secrets to successful online merchandising

Secrets to Successful Online Merchandising


What is Online Merchandising?

Online merchandising describes how you display your products and services on your website. It’s a fundamental task in making sure your website makes your customers happy and makes you profit.


90%of consumers start their boat search online

17%more leads are generated for dealers who showcase boats through video

66%of walk-ins have already visited your website & arrive to your dealership knowing what they want


The goal of your website is not to sell more boats

What is the goal of your website?


Meet Bo.

Hi MDCE Attendees, I’m shopping for a boat, and I start online because it’s great for researching and comparing prices and features.

My only frustration? Websites that don’t work.

If a site is hard to use or doesn’t show me what I’m looking for, I just leave. Life’s too short, and there are tons of other sites out there.

If you want to get me to your dealership, it’s simple. Pay attention to online customers like me.


Meet Bo.

Name: Bo

Age: 44

Likes: Tuna fishing, spending time with friends & family, golf, surfing

Dislikes: Shopping, bad weather, losing, waiting in line


Bo’s Tips for Making Your Website Work1. Take me to the right page.2. Make your homepage useful.3. Help me navigate.4. Give me what I’ve searched for.5. Give me detailed features and

visuals for the boats.6. Make it easy to inquire.7. Find this useful? Let me help!


1. Take me to the right page.“When I click on ads online, I do so because I’m interested in what you’ve promoted. But what if the offer, price, product or even what I searchedisn’t visible on your landing page? I’ll usually leave, dissatisfied.”

Bo searched for:

And clicked on this ad text:


Making it workLinking promotions & ads to the most relevant pages can decrease your bounce rate by 20%.

Bo searched for:

And instead clicked this ad:


Tips for Landing PagesLink ads to the right page: Product-specific ads and keywords should link to product specific pages; more general ads should link to more general pages.

1Mirror your ad title: The headline or title of your ad should mirror the one on your landing page. 2Make selling points visible: If you include compelling prices or special offers in your ad text, a customer will expect to see these on your site.

3What Next?• Use an analytics tool to analyze the bounce rate

from your landing pages. Identify high traffic landing pages that are losing visitors most quickly.

• Organize inventory by new/used, manufacturer


2. Make your homepage useful.

No boats displayed Unappealing photo No indication of what

they offer Minimal sales message

“A homepage is like your brick & mortar: show me if it’s worth going into your dealership/site. I like homepages that show who you are, what you sell and any exciting offers. Give me clear headings so I know what else I can find on your site.”


Making it work“Hmm… they offer hurricane damage services. I’ll check that out after I search for the 2009 Grady..”

Boat brands prominently displayed

Visible sales promotions Clear navigationBranding

This is a flexible, branded homepage that serves multiple purposes. A user is directed towards key products & offers while provided clear navigation.


Tips for HomepagesReaffirm your brand & site purpose: Clearly display your brand and sales offers. Avoid long introductions.

1Find the optimal layout: Show visitors a clean, user-friendly homepage. All relevant information should be at the top of the page.

2Reinforce product promotions: Mirror any offers promoted in your offline advertising. Popular or seasonal offers should be clearly visible.

3Make it easy to keep moving: You want visitors to go beyond your homepage. Use top/side navigation, product buttons/links – clear & simple!

4


Tips for Homepages

What Next?• Use an analytics program to identify high sales,

high ROI products on your site.

• Identify inventory that generates the highest search volume on your site and feature these products on the homepage.

• Use business intelligence data to identify which boats are in high demand within your market.


3. Help me navigate.“I’ve reached your site, and I’m interested. But often, the first page will only provide an overview of what you offer. That’s why I need clear ways to navigate into your site. Categorize products into simple headings so I can quickly start my search.”

Logos link off the site Clumsy roll-over nav No clear navigation path


Making it Work“I know what my budget is and which years are most reliable, so now I can search by price and year.”Help the user navigate with clear drop down menus, structured by product type or department, and with on-site search.


