Why do visitors convert to buyers?

by Dennis | Dec 23, 2023 | Psychology

Conversion is the English term for “conversion” and refers to the transformation of a visitor into a customer. Optimizing an application, a website, or a landing page for conversion is known as conversion optimization.

In the field of online marketing, the most important factor is the conversion and the so-called conversion rate. In other words: How many visitors I have on the respective page divided by the number of completed target actions. We define these target actions right at the beginning. Typically, we define a product purchase, newsletter sign-up, or contact initiation as target actions.

Why is conversion optimization so extremely important? Quite simply: It brings in money. A product sale means more money in the pockets, a newsletter sign-up and contact initiation indirectly as well. We get clicks on our landing page via AdWords or Facebook ads and then hope that the user converts. If they don’t, we have spent the money in vain.

How can we increase conversions?

To increase the conversions of a landing page, there are various possibilities. In a later article, we will go into detail on these. In this article, we focus on the psychological component. For conversion optimization, we consult the American doctor BJ Fogg with his “Behavior Model”. BJ Fogg is the founder of the “Persuasive Technology Lab” at Stanford University in California.

The Behavior Model by BJ Fogg

In the behavior model, BJ Fogg addresses the elements of motivation, simplicity, and trigger. These elements can also be consciously incorporated into a website using gamification. According to Fogg, a person only performs a specific behavior if they are sufficiently motivated at a given moment, have the necessary skills, and receive a trigger. We can rarely control the visitor’s motivation. The hurdle for the necessary skills can be significantly lowered by an optimized user interface and very good usability.

Three steps to the desired behavior: Motivation, Simplicity, and Trigger.

Motivation

Motivation describes a person’s will to carry out a specific target action. There are six different and opposing pairs:

Pleasure	Pain
Hope	Fear
Acceptance	Rejection

The opposing pairs are equally motivating.

Every person is individual, and so are their motivations.

Simplicity

Simplicity describes the extent to which the ability necessary to perform a certain behavior is determined. Here, the specific abilities of the person are not in the foreground, but the general factors such as:

Time	The more time the user needs, the more difficult the desired behavior is
Money	The more financial resources are needed, the more difficult the desired behavior is
Physical Effort	The greater the necessary physical effort, the more difficult the desired behavior is
Cognitive Effort	The more the user has to think, the more difficult the desired behavior is
Social Deviation	The more the user’s behavior deviates from the social norm, the more difficult the desired behavior is
Routine	The more often the user has already performed a certain behavior, the easier the desired behavior is.

Trigger

Triggers, or triggers, are elements that call for a certain behavior. Triggers can be differentiated into igniters, facilitators, and signals.

If a user is able to perform a behavior but lacks the necessary motivation, an igniter can still trigger this behavior. To enhance the function of an igniter, a motivating element is usually used.

If a user is highly motivated but lacks the necessary ability to perform a behavior, a facilitator can simplify this behavior or support the user’s existing abilities. Facilitators are often used in software updates. The user is shown that only one click is necessary to perform the update.

But what happens to users who have high motivation and high ability? These users feel disturbed by igniters or facilitators. Instead, the user waits for a signal. This serves as a reminder and points to the appropriate behavior.

Conclusion: Conversion Optimization with the Behaviour Model

For a user to convert, they must be sufficiently motivated and have a high ability. If both are present, the right trigger must be chosen. If the user is in the green zone, a conversion is possible. In the red zone, conversion is almost impossible.