your buying process is essential.

1. Reduces Cart Abandonment

A lengthy or complex buying process is one of the leading causes of cart abandonment. If your checkout process is long and tedious, they’ll probably abandon their purchase. Streamlining your checkout process can greatly help you fight this challenge. 

2. Increases Conversion Rates

The easier it is for your prospects to complete a purchase, the higher the likelihood they’ll do so. As explored in the HelloBar guide, appropriate CTA buttons can help you increase conversion. A streamlined buying process minimizes distractions and frustrations, encouraging customers to buy. 

3. Gives You a Competitive Advantage

Customers tend to choose brands that offer an enjoyable shopping experience. This competitive edge can help you attract more customers and increase your market share.

What Hinders Customers From Making Purchases?

Before making the buying process easier for your customers, you must understand what stops them from buying from you. 

Here are some reasons why customers may hesitate to buy from you.

1. Not Feeling Appreciated

One of the greatest hindrances in purchasing a brand’s product from the consumer’s perspective is a lack of appreciation. 

According to a recent study by Handwrytten, just 18% of buyers reported feeling appreciated for being a client, as you can see in the image below.  

Source: Handwrytten

2. Being Confused or Overwhelmed

When customers are bombarded with too much information, they tend to get into a decision paralysis mode. 

They’ll become overwhelmed with excessive choices, complicated product descriptions, or conflicting information about your products or services.

You can use business messaging text to provide updated information on your offers and products to clear your customer confusion.

3. A Complicated Checkout Process

This is one of the primary reasons for cart abandonment. It may result from having too many checkout steps or needing your customers to create an account before buying a product. Both can be frustrating and deter first-time buyers.

5 Ways to Make the Buying Process Easier for Your Customers

Strong brands understand that simplifying the buying process is one of the top ways to drive sales, boost customer satisfaction, and get repeat customers.

Below are five effective strategies to make buying more accessible for your customers and dramatically boost sales.

1. Ensure Your Website Loads Quickly

When it comes to making sales, sometimes your greatest threat isn’t your competitors; it’s the back button.

Most website users are accustomed to faster load times across the web. If your website constantly loads slowly, many visitors will abandon their cart and transact elsewhere, likely on a faster site.

According to a recent study by Portent, a site that loads in one second has a 3x higher conversion rate than one that loads in five seconds. The same site has a five times higher conversion rate than one that loads in 10 seconds (see image below).

Source: Portent

That’s why optimizing your website for speed and performance is crucial. 

There are several steps you can take to improve your website speed. For starters, discover how long it usually takes to load. 

Use Google PageSpeed Insights to analyze your site’s speed performance and identify areas of improvement. Here’s an example of the kind of insights it provides.

Source: Google PageSpeed Insights

Other strategies you can use to improve your website loading time include: 

• Use compression tools to compress your images without sacrificing quality. Smaller image files load faster, reducing your site’s overall load time. 
• Choose the right image format (JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics with transparency, SVG for logos and icons) to balance quality and file size. 
• Invest in a reliable hosting provider or hosted eCommerce platform that offers fast server speed and robust performance. 
• Use lazy loading for images and videos to load these elements only when they’re needed. This will help reduce initial load times. 

2. Simplify Your Site Navigation

Ensuring that your customers can easily navigate your site is one of the top ways to make their buying process easier.

Easy navigation will help reduce frustration, minimize bounce rates, and boost sales. According to the Attrock guide, the best ways can help you increase conversion.

With clear menus and intuitive navigation, your customers will effortlessly find what they’re looking for. 

So, organize your products logically. Ensure that your site has categories that are easy to navigate and can be accessed from any page. 

An example of a website with optimized navigation is Amazon. The site’s homepage (shown below) features clear categories and a robust search bar with predictive text, making it easy for users to find products quickly.  

Source: Amazon

Other ways to ensure you have an effective website navigation system include:

• Optimize your site for mobile devices. A mobile-optimized site will adapt effortlessly to various screen sizes, providing a seamless shopping experience even on tablets and smartphones.
• Use images and icons in your navigation to help users quickly locate different products and categories on your site. This can make navigation more engaging, particularly for users who prefer visuals. 
• Keep your site’s main navigation bar visible at the top of the screen as users scroll down. This will ensure they can constantly access key navigation links without having to scroll back up.
• Simplify the choices available for your site visitors. This will help them process information more easily and make quicker purchasing decisions. You can achieve this by only including the most important categories in the main navigation.

