b2c marketing – Phoenix Website Design

Psychological Tricks You Can Use On Your Website (Part 3)

December 27, 2018/in Blog /by Carmel

So, we have reached the last part of the different psychological tricks you can apply on your online business. If you want to review on the previous two blog posts, you can click here to go to the 1st part, or visit this link to read the 2nd part.

These concepts are not my own and this is inspired by the book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Without further adieu, below are the last 3 psychological tricks you can apply on your website to generate more traffic and gain more customers:

Price
Nowadays, it’s tough to convince potential buyers. They don’t purchase an item just because it’s the cheapest. Now, customers after their money’s worth. They look for the best deal available online before deciding where to buy.
The classic example of using the “$19.99” tag is a very effective pricing strategy. This tactic convinces buyers that an item is only $19 even though it’s practically $20. It manipulates customers that they are saving a lot, but the truth is that there’s not much price difference to be honest.

reading the price tag.

Right Timing
Amazon is able to perfect this strategy. For example, when you add a book to your cart, Amazon gives you other book recommendations. Once you are ready to check out, it will inform you that customers who purchased the book also bought these items.
Similarly, if you are selling action cameras, why not offer a extended warranty plan when they reviewing their cart. Perhaps, you can also offer camera accessories or micro SD cards for video storage.
Do not offer these extras if they are still pondering on what digital camera to buy. Some cameras are compact while some have waterproof features. It’s totally unnecessary to overwhelm customers with accessories at this point.
Once they have purchased an item, you can send a “thank you” email and include a list of compatible accessories for their chosen device.
Colors
Online shopping is mastering the art of persuasion and one way to persuade people is through the psychology of colors. Just by the appearance or color of your website’s CTA buttons, it could help you increase conversion rates. Thus, it could lead to more sales.
Color remains to be the strongest visual hint for online shoppers. In a one survey, 93% of consumers considered to buy an item because of its appearance alone. The remaining 7% is because of the item’s texture and smell.
Additionally, 85% of consumers admitted that they purchased a product because of its color. It’s no doubt that color influences brand recognition. Other factors aside from color, include: design, convenience, and the power of words.
To give you a more concrete example, the color red and orange can uplift your website and give a hint of electrifying and energetic vibe. Blue is a good color for weight loss. So, if you are selling food, avoid the color blue. Did you notice that the leading fast-food chains are never use blue? They’re usually red, orange, or yellow.
Blue, however, calms the mind and encourages trust. So, it’s ideal for services like banks, high tech products, and more. If you want to know more about colors, you can learn more about it here. If you need color scheme tools, this post will help you. Lastly, if you need tips in choosing the right color scheme, this article is for you!

There you have it! That wraps up the blog posts about the different psychological tricks. So, what have we learned? Understanding your customers is crucial in creating a persuasive website and compelling UX experience. Apply these tips when designing a new web page or when you are devising a new marketing plan.

Psychological Tricks You Can Use On Your Website (Part 2)

December 27, 2018/in Blog /by Carmel

Welcome to the 2nd part of the series. If you have missed the first batch, you can catch up here. I will still discuss how psychology helps in promoting your website. The concepts discussed on this post can found in a book called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

Knowing what encourages web visitors to click CTA buttons will help you design a website that fosters a persuasive user experience. In the end, these strategies will benefit both your business and your customers. Here are 3 ways to help you gain more web visitors:

Personalize
Customers tend to mistrust companies that are clearly after sales and profits. With that being said, do not focus too much on the business side of things. Connect with your audience and interact with them.
Nurture trusting relationships by genuinely caring for your audience. When they see how much you care, they will trust you. You are not some faceless website, but you are now a dear friend.
Before you blurt out words and send out emails, ask yourself first, “Is this something I would say in real life?” Read your blog posts, email messages, and status updates. Check if it sounds too scripted. If you can’t imagine saying it to another person, then, don’t include it.
Stop following a certain structure because this is you and you have your own personality. Frankly, you don’t have to follow or imitate a website just because they are popular. You have to show the unique you and don’t think too much about what others might say.
Remember the famous Latin proverb, “Fortune favors the bold.” When you restrict yourself and follow a generic path, it will never work. The cookie-cutter messages are boring and unconvincing. Add your personal touch by including actual expressions. Tailoring online posts and website content make you sound more human.
Who doesn’t like special treatment? So, add their names once you want to send a marketing email instead of writing a generic “Hello,” or “Good day!” Experiment with your available resources and you really don’t have to speak formally at all times. Showing your own charm and sassiness makes you less robotic.

