I just read an interesting article related to website navigation that started me thinking (Is it smoking in here? LOL). The core focus of this article addressed exit strategy. What happens when your prospect, just turned client, finishes the checkout process on your ecommerce site? Are they ushered to politely exit your site, or could you fulfill other needs they made have overlooked?

Traditional brick and mortar strategy

Traditionally, brick and mortar stores lead shoppers toward the exits as they check out, but I’m seeing more stores move their registers to the interiors of their stores. Why? I think because the more a client lingers, the odds increase they’ll purchase something else. After all, they’re already there! They just said yes to one of your products or services and are in a buying frame of mind. They’ll eventually leave, so there’s no real rush to push them out the door.

Can you relate this exit strategy to your own business?

Websites are no different. Exit strategies affect customer loyalty, cart abandonment, up-sell opportunities and your site’s overall return on investment (ROI). Step through your purchase steps. Do you funnel your prospects buying experience, or do you offer options similar to Amazon (people who purchased xxx were also interested in yyy products)? Do you offer a customer satisfaction survey? How will you know how well received your site is if you don’t ask?

Minimize abandoned shopping carts

How many times have you been in line at a store and realized you forgot an item? You don’t care, but your wife will beat you if you don’t bring home everything on her list. LOL. Certainly, there are a percentage of abandoned carts related to prospects wanting to edit or add to their list. Can your prospects break out of your buying funnel to do that?

Is your ‘thank you’ page monetized?

Does your ‘thank you’ page pull your clients back into your site, or does it kick them to the curb? Could it cross-sell your merchandise or services while their credit card is still out? Or could it offer them opt-in services, like a quarterly newsletter, or related industry tools?

Be creative with your approach to exit strategy

Just like the cash register doesn’t absolutely need to be by the exit door in a brick and mortar company, websites don’t need to be one dimensional. Order receipts needn’t be the end of the line. Best business practices keep clients lingering. If one approach doesn’t work, try another. Every NO brings you closer to a YES. And if you’re like me, I love the word YES.

Very good post, I like this information. I have had a similar way of thinking when it came to websites, but this hits the nail right on the head. You always have to keep an open mind for anything to succeed, this includes websites. Well, if you have a "funnel" experience on your website, the potential is increased ever more. I think this is a great idea and not to try it out isn't truly a smart idea. I will try this in our new web design and see how it works out for us.

Nice write up, a satisfied shoppers spend more time, they spread good word, and they are more likely to return.

I've seen you post a number of these lately. Are you the author?

Good article. But this type strategy must be done from start till end. You can't take something from article and use it Read and understand everything.

I don't know if I quite understand you, though I mite disagree..

The quick answer is YES. You'll also find similar posts written by me on our company blog and on the front page of the St. Louis Small Business Journal daily. I started writing in the Marine Corps while stationed in Pensacola back in 1972 - for their Public Relations division. I don't doubt that you've seen similar content elsewhere - the Internet is abound with millions of posts about SEO strategies. I put my spin on topics based on my experience in the industry, dating back to when I was the General Manager of a local ISP here in '96.

Great post Steve - really enjoyed reading it. With our current billing system we're actually a company that appears to shuffle the person out the door! I'll need to take a good step backwards and see just exactly what we can do to change that a bit.

Great article, really got me thinking!!