Overlooked Factors That Make Customers Buy Online

“But what about us?” you might ask desperately hoping that folks stop by the “About Us” or “Our Story” page of your online shop. “Don’t these people care about our story?”

They might. We hope they do! We certainly care about your shop and the story that gave it life. But as much as you want customers to know you, when it comes time to pay the bills, you’d much rather have them knowing about your product --- and wanting it.

So, tell us the heartfelt stuff, we’ll listen and offer up ideas about how to keep the story alive. If you want to keep customers wanting your products and hitting that purchase button, here’s some factors a lot of shops miss.

Product Page and Site Nuances You’re Missing

The product page is where the rubber meets the road. It’s where a customer adds something to their cart or bounces off onto another page in the digital universe. 

You might already have gorgeously simple design, punchy and effective copy, crisp photos, and a clear pathway for the buying journey. Now it’s time to focus on the nuances and possibilities. 

Highlight differentiators in benefits and pricing

If you’re offering a service with three different subscription plans, be precise about the price points and concrete benefits of each tier. If you are selling a line of bracelets, point out exactly what makes each model different from another. The color, the materials, the feel, the look, the purpose.

You can do this by giving each product a distinct, memorable name. If the options in your catalogue blend together, the benefits get lost and shoppers can’t see the differences. By giving each product its own personality, you invite customers to learn more about the product, why it was created, and why it might be for them.

For example, if we’re selling a gold bracelet and a silver bracelet, we can just say “gold” and “silver” models. But that’s boring as all get out. Why not call one “The Lilac'' and the other “The Fox”? Then we can add unique product descriptions about how to pair each bracelet with different looks and colors and so forth.

Creativity is a pot of gold

Some of the best sites out there are super-charged with creativity and art. They are beautiful to read and beautiful to look at. And when you have those two things going for you, people will stick around for a whole lot longer.

Take a look at 16 of the best-in-class Shopify product pages that got Shopify’s stamp of approval. These are littered with creative ways to position your products and services. 

 Screenshot from masterdynamic.com

One of our favorite product pages of the 16 listed is a Shopify shop called Master & Dynamic. They not only created a small, utterly immersive world within your screen, but they welded benefits, visuals, and modern design together into one. This allows the brand to break down the features of one of their earphone models using both words and images simultaneously. That’s brilliant.

Screenshot from masterdynamic.com

The best pages show and tell. Display your product in it’s best light and then tell the customer what they need to know about it. Combined, this can feel like a piece of art if done properly. 

Original, relatable social proof

According to an Oberlo article, 61% of people will take the time to read a customer review before they buy any given product or service.

Flashing the logos of your sponsors or endorsers is fine. Showing a trendy influencer using your product is fine too. But oftentimes, ordinary buyers want to see real testimonials from people just like them.

People tend to buy for one of two reasons: to move closer to pleasure, or further from pain.

And if they can see that your product did that for a real human being just like them, well then they’re practically sold. So keep your testimonials honest, straightforward, and relatable. No need to be overly flashy with your social proof all the time. 

You can also reference the four principles of social proof as outlined in the same Oberlo article: 

Uncertainty

Looking to see if others feel the same way that we do about a particular product, service, situation, happenstance.

Similarity

Tending to mimic the same reaction to someone who we feel we are similar to.

Expertise 

Trusting the opinion of someone who is credible or has authority over something.

Number

This is sort of the concept of herd mentality and believing something is good or bad based on how many others have chimed in.

Take a look and make sure your social proof examples are accomplishing one or all of the four principles listed above.

We hope you got value out of these nuanced and overlooked elements many shops glaze right over. It’s important to harp over the small things, because if you do, they can lead to really big things. 

Now, go add whatever you’re missing to make your shop as spiffy and conversion-oriented as it can be!