Turn Your Website Into ?an E-Commerce Machine

The competitive bidding program has placed a burden on HME providers to find new revenue streams to offset the revenue reduction from Medicare patients. In this challenging context, the need for an e-commerce website is mandatory. A well-designed, content-rich site that makes shopping easy for consumers can mean the difference between winning and losing. Content—From the second a visitor lands on your site, you need to start closing the sale. If you don’t quickly provide information for visitors, they will move on to a competitor’s site. Sales-driving content should include the following.

• Prominently displayed location, contact information and business hours
• Reviews of top-selling products
• Showcase of current inventory, including specifications, images and videos
• Rental products and pricing
• Highlighted product or service promotions on a “specials” page
• Easy online forms for customers to request CPAP and medical supplies, prescription refills, rental requests, etc.
• Why you’re better than the competition (list years in business, experience, awards, etc.)
• Customer testimonials

Branding—Think of your business as a brand, and build buyer confidence. Marketing matters. Build a great looking site that includes all the elements of a legitimate, trustworthy business. Your brand is a one-of-a-kind entity. Branding basics include a custom logo, possibly a tagline to reinforce your brand proposition and a specific color scheme that you commit to and use consistently on all marketing materials. Think of brand positioning as the very first thing you want your customers to think about when they hear your name. Navigation—Website navigation and usability are important—and it is a science. The study of usability has enabled website providers to define elements that are the most attractive and intuitive to the greatest number of people. Your goal is to make it easy for them to click and buy. Lead your prospects. Your website should anticipate visitors’ needs and quickly drive them to the relevant portions of your site. From the home page, visitors should be able to access a product brochure in just one click. Clear navigation means that every page should be obvious and self-explanatory, featuring a clear structure, moderate visual cues and easily recognizable links. Make sure that your website has an easy-to-use search bar. Shopping cart—To convert more shoppers into buyers, it’s critical that your website provides a shopping experience that builds confidence in your business. Keep potential buyers informed and engaged from the time they land on your site to the time they submit their orders. Once customers have found what they are looking for, your goal is to close the deal. Make it easy to add products to the shopping cart and streamline the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment by accomplishing the following.

• Buttons should be large and obvious, e.g., “add to cart” or “continue shopping” or “checkout.”
• Provide thumbnail product images to allow buyers to visually confirm their selections.
• Link to product details so customers can quickly review product information prior to checkout.
• Make it easy to enter a discount code and see the savings applied during the checkout process.
• Clearly define shipping fees and 
options.
• Offer guest checkout. Don’t force visitors to sign up for an account to make a purchase.
• Make the checkout process fast—no more than three steps.
• Consolidate billing and shipping information by using pre-populated forms.
• Include all relevant order details on the final checkout page. Always provide a print option.
• Send an order confirmation via e-mail immediately after the order has been completed.

Your website is your first line of defense against competitive bidding. Content, branding, navigation and shopping cart play an important role in the success or failure of your e-commerce website.