I’ve just completed a limited experiment on one of my ecommerce sites. The experiment was carried out on the home page and on one of the most popular product pages. A test version of each page was created that included a 30-second video, to split-test against the original version of the pages.

The home page video was an introduction to products offered throughout the site, while the product page video was focused on that particular product. Each visitor to the site was either shown the original page, or the page with the video, and Google Analytics was used to track and analyze the results.

The #1 result I was interested in was the “value per visitor” (total sales divided by the number of unique visitors to the page). I was also interested in the time each visitor spent on the page, and the “bounce rate” (the percentage of people that left the site after viewing that page).

Results

In both experiments, the “video” versions of the page clearly out-performed the original version. No other changes were made to the experiment pages other than the inclusion of a video at the top of the content area.

Home Page Results

Video on the home page had the following results (green = improvement):

Time on page: +36%

Bounce rate: -36%

Visitor value: +111%

Product Page Results:

Video on the product page had the following results (green = improvement, red = no improvement):

Time on page: statistical tie

Bounce rate: +14%

Visitor value: +243%

Video on the product page had a slightly higher bounce rate, but the increase in revenue (2.5 times higher!) per visitor makes the trade-off well worth it.

The above tests ran for 45 days. Based on these results, I am going to be rolling out video to additional product pages, and will continue to track improvements / declines verses the original pages. In the case of the two pages already tested, I feel confident in declaring the video versions to be “winners” and ending the split-tests.

I’ll report further experiment results here. So far, the improvement is dramatic - I highly recommend testing video on your site if you aren’t already!

Tags: Split Testing, Video Marketing

Here are 3 short videos (combined into one) from the StomperNet folks, and this time, they are from Stomper members themselves.

• Case Studies Video

These videos are from actual members of StomperNet, and they talk about EXACTLY what they accomplished, and HOW they got the results they’ve achieved.

Video 1 - Kristie tells how she went from making $1,000 a month to $10,000 a month in 45 days. She made $75,000 last holiday season, too! She’s now an expert e-Biz consultant in her home town. And she started this 18 months ago.

Video 2 - Cassia shows how she started making only $5,000 a month - and she had been struggling at her business for YEARS. She and her husband Steve got the “Home Study Course” videos when they signed up for StomperNet, and the next month, they DOUBLED. 3 Months later, they hit $27,000 a month, and have been holding there - even while Cassia had a baby and they moved to their dream home (here in Colorado!)

Video 3 - Chris talks about how he was virtually killing himself - getting up at 4:45am, 7 days a week, to be a personal trainer at a gym. Today, he’s got 8 OTHER TRAINERS working for him, ranks all over the FIRST PAGE of Google for his target Keywords, and just got back from a 6 WEEK vacation - and came back to a business that was bigger than when he left. He’s also been in Stomper for about 1 year.

Yes, the videos are intended to showcase what can be learned inside Stomper (and yes, I’m a member myself), but there’s a lot to be learned just from listening to these case studies themselves.

StomperNet is set to open again in a couple of days after having been closed for over a year. These videos are great examples of marketing, as well - you can see how they are pulling out all the stops (including giving away a TON of incredible information and software tools for free). Whether you’re interested in joining StomperNet or not, the free information they’re providing as part of their re-opening is well a look.

Tags: case studies, stomper, stompernet

Excellent information from the folks at StomperNet - well worth your time to check out:

See More Videos from StomperNet

Tags: going natural, seo training videos, stomper, stompernet

I’m going to go out on a limb and take an unconventional stance on the subject of telephone numbers on websites.

Simply put:

No, you can’t have my phone number.

In my early days in ecommerce, I posted (and paid for) an 800 number which I prominently displayed in the header of my website. “Call us anytime!” And let me tell you, plenty of people took me up on this offer.

In the ensuing years, I went from the toll-free number to a local number, which did reduce call volume somewhat (but not as much as you might think).

Finally, over a year ago I took the phone number off my sites altogether.

