Eyeblaster: How to better convert consumers

Getting online consumers 'in the door', so to speak, doesn't seem to be the problem for etailers and online marketers these days. Getting consumers to convert once they've entered a storefront, however, is still a confusing prospect for many. New research from Eyeblaster sheds light on how to increase direct response performance.

by Kristina Knight

Called 'Trends in Conversions', the study followed more than 2,000 online campaigns and 29 billion ad impressions. Researchers found that for many consumers there are simply too many steps in the online process. To better convert these shoppers, researchers recommend cutting down on the number of steps - clicking an ad, going to a website, getting to the landing page, reading the product information and so on - so that consumers are more quickly engaged with the products offered.

Data capture is one way to do this. The study shows that by using data capture with a banner ad rather than standard on-site banners conversion rates increased five times over. Why? Because consumers are more likely to fill in a banner than they are of clicking on it.

There is no magic button that will automatically increase conversions, but by testing options like data capture against standard display, search or rich media ads marketers will have a better idea of how consumers are engaging with products. As they become more attuned to the consumer those conversion rates will also increase.

Tags: conversion rates, ecommerce research, online advertising, online conversions