Optimizing your entire digital shelf — your virtual store where people find and buy your brand online — is essential for providing customers with a great shopping experience. It’s how your brand shows up online, stands out from competitors, and encourages shoppers to make purchases.

Chapters:

1. What is product page optimization?
2. 5-point product page optimization audit
3. Product page optimization examples
4. Take your product pages to the next level

What is product page optimization?

Product page optimization is the process of improving all aspects of your product pages so potential customers can find exactly what they’re looking for and make informed purchasing decisions. It goes way beyond just inserting keywords and some witty copy, it’s about displaying authentic imagery, writing compelling descriptions, and using the voice of the customer.

In essence, product page optimization is about enhancing the entire user experience to make the buying process as seamless as possible.

An optimized product page is a page that first and foremost meets customer needs and achieves company goals. Traditionally, this refers to a product page designed for higher conversions and/or search engine optimization (SEO).  You also need to factor in the technical side too. Page load speed for example — nearly 70% of consumers admit that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer. 

Think about the last time you bought something online. What did you need to know from the product page in order to make it all the way through to check out? Just the specs? No. You probably needed a lot of different information to make a confident purchasing decision. Most customers want to know: 

• Is this product good quality or value?
• How does this product look in real life?
• What do other people think about this product?
• Is there anything else I need to buy to make this product work?
• How are other shoppers using this product?

And with only 2% of e-commerce website visits converting into a purchase, it’s clear that online merchants can do a better job of providing information and experiences that meet shopper needs. 

5-point product page optimization audit

During the recent iteration of the Bazaarvoice Summit, Brandon Klein, Senior Product Manager at Bazaarvoice (and expert on all things product page), outlined a 5-point audit for perfecting your product pages. Here’s what he recommends.

1. Product page SEO optimization

You’ve spent a lot of company time and resources optimizing your product pages for higher conversions. But that’s all for nothing if shoppers can’t actually find your product pages through search — that’s where product page SEO comes in. Brandon highlights this point in this short clip from his Summit presentation below:

Expanding on that, product page SEO is the optimization of your product pages so the content on the page is found by search engines like Google. Search engine algorithms prioritize pages that are most relevant to the search query based on criteria like keyword matches and quality content. 

Here’s some of our favorite ways to use keywords naturally: 

• Include keywords in your page’s title tag and meta description, and make sure the page’s actual copy matches what you promise
• Use headings to break up copy and organize your page. Try to include a keyword in at least one of the headings, but only if it makes sense
• Include keywords throughout the page, like in product names, descriptions, and reviews 
• Incorporate keywords into an image’s alt-text if it naturally flows with the rest of the alt-text copy 
• Add internal links to any other related content on your site

The easiest way to boost your SEO though is by featuring user-generated content (UGC) like customer reviews, which can increase page traffic by nearly a third.

Customers writing reviews typically use long-tail keywords. So when someone else searches for the same terms found in product reviews, product pages linked with them appear in search results. Petco for example utilized UGC to boost their SEO standings and guess what happened? They saw a:

• 67% increase in number of pages ranked organically
• 140% increase in impressions from organic search
• 80% increase in clicks from organic search

In total, this led to a 48% increase in revenue per visit.

Product page SEO optimization isn’t just about ranking higher on Google and getting more site visits. The main goal here is to create a better user experience and give customers the exact information and visuals they need to make a confident purchase.

2. Put UGC front and center 

We know UGC is great for product page SEO. But it’s also what shoppers want to see when they’re browsing your digital (and physical) touchpoints. According to our recent survey, 74% of shoppers say they trust UGC more than branded content on product pages, and 55% are unlikely to buy a product without shopper content to inform their purchasing decisions.

UGC works because it provides the social proof shoppers need to inform decisions. According to Sabine Kaufmann, Head of e-commerce Operations Dining & Lifestyle, Villeroy & Boch, “user-generated content is one of the most trustworthy types of content a brand could show to their customers.”

Best Buy does a great job of displaying star ratings and review counts at the top of its product pages to help customers make confident purchasing decisions. On this listing for an iPad, shoppers will see that more than 3,400 customers have reviewed the product, and it has an average rating of 4.8 stars. 

Seeing an overall positive customer sentiment right away takes some of the risks out of buying an expensive item.

When it comes to collecting this UGC, diversifying your efforts is key because you’ll need a lot. You should consider leveraging review request emails and text messages, social media sweepstakes, and community requests. The most effective method for collecting UGC is product sampling, where you provide product samples in exchange for honest reviews or images. We surveyed 6,000 sampling recipients, and of those:

• 63% purchased the product they sampled
• 97% purchased at least one additional product from the brand

But according to Brandon, your best bet is using a range of solutions. These different strategies can kick-start your collection efforts, ensuring a constant supply of UGC across various methods simultaneously.

3. Respond to negative reviews and proactively address product shortfalls

Customers don’t mind if you have a few negative reviews for a product. They actually prefer it. We’ve seen that products with one or more negative reviews are perceived as more authentic and have higher conversion rates than those with a perfect 5-star rating or zero negative reviews. 

People also like responses to their negative reviews too — 54% of shoppers expect a response from the company if they write a negative review. The most successful e-commerce retailers use negative reviews as an opportunity to engage with customers, and identify potential product page improvements. The latter part is something Brandon called out specially in his presentation.

Negative reviews provide insights for improving products, which you can then update your product pages with. For example, several shoppers may leave a review saying that a pair of pants they ordered in their normal size ended up being too big. This negative feedback would allow your brand to update that product’s description to include helpful language like, “for a perfect fit, many customers prefer to size down.”

Children’s toy manufacturer KidKraft are pros at this. Watch Heather Stables, KidKraft’s Director of Consumer Engagement, explain how they use customer feedback to improve products and market messaging:

After recognising insights, the brand works on product page optimization to ensure copy matches the new product updates. They’ve since seen product improvement leading to an increase in sales.

Not only does utilizing customer feedback help consumers feel empowered to make better purchase decisions, but it can also prevent future negative reviews related to product description accuracy.

4. Distribute your content everywhere

Shoppers want a seamless transition as they engage with your brand through multiple channels, whether online, mobile, or in-store. 75% of shoppers expect a consistent brand experience regardless of channel, according to our Shopper Experience Index. Taking an omnichannel approach integrates your various channels to provide a consistent brand experience, letting you interact in the most convenient way.

Not having a robust omnichannel strategy is now a key barrier to success

Ainslie Fincham, Marketing Director, Urban Barn

An omnichannel strategy allows for quick adaptation to changing consumer preferences. It lets customers switch between channels without friction or loss of service, improving customer satisfaction and fosters loyalty.

Once you have this valuable content, it’s crucial to showcase it in all the right places — on social, in ads, on your product pages, and even in-store. You can do this by working with the right content syndication partner. By syndicating your content across all digital touchpoints, you ensure that customers can see it wherever they shop, maximizing your content ROI.

5. Make social content shoppable

Lastly, but certainly not least. Making your social content shoppable is by far one of the most important ways to increase your product page optimization. Social media is often the first place most shoppers will discover your brand, with 54% of consumers saying they often discover a product or service through social media. (That number rises to 73% for 18-24 year olds!)

They aren’t just scrolling past your products either, they’re making purchases. While the younger generations are leading this charge, even a quarter of shoppers aged 65+ purchased through social last year.

50% of all shoppers have purchased products through social media in the past year. So make sure that you’re turning social content into shoppable experiences that drive sales wherever your shoppers are. 

