Here at Harlo we love to work with brands that “Win Hearts”. For us, that means delivering beautiful and user friendly experiences to customers throughout their journey, from an initial search to receiving a product they’ll love.
While creating these journeys we’ve learned a lot about what customers need to make decisions, and the platforms that help them do it. Shopify, the largest eCommerce site around, is one of our favorites as it offers a huge amount of tools for shop owners. In particular they let you build robust product pages that draw customers in. Here are some of the best practices we follow when building sites for our customers.
Make It Clean and Simple
One of the reasons we love Shopify is their easy to use design features. Their wide selection of templates and rich style editor make it easy to create a site that aligns with the elements of your brand. However, It’s important to remember that sometimes less is more.
Often the best design is one that is limited in features, clean and simple to use. Some of our favorite sites layout their products and information in a minimalist fashion. This makes it easy for your customers to find the information they need, and easy for you to direct their eyes toward that buy button.
Something we’ve seen a lot of sites doing lately is removing the background from your product photography. It’s an easy way to give you product a clean and appealing look that can match other minimalist elements of the site. Shopify even offers an app that makes it easy to implement.
Eye Catching Photography
Speaking of photography, let’s make those products look as impressive as possible. Taking quality product shots on your own is possible if you have the right equipment and a good eye, but we usually suggest getting professional photos taken. The up front cost will more than pay for itself in the long run.
It’s also a good idea to to add variant product images to your listing. Customers want to be able to see close up details of your products. After all, the quality and details are hopefully what set your products apart, so make sure you show them off! Variants also let you show off your products in different styles and colors.
Lastly, think about how you can get creative with your product shots. Place them in different environments or backgrounds that relate to their function or branding. Consider if they should be displayed on their own or on models. Maybe even consider using 3D Modeling to really make them shine.
Product Descriptions That Dazzle
Another way to make products stand out is with product descriptions that compel your customers to smash that buy button. The best product descriptions are a balance of science and creativity, which can be difficult to master. It’s important to write with a little flair (or a lot if it makes sense), but you also need to make sure your customers get the information they need.
My suggestion, if you’re not choosing to higher a professional copywriter, would be to seek out examples of great copywriting that you can mimic. There’s a lot of styles you can to choose from, from a conversational tone to telling a story, it all just depends on what your brand is about and what you want your customers to feel.
That least piece is important. Your Shopify store is all about creating a connection with your customers, so work in branded elements where ever you can. Amazon provides bare bone product information, so on your site you should give them something special.
Make Them Answer the Call (To Action)
Once you’ve shown people the product, and told them what it’s all about, it’s time for the most important part of the process, getting them to click that buy button! This may seem obvious, but there are some ways you can make that step even more appealing, boosting your conversions and helping your customers through the buying process.
First off, you want to make sure the Call to Action (CTA) button is prominent on the page. After the actual product itself, the CTA is probably the most important aspect, as it’s hopefully what visitors are there to do. Play with different colors that will make it pop, as well as different sizes and placements. As with other elements of your site, I’d suggest implementing some A/B testing to see exactly which combo gives you the best results
Give Them The Information They Need
Product photography and descriptions are important, but there’s also so much more you can tell customers. For example, many buyers say that additional shipping costs are a major cause of shopping cart abandonment. Including this info, as well as shipping options, on the product page can help ensure that customers don’t abandon items. If you offer free shipping then definitely make sure to let them know!
You can also include stocking information, letting customers know exactly how much is left of each item and size. Studies actually show that creating a sense of urgency in this way can compel people to buy when they have the chance. Give them the extra push they need to give your product a chance.
Show Them People Love It
Lastly, let’s add a personal element. Humans are social people, so when they see other people buying and loving a product they’re more likely to buy it themselves. Affirming your customer’s belief that they can’t live without this product is a great way to both increase conversions and build loyalty. Show your customers that they are part of a tribe of people that love your product, and they’ll keep coming back for more.
The two easiest ways to do this are to feature customer reviews and testimonials, and to build social links into your page. Shopify’s app platform has easy to use options for integrating reviews into your product pages, and many templates have testimonial blocks. I’d suggest using testimonials for products that promise results, like skincare products, and reviews for other items like clothes and accessories.
If you want to know more about our creative digital services feel free to contact us here: winhearts@harlointeractive.com
