When Nielsen Online releases its list of highest converting ecommerce websites, Proflowers.com is frequently in the top ten. The latest numbers has it at a stunning 15 percent conversion rate.
I’m always open to learn from the best, and while I’m not going to do a page-by-page review of Proflowers.com’s site, I thought it would be interesting to review some of the overall concepts that I think make it one of the most successful conversion sites on the web.
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Do one thing, and do it well. Even though you can purchase cookies, chocolate-covered strawberries and other gourmet gifts via the site, Proflowers.com is primarily focused on flowers. Within flowers it has a great selection of products, with many options to satisfy different visitor types.
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Landing pages are clear, compelling, and attractive. You experience a sense of having landed in the right place when you visit ProFlowers.com. It’s just what you’d expect, with a clear visual indication of the nature of the site. In addition, product photography is high quality, site design is simple and attractive, and it’s clear where to click next.
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Audience is pre-qualified. This is more of an issue for its market than its website in particular, but I don’t imagine many people visit flower websites with the intention of just browsing. In addition, the nature and price point of Proflower.com’s products give it a high probability for a sale. This gives ProFlowers.com (and other similar sites) an edge from being in an industry that is well suited to ecommerce.
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Provide multiple search methods. ProFlowers.com provides the ability to search by event (such as birthday and get well soon), flower type (such as roses, tulips, and lilies) and price point (under $40, $40 to $60). In other words, the site has predicted the most common mind-frames of its visitors and made it simple for each visitor to easily find what he is looking for.
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Target specific sub-niches. I visited the site in April 2008 and saw prominent reminders that Mother’s Day was coming up. I also saw ads for Administrative Professionals Week. Targeting sub-groups of your target audience with specific offers is a great way to engage visitors.
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Pricing is compelling. Most of the prices on ProFlowers.com appear to be discounted, giving the sense that you’re getting a good deal. I’d expect that Proflowers.com’s pricing is also very comparable to its competitors, but the discount makes me inclined not to spend time checking them and just jump right into a purchase.
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Checkout process is clear and “alert-free.” No red flags exist in the checkout process. In addition, a clear indication of server security and product satisfaction guarantees provide a sense of comfort with the purchase process.