Shoppable content tools such as Like2buy turn your Instagram and TikTok Feeds into sales channels and Bazaarvoice Galleries brings authentic visual content from social into your website for you. For example Dreams, the UK’s leading bed specialist, uses Bazaarvoice Galleries to bring social UGC into its product pages and beyond, and has since seen a 200% lift in conversion rate.

Social is a great way to curate fresh, original, and authentic content that already exists, and has been created for you. But a recurring point Brandon makes around product page optimization is that channels shouldn’t be siloed. Put your social content across all channels and encourage purchase decisions everywhere your shoppers are.

4 product page optimization examples 

Let’s take a look at some of our favorite examples of product pages that convert. Note: Your product descriptions need to be easy to digest, especially because most customers are shopping from their mobile devices. By 2025, mobile e-commerce sales will account for 44% of retail e-commerce sales in the U.S. 

Iconic London

When it comes to makeup, authenticity reigns supreme. Shoppers want to see how different shades look on people who look like them, not in heavily curated brand imagery. Iconic London knows this and so brings in carousels of visual UGC from their community right onto their product pages.

Why it works: 

• The average star rating and number of reviews at the top of the page provides proof that this is a well-loved product
• Large imagery puts more social proof front and center
• Authentic visual UGC from real customers using the product(s) at home helps shoppers understand what the product is and how it fits into their existing skincare routine

Neutrogena

Cosmetics is a product category that really requires detailed product pages because customers can’t see or swatch the item in person. On this product page for Neutrogena’s MoistureSmooth Color Stick, the company takes a UGC-first, product-second approach.

Why it works: 

• A prominent design element halfway down the page includes a star rating and a quote from a customer about how the product feels in real life and how it works for their skin texture
• The gallery of social media images from real customers provides more information about how the product works in action
• The gallery encourages customers to “Share Your Glow” by tagging Neutrogena on Instagram or Twitter to be featured on the website
• The “Most Helpful Reviews” callout highlights one positive and one negative review that other shoppers have found useful

Nourison

Buying an area rug online can be a challenge because it’s difficult for shoppers to understand how it will look and feel when it arrives. Rug brand Nourison helps ease customers’ minds by incorporating a lot of great UGC on its pages. 

Why it works: 

• A gallery of social photos shows how customers have used this rug in their actual homes 
• The brand encourages future customers to share how they styled their rug at home by posting a picture on social media with the hashtag #Nourison
• The page displays the average rating for the product and number of reviews at the very top to signal that hundreds of others have bought and loved this rug
• The company uses short but detailed product descriptions and includes specs that tell customers where this rug would be best in their homes (a heavy-traffic area vs. a less-trafficked area)

Under Armour 

Our last example is a product page for an Under Amour shoe. The brand uses several tactics to help shoppers choose from the hundreds of shoes on its site. 

Why it works: 

• Shoppers get a complete, 360-degree view of the shoe, so they know there won’t be any surprises when they receive the product 
• Shoppers can filter reviews by rating, athlete type (casual or avid), size, and locale to see reviews that are more personalized to how they may be using the shoe 
• When a shopper starts to scroll on the page, the “Add to Bag” CTA becomes a sticky banner so customers can quickly put the item in their cart once they’ve made a decision 

Take your product pages to the next level

Product page optimization may seem like a tedious task, but in the end, it will be well worth it. If shoppers have all the information they need to make a successful purchase, you’ll set yourself apart from your competitors and see much higher conversion rates across your digital shelf.

With the rise of digital, product page optimization has become critical for consumer attention and conversion. Watch our full on-demand masterclass outlining the 5-point audit for optimizing your product pages, covering key topics like organic search, social commerce, user-generated content, and insights.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Perfecting your product detail page: A 5-point audit

Watch here

Why does the checkout page wield so much power? Well, it’s the ultimate test of your online store’s charm, efficiency, and trustworthiness. Get it right, and your bottom line will thank you. Get it wrong and you hit a sour note in an otherwise perfect performance.

Chapters:

1. What is the checkout process in e-commerce?
2. How to improve your e-commerce checkout process
3. A step-by-step guide to implementing checkout process optimization
4. Don’t stop at the checkout process

What is the checkout process in e-commerce?

The checkout process in e-commerce is the journey a shopper follows when buying items from an online store. The flow begins when the shopper adds one or more items to their shopping cart and ends when they receive confirmation their purchase has been completed.

The checkout is the point where the customer adds their payment details and purchases the product(s). Your whole checkout process needs to be as clear and frictionless is possible to provide the best shopping experience possible that encourages shoppers to complete their purchases.

How to improve your e-commerce checkout process

You have questions, we have the answers. These are our top tips to give your customers a checkout experience they’ll love so much, they’ll soon be back for more.

1. Optimize for mobile

In the US alone, 76% of consumers shop using mobile devices. The percentage is even higher (91%) for the 18 to 49 demographic. Ignoring this fact (and failing to optimize your checkout process accordingly) is like showing up to a marathon in flip-flops — you’re just not prepared for the race. And you’ll probably get a scraped knee. Or two.

First off, size matters. Make all clickable elements thumb-friendly, because nothing tests patience like trying to hit a tiny button on a touch screen. 

Speed is also of the essence. A slow-loading checkout is a no-go, so optimize images and leverage mobile-specific features like digital wallets to keep things moving at a brisk pace. 

Another neat trick is including the option to scan a credit card using the phone’s camera. This feature not only adds a layer of modern convenience but also significantly speeds up the payment process.

2. Implement trust signals and social proof

In e-commerce, trust is the currency, and your checkout process is where shoppers invest it. If you want to reassure them that it’s safe to take that final step, you need to signal trust — whether it’s through user-generated content (UGC), badges, or both.

Displaying UGC is literally having your customers vouch for you at the checkout line. According to our Shopper Experience Index, 78% of shoppers rely on this content to feel more confident in their purchases. Whether it’s a photo of a happy customer or a glowing review, incorporating these elements around your checkout can significantly boost buyer confidence.

Badges instantly signal to your customers that your site is secure and their information is protected. Examples of these trust signals include SSL certificates, which encrypt data, and payment badges like Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal.

Familiar logos offer a sense of security and familiarity amidst the vastness (and general insanity) of the internet.

Pro tip: Bazaarvoice helps you collect, syndicate, and display user reviews and other UGC across your online store and your retail partners’ websites.

3. Don’t make account creation a deal-breaker

Not everyone is ready to commit to a full-on relationship with your site on the first date (sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but they probably have other dates lined up). Creating an account might be a minor inconvenience for some people, but for others, it can be a deal-breaker.

Aim for convenience by offering paths that cater to all types of visitors. Options like signing in with social media or continuing as a guest can transform the checkout experience from a high-pressure sales pitch to a casual “come as you are” moment. 

Social media sign-ins leverage existing profiles, so the process feels less like a commitment and more like seeing a familiar face in a crowd of strangers. On the other hand, allowing customers to continue as guests is the e-commerce version of “no strings attached, let’s just enjoy the moment.” It’s an invitation to explore without the need for pesky formal introductions. 

Pro tip: You can use third-party services like Auth0 to provide social sign-in options. If you’re using WordPress, Shopify, or any of the popular CMS, CCMS, or e-commerce systems, you can browse their app stores or directories for integrations.

4. Clearly communicate fees and shipping

Finding the perfect product is exhilarating, but you know what’s not so great? Getting hit with unexpected fees and shipping costs at checkout. Turns out, this is the number one reason for abandoned shopping carts. Surprise!, said no one.

Lay all of your cards on the table from the get-go. Whether it’s a detailed breakdown of costs or a shipping calculator that adjusts in real-time, giving your customers a clear view of what they’re paying for (and why) builds trust and sets expectations right away.

