Go to ScienceSoft Global
Your Next Best Sales Ideas in Our List of Website Features
Editor’s note: Some of the website features we enumerate in the article go out of the box in market-leading ecommerce platforms – we will just give you a fresh perspective to start seeing them as sales drivers. But some website functionality must be custom-built. As a team proficient in custom ecommerce development, we can pick up the task.
In ecommerce, there can only be two reasons to experiment with new website features – to enhance customer digital experience and introduce new sales opportunities. So, what we offer now is not a feature checklist or must-haves for all websites but fresh ideas for you to sell more.
1. Start selling on your home page
This is the web page to introduce your business to customers, provide catalog navigation and promote the latest deals. You can liven things up while keeping within these goals.
Custom product categories
Prompt a purchase by collecting products in custom categories. Think of category ideas that might work for your product line or borrow those from retailers who already earn this way. Here is some inspiration from successful ecommerce performers.
Evangelists of low-waste living, Package Free sell zero waste and reusable products online. The way they work with their first-time customers is almost as inspiring as their mission itself. On the home page, they introduce a custom category where they have brought together all essentials to start a zero waste journey.
American Apparel, a fashion store, uses custom product categories to help their customers find the right products and even compose total looks for different occasions as well as across fashion trends and outfit styles.
‘Why Choose Us’ block
Shoppers know too well that for each ecommerce site, there are competing ones with products of no less quality and diversity. Experience is what differs. We encourage you to promote the trump cards you have on the home page. What it might be:
- Customer gains. Show what customers win if they choose you: free delivery, further loyalty benefits, feedback rewards, etc. All matters that translates into reduced expenditures.
- Company values. In the era of conscious consumerism, more and more retailers align their business with ethical values, not to show off but to cultivate a responsible attitude to their social impact. If your company has a firm position regarding environmental or social issues or supports charities – say that out loud. You do good, let customers relate to your values and feel instant trust.
2. Create a smooth journey through the catalog page
You can save customers’ time and assist them in the product choice right from the catalog page.
Filtering system
Using filters, your clients narrow the search down to products meeting their current needs and preferences. Some of the best practices to design a convenient filtering system are:
- Go for dropdown filters. The more relevant filters you add, the easier your clients will navigate. Choose a dropdown format if the list of filters and their attributes grows too long.
- Show the number of available options for each filter attribute. That’s not a must feature, yet a simple way to add to customer experience. Customers will instantly see what the results will be before applying the filter.
- Make subcategory-specific filters. Filter attributes are to be different for each category. But don’t overlook to work through subcategory-specific characteristics and offer relevant filter values there, as does Asos within their Accessories line.
Promotion badges
Adding promotional badges is your way of giving customers more product information. But if digging deeper, the value is much wider. Let us illustrate what we mean with examples:
- Create a sense of urgency and inspire impulse purchases with badges like Few Left, Low in Stock, Today Only Save X%, Sale Ends in X Days, Deal of the Day.
- Increase product value by marking products as Limited Collection or Top Rated, 2019 Best Eco Product Award.
- Give social proof with Best Seller, Back in Stock.
- Upsell and increase order value by offering product bundles or multi-purchase deals and label them as Bundle and Save, 1+1=3.
- Give privileged access to upcoming collections with Coming Soon, Pre-order.
- Engage and sell effectively to certain customer segments with badges highlighting significant product characteristics such as Organic, Eco, Spicy, Vegan, etc.
Product rating
Customer feedback is an important factor in making purchasing decisions for 72% of US shoppers. Save product reviews for a product detail page but show the star rating on a catalog page to influence customer behavior and increase product discovery.
Quick View opportunity
Customers may not need to visit a product detail page when they buy the same products repetitively, or a product is moderately priced. Opening a Quick View window, they expect to see only the basic product information, the possibility to choose a product variation if there are several and buy.
3. Convert on a product detail page
Up until now, you were building customer trust and encouraging impulse buying. On a product detail page, you should convert.
Product presentation
There are essential components that you will find on every product detail page, regardless of the market. Product images, description and price are first to come to mind. But now, retailers go creative to win customers.
Daily Harvest is a food delivery service offering health-conscious customers pre-portioned no-cook options for breakfast, lunch and snacks. On product pages, they share how customers can boost their healthy diet with nutritional ingredients. The company does know how to anticipate customers’ needs and problems – each product meets specific goals, be it immunity-boosting, energizing or stress relief. What’s more, by choosing a particular goal on the product page, customers can filter out all relevant products from the catalog.
Uplift Desk manufactures and sells furniture for comfortable work environment. If there is a challenge in selling ergonomic furniture online, it is to describe the real-life experience as precisely as possible and give customers a good reason to choose it over cheaper options. The retailer does it with a video tutorial, FAQs, customer reviews and an authority recognition. A cool feature is a custom product builder when you choose details and get the final product visualized instantly.
Upsells and cross-sells
Offering customers related items on a product detail page is your opportunity to sell more. When you upsell, you increase the chances for customers to meet their goal – find the perfect item. Meanwhile, you meet yours – get a conversion.
With cross-selling, you can increase the order value by offering complementary items that will allow your clients to use the product with more comfort.
Let’s add sales drivers to your website
There is no such thing as a universal list of website features. But there are ecommerce consultants who never run out of fresh ideas and can help you invest wisely in website development.