Choose to be a caring friend and not some faceless business entity.

Authority
If a famous celebrity or renowned expert leaves a positive review, feature it on your website. Businesses nowadays share reviews of people, whether celebrity or not, on social media. These reviews on Facebook or Twitter are effective because they are shared by actual people. To be honest, no amount of well-crafted sales talk can compare.
Never underestimate the power of a positive review. These seemingly unimportant people are actually important. The reviews help the undecided to give your products a try, and to trust the quality of what you are selling.
So, highlight those enthusiastic and ecstatic reviews and reply by saying thanks because it reflects your success and boosts your trustworthiness.
Limited-Time Offers
When a certain product is only available for a short period of time, people tend to rave about it. The demand increases because in people’s minds, they feel that they should not miss out on this exclusive offer.
It’s an effective marketing strategy because people are afraid of missing out of what others are doing. There’s always a desire to be updated and be in the know with all these rewarding deals online.
Thus, web visitors will always take action if they know that a sale ends in 72 hours. There’s a sense of urgency that will surely encourage them to participate.

Psychological Tricks You Can Use On Your Website (Part 1)

December 27, 2018/in Blog /by Carmel

In this article, I will discuss how psychology affects consumer behavior. Marketing and psychology go hand in hand in promoting an online business. The concepts discussed on this post are inspired by Robert B. Cialdini‘s book entitled, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

You can understand more competently the concepts of a successful business strategy or the makings of a lucrative marketing campaign by studying consumer behavior. Thus, how you design your website can greatly influence more conversion and increase web traffic.

This will be a 3-part series of blog posts. Below are the first 3 ways to entice your website visitors and increase conversion:

Barter
The first step is to get their email addresses in exchange for FREE items. Once you obtain their email add, you can now introduce them your products. Market your products in subtly and offer them freebies like an FREE ebook or an 20-day premium to your softwares.
In this way, these potential customers will feel obliged to listen to you because you gave them a free item. Now, they will more likely read your emails and view your blog posts. When the time comes they will finally your product and buy it, they will ultimately choose you more than any website out there, who never really gave them freebies.
The concept of reciprocity is the perfect example of Newton’s third law of motion. For every action you give to your audience, there’s always an equal or opposite reaction from them. You website will get more visitors once you give something first.
This system of barter has been proven to generate positive results. Anywhere on the internet, you are always asked for your email before you can access a website. You need to sign up first to fully access shopping websites like Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, and Walmart.
Web visitors will always ask the question, “What will I get from this?” If you selling a product, try offering a FREE shipping voucher. If you are selling VPN tools, consider educating people about virtual private networks.

A typical example of barter: exchanging money for certain goods.

Commitment
One way to strengthen brand loyalty is to create a sense of commitment or pledge. If people follow your website, or if they follow you on social media, they insert themselves in your world. They have now publicly showed their support.
They can now easily know what you’re doing and keep up with the latest updates. Humans are known to oblige. So, once you give them exclusive offers for following you, they will also remain consistent to your brand. They will promote and defend your product.
Influence
This is related to the 2nd item. One follower can indirectly recommend your products to their friends. You are more likely to have another website follower if you inform them that their friend is also registered on this website.
One notable website that uses this strategy is Facebook. The different product pages on Facebook are promoted in such a way that you are told that your friend likes this page. Perhaps, you may wish to give it a “like” too!
Influence is a used by, not only Facebook, but also different social media websites. These websites know the power of peer pressure and they know that it’s hard to say no to a friend’s recommendation. We have to admit that when a friend raves about a product on social media, it is notably convincing.

How to Prepare Your Retail Site for the Christmas Holidays

December 24, 2018/in Blog /by Carmel

It’s hard to believe that 2018 is almost over. The holiday rush is among us and we are going big on gifts, parties, and more. For online retailers, it’s the perfect time to redesign websites with holiday-themed banners. Holiday specials and promotions are everywhere and every business out there is doing the same plan of action. In order to get your business noticed, here are 3 tips for websites this joyous holiday season.

Are your websites ready for Christmas shopping?