But why stop at just being transparent? Go the extra mile by offering shipping options that cater to different needs and budgets. From standard to express shipping, providing choices allows customers to weigh their options based on how quickly they need their items and how much they’re willing to pay for speed.

5. Offer multiple payment options

How often have you been slightly annoyed by those places that only take cash? It’s a pain to make your way to the closest ATM. That’s how customers feel when their preferred payment method isn’t available. In this case, there’s no magic money box to go to. They’ll likely just leave. 

No matter where your customers come from or how they prefer to spend their digital dollars, accommodate them. Each payment method comes with its own security assurances, appealing to the varying levels of trust and familiarity within your customer base. 

From credit cards and PayPal to Apple Pay, Google Wallet, cryptocurrency, and buy now, pay later solutions, the more options you provide, the wider the door you open to potential sales.

6. Display a progress indicator

A progress bar is a simple addition, but one that turns the checkout process into a clearly marked journey, complete with milestones and an end in sight. More than reducing anxiety and/or impatience, it taps into the sweet feeling of completing tasks. Each step forward is a small victory that encourages people to keep going until they reach the finish line.

Implementing a progress bar is also an opportunity to refine and streamline your checkout process. By breaking down the journey into distinct steps, you can identify and eliminate any unnecessary complications. 

Each segment of the progress bar should represent a clear, concise, and necessary action. This speeds up the transaction and minimizes the chances of customers getting lost or overwhelmed along the way.

Pro tip: Providers like FastSrping and FunnelKit make it easy to build a progress bar, and the Shopify app store offers integrations with apps like CheckIt for the same purpose.

7. Allow one-click purchases

We love fast-forwarding through ads, so why not fast-forward through shopping? For customers who’ve already bought from you and built a steady, trusting relationship, one-click purchases are a boon. No need to re-enter information — they can just slide on by and see ya next time.

When customers know that making a repeat purchase is as easy as a single click, they’re more likely to come back. It’s a simple equation: less hassle = more sales. This feature also positions your brand as tech-savvy and customer-centric, attributes that can strengthen customer loyalty and set you apart in a crowded marketplace. 

Pro tip: You can find third-party providers like Stripe to help you set up one-click purchases seamlessly.

8. Make support options available

Stuff happens. Maybe it’s a promo code that won’t apply or a shipping question that’s got shoppers stumped. Either way, making sure they have someone or somewhere to turn to with their issues can be the difference between a sale and an abandoned cart.

Support can come in many forms, from live chat to an on-page FAQ or a Customer Success Manager’s contact details. What matters is that you show that you’re there to help, not just sell. It’s an extra level of care and attention that can turn a one-time buyer into your #1 fan. 

9. Reduce the number of mandatory form fields

Less truly is more. Do you honestly know anyone who’s ever said “oh goody, can’t wait to fill out this 25-page form”? No? That’s because they don’t exist (yes, we checked. Trust us). Keep this in mind when you’re designing your checkout flow.

Focus on the essential information — the customer’s name, billing address, shipping address, and contact information. That’s enough, you don’t need their whole life story. More than that, and you risk them giving up on the whole process.

Remember that optimizing e-commerce checkout is about removing obstacles and making the buying process as inviting as a freshly baked pie on a windowsill. 

10. Simplify discount application

Making customers jump through hoops to apply coupon codes will quickly sour an otherwise sweet deal. You likely gave them away to begin with, so make the option to apply them clear and accessible, without cluttering the checkout process experience. 

When customers easily see how much they’re saving, it reinforces the value of their purchase, making them more likely to hit that final “buy” button. Plus, a straightforward process can enhance the overall shopping experience. It shows that you’ve thought about every detail of the customer journey — even the part where they save some bucks.

11. Offer last-minute deals

Speaking of discounts, why not offer them during the checkout process? It’s a sneaky way to increase average order value while giving customers something in return (like sales items or free shipping). 

You’re basically capitalizing on the momentum of the buying decision. At this point, shoppers are already committed to making a purchase and a last-minute offer can be the nudge that makes them feel like they’re getting even more bang for their buck.

Not to mention, last-minute deals are an excellent opportunity to clear out inventory or promote specific products. By strategically choosing which deals to offer, you can boost sales while managing your stock more effectively. Win-win.

12. Confirm the purchase

Congratulations, you’ve got yourself a purchase! Quick tip here: don’t leave customers hanging. The moment after a purchase is your chance to leave a lasting impression. With a thoughtfully designed thank you page, you can transform a transactional moment into the beginning of an ongoing, beautiful, profitable relationship.

Brief your customers on what comes next with clear instructions about shipping timelines, customer service contact information, and how to track their orders. Your thank you page can also be a platform for deepening customer engagement.

Here, you can provide suggestions for related products, invitations to join your loyalty program, or even a simple request for feedback. 

A step-by-step guide to implementing checkout process optimization

You have the latest and greatest tips. Now, it’s time to actually optimize the checkout flow. And as with most things in life and business, it’s somewhat of a process — but not a complex one.

Step 1: Evaluate your current checkout process

Start by walking a mile in your customers’ shoes and run through the checkout process yourself. Take note of any friction points, such as unnecessary form fields, confusing navigation, or lack of payment options. These are your first clues on what needs optimizing. Or have someone in a different department try it out for you.

Next, dive into the data. Analytics can reveal where potential customers drop off and which steps might be causing hesitation. Look for patterns and trends that point to specific areas for improvement. 

Don’t forget to gather feedback directly from the source — your customers. Surveys, feedback forms, or direct conversations can provide invaluable insights into their experiences and perceptions. 

Step 2: Set clear objectives

Turn your insights into actionable goals. First, prioritize the issues you’ve identified based on their impact on the customer experience and your conversion rates. Is it the insane number of form fields that are slowing customers down? Or perhaps the lack of a guest checkout option causing them to abandon ship? 

Each issue should correspond to a specific objective, such as “reduce checkout time by 30%” or “decrease cart abandonment rate by 15%.”  

Your objectives should align with both customer needs and your broader business goals. Whether it’s increasing average order value or boosting repeat purchases, each goal should contribute to the overarching vision of your e-commerce success.

Step 3: Implement the changes

This is where strategy meets action. Begin by tackling the low-hanging fruit — those changes that are relatively easy to implement but can have an immediate impact on the customer experience. It might include simplifying form fields, ensuring your site is mobile-responsive, or adding visible trust signals and security badges. 

Next, address more complex issues that may require a bit more time and resources (e.g. integrating new payment options, developing a one-click purchase feature, or redesigning the entire e-commerce checkout page for better usability).

While these changes might take longer to roll out, their potential to significantly boost conversions and customer satisfaction over time makes them well worth the effort. 

Step 4: Monitor and refine

The checkout optimization journey doesn’t end, it simply evolves. You want to fix what’s broken, but more than that, you want to continuously improve the checkout process.

Monitor the impact of the changes you’ve implemented. Use analytics tools to track key metrics such as cart abandonment rates, conversion rates, and average order value. Keep gathering customer feedback through surveys, user testing, and direct communication for qualitative insights that complement your quantitative data. 

Some changes may yield immediate positive results, while others might need further tweaking to achieve their full potential. Keep adjusting until you hit the sweet spot. Flexibility and willingness to learn from successes and setbacks are key to long-term improvement. 

Don’t stop at the checkout process

Your checkout page is super important, but so is the rest of your e-commerce site. After all, a smooth checkout process on a website that’s otherwise difficult to navigate or slow to load doesn’t quite make sense. You want to provide a user-friendly experience from the moment customers land in your store to the moment they complete their purchase.

For more insights and practical tips on how to enhance your performance across the board, check out these 15 ways to improve your e-commerce website performance.