There are a few circumstances in which I’ve given access to my phone number:

1) If you dig deep enough into some of my sites, you might find my (local) phone number that goes to my “Virtual Attendant” voicemail box. (Hint: scour the privacy policy - it’s in 4pt type somewhere in the lower third). However, this is always in proximity to a company email address, along with an admonishment that emails are answered much faster than phone calls.

2) If you buy something from me, I provide the afore-mentioned “Virtually Attended” mailbox phone number - again, with an admonishment that email is a more efficient method of getting assistance. This advice is reiterated by my Virtual Voicemail Attendant.

3) If you are a current client of mine (I’m not taking any more currently), you already have my cell phone number. You may call it, but you’ll pay me for my time. And even then, I may not answer when you call, or return your call as quickly as I’ll return your email. (If/when I take on more clients, they will most likely not be given this number).

Am I drinking the “4 Hour Work Week” koolaid? Maybe a bit, but I had already reached this conclusion through my own experiences well before I was introduced to the 4HWW concepts. Here are a few of my observations from my ecommerce ventures:

• Having the 800# did not increase sales over having a local phone number.
• Having a posted phone number (whether 800 or local) did not significantly increase sales. It did, however, significantly increase customer service costs.
• The majority of people calling were not calling to place an order. They were calling for free advice, to complain about something we had no control over, or to ask questions that are clearly answered on the site.
• Customers who placed orders over the phone were more likely to return items, initiate chargebacks, or otherwise demand further time and attention — and least likely to be repeat customers. In short: they were much harder to please, and generated less revenue.

Many ecommerce consultants will tell you to put a toll-free number on every page of your site. Now, I’ll concede that it depends on the market you are in, and that for some folks that’s the correct advice. If you are selling high priced items or programs that require that kind of interaction in order to close the sale, then by all means, you should have a prominent phone number (and make sure that it gets answered).

However, for sites selling lower priced items - and I’m talking $500 or less, maybe even $1000 or less - I don’t think you need one. In fact, I think it can be detrimental to your online business, both in terms of the actual costs of manning the phone line, and in the opportunity cost of devoting resources to a negative ROI activity.

Here’s a little experiment for you to try:

1) Go to Amazon.com and locate their 800 number.

2) Can’t find it? Ok, try their “Contact Us” page.

3) Can’t find a “Contact Us” page? Hmmm. Try their “Help Department” pages link near the bottom of the page.

4) Ahh… there we go. A “Contact Us” page. Oops, we have to sign in to get the phone number…

5) Where now…? Oh, there it is… a little “phone” button. Click that…

6) And if you can squint hard enough, you can see their phone number - and that will connect you to their “automated customer service system.”

That is a far cry from the “conventional wisdom”, wouldn’t you say? Amazon is arguably the largest ecommerce site in the world, and they certainly don’t have their phone number plastered everywhere for anyone to call whenever the mood strikes them. Not only do you have to hunt for the number, but you have to be a registered customer of theirs before they’ll even give you access to their automated system.

If you are running an ecommerce site, I think it’s important to realize the business that you are in and the type of customer that you want to attract. My ecommerce sites are online stores, not extensions of an offline catalog, and I run them like online stores. That is, the transaction is done online. I market online, my customers are online, they order online, and they can contact us online.

I’ve got more I want to say on the subject, but I’ll save it for next time. In the meantime, if you have a comment about this post, give me a call and we’ll chat.

Or, if you prefer, leave your comment right here on the website. Technology is awesome. :)

Tags: come back in one year, no phone number for you

Shopping Carts, Gateways and Payment Processors: Anatomy of an Online Purchase

Years ago, an exchange of cash was all it took for a customer to make a purchase from a merchant. How things have changed! Today, most businesses offer their products or services on the Internet - clearly, they can’t be restricted to cash-on-delivery practices anymore. E-commerce has emerged as a lucrative channel for merchants to boost sales and grow their bottom lines. Many consumers have Internet access both at work and at home, and browsing an online catalog can be faster than browsing the aisles of a physical store - and customers get the added convenience of shopping 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Merchants should understand the value of operating in multiple channels. For those who haven’t yet incorporated e-commerce into their business but want to, there is much to learn. They must educate themselves on how payment processing works in order to best accommodate their online shoppers and serve the needs of their business. Though paying for an online purchase takes just a few seconds, it involves a complex chain reaction of behind-the-scenes processes.

