With an estimated 12-24 million e-commerce sites across the globe and more being created every day, it can feel like an overwhelming task to make your brand stand out. Attracting traffic to your site is challenge enough, and converting those visitors into paying customers involves a lot of trial and error to see what works and what doesn't.

Luckily, we've built quite a few e-commerce stores in our time, for brands of all shapes and sizes, and have made a list of our top tips for making the customer journey as seamless as possible and give your conversions a boost.

 

Product Page Optimisation

Include a link to your sizing chart & shipping info on the product page​

You want to make it as easy as possible for customers to get all the info they need in order to persuade them to make a purchase. With clothing websites, having an easy to understand, easy to find size chart makes it that little bit quicker and easier for people to refer to while they're browsing your store. Similarly with shipping, if your customers are forced to search around in order to find out where you ship to and how much it will cost they may get distracted or lose interest, thereby costing you conversions.

Mix up your photography with both standard and 'lifestyle' shots​

Yes, plain e-commerce photos of your product on a white background give customers a good idea of what the product is, but let's be honest, they're not very interesting. Mixing these images up with some beautifully styled contextual images, for example campaign images for beauty / fashion or interior shots for homeware, not only grab customers attention but also help them to visualise owning the product themselves - they can see what clothing hangs like on a real person, or can imagine what the product will look like in their own home. It also builds trust in that they can see what the product REALLY looks like, instead of a photoshopped version on a white background.

Include a video in your product gallery​​

If you can, think about including a video of your product within the image gallery. Not only does this help to bring the product and your brand to life, but as we mentioned above it also helps customers to see what the fit or finish is like and what it looks like from different angles. All of these factors help to build trust and confidence in your product and encourages customers to add to cart.

Back In Stock notifications​

While it's great that your product has sold out, it's important to not forget about customers who might have missed out but are still desperate to get their hands on it when they can. Letting them sign up for notifications so they know when to expect a restock helps to keep these prospective customers engaged, and bonus points if you combine it with automated reminder emails to keep it at the front of their minds in the meantime. We would recommend software like Klaviyo for advanced customer flows and tracking that can handle all of these complex automations without you having to lift a finger.

'You may also like' these other beautiful things​

Never underestimate the power of an upsell - which we're willing to admit we've fallen victim to on numerous occasions! Including a 'You may also like' section under the main product info is the perfect way to show customers other related products that are relevant to the one they're looking at and encourage those spontaneous "Ohh I totally need that too" moments. You could also include a related products / upsell in the cart too however we're a fan of having it on the product page as it really allows you to tailor it to what someone is already looking at.

'Bought Together' & linked sets​

Now this one is similar to the one above, but in our humble opinion, when used correctly can be a really great addition to your product page, alongside a 'You may also like' section. We're thinking clothing here specifically, but it could also be very handy for all you gorgeous beauty brands too. Take Athleisure as an example, with fits that might include a matching top, bottoms, socks, sports bra etc. A 'Bought Together' section allows your customers to shop the entire outfit without having to do another thing, making it super easy for them to find the exact bra that they love from the picture, or the specific socks that are a colour match to the leggings, leading to less purchase mistakes, less returns and happier brand owners and customers alike. To avoid unnecessary repetition and cluttering your beautiful website with a myriad of similar sections, a hotspot section can work really well for this, allowing you to post another stunning image from your campaign with links to each of the linked products - Maintaining both your hard-crafted aesthetic and encouraging additional purchases. WIN WIN.

UGC (User Generated Content)​

Seeing that other people have not only bought a specific product but seeing how they styled it can be hugely persuasive in encouraging people to buy. Including a gallery for UGC in your product page, preferably alongside glowing reviews, not only builds trust with your customers in that they can see what fellow purchasers think and what it actually looks like, but in the case of clothing can also help them to visualise what it would like on them via real-world photos from real-life people. We love apps like Loox for this which allow customers to post a review and a photo simultaneously which gets added to a grid on your product page for all to see - (Check out our recent post 'Our Picks - The Best Apps For Your Ecommerce Site' for more info on this and other apps we can't live without.)

 

Social

Instagram Shopping​

As one of the biggest social media platforms in the world, Instagram is an essential sales channel for every business. But it's not enough to just have a beautiful instagram feed on its own; like the website itself, it needs to convert. If you haven't already done so, make sure to get approved for Instagram shopping so that you can tag your products in your beautifully crafted images and video content. The app also allows customers to check out via your website so gets you both traffic and sales simultaneously. For extra impact, include a shoppable feed on the website itself, so that customers who found you direct or via search engines can browse your feed and products without leaving your website - Hot tip - we particularly love apps like Snappt for this.

Social proof is key​

You might have the most beautiful products and a gleaming website, but customers can still use a bit of a nudge to actually press 'Checkout'. This is where social proof comes in, in the form of reviews, purchase notifications and referrals. Reviews should at the very least be visible on the individual product page, but we're also big fans of selecting a few of the best and putting them on the homepage too - After all, there's no such thing as bragging in ecommerce and floods of positive reviews only serve to make others want to get in on the action. Purchase notifications too are super useful in adding a sense of urgency to a purchase, particularly if you use an app like Fomo which can also be set up to include the number of items remaining in stock. Seeing a stream of purchases from other happy customers helps make people think the item they're after will sell out soon, pushing them to actually make the purchase instead of thinking about it for a later buy.

 

General Must-Haves

Newsletter Signup & Email Marketing​

If you haven't already got it set up on your store, run don't walk to go and do so! Email Marketing is perhaps THE most important extension for any ecommerce store and allows you to attract your potential customers before they even leave their own inbox. Whether it's a promotional offer, seasonal sales period or something more personal such as their birthday, email marketing finds your customers wherever they are and puts your brand back at the front of their minds. For added depth and insights, software like Klaviyo is designed especially to give you granular details about customer behaviour and data, allowing you to create hyper targeted campaigns, such as for users in a specific country or who have bought a specific type of product. Hot tip - We recommend having a sign up form somewhere on your homepage and / or blog page, in addition to sign up during checkout, allowing customers to sign up for specific segments within your marketing software.

Live Chat​

Often customers will have questions about future restocks, product fit, international delivery and a whole host of other questions relating to ordering. While email contact is an essential for product-based businesses, we would also strongly recommend a live chat feature which saves them the hassle of finding your email and having to wait for a response. As with many other suggestions on this list, making the customer experience as easy as possible for people is the best way to encourage them to buy and to continue buying from you in the future.

Wishlists​

Our final addition to this list is that of wishlists, and while a small feature, its still one that we feel generally adds to the customers experience on your site, particularly if you have a large product catalogue. Maybe they're not quite ready to make the purchase or perhaps they're weighing up options, but making it easy for them to save their favourite products to come back to later, and share with friends and family, makes their experience more seamless and enjoyable.