It’s not often that an online shopping cart makes you sit up and take notice, in a good way. But that’s exactly what happened recently when I ordered from Road ID.
Road ID sells personalized identification bracelets and similar gear for outdoor athletes. Most of their products are inexpensive, and considering the nature of their products, I can’t imagine their reorder rate is very high. They’ve got to be incredibly smart marketers, and they are.
Several things impressed me about their shopping cart. As you’d expect, it’s clear and simple. It incorporates multiple techniques to prevent ordering mistakes. It answers common questions, such as shipping methods and timing. In addition to a prominent customer service number and hours, there’s a link to FAQs.
What I found most interesting, however, was the ways Road ID uses the shopping cart to accomplish other marketing objectives. For instance:
Gather Feedback. “Let us know what you think about us, our products, mission, or our website,” requests Road ID just above the Payment Method section. “What are we doing right? Is there anything that we can do better? Thanks!”
Create Good Will. A portion of each sale is donated to charity. The buyer is offered a choice of a dozen possibilities.
Get Referrals. Road ID will give buyers a $10 credit good towards a future purchase for every new customer they refer. Along with that offer, Road ID provides a link to share information about Road ID on Facebook, Twitter or via Email. That’s probably part of the reason why Road ID boasts over 210,000 Facebook fans.
Upsell More Product. In three short sentences plus a link, Road ID promotes an app that would be of interest to a huge percentage of people buying other Road ID products.
Generate Advertising Revenue. One of the last sections of the order form touted four local bike or running stores, complete with distances from my location. “Small businesses are vital to the success of any community,” it reads. “Please support these fine Road ID partners. When you stop by, give them a jumping high five for everything they do to create local jobs, drive a stronger local economy, and promote entrepreneurship.”
Not only is the Road ID checkout easy, but you walk away with a warm and fuzzy feeling about the company. That’s a pretty awesome accomplishment for a lowly shopping cart!