Tip #1: Start Planning Early.
- October is the ideal time to start the drafting the holiday game plan. Whatever your business may be, it’s important to prepare early. Holiday campaigns need time to disseminate. Even with the help of the internet, sharing pertinent information takes time. Aside from that, people need time to earn enough money, share the news on social media, and tell their friends.
- Plus, if you don’t start early, other businesses have already started with their own promotions, and sitewide sales. You’ll be left with only a few potential customers. It’s important to reach out to your target customers before the other websites do.
- Online retailers should notify about their sales a week or two in advance. They should start spreading information about it in the different social media platforms. Big events such as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Christmas should begin marketing 3 to 4 weeks earlier. You can’t expect tons of customers to visit your online store if you just promoted your sale a few days before.
Tip #2: Use Custom Images to Advertise Sales.
- Since it’s the holidays, incorporate Christmas trees, reindeers, and snowflakes to your marketing ads. Text promotions look bland without adding relevant images. Each time you have a special sale make it a point to add timely and vivid photos with your ad.
- There should be a certain template that you should follow. The individual ads, the holiday website banner, and the social media photos should be uniform. All the marketing materials should contain a watermark of your logo, links to your official social media accounts, and of course, the website.
- Some businesses even add a unique hashtag to add a personal touch to the current promotion. So, people online can easily identify the products and services that are currently on sale.
Tip #3: Spread the Word Through Giveaways.
- It’s the holidays so naturally, people are going to purchase and hoard different items. Sometimes, you don’t need to stress about marketing and convincing others to visit your site. You let your customers do the marketing for you. By doing giveaways on social media, people can just easily share your current promotions.
- Whether your audience is on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, you are can do a “like and share” giveaway. Anyone interested can just repost your status update on your social media accounts. You might be giving out a handful of freebies to lucky participants, but then, the ripple effect of your social media promotion remains unparalleled.
- Another piece of advice: it does not have to be a social media giveaway at all times. You can just even offer FREE gift to any customers who spend a minimum amount on your website. Remember that during these times, every business is thinking of a unique marketing strategy. If everyone is doing a 10% off, why not make yours 15%? When every business is offering the same promotion, it’s not much of sale anymore.

Why Free Shipping Matters and How You Can Offer It On Your Website

December 24, 2018/in Blog /by Carmel

It’s NO secret that a FREE SHIPPING offer helps greatly in converting website viewers to customers. According to Comscore’s webinar on February 11, 2010, the resource speaker Gian Fulgoni mentioned that 75% of the online shoppers asked answered that they would switch to another online retailer if shipping was not free during the checkout process.

In a 2008 survey conducted by Forrester Research, online retailers noticed that their web department became larger by 18%. However, 40% of the customers surveyed expressed that they were shocked at the shipping costs. Thus, carts were abandoned upon checkout. Sadly, many orders did not push through.

The Many Ways to Offer FREE Shipping

The Free Shipping Tactic

In order to generate more sales, several online retailers decided to add FREE SHIPPING as one of their selling strategies. Rather than shopping at Amazon, where shipping rates are calculated per item, customers now prefer websites like Wordery and Book Depository. These businesses make use of the “free worldwide shipping” marketing. How can people say NO to that?

The trend continues to increase and many businesses follow the same suite. There are a variety of ways to offer the FREE SHIPPING strategy:

Free Shipping Will Be Available Once You Reach the Minimum.
- Amazon may not offer free worldwide shipping. However, they utilize this shipping strategy. They only provide free shipping for orders above a certain amount. When you order over $25, you are entitled to a free shipping option upon checkout. The package will be delivered to any U.S. state within 5-8 business days.
Flat-Rate Shipping Strategy.
- Another popular marketing strategy is the flat-rate shipping. This option is cheaper than weight-based shipping especially if the items are quite heavy. The United States Postal Service offers a Priority Mail program to any U.S. destination. With its flat-rate shipping option, the shipping cost is uniform for all packages as long as it is not beyond the 70 lbs. maximum weight.
Free Shipping Only Applies to Selected Products.
- Offering free shipping when you are selling a bundle is ideal. It encourages customers to try out the product bundle. Instead of just buying a piece, you are enticing them to get a bundle + FREE SHIPPING. For example, you can offer a jewelry set that includes a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a bracelet. Group products that complement each other and offer them as a bundle to take advantage of the FREE SHIPPING offer.
Limited-Time Offers During the Holidays.
- Limited-time offers are effective marketing tools in order to cross-sell other items. It’s a terrific way to subtly tell customers to check out other products. Amazon is great at putting together related items. They will show you their “customers who bought this item also bought” list. So, you will end up adding more items to your cart in order to stock up for the holidays.
- This is also an effective strategy to sell the remainder stocks in your inventory. It’s the perfect move to remind people that this is their last chance to buy multiple quantities. For example, you can offer a buy 5, get 1 promotion.

