<div>While the sales and shopping season in India is at its peak, shoppers globally are gearing up to transition into the ‘holiday shopping’ mode this year end. As a result, Indian merchants who have made it big by exporting locally manufactured products are set to sell much more towards the end of 2015, than any other time of the year.</div><div> </div><div>On the cusp of the biggest shopping season of the year, there is no better time than now for retailers to take stock of what influences existing and new customers when they search and shop for products. If last year’s holiday sales metrics are any indication, it is also the perfect time to make your ecommerce shopping experience more streamlined. According to the National Retail Federation(US), non-store holiday sales (which include online and e-commerce) grew 6.8 percent to $101.9 billion in 2014. Here are four areas retailers should focus on to make online customer shopping experiences “frictionless,” or effortless – leading to higher conversion rates and customer retention:</div><div> </div><div><strong>Holiday Shopping on the Go </strong></div><div>Making it possible for your customers to purchase on their mobile devices is a great first step, but retailers need to think beyond that to truly compete during the holidays. With the proliferation of mobile commerce, merchants need think “mobile first” – as in, designing the entire customer experience with mobile top of mind. Successful online retailers provide their customers with seamless shopping experiences on mobile, cutting out the need to enter in a username, password and other details that might be a barrier to purchasing. </div><div> </div><div><strong>Provide Peace of Mind</strong></div><div>When making purchases online and on mobile devices this holiday season, shoppers expect that their personal data will remain secure. Security is an essential underlying foundation of successful online retail. Be sure to offer time-tested payment processing options that give customers peace of mind when they shop, knowing that they’ll be protected by best-in-class fraud prevention and transaction monitoring. With known and trusted companies such as PayPal, retailers know that they’re offering customers top-rate buyer protection. This includes reimbursing customers with the full purchase price, plus any original shipping costs if something goes wrong with the order – and buyers have up to 180 days to file a dispute. This layer of security and protection gives customers the confidence they need to complete a purchase. </div><div> </div><div><strong>Simplify the Shopping Experience at Checkout</strong></div><div>Anyone who sells online knows that shopping-cart abandonment is a common problem, leading to lower conversion rates. Some potential shoppers decide against buying because they don’t have financing options readily available, and some simply give up on checkout because entering the data required to complete a purchase is too lengthy or complex. When it comes to checkout, convenience is paramount to conversion rates. Merchants should also consider eliminating the need for customers to enter credit card numbers and other payment information – like shipping and billing addresses – at checkout. Stored payment information is one reason that transactions processed through PayPal have a 70 percent higher checkout conversion rate than credit card-only checkouts.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Provide Shopping Flexibility with “BORIS” and “BOPIS”</strong></div><div>Many consumers find themselves in a time crunch during holiday shopping season, which can make it stressful. Providing options like “Buy Online; Return in Store” (BORIS) and “Buy Online; Pick up In Store” (BOPIS) gives customers flexibility in terms of purchasing and returning, catering to their specific needs. Recently, the Indian e-commerce community is starting to debate about the importance of the omnichannel model of e-commerce. While BORIS and BOPIS can present new challenges in terms of supply chain management (as orders can be fulfilled from different stashes of inventory), flexibility in your inventory systems is critical to scaling it successfully.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Ring in the New Year with Bigger Sales</strong></div><div>While mobile, security, checkout and shopping flexibility should be a focus for retailers year-round, competing for customers and sales during the holidays is particularly important -- giving all merchants cause for reevaluating their retail strategy and taking a look at what could be improved to make sales. What steps retailers take now to prep for the holiday season will help them grow throughout the year. Keep these four essential areas in mind to make the entire purchase experience seamless for your customers.</div><div> </div><div><strong>By PayPal India</strong></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div>
