Landing page/store conversion rate optimization is a pain for Shopify store owners. In fact, getting conversion means that you understand deeply what people are doing in the journey from the Shopify homepage to check-out page and payment.
In this article, I combine the great theory of Oxford expert, and experienced eCommerce experts’ ideas to help you find out the essential elements that help you boost Shopify sales/conversion rate.
Related topics that you may be interested in:
- Shopify conversion rate tracking: What to do when conversion rate drop
- TOP 30+ exclusively selected Shopify Product page collection for your inspiration
1. Fogg’s Behaviour model of Oxford comes to Shopify conversion rate optimization
Fogg’s model says that behavior occurs with the presence of three elements: motivation, ability, and triggers. It means that when one of the three elements is missing, behavior will not happen.
For instance, you are standing near the door and it's really easy to grab the door handle, furthermore you know behind the door is the beloved lover that you are waiting for. And when the door rings, it gives you a signal that he/she has arrived. You are eager to open the door.
When it comes to Shopify landing pages, this model can help you increase conversion rate by placing motivation, improving content visibility and accessibility and an action-driven trigger along the way when a user goes through your website.
Using Fogg’s model, we identify three elements of behavior: motivation, ability, and triggers that can be applied for Shopify landing pages.
When building up your Shopify pages and struggling about what and where an element should be used, try to answer 3 questions:
- Are they amply motivated?
- Are they truly able or is it feasible to perform this behavior?
- Are we just forgetting to remind them/ask them to perform the behavior?
2. Call to action - the most simple concept of Shopify conversion rate optimization
Call-to-action is the most simple concept of Shopify conversion rate optimization so in this article, I’ll mention this one first.
The most basic type of call-to-action elements is the button. Call-to-action buttons tell users what they should do next. It guides a user along the way and helps to reach the final goal. That’s how it optimizes Shopify conversion rate. Let’s see an example:
Ok then! This is a banner talking about PageFly - Shopify Page Builder by the PageFly Team. The image is attractive enough and relevant, the message is clear, the brand name is also clear.
So what next? “I don’t know!”. The customers have no idea that they should click on the banner to find out more. I see a lot of stores with a very first and attractive Hero banner with no Call-to-action button. That’s why the Shopify conversion rate is down. So let’s fix it:
Now that you know what to do next, click on the button and get a free trial. This is how a small button makes Shopify conversion rate optimization work. Here I mention some tips that make your Call-to-action really outstanding.
That button should be clear and easy to notice. As per research of Kissmetric, CTA button colors have a real effect on human psychology and some impact on buying behavior.
As the principle of focus, each page should have a primary CTA, which point to one goal. Too much CTA on one page may make users confused and not perform the right action that we really want.
The CTA will be much stronger if it is supported by the page headline. Have a look at the banner of genius marketers at Basecamp.
The headline tells me the fact that 5569 companies signed up for Basecamp in the last week, which is interesting. A lot of people sign up for it, why not me? It’s time for me to start my two-month free trial!
CTA buttons tell the customers what to do, so it should be clear and closely related to what will happen next. The below banner tells us what will happen when we click on the banner. And we really expect to get a free app installed by clicking on it.
It would be bad if the next page is about a paid-to-use app, which is not a good Shopify conversion rate optimization strategy.
3. Make it easier your Shopify pages to go through
Let’s think about the customer journey: Users, who are somewhere from the internet, are pulled to your website, go to the homepage, collection page, product page, then add to cart, checkout and pay.
Alongside the journey, online shoppers will make either the most simple actions, such as click on a button, click a tab, choose from dropdown... or the more complex actions such as fill out email box or search for an item And the most complex ones such as fill in personal or credit card information.
Online users are really impatient creatures, they will not wait to read until the end of your landing page but rather skip and bounce. So it is better to avoid really long landing pages and make it easier for users to go through. Here is some of my recommendations for you to optimize your Shopify conversion rates.
- Make it easier for scanning, not reading, by using the headline and sub-headline system, hiding longer paragraphs in tabs. Use headlines on every Shopify page for a sense of orientation
- Use buttons in top slider or top bar so people will be easier access the featured item
- Use bullet points and highlight key terms
- Make supported but important pages such as return/shipping policy or About Us page easier to find
- If you want to collect email addresses from users, use the most simple email form
4. Give them motivation to complete the journey
4.1. Reciprocity
Our natural human behavior dictates that if someone gives something to us, we feel obligated to repay that debt. This principle highlights the fact that if someone does something nice for us we generally feel the need to repay the favor or the debt.
The mutually beneficial exchange between humans comes naturally to us and has become even more common online. Examples of this include signing up for a newsletter to get a free eBook, spending X amount of money and receiving a gift, or simply getting a discount on a product in exchange for sharing, commenting or reviewing it.
