I may be a marketer but I am a consumer first. And as a consumer, I’ve come across my fair share of product pages that are an absolute mess.
It got me thinking how so many e-commerce websites are still making design mistakes that prevent visitors from converting. This reflects the current average conversion rate of e-commerce retailers.
Wolfgang Digital conducted a study on 87 million website sessions and found that the average conversion rate for retail websites is 1.4%. And frankly, I think they can do a lot better than this. That’s why I decided to come up with a guide to help e-commerce marketers and retailers to revamp their product page strategy for higher conversions.
Understanding the Six Conversion Factors
Before I get started with the tips and tactics you can use in your product page strategy, let’s take a closer look at some of the essential conversion factors. These factors are based on the LIFT Model, introduced by Chris Goward in 2009. It’s the ideal conversion optimization framework that will be the basis of this guide.
According to the LIFT Model, there are six conversion factors that you need to use to evaluate your product page or landing page from your visitors’ perspective. These factors are:
Value Proposition – This is the most important of the six factors. A strong value proposition strengthens the perceived benefits of your product. And if the perceived benefits outweigh the perceived cost, there will be a stronger motivation to buy the product.
Relevance – Your product page should match what your visitors expected to see. Your messaging, pricing, etc. should be consistent with the messaging and pricing showcased at the source of traffic.
Clarity – Your product page should clearly reveal the most important elements – value proposition and CTA. This would be mainly in terms of design and content.
Urgency – You can increase the probability of conversions by adding a sense of urgency in your product page. This involves showing some sign that visitors need to take action immediately.
Anxiety – People may refrain from making a purchase when they don’t trust you enough. You will need to reduce their anxiety by proving your credibility and winning their trust.
Distraction – Your product page should be free of elements that could distract your visitors from taking the desired action.
Improving Your Product Pages for Higher Conversions
Now that I’ve clearly explained the six crucial conversion factors per the LIFT Model, I’m going to provide you with actionable tips that you can use to develop a better product page strategy. Let’s take a look:
#1: Your Value Proposition Should Be Clear and Compelling
Let’s start with the most important element – your value proposition. It’s obvious that you need to list the features and benefits of the product. But in addition to this, you should clearly state what makes you different from the competition and why visitors should buy from you. It could be anything from the pricing or the special discount to the product quality.
I suggest you make a draft listing your product’s best features and benefits. You can compare this list against the value proposition of your top competitors and see how you can differentiate yourself from them.
I found several excellent examples of high-converting product pages in this BigCommerce article. Among them, I found one with a clear and compelling value proposition. It’s from the product pages of Handpicked Wines, an Australian-based wine company.
What I like about their product pages is that they’ve given a brief, graphic value proposition right under the product image. This makes it easier for visitors who are skimming through the page to process the information. They’ve also displayed the awards won by each product to further strengthen their value proposition.
Although clear and concise value propositions may be popularly recommended, I wouldn’t say the same rule applies for products that are either expensive or require careful consideration. So if you’re selling such products, it may be wiser to give visitors the option to scroll down and gain better information about the product.
Even in the case of Handpicked Wines, visitors can read more information about each product if they scroll down. The company has clearly explained the details of each wine’s tasting notes, label, and region. They’ve also explained how the product was developed so as to entice prospective customers into trying it.
#2: Match Your Product Page with Traffic Source
Just picture this scenario – someone sees an ad on Facebook about a pair of shoes that interest them and are on sale for a certain amount. When they click on the link, they’re taken to the product page but the pricing seems to be different and there’s no mention of the discount anywhere. If I were the visitor here, there’s a good chance I’m going to leave that website quickly because it’s not at all relevant to what I was expecting.
Relevance is vital for conversions. So you need to focus your efforts on matching your product page with the source of traffic.
Check out this SendGrid ad, for example. It’s mainly advertising the offer to try their product for free.
If I click on this ad, I get taken to a landing page that talks about the product and highlights some of the top value propositions. What stands out here is the CTA button to “Try for Free”.
Although there are two CTAs here, I’m immediately attracted to the one in blue, which is the “Try for Free” button.
The other CTA button is in white and it can be used by visitors who wish to learn more about the product pricing. As you can see, it’s visible but isn’t as prominent as the main CTA button. So the page stays relevant to the ad and focuses mainly on the offer to try the product for free.
#3: Clarity Should Be Your Main Focus
When you’re designing your product pages and writing your product description, clarity should be your main focus. You’ll need to use a tone that your target audience understands and uses. In other words, you need to use language that they identify with. This language will, of course, change as the target audience changes.