Tips for NavigationMake product categories obvious: Use clear labels that show what product & service categories you offer. Remember to keep it simple!

1Use easy-to-understand terms: Make sure you use terms that your customers will understand and actually use to find your dealership.

2Highlight where to go next: Guide the visitor through the site using directional language or images.

3What Next?• Use an analytics program to identify the areas of the site

where you are losing people.

• Identify keywords that are driving users to your site. Use those terms on your site to increase click-thrus.

• Determine if buttons or text links yield a higher CTR.


4. Give me what I searched for.“Sometimes, I come to your site knowing the boat type, condition or manufacturer that I want. In this case, I don’t want to click around your site to find it. I want to search and be directed straight there.”

Before (Source: WebArchives.org)

After


Tips for Site SearchCheck relevancy of results: Ensure visitors are getting relevant results and viewing relevant promotional offers.

1Make site search easy to find: Visitors to your site should be able to find where to search at a quick glance.

2Allow visitors to sort search results: Visitors like to view results differently, so allow them to sort based on their preference – length, price, year, etc.





What Next?• Use an analytics program to determine which internal search

terms are converting to leads most and least frequently.

• Keyword searches often fail to work, so if you choose to have a search box, ensure that it delivers accurate results.

• Use BI to identify the share of views you have for specific inventory compared to your competitors.


5. Give me detailed features & visuals.“I’ve looked around and I’m close to selecting your dealership. To make a decision, I need to know exactly what I’m getting. Don’t overload me, but do show me relevant details: pricing, photos, features & reviews.”


Making it WorkAdding more descriptive details to listings results in prospects that are further along in the buying process. Studies have shown that this can increase conversion rate by 5%.*

“My wife will really like the additional seating that can be added. I didn’t know that was an optional feature.”

* Google Case Study


Tips for Providing Features & VisualsSummarize key boat details: Think about what customers commonly ask about. Be up-front about features, options, condition & price.

1Display clear photos: Show multiple photos and provide the option for customers to zoom in and view from different angles.

2Make the contact button easy to find: Display the contact form, phone number and map location multiple times on the ad detail page.





What Next?• Identify what type of contact form your prospects prefer

(phone or email) and make that most prominent

• Use an inventory management tool (IMT) to manage listings in real-time and ensure that inventory is fresh and details are accurate. Mobile IMT applications are available for on-the-go management.


6. Make it easy to inquire.“I don’t think anyone enjoys filling out forms. The longer a form is on a website, the more likely I am to give up. I do understand you need to collect information from me. But the easier you make it, the more likely I am to follow through and complete the process.”

By reducing the number of fields in their inquiry form and moving the call to action above the fold, a boat dealer increased email leads by 40%.


Tips for Inquiries Don’t require unnecessary details: Only ask the customer for information that is really needed. 1Expedite the process: Help the customer complete the forms by auto-populating fields where possible.

2Send an automated response: With so many options, customer service matters. Send a thank you and a timeframe for contacting them back.





What Next?• Test various fields to determine which are most/least likely

to be completed by your visitors

• Use a lead management system to effectively respond to and match incoming leads with available inventory

• Use analytics to determine the inventory that generates the highest volume of leads


7. Find this useful? Let me help!“The bottom line is this: manage your online business like your brick & mortar – understand your customer, and you can drive real improvements. Figure out what types of boats they are demanding most, measure what causes us to leave your website and understand how you’re measuring up to local competitors.”


Tips for ConversionsDrive high quality traffic: Optimize your site by learning what key terms your audience is using.1Understand the trends on your website: Start tracking how visitors interact with your site. Make improvements to keep more visitors engaged.

2Stop guessing, start using BI: Understand your market place, know how you measure up to your competitors and make changes accordingly.





What Next?

Come to the Dominion Marine Media booth to:

• Learn how to make your site’s online merchandising work better

• See a demo of the latest mobile inventory management toolapp for your smart phone


Meet the new Bo…as Owners


Thank you!

Courtney ChalmersDominion Marine Media

[email protected]

secrets to successful online merchandising

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