Understand what motivates your customers
Depending on your own target audience what motivates them will change quite dramatically. So first you will need to identify your target audience and speak in a language that inspires them. As soon as a potential consumer lands on your website you have just a few seconds to grab their attention or they going to bounce off to one of your competitors. It is this vital first impression that will make or break your relationship with a visitor.
The way Sons of London present themselves immediately sets the tone as a minimalist, straight talking, but premium retailer that sells quality mens shoes. The way they present themselves, the choice of photography, all adds to a sense of mystery. Almost as if even being on this website you're being invited into some exclusive club.
This approach leaves the visitors without any doubt of what to expect from this store. Visitors landing on this page will immediately be building a mental image of the types of products that will be available as well as an expectation of price point.
Guide your customers to products that interest them
It's no good making a great first impression but leaving your visitors lost with no idea where to go next. Your website needs to, quickly & clearly, show your customers where to go to find the products that interest them. Visitors will not spend time reading the content of your website, they will scan your page with a glance picking up on visual queues that they have become accustom to reading.
How subtle or direct you are should be a reflection of your brand and your audience. However, in the example seen above, Saltrock have opted to take a direct approach by providing clear signposting that splits their user base into gender focused collections. This is a great way for a fashion retailer to start the user journey as it provides your customers a simple and easy jumping off point.
Reassure your customers against key concerns
Guiding a customer to a product page is only half the battle. If you want to convince a customer to add to cart and complete a purchase then you need to make sure they feel confident. To do this you need to identify your audience's key concerns and address them head on.
Exactly what their concerns are will of course depend on what you are selling but they normally revolve around price, quality, delivery or ability to return products if they are not quite right.
When it comes to baby equipment Baby&Co have identified delivery timelines as a key concern and have tackled this concern head on. For an expecting family, one of the key buying decisions will always be, when will they receive their order. Nobody wants to worry about their car seat to turning up after their baby is born!
Let's talk about you!
The way you present yourself through, not just the design of your store but also, the way you speak to your customers is very important. These factors have a massive influence on the user experience of your store. That is why it is important to make sure you are always sending the right signals.
The examples provided show different approaches that merchants have taken to carefully craft how they talk and what they say. What works for their customers probably won't work for your customers. When you're talking to your customers you need to...
- Understand what motivates your customers and speak to them in a way that captures their imagination.
- Provide a guiding hand by using carefully considered design decisions to sign-post their way through your store.
- Address their concerns head on. Don't leave any last minute surprises that causes your customers to abandon their order.
What adds to the challenge, is as markets grows & mature so do the needs of your customers. And that is why you need to continuously review and adapt to make sure you meet the needs of your customers not just today, but also three months down the line.
If you'd like to see how we could help your store, why don't you contact us today and we can chat about what we can do for your brand and your customers.
