Converting Online Browsers into Buyers
Promote Financing on Your Website to Help Drive Sales

At Synchrony, we have long studied where and how consumers like to see credit offers in their online shopping experiences. According to our most recent Major Purchase Study, 80% of shoppers looking to buy an item of $500 or more start their research online, with 50% browsing and researching products via mobile device. Nearly 40% of those who purchased online said they researched promotional financing for their last big purchase.* This is good news for merchants with store cards that offer promotional financing options to their customers.

The question, then, is what is the best way to integrate credit information on your website to help drive sales? Here are five things to know:

1. WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR CREDIT OFFERS, VISIBILITY IS KEY. Display information about your store credit card and applicable offers on virtually all of your website’s pages: home page, product page, search engine landing page, credit landing page, account page, shopping cart page and checkout page. Giving your customer many different entry points into understanding your credit offerings helps optimize the customer’s path to purchase.

2. MOST BUYERS’ PATH TO PURCHASE DOES NOT PROCEED IN A STRAIGHT LINE. Our research shows the majority of big-ticket customers (84%) begin their shopping journey on the home page, the category page or the product page. But wherever they begin, their path to purchase is typically not linear. Shoppers click around to their own accord, depending on where they are in the process. That’s why it is critically important for you to make your credit value proposition clear and easy to discover throughout your site.

3. THE FINANCING PAGE OF YOUR WEBSITE IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT. Shoppers specifically searching for your store credit card present a major opportunity. So, it is crucial to ensure your credit landing page is relevant to those shoppers. On the first screen, make sure they can easily see all the information they need to fill out a credit application. Clearly show percent-financing deals and cash-back awards with a clear call to action (a prominent “Apply Now” button). That will take them to the credit landing page, another make-or-break location for your ability to convert browsers into buyers. .

4. YOUR CREDIT LANDING PAGE IS THE PLACE TO SHOWCASE OFFERS. This page exists specifically to detail your credit offers and terms, so they need to be as clear as possible. The header image on your credit landing page should include images of your credit card, the value proposition for your card and a clear call to action (“Apply Now” gets the message across). The body of your credit landing page should contain keywords in text, not images. Include special offers via internal linking, and make sure the links are relevant. This helps the customer experience in terms of relevance and convenience. (If you’re looking for an example, follow the lead of Amazon, which handles internal linking to many different products and categories very effectively.)

5. BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR COMMON PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE SOLVED. For example, it is problematic if a banner on your home page does not include the credit offer, the card value proposition or the financing link. A lack of prominent or consistent message may mean you will miss out on orders. On product pages, we often see the financing option is not included near the price of the product—another clear missed opportunity. Unused white space is another problem, as well as mentioning financing options in a generic area where they are likely to be overlooked by shoppers. It seems obvious, but our research indicates many checkout pages do not present a financing offer as a payment option or information about other special offers that are relevant to the shopper. These are missed opportunities.

The bottom line: Mentioning financing throughout your website will help you appear higher in search results when customers search for financing.

By presenting financing information and offers clearly and consistently throughout your website, your ability to convert browsers to buyers goes up.

For more information or to connect with an expert, contact us at
synchronyconnect@synchrony.com.

*Synchrony Seventh Annual Major Purchase Consumer Study, 2019

Synchrony has over 80 years of retail heritage. Synchrony Connect is a value-added program that lets Synchrony partners tap into our expertise in areas beyond credit. It offers knowledge and tools that can help you grow, lead and operate your business.

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