What happens over a single internet minute in 2021? According to Statista, every 60 seconds, people:
- conduct 5.7 million Google searches
- send 12 million iMessage messages
- purchase 6 million items online
- stream 100k hours of Netflix content
Looking at these numbers, it’s clear that there’s no shortage of available content for those who want to consume it. But what if you want to boost consumer engagement and increase conversions with website content?
Well, one possible solution would be to look into interactive website features.
Data from the past five years shows that interactive is the way to go in 2021:
- 44% of marketers stated that it’s more effective at grabbing user attention than static content.
- 93% said that interactive content works better for educating audiences.
- 70% of marketers state that interactive content boosts website conversions.
- It gains as much as 2x the engagement as its static counterparts.
So, knowing that it’s guaranteed to help you accomplish your website goals, interactive content is definitely worth experimenting with. Here are a few ways you can add interactive features to boost engagement and conversions on your website.
Use Interactive Content to Capture More Leads
One of the absolute best uses for interactive website features is capturing leads for your business.
Keep in mind that it takes six to eight touches to turn people from your target audience into viable leads that stand a chance of converting into customers. That’s why every single cog in your lead-capture mechanism must do its best to keep the machine rolling. The great news is that interactive content can help with this.
On the one hand, it can do so by responding to user actions on your site. For example, an exit-intent pop-up can remind blog readers to sign up for your newsletter. That conversion will turn them into leads whom you can nurture with a stellar email marketing strategy.
Or, like in the case of GQ, it can remind web visitors to check out one of your special offers that’s related to the pages they had just been browsing.
A slightly easier thing to pull off would be to turn your contact information into interactive widgets that stay in the same spot regardless of your web audience’s browsing journey.
US Fireplace Store does this on its homepage, and it’s such a great solution for encouraging people to email, message, or call. Plus, combined with the live chat widget, this interactive feature is 100% sure to boost conversions.
A slightly easier thing to pull off would be to turn your contact information into interactive widgets that stay in the same spot regardless of your web audience’s browsing journey.
US Fireplace Store does this on its homepage, and it’s such a great solution for encouraging people to email, message, or call. Plus, combined with the live chat widget, this interactive feature is 100% sure to boost conversions.
Make It Part of the Shopping Experience
Looking for more sales in your ecommerce store? It’s safe to say that interactive features can help you with that as well. One of the best ways to encourage people to buy from your brand is to show them what a great shopping experience you offer.
For example, price calculators are excellent interactive features to remove friction from the buying process. Mixam has a great one on its booklet printing page. It allows web visitors to see how much they will have to pay and wait until their selected product arrives.
If a calculator is not something you could benefit from, you can still incorporate interactive features into the shopping experience. Future Kind, for example, uses a drop-down menu on their vegan omega 3 product page to help consumers choose their preferred delivery frequency.
Or, if both of these options seem too easy, perhaps you could employ VR to make it easier for consumers to find the best products for their needs?
It’s what Ray-Ban does on its product pages. It allows web visitors to see how each lens type will affect their vision, increasing the chances of their first-time customers being happy with their sunglasses. Needless to say, this also helps ensure that customers continue holding the brand in high regard.
Utilize It for Personalization
Another excellent use for interactive web features is personalization.
Research into consumer behaviour shows that personalized content vastly increases conversion rates by as much as 2x. That’s definitely a benefit your business could profit from. But how exactly do interactive features fit into this use?
Well, one super-simple way to use this type of feature is to incorporate personalized recommendation widgets into your ecommerce store or blog. PresetLove does this with its content, grouping content based on common aesthetic features like for example on their vintage lightroom presets page.
Another fantastic use of interactive elements is showing your different business locations on a map.
Costa Coffee, for example, has an online store locator that allows web visitors to search for coffee shops near them. This way, it’s not just using user-provided data to present web visitors with relevant information. It’s also sending foot traffic to its physical locations where people can buy a cup of coffee without having to wander around entire neighbourhoods looking for their favourite coffee shop.
Entertain & Educate Web Visitors
According to research by Conductor, people are 131% more likely to make a purchase immediately after having consumed a piece of educational content.
So, it’s only natural that you should be looking at ways to produce this type of content. And, with a few interactive features, you can make it even more engaging and likely to result in a conversion.
Sukin, for example, helps its potential customers identify the best possible products for their skin type with a quick 5-question quiz.
If you want to make your brand’s offered value even more available to your web visitors, you can do something along the lines of National Geographic. Having created an online map-making widget for educators, the brand successfully entered thousands of modern classrooms. It positioned its magazine as a fun and modern resource for kids (and adults) looking for some fun knowledge.
Do Audience Research
Lastly, don’t forget that increasing website engagement and boosting conversions aren’t the only two reasons to add interactive website features to your site.
The best solutions out there will also let you get to know your audience better. These can help you improve your products, plan your content strategy, and identify new consumer pain points none of your competitors have targeted yet.
Polls are the most popular option for getting to know your audience better. Taco Bell created an entire website just to gather feedback from its customers.
But, remember, even something as simple as a multiple selection newsletter sign-up form can provide you with information on what your potential buyers want more of.
So don’t hesitate to experiment until you’ve found the solution that works for you. It doesn’t have to be the most advanced one – as long as it achieves the goals you’ve set out for yourself.
The Sky’s the Limit
The possibilities of what you can do with a well-developed interactive website widget are almost endless. Just think back to Netflix’s 2018 Black Mirror: Bandersnatch movie, and you’ll see how far technology has come.
But to get the most out of these user-oriented features, don’t forget that they’re not enough on their own.
Yes, they are impressive pieces of code that are sure to engage any first-time visitor. But if they become too intrusive, offer zero value, or (worst of all) interfere with an otherwise positive UX, you’ll find that you’d be better off removing them from your site and focusing on more traditional ways to engage and convert visitors.
About the Author:
Natasha is a web designer, lady of the keyboard and one hell of a tech geek. She is always happy to collaborate with awesome blogs and share her knowledge about IT, digital marketing and technology trends. To see what she is up to next, check out her Twitter Dashboard.