3. Include Clear, Captivating Product Images

Product pictures are paramount to make the buying process easier for customers while shopping online. Since your customers cannot see your products in person or touch them, images are the only way for them to assess a product's quality. 

A good product photo can be worth a thousand words. Having great photos will give your shoppers the same feeling as picking something up in a physical store.  

Use high-quality images, just like the ones shown in the image below. 

Source: Nike

Also, ensure the lighting is perfect when taking product pictures for your online store. If possible, use natural lighting. Or you can use professional lighting. It helps you generate sales leads from your site.

Other ways to ensure that you have clear, visually appealing images that will make the buying process easier for your customers include:

• Take the photos from multiple angles to showcase every aspect of your products. This lets your customers get a feel of what the product will look like in person.
• Use consistent branding, colors, and styling across your images to reinforce your brand identity.
• Demonstrate how your products can be used in real-life experiences. For instance, if you sell furniture online, you can include images of your sofas in stylishly decorated rooms to help clients envision how they will look in their homes.
• Include descriptive alt texts and readable text descriptions that complement your images. This will ensure your site is accessible to everyone, including those with visual impairments. 

4. Provide Multiple Payment Options

Offering your customers different ways to pay for their purchases can persuade them to buy from your business.

From cash and credit cards to mobile wallets and online platforms, the modern buyer expects flexibility and convenience when shopping. 

There are several reasons why offering multiple payment options at checkout is a great idea. 

• Increased conversion rates: Removing barriers to purchase while catering to a diverse range of customers can lead to more conversions.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction: Customers appreciate the flexibility of paying in a way that’s most convenient to them.
• Reduced cart abandonment: Providing many payment options can help reduce carts abandoned due to payment-related issues.

Overall, providing different payment options will ensure that each buyer selects the option that best suits their needs, increasing their likelihood of completing their purchases. 

With the help of your sales team or your sales virtual assistant, you can identify your target audience’s preferred payment methods. Those making high-value purchases, for instance, may prefer financing options like "Buy Now, Pay Later" due to their flexibility and affordability.

On the other hand, tech-savvy consumers, frequent shoppers, or online travelers may prefer digital wallets because of their convenience, security, and efficiency. 

Also, don’t forget to include your digital business card in all your transactions. It makes it easy for your customers to connect with you and access your products or services effortlessly. 

5. Encourage Customer Reviews

Another excellent tip on how to make the buying process easier for customers is encouraging customers to leave reviews.

When you ask buyers to leave reviews, you create a space where they can share their experiences, rate your products or services, and give feedback. 

This transparency builds trust and helps potential customers feel more confident in their purchasing decisions.

A customer review serves several purposes. For starters, it acts as social proof, showing your new customers that others have had positive experiences with your products or services.

This can be especially effective if you highlight reviews from trusted voices like bloggers, micro-influencers, and industry experts. Their endorsement can greatly sway potential buyers and reassure them of the quality and reliability of your products or services.

Secondly, customer reviews are the online equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising. When your customers see that other buyers are happy and satisfied with their purchases, they’re more likely to follow through with their own. 

Also, potential customers can compare reviews for your various products to find the best fit for their needs. 

To maximize the effectiveness of your customer review platform, consider the following tips:

• Make it easy for your customers to leave reviews effortlessly by providing a feedback form on your website.
• Encourage reviews by sending follow-up emails after purchase, offering small incentives to leave reviews.
• Actively respond to your customers’ reviews, including the negative ones, to show that you’re committed to providing an exceptional customer experience.
• Keep the review section of your website fresh with the latest feedback by regularly updating the display format.

Wrapping Up

Even the tiniest detail can make an incredible difference in eCommerce's competitive marketplace. 

While factors like photo quality, website navigation, and referral programs may seem insignificant on their own, they add up to make the buying process easier for customers. 

With these five strategies, you’ll be able to make the buying process easier for customers and boost your business’s sales. 

Remember, your customers are the lifeblood of your company. An excellent buying experience is non-negotiable. So, implement these tactics and boost your sales. Good luck!