E-Commerce Landing Page Best Practices For Higher Sales

If you're in the eCommerce game and are looking to start a marketing campaign (every business should be running one), you are going to need a landing page. In this article, we will show you what they are, how to optimize landing pages for higher sales and introduce you to some brands that are doing it right.

So, while you may be aware you need to be familiar with eCommerce landing page best practices, only by fully understanding how they work can you effectively create one that converts. And don’t worry, even if you aren’t a Shopify merchant, this will still be a valuable read.

Outline

• What Is A Landing Page?
• Different Types of Standalone Landing Pages
• eCommerce Fashion Landing Pages For Inspiration
• Steps To Optimizing Landing Page
• Buyer Personas
• PageFly For Building Landing Pages
• Conclusion

What Is A Landing Page?

If you can consider your website's homepage to be your brick and mortar store, consider the landing page the pop up cart at your local shopping center.

Why do businesses use the cart model though? Simple - to attract new customers with positioning, sampling and relevant information.

Therefore, while your site's homepage is aimed to serve people who are already familiar with your brand, your landing page is a standalone page made with the intention of capturing new leads and influencing them to take a particular action. That action could be to buy your product, download your eBook or sign up to your newsletter. Either way, all of these things should ultimately lead to higher sales or generation of new leads. That is the point of a landing page.

Landing pages are designed to receive marketing campaign traffic only. So if you are running social media ads or an email campaign with a call to action, clicking those links will take your prospects here.

Do not, I repeat, do not ever start a marketing campaign without a dedicated landing page.

However, not all landing pages are created equal. In general, there are two main different types of landing pages that aim for different outcomes. But before we get into that, let’s look at those two desired outcomes:

1. To capture leads for future marketing campaigns.
2. To “warm up” potential customers to your product or service before sending them further into your sales funnel.

Different Types Of Standalone Landing Pages

Lead generation landing pages

These are used to capture prospects information, usually a valid email address that you can use in future campaigns. An email address is one of the most valuable pieces of information you can get from someone as it gives you permission to continually communicate/market to them.

Lead generation landing pages usually aim to capture email addresses in exchange for something of value like a free eBook or content that can only be shared through email. Once you have their email, there is an opportunity to turn them into a customer with a well thought out marketing campaign. Here’s an example of a lead generation landing page.

This lead generation landing page offers the reader value exchange - their email address in exchange for tips and tricks on running Facebook ads. You can bet that Digital Marketer will be using the emails gained to push future products and services.

Click-through landing pages

These are sometimes known as jump pages and act as a bridge between the marketing campaign and the final sale. They are usually used to “warm” prospects to the idea of buying and encourage them to take the next step in the sales process - pushing them to your eCommerce sites cart or checkout. Here’s an example of a click-through landing page.

Strong imagery with multiple calls to action brings them swiftly to the next process in the purchase.

So which landing page type is best? That all depends on your goals for your current campaign, as well as which product or service you are selling. But one thing is certain.

Using a standalone landing page rather than sending visitors to your homepage is considered to improve conversions rates by approximately 25% (source Omniture).

Now, not everyone has the money and resources to invest in standalone landing page services like Clickfunnels. In cases like this, you use Internal Website Landing Pages. These are a dedicated page on your site for converting prospects to customers, while still allowing them to navigate to other areas of the site if they want to. This is still way more effective than sending people straight to your home or product page and is particularly relevant for Shopify users.

Later in the article, I’m going to show you an awesome Shopify app called PageFly that can help you do this. But first, let’s look at some eCommerce fashion landing pages that have done a damn fine job.

Read more: How To Build A Winning Landing Page For Your Shopify Store

eCommerce Fashion Landing Pages For Inspiration

Sock Fancy

What they’ve done right:

• Multiple calls to action that pop out against the background increase the likelihood of the prospect purchasing
• Headline displays a promise and a benefit
• The copy used is energetic and “you” orientated
• Testimonials in the form of trust badges and social proof through Instagram. This makes them instantly more credible in the prospect's mind and increases trust

Multiple calls to action with decent contrast between buttons is nice to see. Several guarantees can be seen and a ‘Get $5’ incentive.

Montluc

What they’ve done right:

• Short descriptive paragraphs below the products inform the reader
• The copy used exudes confidence in their brand and standards
• Guarantees along with the 4 tile layout promise exclusivity and the highest quality
• Large hero imagery captures attention and draws prospects in

What could be improved:

• Copy is rather egocentric with a lot of “we” and “us” used. While this implies confidence, “you” orientated copy appeals more to readers as it’s benefit driven
• Call to action buttons could be clearer and more precise

Montluc from mobile isn’t bad. The ‘guarantees’ banner and HD imagery are nice, however, the overlaying text looks busy and there’s no initial call to action above the fold.

Prime Ambassador

What they’ve done right:

• The color scheme of black and gold signals class and wealth
• The copy used gives a guarantee of high quality and unique products
• Storytelling engages the audience and allows them to invest more time on the page

The mobile page shows consistency in theme with contrasting call to action buttons.

Steps To Optimizing Landing Page

So what exactly is landing page optimization? Essentially, it’s taking each element and improving upon it to increase conversions. And don’t worry, no landing page will be perfect when you first launch. It’s a process of collecting data and tweaking as you go along.

Let’s look at the main ways to optimize your eCommerce landing page that you can implement today.

