Opinion: Improving Conversion with a Seamless Checkout Page
This following post is a sponsored opinion piece.
The magic sauce for the online dating industry is to strike a balance between conversion rate and account longevity. Still, many business owners don’t realise this goal is much easier to reach with proper tools and information they can get from a payment partner.
Thinking about online dating as a whole, business owners should also take their payment systems into consideration. Quality is what premium dating sites look for, so this approach should also be implemented in every part of their dating service. For instance, to provide a superior experience, they won’t place pushy ads screaming in the user’s face, so why would they offer slow payment systems that interrupt the overall experience?
Designing a better customer experience
By simplifying the way users pay, online companies can improve their conversion rate and build a long-term relationship with their audience. Seems natural but, still, many businesses don’t approach their checkout pages as the way of improving their business results.
Finding a payment provider that offers payments without redirection and with versatile APIs that enable payment scenarios being created based on the particular needs of the dating business is a no-brainer.
A simple and flawless payment system is also beneficial for converting registered users into paid subscribers. These are a few changes that make a huge difference, such as limiting the number of fields in a payment form to the bare minimum. The card number, expiration date and security code (CVV) are simply enough, especially on dating websites where most users don’t want to share their names.
Smart dating on the go
The online dating industry is also going mobile, and there’s a growing interest in using mobile apps to flirt on the go. Needless to say that nowadays customers expect flawless functionality from whichever device they are using. Today, it’s easier than ever before, because of larger screens on smart devices and interfaces designed for mobile users needs.
The same comes with payments. Inserting all payment information on a small screen could be hard sometimes so a mobile-friendly design in the checkout is a must. All of that without redirections, distractions, misleading links, buttons, etc. Nowadays, people expect to pay for a transaction with a single tap, as smartphones have altered our everyday life.
Security without interrupting the overall experience
An improved security system also has a real impact on a positive payment experience, as it helps deliver an intuitive payment solution and accommodate customer concerns. The industry comes with lots of charge-backs and fraud attempts, so implementing solutions with the highest level of security that actively fight fraud is paramount.
Based on SecurionPay’s experience and observations, dating websites usually have a large amount of traffic, so risk diversification is a great solution to prevent technical failures or to help with a sudden increase in sales volume. Moreover, working with one payment gateway that enables splitting transactions across a few acquirers to diversify risk leads to effective transaction monitoring, as all the stats are generated in one place.
The online dating business is also facing false declines (also known as false positives) that could be more expensive than fraud itself and have an impact on the conversion rate. These, in short, are valid transactions that were incorrectly rejected based on decline codes that issuers may use to flag the transaction. “This is why finding a payment platform that will be a real partner for the dating business is important. Here, at SecurionPay, we’ve learnt how to analyse the codes to prevent losing growth opportunities and now, we share the knowledge with our clients,” says Lucas Jankowiak, SecurionPay CEO.
Furthermore, some online dating services could be considered as high-risk businesses and, especially for them, it’s better to have a dedicated merchant account and work with a payment provider experienced in this field.
Show customers you care
What is extremely helpful in designing a user experience is the support team of a payment solution dating companies choose to work with. Their expertise works wonders when it comes to additional tips, for instance, to maximize the platform’s features. This will not only lead to achieving better results, but also improve a service from a user’s perspective.
The responsive customer support is also important in the case of some issues with payments, as they can address the problem as soon as it occurs. Dating owners should realise that they can’t afford a solution that causes intervals in payment processing on their site.
Simplifying the way users pay, related to a convenience of using the dating service, leads to conversion rate improvement and building a long-term relationship with the site’s audience. The online dating industry is getting crowded and those that will provide the best user experience from the very start will win in the long run.