This article was originally published on Think with Google EMEA, and has been updated to include Canadian insights.
With 47% of Canadian consumers making their most recent purchase online,1 it's essential that your retail site delivers the best user experience possible. But, with so many other business challenges to juggle right now, how can marketers find the headspace to audit and improve their online shopping experience?
Our new Grow My Store tool shows how your site stacks up against fellow retailers by industry. Start by typing in your website’s URL and specifying your business type and category. The tool will then analyze your site, show how you’re performing, and give you a report with tailored recommendations on where you can improve.
See your site through your customers' eyes
In the report, you’ll find 22 different customer experience metrics to help you map out your action plan. Features include whether users can search or filter products, the level of shopper personalization you offer, how fast and mobile-friendly your site is, whether it’s secure enough, and more.
How users research, compare, and find you
You can deep dive into the shopper insights tailored to your business, including industry-specific benchmarks. For example, it could be the number of consumers using search engines to research the products you sell; what encourages them to pick one retailer over another; or even how long they typically take to make a purchasing decision. You’ll also receive tailored recommendations and steps for making immediate and long-term improvements to your website.
Marian Claudio, founder of Canadian company Face Yoga Lab, was able to identify immediate areas of improvement on the company's website, and says she plans on using the tool tool to monitor progress.
“I know that there are a lot of things that I need to do to improve my website and my SEO, and reading the report really helped me pinpoint those areas. It was also encouraging to see that there were some things that I'm doing correctly. It's kind of like a quick credit check but for your website, and you get free tips on how to improve it,” she said.
Heimathund, a dog trainer and accessories retailer based in Germany, recently used the tool to discover how their website could generate more traffic, convert new customers and drive sales.
Their Grow My Store recommendations included:
- Make product descriptions clearer for the user
- Add a search bar to ease site navigation
- Allow customers to order online and collect/return in-store
- Optimise their site for mobile customers
- Tips on how to discourage shoppers from abandoning their carts
After implementing the recommendations, Heimathund saw significant improvements in both the number and value of individual orders, including a 440% increase in revenue and a 490% increase in online orders. Their physical store also attracted a steady flow of new shoppers, as online users were keen to pick up and try the products they’d browsed online.