Merchants can increase revenues and reach more customers by offering an efficient, successful e-commerce solution. This article examines what must be in place in order to complete a transaction that is both secure and offers superior customer service.

What Makes an E-Commerce Solution Possible?

In addition to the range of software and hardware that companies use to support the sale of products and services online, there are three vital components that make online shopping possible: the shopping cart, payment gateway and payment processor. Each is critical to ensuring successful implementation of e-commerce functionality.

• Shopping cart. The shopping cart acts quite literally as a virtual shopping basket. It holds the items customers select from a Web site until they are ready to proceed to the checkout stage, where their credit card information will be processed. The shopping cart:
  • Keeps track of items until they are purchased
  • Automatically totals the amount of a customer’s order, including shipping and tax
  • Allows shoppers to securely enter address and credit card information
• Payment gateway. In order to accept credit cards through the Internet, a payment gateway is critical to transport the credit card information from the shopping cart to the payment processor once the consumer clicks the “Buy” button. In most cases, this transaction happens almost instantaneously. The payment gateway receives encrypted transactions from the merchant’s shopping cart. An encrypted transaction simply means that credit card numbers can’t be read by people who are not supposed to read those numbers. Authentication is then provided and the decrypted payment information is transmitted for authorization. The payment gateway:
  • Fulfills the same function as a point-of-sale (card swipe) terminal at a physical retail location
  • Takes information provided through a shopping cart and transmits it electronically and securely to a payment processor to be routed for authorization of payment
• Payment processor. The payment processor transmits a customer’s credit card information via the Internet to the merchant bank for authorization. It also sends data back to the merchant’s bank to approve payment or the transfer of funds. Specifically, a payment processor:
  • Acts as a link from the merchant to the acquiring bank or merchant bank
  • Receives information from the merchant through the payment gateway and packages the information for delivery to the acquirer, ensuring that all necessary transactional data is present and valid
  • Later transmits information back from the acquirer for delivery to the merchant to settle the transaction

With the shopping cart, payment gateway and payment processor in place, merchants have all they need to offer convenient e-commerce solutions that deliver superior security and service. With a little research and education, merchants can find the best providers to accommodate their business needs and those of their consumers. It just makes sense - with online shopping projected to account for $116 billion, or five percent of all retail sales this year - e-commerce provides merchants an opportunity to make more money and succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

The tenth annual Shop.org report, The State of Retailing Online 2007, conducted by Forrester Research states that e-commerce has come of age and its profitability throughout the channel has stabilized. Eighty-three percent of respondents to the survey reported making more money and 78 percent said they were more profitable than just two years ago. The report found that apparel, accessories and footwear reached $18.3 billion in 2006 for online purchases and is expected to hit $22.1 billion by the end of 2007.

e-onlinedata (EOD) is the nation’s fastest-growing, most trusted provider of online payment solutions. Thousands of Internet, mail order, auction sellers and retail businesses - from start-ups to billion-dollar companies - are choosing EOD every month for affordable, reliable, and easy-to-use credit card processing and Authorize.net payment gateway solutions. For more information on e-onlinedata or to apply for a merchant account, please visit www.e-onlinedata.com/paymentwerx

Merchant Processing 102 is a production of e-onlinedata provided to WebSite Werx, reprinted with permission from e-onlinedata. Content is intended to provide merchants and small business owners with practical information and insight into the world of payment processing.

Please feel free to post a comment to the blog and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.

Tags: accept credit cards, authorize.net, ecommerce merchant processing, eonlinedata, online merchant account