Know your audience

The first and most important step is knowing your audience. If you’re already running a business you should have this part locked down. If not, you need to start thinking deeply about your customers and their needs. Creating buyer personas are a great way to get clarity on this, which I’ll talk about later in this article.

When you know your audiences pain points, you can tactically aim your content directly at them. Speak to them about the benefits you offer. Use imagery that emotionally influences them. Let them know you understand them and that your brand is the solution to their problems.

Too many businesses push egocentric messages when in reality, the customer doesn’t care much for you or your brand. They care how your product or service can make their life easier or more enjoyable.

For another method of getting to know your audience and their habits on a deeper level, getting familiar with Google Analytics is a must. It’s a free service offered by Google and after a brief training session you’ll get valuable insight into your customers behaviour and data about your site. Use this information to tailor your sites design and optimize it according to “their” habits.

Simplify your page

The most successful landing pages I’ve seen are simple, and while this might seem counterintuitive, removing clutter from sight can significantly increase your conversions. Avoid obscuring your message with unnecessary distractions. You want visitors to focus on the main attraction: your call to action.

Minimal links and design make the message clear and distraction-free.

Use contrasting colors

When it comes to grabbing attention and creating a landing page that really “pops”, you need contrasting colors. In general, more successful landing pages use contrasting sections, images, text and in particular, contrasting call to action buttons. Drawing attention to the multiple call to action buttons gives the prospect clarity on exactly what they need to do to purchase. Here’s a great example. Notice the contrast between sections, imagery and particularly the multiple call to action buttons in red.

Use benefit driven headlines

I could go on for days about this topic and how important it is, but that’s for another article. Let’s walk through some of the most important aspects of crafting headlines that convert.

Imagine you wrote the world’s best email, but the headline sucked. The recipient doesn’t even open the email and you lose the sale.

It doesn’t matter if you write the best copy in the world. If your headline sucks, nobody will read it.

The same applies for your landing page. The whole point of the headline is to reel the reader in, grab their attention and start them on the ‘slippery slope’ down the rest of your page.

David Ogilvy, one of the greatest marketers that ever lived said, “On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you’ve spent eighty cents out of your dollar”. And boy was he right. Most people don’t spend nearly enough time on their headlines.

There are many different types. Here’s some examples of the different headlines you can use based on your product:

• Make a recommendation - “The 1 Tech Gadget You Must Own NOW”
• Tell a story - “They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano, But When I Started To Play….”
• Use a testimonial - “We were fresh out of options until we discovered Shopify”
• Promise to reveal a secret - “Unlock Wall Street’s Secret Logic”
• Make a big promise - “Slice 5 Years Off Your Age”
• State a benefit - “Opening An Online Store - Once Difficult, Now Easy.”

There are hundreds of avenues you could take when crafting the perfect headline, but the main thing to remember is, it should be about them. Your headline should captivate the reader, make them feel smart, inspired and excited. Emotions are the key to getting people to buy.

People buy with emotions, and later justify it with logic.

Use testimonials

There are always going to be people who sit on the fence. They spend some time on your page, but still aren’t entirely convinced - at least not enough to make the purchase. This is where testimonials come in.

Testimonials are one of the most effective ways to build trust in the prospects mind. There’s a relatability factor that comes into play when people read the words of other consumers and how your product has helped them solve the very same problem they’re experiencing.

So use genuine testimonials in the form of text with headshots or even video to increase conversions on your landing page. Loox Shopify app is great for boosting sales with reviews offering a 14-day free trial.

Buyer Personas

Part of knowing your audience is creating a clear picture of your ideal target market through constantly evolving buyer personas. A buyer person is a very specific, fictional representation of your ideal customer.

Here’s a quick buyer persona I mocked up for eCommerce.

Possible strategies for targeting Discount Daisy could include:

• Tailor your products and communications to suit their needs
• Tailor your headline to entice the buyer e.g “Now You Can Get $700 worth of _____, At The Incredibly Low Price Of ________”
• Provide offers specific to the buyer e.g sell off unwanted stock at a discount while still turning a profit

Despite what you might think, the more specific the buyer persona the better. Here’s why. When you speak to a broad audience, less people respond. But when you speak to a very specific demographic, your message become a lot clearer and your prospect feels much more understood.

Aim to be as specific as possible when creating buyer personas.

PageFly For Building Landing Pages

Creating standalone landing pages can really burn a hole in your wallet. But there’s a solution for Shopify merchants called PageFly. This app is available on the Shopify app store on a 14- day free trial and can be used to make a whole array of different Shopify pages such from product pages to blog posts.

But what really makes PageFly relevant to this article is its ability to make internal website landing pages that look and perform exactly like standalone landing pages. That means instead of having a landing page that just looks like an extended home page, you can build it to look like a completely separate page without distracting links and other elements. This is always going to convert better.

For a detailed look at the app and tutorial, check out our blog post on using PageFly to build Shopify pages.

Conclusion

Landing pages are essential for any marketing campaign and online business.

Let’s recap.

• Know your audience - Install analytics, create a buyer persona and think deeply about your customer's needs
• Simplify your page
• Use contrasting colors - CTA buttons should “pop” out from the page encouraging clicks
• Use benefit driven headlines - Use emotion and “you” oriented copy in your headlines that state strong benefits
• Use testimonials - Social proof through reviews, testimonials and trust badges
• Create buyer personas
• Download PageFly app if you’re serious about making this whole e-Commerce thing work.

If you follow the tips in this guide you should see an improvement in conversions. Happy selling folks!