In conclusion, there are many faces to the FREE SHIPPING marketing strategy. These are only some of the popular options. If you want to know more on Amazon marketing strategies, I’ve posted about it here. In designing a website, it’s also important to take note of these consumer behaviors. You need to study how marketing strategies like FREE SHIPPING affect eCommerce and how it can help your improve your online store.

B2B vs B2C: Designing The Right Website

October 13, 2018/in Blog /by Carmel

When you are building your website, it is important to identify your target audience. Are you directly selling to businesses or are you dealing with consumers? Whether it is a Business-to-Business (B2B) or a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) website, you need to be distinct and straight to the point. The design and details of the website must depend on who the buyer is.

B2B vs B2C

Both B2B and B2C websites need to come up with an adequate marketing plan. There are instance when both strategies overlap so being aware with the two kinds of businesses will really help you ensure that your website’s marketing strategy is on the right track.

We are going to compare and contrast B2B and B2C companies. We will look into specific elements that are important in each side.

The Process

The buying process in B2C website is simpler compared to a B2B. Anyone can just freely browse a B2C website without any problems. The length from choosing a product to actually buying it is shorter. Customers are guaranteed an easy and effortless shopping experience.
Nowadays, B2C websites do not require their customers to register in order to purchase a product or service. They can just quickly select the items they want and click the check out button. Your website will only stand out among the rest if you give your customers an uncomplicated way ordering items.
On the other hand, a B2B process is the exact opposite of B2C. It requires a lot of specific details like you need to meet up with a company representative. You will need to submit your proposed plan and the business will evaluate the proposal.
After being approved, usually, companies insert their own set of guidelines to be followed. This is common among B2B businesses. In order for another business to avail a product or service, they need to make sure that you can meet their demands. In B2B, it’s nearly impossible to complete a transaction without an initial meet up or a personal interaction.

The Elements

Relationships are important in B2B websites. These online businesses focus on a smaller market than the general population. Concentrating on a specific group of customers will help B2B companies to strengthen every relationship it creates.
B2B sales take longer than usual because you should consider the company’s insight. It’s more like a give and take relationship. Companies work with you not so much because of your brand’s identity, but it is mainly because of the personal relationship you both developed.
With B2C companies, you are selling to different kinds of people. For instance, you selling vegan cookies to the health conscious and double chocolate chip cookies to the chocoholics. There’s also rainbow cookies for kids! So, you have to deal with different types of consumers.
B2C companies focus on products instead of offering services. Usually, a B2C company will a variety of products to a very broad market. B2C purchases are shorter than B2B so you need to capture the consumers’ emotion right away.
If B2B value relationships, B2C needs a strong brand identity. In order to successfully entice customers, B2C websites should focus on imagery. Creating a need or desire for the product is important. Price drops and sales should be highlighted to get the attention of the customers.

Being able to distinctly identify the difference between a B2B and B2C website will help you generate a marketing plan that fits your business. Then, you can create useful campaigns that will convert website viewers to buyers. If you need B2B tips, just click here while the B2C tips are on this link.

Designing a B2C (Business to Consumer) Website

October 9, 2018/in Blog /by Carmel

On the last article, I posted about helpful B2C marketing tips. You may ask, “What is B2C the model?” The B2C (business to consumer) model is the most common business model. If you bought an item online, that online retailer is an example of a B2C website. Any products and services that are sold online through a website or virtual storefront are all considered B2C businesses.

A woman enjoying the convenience of online shopping.

The Beginning

The B2C concept started in 1979 and retailers would sell their products on TV. Interested buyers would purchase through the telephone number flashed on screen. English inventor Michael Aldrich called this “teleshopping.” Eventually, when the people discovered the internet, domain names became the new avenue for shopping.
During the 1990s, e-commerce websites started to pop up everywhere. Today’s top retailers like Amazon, Zappos and Victoria’s Secret are all considered B2C websites. With having a website, a business does not need an actual store to operate. Moreover, customers can easily shop for products in the convenience of their own homes. The B2C model is ideal for fastfood, bakeries, jewelry stores, shoe stores, flower shops, and other small businesses.

How should you design a B2C website?