FEATURED RESOURCE

The e-commerce manager’s guide to user-generated content

Read here

Research tells us that over half of consumers would be less loyal to a business if the e-commerce experience isn’t as enjoyable as in-person and 55% of customers claim they’d stop purchasing from a brand altogether after several bad experiences. Another 8% would end their relationship after just one bad experience.

An exceptional e-commerce experience is no longer just a surprise-and-delight bonus for customers. They’ve come to expect it. And their standards are higher than ever! Especially now that more people are shopping online and new technology keeps evolving. So for brands to remain competitive and attract and retain customers, they must emphasize the overall experience as much as they do the transaction.

Learn the criteria for an outstanding e-commerce experience and how top brands deliver it for their customers so you can emulate their success.

Chapters:

1. Benefits of a strong e-commerce experience
2. The traits of a superior e-commerce shopping experience
3. 6 brands acing the e-commerce experience
4. Measure the success of your e-commerce experience

Benefits of a strong e-commerce experience

The individual components of a successful e-commerce strategy all have their own benefits — together they create an overall winning customer experience. When you design your e-commerce strategy to exceed your customers’ expectations, they’ll show their appreciation. Customer experience is an important purchasing decision factor for 73% of consumers.

Just like going to the movies, people are willing to spend money for a better e-commerce experience. According to McKinsey, a positive customer experience results in a 10-15% increase in sales-conversion rates. In particular, 43% of consumers would pay more for greater convenience.

Customers are willing to volunteer their own data in exchange for a better experience. That data, including their email address, birthday, gender, location, preferences, and other information, fuels the very personalization that improves the experience. 

The traits of a superior e-commerce shopping experience

The key to creating an amazing e-commerce experience is supplying what your customers want and need. Focus on what will be most convenient, appealing, engaging, and user-friendly for them to guide your action plan.

Accessibility

Making your website accessible is fundamental to a high-quality e-commerce experience. Having an accessible website means that anyone can easily understand and navigate it, regardless of skill level, age, or physical capability. 

While this seems like common sense, a staggering 94% of the highest grossing e-commerce sites don’t meet accessibility requirements. Considering this reality, if your site is fully accessible, you’ll be an outlier among your competitors.

You also won’t risk losing customers and sales because of a poor or difficult website experience — inclusive marketing should be the bare minimum. So ensure your e-commerce site is accessible for your customers by following these standards:

• Optimize images with alt text and descriptions for visually impaired users
• Label hyperlinked images for visually impaired users
• Use adequate color contrasting on linked text for colorblind users
• Form fields should be sufficiently marked up with descriptive labels and prompts
• Videos should have captions for deaf and hearing-impaired users
• Your website should be operable using just keyboard navigation and be mobile optimized

Product recommendations

A wide range of potential customers visit online stores. Some people know exactly what they’re looking for, while others prefer to browse. Product recommendations are one of the most important social proof tools to help shoppers make decisions. They also drive discovery, as shoppers can find similar products or see products they might not have found otherwise. 

There’s a variety of ways to leverage your data when recommending products that can increase your sales. For instance, you can showcase items that are frequently purchased together or even highlight items that other people with similar product views rated highly.

Personalization

Personalization is another critical part of the customer experience. Personalized marketing is the practice of using customer data to deliver relevant offers and recommendations based on customer preferences and activity.

Personalization enhances and improves the customer experience because it delivers what shoppers are looking for: convenience, product discovery, or content that appeals to their curiosities and interests. It’s a growing priority for consumers, and has a significant business impact for e-commerce companies. 

Twilio Segment’s State of Personalization report found that almost half of the 3,000+ consumers surveyed would likely become repeat customers after a personalized shopping experience. Conversely, 62% of consumers claimed that they’d stop being loyal to a business after an un-personalized experience. Out of the business leaders surveyed, 80% say that customers spend an average of 34% more when their e-commerce experience is personalized. 

Augmented reality (AR) is growing as an immersive personalization trend — 74% of consumers are excited that brands are enhancing shopping experiences with AR. AR is a type of technology used in marketing that allows shoppers to virtually try on and experience products.

Snapchat and TikTok filters are examples of popular AR features from the past several years. Major beauty, apparel, and home decor brands leverage AR to let customers interact with and visualize products before making purchases.

Customer support

E-commerce sales, including mobile purchases, are increasing at a higher rate than brick-and-mortar sales for U.S. consumers. More consumers are drawn to online shopping each year because of the convenience and ability to browse, discover, and compare brands and products easily.

This shift towards online shopping also comes with high expectations for online customer support. Customers want their questions answered and problems solved on the same platform where they shop. 

Successful customer support empowers customers to solve problems themselves without escalation, and when issues require intervention, it entails fast and effective service. The result is happy customers and better performance for brands. Customer support that mitigates problems leads to increased customer acquisition and loyalty. 

“Value enhancement” customer support increases repurchase likelihood by 82%, wallet share by 86%, and sharing positive experiences by word of mouth by 97%. This approach focuses on predicting customer behavior to tailor interactions and allocating experienced customer reps for high-priority issues.

Effective online support methods include: 

• Robust FAQ pages
• Product pages with questions and answers features
• Live chat options
• Contact pages with customer support phone numbers and email addresses. 

Omnichannel marketing

These days, shoppers use a variety of digital touchpoints to search and purchase products. Building an omnichannel strategy enables you to reach all of your customers on each platform where they’re active. That means expanding your presence beyond your e-commerce site to social media channels, text messages, emails, and mobile apps, depending on your customer demographics. 

An important part of omnichannel marketing is meeting customers at every stage of the buyer journey. For e-commerce brands, that often means:

• On social media at the discovery stage
• On product pages at the consideration stage
• In emails at the loyalty stage

Practicing an omnichannel strategy is also a valuable tool for gathering and evaluating customer data. By collecting data on every touchpoint, you can build a more detailed and accurate profile for each of your customers. This ensures that you serve them pertinent messaging at the right time. For example, if a customer leaves a poor review on a product, they shouldn’t be seeing Facebook ads about that product. Likewise, if they already purchased a particular product, they shouldn’t see ads for that product.

The final step to completing a high-performing omnichannel strategy is linking your various channels for a seamless customer experience. If someone sees an ad on Instagram and starts a purchase on their phone, they should be able to finish it on their laptop at a later time if they choose. 

By taking an omnichannel approach, you’ll have more opportunities to capture customers and sales. Plus, you’ll provide a cohesive customer experience across the multiple channels they use to browse and shop. An omnichannel presence gives customers greater access to your brand and keeps it top of mind. 

Social commerce

Social commerce is an extension of e-commerce but on social media channels. People are already on social media all the time, so it makes sense for them to be able to do their shopping there, too. It eliminates friction along the buyer journey. 

Consumers have fully embraced social media as a marketplace. According to DataPortal’s Digital Statshot Report, 75% of global internet users use social media to research brands and products. And just in the U.S., social buyers are projected to grow to 114.3 million by 2025, an 18% increase from 2021. 

Gen Z is the biggest audience for social commerce, with 57% discovering new products on social channels in recent months. Almost half prefer Instagram Stories as a source of inspiration, followed by 41% who look to short-form videos on Instagram Reels and TikTok. Facebook and YouTube are more popular with older audiences. Twitter is anyone’s guess with Elon Musk in charge.

To provide the best experience for your customers on social media, tailor your content to match the most popular types on those channels. For consumers, the most memorable content from brands includes funny content, relatable content, and product tutorials and demos. Consumers also want the brands they follow to earn their trust by raising awareness and speaking up about important social issues. Brand building is equally as important as selling when it comes to the social commerce experience.