This is how we apply this principle and optimize Shopify conversion rate:
a. Free Gift or Free Shipping
First, you must determine what action you would like your customer to perform. This can be something like registering or downloading a product, sharing the product with their friends, or simply signing up to a newsletter. Once you’ve identified what you need, identify what you can give your customer in return (reciprocate) for this action (an e-book, a discount, cash back).
On the other hand, you can give customers some intangible free service, such as free shipping, which can really optimize Shopify conversion rate. According to Forrester Research, 61% online shoppers prefer to shop with a retailer that offers free shipping than one that doesn’t. Sometimes, free shipping may perform better than the traditional percentage discount.
Further Reading:
b. Added value contents
The emotional targeting methodology also emphasizes that reciprocity doesn’t have to be an actual commodity. Blogs and other material that give us added value about the item, for instance, fashion trends show how people look cool wearing the item or how-to-do tips also increase Shopify conversion rate.
Learn more SEO Blog Writing Tips
4.2. Commitment & Consistency
The principle of commitment and consistency says that people will go to great lengths to appear consistent in their words and actions - even to the extent of doing things that are basically irrational.
a. Email/Member signup
As a retailer, if you can get customers to make a small commitment to your brand, they are more likely to eventually purchase from you. The most simple form of that small commitment is email signup or member account registration. Have them become part of your community, and if they do not buy from your website at the moment, you can sell later via email.
b. Trial program
And if you can actually get products in their hand, even if there is no official commitment to buy them, your chances increase even more. This was the principle behind famous Warby Parker’s Free Home Try-On Program:
For accessory items, look and fit are important. Warby Parker knows that it’s necessary that customer experience before buying, especially for free. They also know that if they can get a set of frames in your hands, they are probably about 50% of the way to making a sale. That’s how outstanding Warby Parker’s strategy is to optimize eCommerce conversion rates.
c. Returning policy
Commitment is a 2 sided agreement - buyer side, and seller side. It’s important that you make a commitment that your customers always receive the best product.
Free returns or refunds is the best way for you to do so. Online shoppers are always afraid of the situation that they will not receive the product that they wish for. So, when you assure customers that they can always return it if they are not satisfied, they are more likely to buy from you. Therefore, a returns policy really helps your Shopify conversion rate optimization process.
4.3 Trustworthy
Online shopping behaviors are affected by the fear of trust. Will I receive the product after I have paid? Will the product be as good as what is displayed and described? What if I was deceived? A lot of fear prevents them from buying.
Shopify conversion rate optimization includes removing customers’ fear. You can really do that by providing trust!
a. Review/rating
Humans are social creatures, so people would love to hear from society and what other people are talking about.
The number of online consumers who read and trust online reviews is increasing. According to a survey by BrightLocal, 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation — which is astounding, considering most online reviews are posted by total strangers. The same survey found that only 12 percent of the population did not regularly read reviews for consumer products.
What this means is that offering user reviews (consider them as a potential marketing opportunity) is a way to optimize your Shopify conversion rate.
b. Trust badge
Beside society, it’s not God, but the big and famous organizations or experts that people trust in. You can make people trust you by using the mark or signal of getting authorized from these organizations. That’s how trust badges help you optimize Shopify conversion rates.
4.4 Scarcity
People like the idea of buying things that are rare or hard to come by. If something is marketed as a “limited time offer” people will rush to buy it as they will feel a sense of urgency and fear of loss. Scarcity all boils down to “getting something before you lose it forever”. Here is some ideas for you to optimize your Shopify conversion rate.
a. Countdown clock
When there is the presence of a countdown clock on the discount items, we feel that time pass and we are going to lose this discount in a couple of minutes. A countdown clock for discount items may push people to buy as it is running out of time, they really feel the need to hurry up.
b. Seasonal or limited product
At the beginning of a new season, I go to the Zara website first. Zara does not have the best items, but the best seasonal items. After a season, all the items will be all replaced by the new ones and never be sold at Zara again.
This is the reason that people feel hurried buying ng item from Zara before the season passes. This great strategy from Zara really increases conversion rate, especial for Fashion eCommerce.
c. Impending Out-Of-Stock Announcements
You are planning a honeymoon trip and find a really lovely hotel room on Booking.com. Great! You add it to the wishlist and come back later.
But wait, only 4 rooms left! People are fearful of what they lose more than love what they are given. Especially lose for other people. Impending Out-Of-Stock Announcements make people feel rushed and can be a way to optimize Shopify conversion rates.
Check out this video to learn more about tips & strategies to increase your store's conversion rate
Conclusion
It's really good to learn from great academic theory and also awesome real case studies. Shopify conversion rate optimization is a must and everyday task.
Just a little bit of understanding about your visitors and paying close attention to content with some little tips and tricks, you can really drive them in and turn visitors into customers.