For an online store, the design of product pages is important to get right. The product page is the place where a purchase is likely to happen, and so its form and function can dictate the success of an eCommerce site.
It’s usually on the product page that the customer makes the decision to buy something (or not), so it is vital that the page conveys as much information as possible, in a way that is clear, easy to understand, and visually pleasing.
According to Econsultancy’s Ecommerce Best Practice Guide, an effective product page should include the following:
- A product overview, including name or brand, the price, and a short description of features.
- Product photos, i.e images to allow consumers to better see the details of products.
- Similar product suggestions, which enables up-selling or cross-selling of related or complementary products.
- Suggestions for help or guidance, so that the user knows how to speak to customer service.
- Social proof, such as ratings and reviews to instil trust.
- A clear call to action so that the user knows what to do next.
Following the guide, let us show you how to optimize each elements for a high-converting product page.
1. Product overview
The product overview gives your visitors a direct hit of what you are selling on the page. The elements should be clearly presented here are name or brand, the price, the variants, so people can have a quick look into your product.
2. Product images
You need good, high-quality images of your product so customers can get a good look at the product. You want them to feel like they are looking at the item in person, so be sure to show images of the product at all angles.
According to eMarketer, online shoppers expect to see anywhere between 5 and 8 images on each product page. So make sure to capture as many as angles of the product because digital buyers cannot really touch or feel the product, so images are the only way for them to experience the product.
It's a great idea to put your products into context images for shoppers to visually imagine how your product looks like in real life. Say it can be a model wears your clothing products, or furniture stuff put in a real living room set.
Deciding the product image layout is also an important task to do before setting up your online business. Let's take a look at some of most popular and effective layouts to see what's special about them.
2.1. One grid column
One grid column is layout in which products photos are displayed in a continuing scroll streak. This way, online shoppers get to fully enjoy each and every details of an image in a minimal style.
2.2. Two grid column
This layout allows visitors to see multiple angles of a product at the first sight. Inserting "example images" in between product detail photos can help
2.3. Two grid column
This is the combination of the first and second type, getting a bit of both. The layout is a beautiful mixture of a single product image, followed by two side-by-side photos.
2.4. One grid column with slider
An upgraded version of one grid column product layout when shoppers have an overview outline of all product images showing on the product page. This way, they can deliberately choose which image to see, simply by scrolling the slider.
2.5. Two grid column with slider
What if you want to display 2 images at the same time and let people to slide and see more product images? Then this is what you are looking for.
2.6. Full-width image slider
Want something fun and more unique for your product image layout? Experience the layout yourself.
Deciding which product image layout to choose for your online business is no easy work. You should always A/B test to see what works for your site and what does not. In order to do that, going for a theme that allows you to have multiple product page layouts to play around is a way to start. In that case, Minimog Shopify theme is a perfect example with over 10 product detail page samples for you to check out.
>> Experience all the product image layout by Minimog.
3. Product descriptions
While it doesn’t need to be too long, product descriptions should accurately describe the product and define its features and benefits, its functions and limits. This is where good copywriting comes in handy; knowing what your customers want, and the right language to use to talk to them, can really entice them towards more items in your online store.
Descriptions should also address any big objections or concerns that anyone might have with the product. Aside from product details and specifications, some extra infos that many online shoppers may be interested in are Shipping policies and Returning conditions. That's why putting them together in a place is a way to persuade customers to believe in the credibility of your business.
3.1. Policies
You may also wish to add certain disclaimers and policies to each product page. This clearly highlights the extent of your company’s liability with the use of your products, and what return policies may or may not exist. A return policy allows customers to feel more comfortable buying from you, just in case they ever need to return it in the future.
Privacy policy and terms of use disclaimer may be helpful as well. This prevents you from getting into any legal trouble in case a product is shipped wrong or has a faulty function.
3.2. Shipping information
You can’t have as much control over shipping as you can over the general price of your products. The same goes for state sales tax. Shipping details will need to be calculated individually with the customer depending on where they live and what kind of postal service they want to use.
The cost of delivery has a major influence over purchasing decisions. Of those who abandon their carts due to delivery, more than 50% do so because of unexpected shipping costs. So it’s best to address this as soon as users land on the page and to be straightforward about any additional fees that may occur.
4. Price
Probably the most important factor on this page to your prospective customers. The price of your product or service needs to be prominent and clearly displayed. You also have the opportunity to display any discounts or reductions in price here to help drive conversions, i.e use price anchoring that looks like this: $29.99 $39.99.
The price should also be positioned near the “Buy” or “Add to cart” button. This is to help with the natural flow of the page and encourage users to go from viewing the price to adding the product to their basket.
5. Call-To-Action (CTA)
This is the most exciting part of the page. This is where you get to tell your customers to make action and “add to cart” or "buy now" to get the product. A CTA is a short and quick demand that gets customers to do just that – perform an action. Typically, this action entails adding an item to their shopping cart.
6. Trust badges and trust seals.
In a survey conducted by Econsultancy, 48% of respondents said that trust badges reassure them that the site is secure and trustworthy.
Trust badges are another quick and easy way to diminish any reluctance to purchase from your website. By highlighting that your website is secure users will feel a lot more comfortable in purchasing from you.
7. Reviews or Social proofs
Product reviews and social proof can be a game-changer for your conversion rates. Nothing will convince a prospective customer to buy a product more than hearing the positive feedback from other purchases. Reviews can come in many forms from average star ratings, to industry awards.
As a default, Minimog comes with a Review section on the product page design. However, if you are a fan of other review apps on Shopify app store, Minimog also integrates with most well-known apps like Judge.me, Loox, and Growave.
8. Scarcity and urgency signals
Showing that a product is in low stock, or has multiple people viewing it at the same time is a quick and easy way to show a customer may miss out, and they need to act quickly if they want to get the product.
9. Upselling & Cross-selling
If a user is on a product detail page clearly they are seriously considering purchasing your product. You need to make the most of this intent with clever cross-selling, or upselling strategies.
>> See how Minimog helps Shopify stores upsell and cross-sell
Final words
If you want to create the best product page experience for your customers, you need to be continually A/B testing different layouts and making improvements.
If you are not doing this, you stand a good chance of being left behind by the competition. Be the business that continues to make small but regular improvements, and you will come out on top.