Gamification

Many e-commerce brands use gamification, like interactive quiz and surveys, to provide an engaging experience for their shoppers, and to also learn more about their customers. Shopper information obtained this way can be used to customize shopping experiences to better meet their needs and preferences.

Make sure to add a skip button or quick exit to allow your visitors the option of omitting questions they don’t want to respond to, and avoid launching a survey the moment a visitor arrives on your site. 

Enhanced segmentation

Every customer uniquely engages with your e-commerce store. Segmentation allows you to ensure that shoppers accomplish their objectives on your site, regardless of how they interact with it!

For example, you could highlight special promotions for winter gear to visitors living in areas that are cold. Variables could include location, age, income, if they’re a new or repeat customer, and lots more. By doing this, you can maximize the aforementioned personalization and set up your e-commerce site to provide the best customer experience.

Displaying UGC

Consumers are driven by peer-to-peer decisions more than any other marketing tool — When shopping on a brand or retailer’s website, 40% of shoppers won’t purchase if there isn’t UGC on the product page.

Including user-generated content (UGC) such as reviews, photos or social media posts will give your site a new dimension. Visitors can see how your products in real life by sharing images, videos, and customer reviews.

Offering a continual e-commerce shopping experience

By enabling customers to pick up where their virtual shopping baskets where they left off, you can easily reduce shopping cart abandonment. With this strategy, you can instantly notify guests of previously chosen products and preferences based on their web browsing history.

Although it’s a more intricate tactic, it can produce excellent results, and make shoppers feel valued.

6 brands that ace the e-commerce experience

There’s a lot to consider when crafting an A-list e-commerce experience. It requires smoothly integrating all the ingredients of a successful shopping spree for customers at every turn, on every channel. One good thing about a saturated market is there’s plenty of brands doing a stellar job to draw inspiration from. 

These examples show how different brands in various industries make online shopping seamless, educational, and fun at different points along the customer journey. Take notes to level up your own production value.

Plenty optimizes product pages with ratings and reviews

The volume and recency of product reviews are two of the biggest factors that influence purchase decisions. That’s why Plenty prioritizes their customer review strategy to optimize their e-commerce site for ready-to-purchase customers. Leveraging this powerful form of user-generated content UGC showcases their own customers’ feedback, providing social proof for other shoppers.

Plenty encourages reviews with a CTA for visitors to leave a review for a chance to win £100 every month. Their review collection efforts result in hundreds and thousands of reviews per product. They put those reviews to good use, analyzing the insights found in them to develop new products and marketing content.

For example, when pet adoptions surged in the U.K., so did reviews about how Plenty products help with pet clean-up. As a result, Plenty developed helpful blog and social media content for pet parents.

Samsonite inspires shoppers with customer photos

The luxury luggage brand Samsonite strengthened their omnichannel experience by funneling their social media content to their e-commerce site. Using Bazaarvoice Galleries, Samsonite displays visual UGC of customers and influencers with their products throughout their site. The images are linked with the featured products so customers can purchase directly from the gallery.

Using a social media hashtag campaign, Samsonite was able to generate 27,000 pieces of UGC to promote their products on social media and their product pages. This strategy resulted in a significantly higher dwell time on pages with galleries and a 245% increase in conversion rate. This boost in visual content supports consistent branding across channels and entices shoppers with relatable marketing.

Bemz personalizes social commerce

The Bemz business model relies on personalization, and so does its e-commerce experience for customers. Bemz makes customized, made-to-order covers for IKEA furniture. With so many product options, the brand realized it needed UGC to give shoppers an accurate representation of how their products look in real life settings.

Bemz leans on social media to collect and promote both branded and UGC media. They make their social content shoppable by enabling social commerce. By turning their social feed into a digital storefront, they increased their click-through rates on social channels by 41%.

Kohl’s innovates with augmented reality

Speaking of amazing movie experiences, remember that scene in Clueless when Cher picks out her outfit every morning with a computer program? That movie was really ahead of its time, because that’s exactly what Kohl’s AR feature does, except on Snapchat.

Kohl’s Virtual Closet gives shoppers the opportunity to mix and match different outfits from select Kohl’s products. This takes the concept of cross selling to a whole new level. With Snapchat’s selfie feature, users can also virtually try on products in the virtual closet. When shoppers find items they want to purchase, they can do so right on the app without ever leaving. 

This campaign combines augmented reality with social commerce for the ultimate e-commerce experience.

Snug brings the in-person experience online with live shopping

Snug thinks outside the delivery box regarding their e-commerce customer service. The sofa company solves the common customer dilemma of making a big furniture purchase online with their live shopping service. Their entire Live Shop program is a study in customer-centric e-commerce excellence. 

Snug’s Live Shop invites shoppers to book an appointment with a showroom consultant to get a better look at their sofas and ask any questions they have in real-time. As they outline on the Live Shop page of their e-commerce site, this feature fits into every stage of the customer journey:

1. Because you’ve just started looking
2. When you’ve seen a few different sofas
3. When you’re almost ready to buy

The landing page itself is a great customer service tool, complete with its own FAQ section, customer reviews specifically about the Live Shopping experience, and overall Snug reviews about their glowing customer service. 

Fresh stimulates visitors with an immersive experience

Over the past 30 years since its inception, Fresh has become a global natural beauty brand with an e-commerce experience to match the detail and care that goes into their products. One of the challenges with having a mostly online business for beauty brands is the inability for customers to try different products. There is no way to smell fragrances or feel textures. 

Instead, Fresh designs their website with interactive content and visuals for an intricate digital experience. The home page greets you with a fun and enticing “spin to win” mystery offer game. When you’ve won your prize, you can then explore product categories, curated gift sets, their sustainability practices, details on their ingredients, and much more.

Their product pages are just as rich and robust, giving a deep dive into individual product ingredients and clinical test results. Their collection of customer reviews features photo-first displays so you can see products on real people in addition to reading about them.

Measure the success of your customer e-commerce experience

After you’ve laid the foundation for a sparkling e-commerce experience, you need to track its performance. Determine if it resonates with customers and produces results by analyzing key performance indicators. There’s many different metrics you can look at to reach these conclusions, but here’s some important ones you can start with:

• Customer retention rate: The percentage of customers who make repeat purchases from your e-commerce shop. This is a great indicator of the quality of your e-commerce strategy, because if it satisfies customers, they’ll keep coming back
• Conversion rates: The percentage of website visits that result in a desired conversion, such as product clicks and orders. If your website is accessible and conveys the value of your products, your conversion rate will prove it 
• Average order value: The average purchase amount per order on your e-commerce and social commerce channels. When customers spend more money, that’s a good sign that they connect with your products, brand, and overall e-commerce presence
• Customer sentiment: Your customers’ feelings and opinions about your brand. You can measure customer sentiment by analyzing the insights from customer reviews and customer satisfaction surveys. This information provides you with specific feedback on your brand’s e-commerce experience

To get started, learn how retail giant Walmart has evolved its e-commerce experience, as explained by Alyssa Thomas, Director of Product, Content as Commerce, at Walmart.com, in our on-demand masterclass.

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Masterclass: How Walmart is evolving its e-commerce experience

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Let’s channel your inner Don Corleone and learn how you can make consumers an offer they won’t refuse.

Chapters:

1. What is a lead magnet?
2. What makes a good lead magnet in e-commerce?
3. 10 lead magnet ideas for your e-commerce website
4. Optimize your e-commerce website for better lead magnet results

What is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is simply a trade where you offer something valuable in exchange for contact information or another action. 