The same goes for your page design. The aesthetics such as colors and design elements should match the personality of your target audience. To get this point across clearer, I’m going to show you examples of two product pages from the same brand.
The product pages for their consumer products tend to have a lot of visuals – mostly photos that showcase the product being used. In the screenshot below, you can see one section of their product description for their portable speakers. Their product descriptions are clear and casual, to appeal to the everyday consumer.
But if you look through the product pages on the professional Bose website, you’ll see that they’re completely different from those of the consumer products website. Since their professional site is designed for experts, you’ll see a lot more technical information and fewer visuals. As you can see in the screenshot below, the descriptions are more formal and get straight to the point.
#4: Create a Sense of Urgency
When a person manually searches for products you sell and then lands on your site with the full intention of buying something, you may not need to take any further action to convince them to convert. However, people who are just browsing may require a bit of a nudge. Give them a reason why they need to buy the product immediately if you wish to drive conversions.
This means you need to create a sense of urgency in the visitor, inciting a fear of delaying their purchase. You can do this by creating limited-time offers or displaying stock quantity in case of low-stock items. Note, however, that all your claims should be genuine. Otherwise, you could end up losing people’s trust once they catch on.
Amazon, for instance, prominently displays the stock quantity of low-stock items and urges visitors to order soon.
Amazon also regularly provides limited time offers on free express shipping. They’ll ask if the visitor wants the item by a certain date and then prompt them to place their order within a certain timeframe.
#5: Eliminate Distractions
When visitors are on your product page, you want their focus to be on the item being viewed. The main purpose of setting up the page is so people can buy that particular product. So you need to make sure there isn’t anything that distracts them from buying the product.
I’ve come across websites that are trying to do too much – providing too many recommendations, too many unnecessary buttons, etc. And as a customer, I get confused. Sometimes I end up not buying anything at all from that retailer. Social media buttons, irrelevant page links, too many recommendations, etc. can be a distraction for your page visitors.
So if you wish to drive more conversions, you need to simplify your product pages as best as possible and only focus on the product for which you’ve created the page. While displaying product recommendations is still necessary, make sure there’s a limit to the number of products you’re recommending. And make sure your recommendations are somehow relevant to the product being viewed.
You can display your recommendations below the fold as opposed to the side of the page. This will ensure that visitors’ main focus is still on the product they’re viewing. And if they’re interested, they have an option to scroll down and discover more relevant products.
I really like how MVMT Watches designs their product pages to focus only on the product being viewed. The most prominent elements in the following screenshot are the product image, the CTA button, the three different strap options, and the option to choose a free gift box.
In addition to this, they’ve only showcased the most important elements such as product name, pricing, and star ratings. Buying guides such as size guide and strap guide are also visible but not too prominent as to distract buyers.
Visitors who wish to learn more about the product can scroll down to see the product specs such as case size, strap width, glass, etc. On the top, they’ve highlighted some important features of the brand’s service such as free shipping and free returns, 24-month warranty, and secure checkout.
Visitors can scroll further down to see reviews from customers who have bought the item.
They also include product recommendations, but these are at the bottom of the page. And there are only four products being recommended.
What stands out to me in the MVMT Watches product page design is the neat hierarchy of elements. They’ve included everything that people will need to make their purchase but they’ve neatly arranged them in such a way that visitors aren’t distracted.
Since the main purpose of the page is to get people to buy the product, the initial focus is on the product itself and the conversion button. But visitors who wish to learn more about the product before buying it still have the option to do so if they scroll down.
#6: Reduce Customer Anxiety
Finally, there’s the subject of trust. If you want people to convert, you can’t afford creating any kind of doubt or uncertainty that could prevent them from making a purchase. If your website is neatly designed and you have a compelling copy, you’re halfway there. But this may not always be enough to win the trust of some people.
In order to convince people who require extra assurance, I recommend that you add security indicators such as trust seals, user-generated content, security signatures, etc. However, take care not to overdo it as it might come off as suspicious. A couple of seals along with customer reviews and photos may be just enough to ease the anxiety of potential customers.
Here’s an example from Zappos that I really like. They’ve added a shop with confidence guarantee and explained clearly that customers won’t pay anything in case unauthorized charges were made to their card. They’ve also added two trust seals – one is a BBB trust seal and the other is a security seal – to further reduce customer anxiety.
Conclusion
I’ve provided you with a thorough guide on how to enhance your product page strategy so that you can drive more conversions. These tips should be able to help you in designing compelling product pages that engage visitors and win their trust. Got any more ideas you’d like to share? Or maybe you have some questions that you’d like to ask. Feel free to leave me a comment below.