Let’s assume that you’re attracting a million visitors a month. Wow! That’s great. But only a tiny fraction of that traffic converts, i.e., purchase a product from your store. This is the story for almost every ecommerce business in existence.
On average, only 3.57% of your visitors buy a product. And most of the blame is shared by the product pages. Why? They are, arguably, the most critical pages on your website.
Yes, your product might stand out from the crowd, but if your product page fails to explain it, the visitor will drop-off.
The product page is where your customers evaluate your products, check out your special offers and the cheery-on-the-top stuff (like free shipping), and ultimately decide to click that proverbial “Add to Cart” button. So, if you don’t optimize your product page, you might be leaving many dollars on the table. But here’s the thing.
Most ecommerce brands do optimize their product pages to be conversion-worthy. But what they’re missing is a combination of multiple techniques like FOMO offer, customer testimonials, and (relevant) recommendations.
So, let’s take a look at some of the top optimization techniques you can use to skyrocket your product pages’ conversion rate. No matter if you want to start an etsy store or run a multi-million dollar brand, there'll be something for you in this article.
Product page optimization techniques that will skyrocket your sales
Now that we know why product pages are a crucial part of an ecommerce website’s anatomy let’s look at some of the ways you can make them better and get more sales because revenue is the lifeblood of an ecommerce business.
1. Always use the best product images
When a customer buys from your store, they have an inherent trust that the product they will receive would be as advertised. They can’t try out the product before purchasing. That’s why you should add high-quality images to showcase the product in all its glory.
Another thing: Show your product from different angles. It helps the customer to understand the product better. For example, knowing what the front and back of a t-shirt look like helps customers see what they’re buying.
Fabletics does it well. They provide multiple angles to a product that helps the customer get a physical-store-like experience.
2. Make sure the product title & description is engaging
An ecommerce store is a virtual manifestation of a physical store. Right? If that’s the case, you should do everything needed to make it a better experience. One way you can help a customer make an informed purchase is to write great product descriptions.
According to NNG, the most effective product descriptions are scannable, concise, and objective. And, it’s been tested to improve usability by 124%.
When creating a product page, ensure that the product title is precise and the product description is to-the-point. Cut out the fluff and add bullet points to make it scannable.
See how Aviator writes their descriptions. They have a small paragraph to describe the product and connect with the customer. Then they move to bullet points where they highlight the features that the customer will read. This is an A-1 product description.
3. Create FOMO on the page
Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) of millennials experience FOMO, the most of any age group. So, what is FOMO? It an acronym for Fear Of Missing Out. It’s when you have feelings of anxiety because an exciting or interesting thing is happening, and you think you’re missing out.
Now, this can be a good thing for ecommerce stores. How? You can simply create FOMO on your product pages by,
Tagging a product “Best Seller”
Offering 50% off for the first 50
Launch a “New” product and highlight that
There are myriad ways to apply a FOMO tactic, and you should find the one that suits your product.
SUGAR Cosmetics is one such brand that uses it well. Notice the “New” tag on the top of the product image. That instantly tells me that it’s new, and to keep up with the trend, I need to get it ASAP! And, that’s FOMO for you.
4. Ensure an intuitive UI
Your customers have a perception of how an ecommerce store should look already. Don’t try to change that with funky looking UI where everything is all over the place.
As a thumb rule, the product image is on the left, the product copy (title & description) is on the right with the Add to Cart button close by and prominent. When choosing your theme on Shopify, make sure you choose one that resembles popular ecommerce brands. Experiment at your peril.
Look at this neat layout from Good and Proper Tea. This flaunts a clean UI that adheres to the standard ecommerce page design. At the same time, it is aesthetically pleasing while being super functional.
5. Social proof is mandatory
If you were to decide between buying a Nike sneaker & an Adidas sneaker, which one would you buy considering both are well-known brands? You would go with the one with better reviews and a 4+ star rating.
Social proof is known to boost sales. Online conversions increase 133% when mobile shoppers see positive reviews before buying, and 54% of people have purchased a consumer packaged well after seeing visual UGC showing it.
It also enables the customer to see evidence that the product does what it says on the page. Since there’s no way to test it, it’s up to real customer reviews to help make the shopper an informed decision.
Haus capitalizes on customer review. Right after the product image and the description, the review sections comes into play. This section solidifies whatever the customer read one fold above, which increases the chance of a sale.
6. Provide additional context wherever necessary
There are times when a product description isn’t enough to describe the product. Your customer might need additional information to understand what you’re selling entirely. In these cases, the product page should provide further context to make it better.
Hydrant does it well. They have two variations of HYDRATE - the original flavor and the one without sugar. This is important because you might not want the version without sugar, and Hydrant has no way to know what you want. So, this additional context helps to purchase the correct version of the product.
7. Provide detailed shipping information
There are times when shoppers drop-off just because the shipping rate is so high. But they might not be aware that you provide discounts on shipping on maybe you offer free shipping for a particular order value.
This can help with conversions. Add a section with the shipping information you need your customers to know. Be it free shipping, or varied rates for different countries, clearly mention the same.
Scent Beauty excels at this. Not only do they have a floating banner that talks about their free shipping offer, but they also have a dedicated section for Shipping & Returns.
8. Add social sharing icons
Folks share what they love. It’s in our nature. If we have purchased something we’re proud of, we will share it on our social media handles. And that’s something you can capitalize on quickly.
By adding social sharing icons to your product page, you are increasing your chances of a sale. How? Quite simple. Shopper X shares your product on Twitter. Shoppers A, B, C & D see that and get a FOMO. This invokes them to make a purchase. And you just added a sale.
Brandless does it well by adding social sharing icons for Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest (a popular platform with shoppers).
9. Feature relevant products as recommendations
When you walk into a store to buy a pair of shoes, do you just buy the shoe and run off? Probably not. You walk around browsing other shoes, socks, and other relevant accessories. And maybe, you end up buying more than just a pair of shoes.
The same principle applies to an ecommerce store. You want the shopper to stay a little longer on the site to increase the order value and get more sales. That’s why you add a recommended products section with similar or complementary products that the shopper might be interested in.
Birchbox does it well. They have a section that recommends complementary products to the one you’re about to buy. That way, you might stay on the page a little longer, leading to additional purchases.
10. Add an FAQs section
It often happens that multiple customers may have specific questions that are common to a product. Instead of repeatedly answering the same question, you can simply add an FAQ (frequently asked questions) section to that product page.
This is a seamless experience for the customer as they don’t have to dig through the page to find the answer to a simple question. You can add an FAQ section if your theme supports it or opt for an ecommerce customer service software equipped with this feature.
Kinky Curly Yaki does a real good job at this. They have a dedicated FAQ section on every product page that answers customers’ most common questions.
Time to optimize your product pages
Optimizing your product pages can seriously boost your revenue. If the ecommerce store were a human body, the product page would be the heart. Without it functioning well, the human body will cease to work. So, focus on creating stellar product pages that delight your customers.
Author Bio:
Deb Mukherjee is a SaaS and DTC marketer with a little over 5 years of experience working with companies across the globe. He's obsessed with scalable and repeatable strategies that can take a startup from 0 to 100 in no time. When he's not drooling over DTC brands, you can find him watching the latest Anime or writing about SaaS & DTC marketing on https://debgotwired.com.