Let’s paint a picture for you: you’re browsing online, not quite ready to buy, just casually looking. Then, something catches your eye — a guide on how to choose the perfect pair of running shoes, offered for free. All it asks for in return is your email. That’s a lead magnet in action, a sweet little nudge designed to turn you from a casual browser into an engaged potential customer. 

And once you have that information, you’ll do something with it to further engage the leads and turn them into paying customers. So this interaction is also the first hello in what you hope will be a long conversation. It’s where you start to build trust and show your value to potential customers. 

What makes a good lead magnet in e-commerce?

For starters, your lead magnet should offer immediate value. People have to be able to use it right away so they can experience the benefits of engaging with your brand without delay. This immediate gratification will satisfy the desire for quick rewards (because who doesn’t love those?) and make a positive first impression.

Ideally, what you offer should also solve a problem that your audience is facing. A lead magnet that tackles a real issue provides value and also positions your brand as helpful and authoritative. For example, a “5-Minute Meals for Busy Parents” recipe book from an online food store hits right at the heart of time-crunched families.

Lead magnets should showcase your expertise or the quality of your products. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate why your brand is trustworthy and knowledgeable. Say, a lead magnet like “The Complete Guide to Sustainable Fashion” from an eco-conscious clothing brand can establish thought leadership in that space.

Finally, the best lead magnets encourage future engagement. It doesn’t just end with the download or the discount but rather marks the start of a relationship. 

10 lead magnet ideas for your e-commerce website

There’s a lot of room for creativity where lead magnets are concerned, but we have the top 10 ideas that are tried and tested to get people through your digital door.

1. Discount codes

It’s a classic for a reason. Discounts are simple, yet effective — a percentage off, a fixed amount discount, or exclusive deals in exchange for an email sign-up or another small action. Because of the instant value they provide, discounts make the decision to engage with a brand a no-brainer for most shoppers. 

Why they work:

• Everyone loves to save money. A discount code taps into this universal appeal, offering immediate savings on future purchases

• For those on the fence because they never bought from your brand before, a discount can be the incentive they need to make their first purchase

Best practices:

• Make it exclusive. Your discount should feel special. If products on your website are always on sale, this type of offer could lose its appeal

• Set a time limit. Create a sense of urgency and encourage quick action by making the discount available for a limited time

2. Personalized consultations

Personalization is a lead magnet necessity. Personalized consultations are a golden opportunity to connect with your audience on a deeper level. They allow you to demonstrate your expertise, understand your customers’ unique needs, and provide tailored advice that can make a real difference in their decision-making process.

Why they work:

• Engaging directly with customers establishes brand trust, an essential ingredient for any successful relationship. 

• By tailoring advice to each individual’s situation, you show a level of care and attention that generic information just can’t match

• A consultation is an active, engaging process. It invites potential customers to interact with your brand, creating a memorable experience

Best practices:

• Streamline scheduling: Use an easy-to-navigate booking system to minimize friction in setting up consultations. The simpler it is to book, the more likely people are to go for it 

• Prepare and personalize: Before each consultation, gather information about the customer’s needs to offer the most relevant and helpful advice

• Follow-up: After the consultation, send a personalized email summarizing the advice you gave and suggesting next steps. A follow-up keeps the conversation going and nudges consumers towards a purchase based on the problems you identified

3. Early or exclusive access

There’s plenty of ways to give your potential customers the VIP treatment — chief among them, access to early sales and product drops. This strategy plays on the human desire to be part of an elite group and enjoy privileges that aren’t available to the general public. 

Why they work:

• Knowing they have access to something others don’t elevates the customer’s perception of the value you’re offering 

• The wait for early or exclusive access to products or sales can create buzz and excitement around your brand 

• Customers who receive special treatment are more likely to feel a stronger connection to your brand, helping you build that oh-so-coveted brand loyalty

Best practices:

• Clearly define the offer: Make sure your audience understands what they’re getting access to and why it’s valuable. Whether it’s a pre-sale, a limited edition product, or early access to content, the offer should be compelling 

• Deliver on your promise: Don’t falter. The early or exclusive access experience should be smooth and rewarding. Any hiccups can damage trust and diminish the perceived value of your offer

4. Free shipping

The people have spoken — they want free shipping. So much so that 62% of consumers won’t buy from a retailer if they don’t provide that option. Offering potential buyers the chance to unlock free shipping removes one of the biggest hurdles to completing an online purchase (added costs) and appeals to virtually every shopper’s desire to get more value out of their purchase.

Why they work:

• High shipping costs are the top reason for abandoning shopping carts. Eliminating this barrier can significantly increase your conversion rates

• Shoppers perceive free shipping as an added value to their purchase, making the deal seem much sweeter (there’s that honey again) 

• Often, free shipping is tied to a minimum purchase amount, which can encourage customers to add more items to their cart to qualify and increase average order value

Best practices:

• Set clear thresholds: If your free shipping offer requires a minimum purchase, make sure this threshold is clearly communicated and easily achievable

• Promote widely: Highlight your free shipping offer on your homepage, product pages, and during the checkout process. Also, mention it in your marketing emails and social media channels

• Test and analyze: Experiment with different thresholds for free shipping to find the sweet spot that increases average order value without hurting your margins

5. Free samples

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Offering free samples as your lead magnet is a tried-and-true method to introduce potential customers to your products with no strings attached. This approach not only allows customers to test and fall in love with your products but also demonstrates your confidence in the quality of what you’re selling.

With a product sampling marketing campaign you can even ask consumers to provide user-generated content (reviews, images, or videos) in exchange for the samples. Using UGC to populate your social media feeds and product pages is the best way to generate consumer trust in your brand and lift conversions, so there’s a lot to gain here besides contact information. 

Why they work:

• Free samples allow customers to try before they buy, reducing the perceived risk associated with buying new products

• By getting your products into the hands of potential customers, you’re increasing brand awareness and the likelihood of future purchases

• Offering something for free can create a positive association with your brand, fostering goodwill and a sense of reciprocity

Best practices:

• Easy redemption: The process to claim a free sample should be straightforward and require minimal effort from the customer

• Collect feedback: Use the opportunity to gather feedback on the sampled products and get your hands on valuable insights for product development and marketing strategies. 

• Follow-up: After sending out the samples, follow-up with an email offering a discount on the full-sized product to encourage a purchase

6. Contests and giveaways

The anticipation of possibly winning something cool is thrilling. That excitement is precisely what makes contests and giveaways such effective lead magnets. They speak to people’s natural love for competition and the allure of getting something for free. 

And you win too. By offering a prize that your target audience finds irresistible, you can significantly increase engagement, grow your email list, and boost social media followers, all while creating a fun experience for your audience.

Why they work:

• The interactive nature of contests and giveaways encourages active participation from your audience

• Participants often share contests with friends and family, which helps increase your brand’s visibility and reach 

• You can make following you on social media a mandatory requirement to enter the contest, so you can grow your presence on these channels while generating leads

Best practices:

• Leverage user-generated content: Encourage participants to share their own content related to the contest (e.g., photos using your product) to increase engagement and generate content for your brand

• Reach out to every participant: After the contest, send a thank you email to all participants and offer them a consolation prize, such as a discount code, to encourage them to make a purchase

7. Interactive quizzes

Quizzes are the best of both worlds. These lead magnets combine entertainment with personalization, offering instant gratification in the form of results that feel tailor-made. They keep potential customers engaged in a unique way and provide valuable insights into their preferences and behaviors. What’s not to love?

Why they work:

• Quizzes keep users clicking, engaged, and interested from start to finish, significantly increasing the time spent interacting with your brand

• With personalized results, quizzes make every participant feel seen and understood, enhancing their connection to your brand (and likelihood they’ll buy something based on the outcome of the quiz) 

• Quizzes are an effective tool for collecting zero-party data on your audience’s preferences and needs, which can inform future marketing strategies. With the collapse of third-party cookies upon us, this is a welcomed benefit.