Capture their emotions.
- This is the main target of a B2C website because it is the emotions that triggers the consumers to buy a product. For example, in the mobile phone market, there are a multitude of options. Still, majority of the customers choose to buy an iPhone even though it has the same features as an LG, OPPO, Nokia, and Samsung phone. Why is this? It’s the feeling of owning an iPhone. Apple’s branding exudes class and elegance.
- This common in most B2C businesses than in B2B. Customers don’t care of the features and technical specifications. They usually go for the trendier and the popular product.
Upselling and cross-selling products.
- The prices, in B2C, are straightforward. Everyone is offered the same price and the only difference is the shipping fee.
- To generate more profit, websites upsell and cross-sell their products. Upselling happens when a customer is offered a series upgrades. For example, when you customize a jewelry and engrave a message, that is considered upselling. Wrapping your gift in a box and adding a note. These customizations are not given for free and websites earn more through these methods.
- Cross-selling is offering more options to customers so that he can add more items to his cart. When you shop online, websites usually recommend you other products that go with your existing purchase. It encourages customers to buy in bundles to avail the free shipping incentive.
Talk directly to the customer.
- When creating a business-to-consumer website, remember that you are only transacting to one person and that is the buyer. This potential buyer does not need justify his decision or need to ask permission. When a consumer is purchasing a product, it is most likely out of impulse. So, take advantage of this by creating marketing strategies that will make them click that BUY NOW button. Provide limited-time offers that are hard to resist like a free shipping option or a discount code.

Four Helpful B2C Marketing Tips

October 8, 2018/in Blog /by Carmel

Previously, I have discussed about B2B web design guidelines that are helpful for your e-commerce website. This is time around, I will share four useful B2C tips. In 2015, B2C websites all over the world earned over $24 trillion. As a retailer that caters to specific consumers, you need to step up your game and apply these guidelines. Your target audience is huge so you need a mix of internet marketing techniques to entice a specific group.

Engage Through Contests.
- Ask your audience about their opinion and in turn, they get to win a prize. Have a creative contest. For example, to win a million dollars, your customers can their new flavor ideas for your potato fries. They can also submit their own dance video showcasing your apparel. There are more ideas on how to know your audience’s opinion and at the same time, generate buzz for your business.
- To this day, contests are the most effective B2C strategy to attract audiences because you will be able to showcase that you trust and value the importance of your audience’s opinions. It gives them a sense of pride that a company values what they have to say.

Know Your Audience.
- If you know that your followers are mostly teenagers, then provide solutions for teens. You can blog about the “Top 10 Holiday Destinations That Teens Will Surely Love,” or “Top 10 Beauty Products that Less Than $10.”
- Provide useful how-to’s for your products. If you are selling makeup products, then post a video on how to achieve a certain look. Provide tutorials for audience so they will constantly visit your website for more exclusive tips and tricks.
Make Social media Your Best Friend.
- Whether your business is B2B or B2C, social media is relevant. This is how you will interact with your audience. It provides a real-time communication between you and your customers. Thus, you will be able to personalize their shopping experience and give more of what they actually want.
- Your customers are bombarded with advertising messages everywhere. The key to be able successfully apply social media to your advantage is to have a clear target. Interact and do not just broadcast your messages. Post creative videos and blogs that will be useful to them. Add humor and pop culture references to your advertisements.
- You might ask about the social media platform to use. Facebook is undoubtedly the most popular choice today. However, there are also websites like Twitter, YouTube, Instagram that has a lot of followers. Know where there are more followers and focus on that!
Lure Them Back.
- In the digital world, there are a lot of distractions. Your customers’ shopping experience can get derailed by the constant pop-ups and notifications on their mobile phone. It is important to be able to redirect these customers back on track. You can send them a follow-up email regarding their abandoned shopping cart. B2C websites need to come up with unique ideas on how to make the abandoned carts hard to resist. You can insert a sense of urgency like the it’s almost out of stock or the discount code is about to expire.

Effective B2C marketing requires intense research and content creation. Some B2C websites focus on their app and mobile content while there are others that focus on social media engagements. It’s really up to you decide on strategies that work for your online business.

Posts

Psychological Tricks You Can Use On Your Website (Part 3)

Price

Right Timing

Colors

Psychological Tricks You Can Use On Your Website (Part 2)

Personalize

Authority

Limited-Time Offers

How to Prepare Your Retail Site for the Christmas Holidays

Tip #1: Start Planning Early.

Tip #2: Use Custom Images to Advertise Sales.

Tip #3: Spread the Word Through Giveaways.