Best practices:

• Shareable results: Make the results easily shareable on social media to increase the participant’s engagement and extend the quiz’s reach

• Follow-up with personalized recommendations: Use the data collected from the quiz to follow up with personalized product recommendations or content, turning engagement into conversion

• Optimize for all devices: Your quiz should be mobile-friendly to get users to engage with it on their smartphones (where they spend a lot of time. Seriously)

8. Exclusive members club

We already talked about the allure of exclusivity, but you know what’s better than early access to a product? Being part of an exclusive members club that continuously offers perks, special deals, and insider information. 

This type of lead magnet elevates the concept of exclusivity to a whole new level, as it creates a sense of belonging to a special community. It’s not just a one-time offer — it’s ongoing value.

Why they work:

• Humans are complex creatures, but when it comes to belonging, they’re actually quite simple. People love feeling like they’re part of an exclusive group, and members-only clubs deliver on that innate desire for community and recognition

• Contrary to a one-off download or discount, a members club offers continuous reasons for shoppers to engage with your brand

• Members are more likely to become repeat, loyal customers, thanks to the ongoing perks and the emotional investment in the brand

Best practices:

• Update, update, update. Regularly add new perks to keep the membership exciting and valuable. Stagnation is the enemy of engagement (Confucius didn’t say it, but he might as well have) 

• Exclusive, but inclusive: While the club should feel exclusive, make joining achievable for your target audience – it’s a lead magnet, after all

• Communicate regularly: Use email newsletters or a dedicated members area on your website to keep people informed about new perks and offers

9. Virtual events

Virtual events have surged in popularity, offering a unique way to connect with audiences from the comfort of their own homes. They entertain and inform, drawing in people with the promise of unique insights, valuable knowledge, and interactive experiences that they can’t get anywhere else.

Why they work:

• Virtual events allow for real-time interaction between the guests, moderators, and viewers, making the latter feel more connected to your brand

• They can attract a broad audience by offering valuable insights, entertainment, or access to experts, depending on the event’s focus

Best practices:

• Promote early and often: Use all your channels — email, social media, your website — to build anticipation and encourage sign-ups well in advance of the event 

• Offer exclusive content: Make sure the event provides unique value that can’t be found elsewhere, such as live Q&A sessions, behind-the-scenes tours, or first looks at new products 

• Make it accessible: Ensure the platform you choose is user-friendly and accessible to people with varying levels of tech-savviness

• Interact post-event: After the event, send out an email to attendees with key takeaways, additional resources, and a CTA, such as a special offer or invitation to sign up for your newsletter

• Record and repurpose: Not everyone who’s interested will be able to attend live. Plus, you’ve put a lot of effort into producing the event, so you should milk every drop of content out of it. Offer a recording to those who registered but couldn’t attend, and consider using parts of the event in future marketing materials

10. Free trials 

Subscription businesses might find it harder to send out samples of their products. Free trials solve this issue, as they allow potential customers to test your service in all its glory. Just like with samples, free trials are effective because they remove the risk from the customer’s decision-making process. People get to see firsthand if your service fits their needs and lifestyle before committing financially.

Why they work:

• Customers can try out your service without any financial commitment, making them more likely to give it a go

• Unlike a demo or a sneak peek, a free trial gives customers access to the entire service, allowing them to experience its full benefits

• By offering a free trial, you’re expressing confidence in the value of your service, which in turn builds trust with potential subscribers

Best practices:

• Clear communication: Make the terms of the free trial clear, including its duration and what happens when the trial ends. Transparency is key to trust

• Engage during the trial: Use the trial period to engage with users, offering tips on getting the most out of the service and highlighting features they might not discover on their own

• Seamless transition to paid: Make it easy for trial users to become paying subscribers, with a simple upgrade process and a compelling reason to continue beyond the trial

Optimize your e-commerce website for better lead magnet results

Your lead magnets are the hook that draws people in, but your website is where the magic really happens. It’s one of the places where initial interest turns into lasting relationships and, ultimately, sales. 

By focusing on both attracting customers with compelling lead magnets and providing an optimized online shopping experience, you lay the groundwork for e-commerce success. 

So, don’t let the momentum stop with the honey. Continue your journey to e-commerce excellence by ensuring your website is as optimized and as effective as your lead magnets. 

Okay, okay, maybe we’re being a bit hyperbolic. Nothing’s as bad as trying to find a half-decent potato while your least favorite Christmas song blares over the store sound system. However, we do know customers love the convenience offered by online shopping. Nearly 70% of consumers factor site speed into their willingness to purchase from an online retailer. And a majority of online shoppers expect a page load time of 3 seconds or less.

If you haven’t given your website a performance checkup lately, it’s well past time. Here’s how to evaluate your current performance, plus some steps anyone can take to optimize an e-commerce site for a speedy shopping experience. 

Chapters:

1. Why website performance matters
2. The 7 main website performance metrics
3. How to measure your website performance
4. How to improve your e-commerce website performance
5. Website performance is all about the need for speed

Why website performance matters

Does it really matter if you don’t hit that 3-second load mark? Yes, it does. Failing to prioritize website loading speed decreases the quality of your user experience, and that’s bad in multiple ways.

First and most obvious, higher load times mean an increased bounce rate. Even users who stick around through the first few slow page loads may give up on your site before making a purchase.

Lower initial conversion rates are likely to be matched by lower loyalty overall. Customers who remember their suboptimal shopping experience are less likely to return for another try — and they won’t want to follow links that direct them to your site. 

Bad website performance also affects your Google SERP rankings. Because the search engine’s algorithm prioritizes user experience, pages with a slow loading speed are pushed down in the search results. Smaller outlets competing for attention might lose out to their faster competitors. 

The 7 main website performance metrics

Page load time isn’t a standalone website performance metric. It’s an overarching assessment that rolls together multiple metrics. Four of these metrics are Google’s Core Web Vitals:

• Largest Contentful Paint measures the loading speed of the largest page element users can see “above the fold” — that is, without scrolling down
• Interaction to Next Paint measures a page’s responsiveness to interactions, such as clicking an “add to cart” button or typing information into a form
• First Input Delay measures the time gap between when a user interacts with your website (say, clicking that “add to cart” button) and when their browser starts to process that request
• Cumulative Layout Shift measures how often page content moves while a page is loading

Google considers these aspects most important because they have the biggest effect on user experience. However, there’s four other metrics that also capture important parts of the user experience: 

• Time to First Byte measures the speed at which your DNS provider starts delivering your website content after receiving the request
• Total Blocking Time measures how long it takes for a web page to load enough that a user can interact with it (as browsers that are in the middle of loading pages cannot process interactions)
• First Contentful Paint measures how long it takes for the first of your website content to render

If you want to dive deep into any of these metrics, Google’s web.dev site explains more about why each one matters and how to measure them. Or, you can just keep reading as we discuss measuring your site’s performance. 

How to measure your website performance

Measuring your site’s performance is easy with Google’s free PageSpeed Insights. This tool assesses your site on the metrics listed above and ranks it as good, needs improvement, or poor. You’ll also get notes on your site’s performance, accessibility, use of best practices, and SEO. 

There’s an option to view how your site performs on mobile vs. desktop devices and tips to help you optimize your site. You get a lot of help for the low price of living in Google’s web ecosystem, and let’s face it — that’s already happening. 

When you’re looking at your report, you may notice Total Blocking Time is excluded from the “Core Web Vitals Assessment” box. Scroll down to the Performance box, then look at the Metrics table to see your results.

PageSpeed Insights makes it easy to understand why your site earned the rankings it did with color-coded graphics and personalized tips. Go ahead and run a test now — all it takes is a few seconds — so you can get a baseline of your site’s performance and see where you have room for improvement. 

How to improve your e-commerce website performance

If you’re still here, we’ll assume your Core Web Vitals Assessment showed you have some work to do. There’s no shame in that. Even Google’s web.dev site doesn’t pass the assessment! Here’s our best tips to help you improve the performance of your e-commerce website and the tools you need to make it happen. 

1. Cut down on HTTP requests

HTTP requests exist at the core of loading web pages. You don’t need to know the technical specifics here — only that a browser must make these requests to load CSS files, scripts, images, and other content on your page. Each request requires the browser to send a message to your web host, which then has to respond with the appropriate content.

The more HTTP requests you have, the longer it will take to complete them all. Imagine if you went to a restaurant and first asked for water and then, when your waiter returned, ordered a soda. When they brought the soda, you asked for an appetizer. And finally, after the appetizer arrived, you had decided on your entrees. It would take a long time for you to get and finish your meal, no matter how fast your server worked.

Give your (web) server a break by cutting out unnecessary HTTP requests. If you don’t need a script or CSS file, don’t reference it in your page’s header. You can also try to cut down on multimedia content to increase your page load speed. 

2. Use HTTP/2

Not all HTTP requests are made equal. HTTP/2, a standard that debuted in 2015, comes with capabilities that help your web pages load faster. For one, it allows developers to prioritize which elements load first, so you can tell browsers to request light resources before larger scripts. It can also serve multiple resources at once. To return to our restaurant metaphor, HTTP/2 allows you to give your whole order at once so the waiter can get your food to you more quickly.

KeyCDN has a free HTTP/2 test to determine whether your site supports the HTTP/2 protocol. Or, if you want a closer look, open your browser’s developer tools, navigate to the network tab, and look for the “Protocol” column. (You may have to right-click the list of columns and add Protocol.) 

HTTP/2 support is determined by your web host, so they’re the resource to turn to if you need to enable the protocol. The process is different for each provider. 

3. Eliminate unnecessary redirects

Many companies employ redirects to bypass link rot during website overhauls. However, each time you redirect a user to a new page, you’re forcing them to sit through another page load. Especially redirects that lead to another redirect — no thanks! By the time the user reaches the actual URL, they’ll already be ready to close out of your page.

Redirects have a habit of piling up over time. That means you need to audit them periodically; it’s especially important to do so after any redesign or re-architecting of your website.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider can help you check your entire site for redirects and even detect redirect chains and loops for you. You could also use the Ahrefs SEO Toolbar to check page-by-page, but we wouldn’t recommend this. Unless you have an obligation you really want to get out of.

4. Limit external scripts

Most developers use third-party scripts to add functionality they don’t have the resources to code in-house. Incorporating external scripts is always risky in terms of page speed, though. You don’t have control over the code, so you can’t do anything if the script is slow to load.

Slow-loading scripts make pages take longer to load and can cause problems like content jumping (measured by the Cumulative Layout Shift metric). 

Check each page to make sure no unnecessary scripts are loading. For instance, you may have a reviews feature enabled on your site as a whole, but you don’t need that script included on pages made for browsing. You may also ask yourself whether you really need that modal to collect customers’ emails or if it’s turning off more buyers than it’s bringing in.

More bells and whistles aren’t always better. A simple website with a good user experience can muscle out an overdesigned store.

5. Enable lazy (asynchronous) loading

When a browser renders a website, its default is to process each request in order, only moving on to the next command after finishing its current task. Large scripts slow up the entire process, as a browser must load the entire file before it can move on to rendering the rest of the content.

Avoid this delay by directing the browser to load your scripts asynchronously — that is, while continuing to render the webpage. Simply add the async attribute to your script tags (your code will look something like this: <script src=”my_script.js” async></script>).

Some experts recommend adding your <script> tags near the bottom of your body content as older browsers may not be able to read the async attribute, but there’s no need to do this. You’d be hard-pressed to find a browser in the wild that couldn’t handle the async tag. 

6. Use mobile-first designs

Website performance optimization needs to include mobile-first thinking. Smartphones are now the source of nearly four in five e-commerce website visits and two in three e-commerce purchases. Unfortunately, the mobile web is still a drag. Most sites have much longer load times on mobile devices. With over 50% of mobile visitors ready to jump ship if a site takes longer than 3 seconds to load, e-commerce retailers are likely losing out on a lot of business. 

Almost every website published these days is responsive, but designers who code for desktop and then later optimize for mobile may be going in the wrong order. Using mobile phone emulators to design for small screens puts the needs of this growing audience front and center. 

Plus, it’s easy — Google Chrome’s Dev Tools allow you to enter “device mode” to view what your site will look like on smaller screens. 

Designing for mobile phones also requires you to make the most of limited screen real estate, which may mean you opt for fewer decorative elements that can slow down a page. You’ll also want to simplify navigation and interactions rather than going for flashy or unique experiences that require external scripts and plugins. 

If you’re working with an existing site, you probably can’t implement this practice right now. Just keep it in mind for your next redesign. 

7. Compress text-based files with gzip

HTML and CSS files may not seem too onerous to load, but when you’re counting in milliseconds, every byte matters. Compression reduces the size of text-based files so they can make the trip from your server to a customer’s browser more quickly. Gzip is the most common compression framework, but Brotli and Deflate also work well to speed up your website. 

This is another feature that’s set up on the hosting side. Most hosts enable it by default, but it’s good to check yours using a free HTTP Compression test. If you find out your content isn’t compressed, it’s time to reach out to your hosting provider. 

8. Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files

Compression frameworks like Gzip aren’t the only byte-savers. You can also minify your text files by removing anything that’s not a key part of the code — things like comments, formatting, or lengthy variable names. Many of these elements are helpful for human developers, but web browsers don’t need them to display your web page directly. 

There’s no need to go through and delete comments and extra spaces and tabs by yourself. Minifier.org offers a free tool that can handle CSS and JavaScript. Google’s web.dev recommends this free HTML minifier. 

If you’re looking for tools that can mass-minify, Google’s PageSpeed Module works with Apache or Nginx web servers and automatically minifies your files. However, installing tools like it or CSSNano may require you to call IT.

9. Optimize images and videos

Multimedia files often decrease website performance simply because they’re so large. E-commerce merchants, who rely heavily on images and videos, must be diligent about optimizing these files to reduce the burden on visitors’ internet connections. 

The easy part of optimizing images is resizing them. No file should exceed 20 megabytes (MB) — but really, only your hero images should be that big. Shopify recommends merchants keep images around 500 kilobytes (KB) if possible, though they allow that some sites need files up to 2 MB in size. You’ll likely have to compress your images to meet these goals. Thankfully, there’s plenty of free image compression tools out there you can use.

Once you’ve cut file sizes down, make sure you’re using responsive design principles to keep things speedy for users loading your site from smaller devices. MDN Web Docs, run by Mozilla, has a nice responsive images tutorial you can follow if you’re new to the subject. 

10. Take advantage of browser caching

Web browsers can store files locally on users’ machines, which speeds up loading times for repeat visitors. Instead of contacting your server for every file, browsers can pull cached assets from the machine’s local memory.

Caching is an excellent solution for most e-commerce merchants, as your assets remain fairly static. If you do a major site overhaul or replace product pictures, you’ll want to make sure browsers have instructions to re-download the new content and replace cached assets. However, this is a rare enough occurrence for most online retailers that setting up caching is the way to go.

Your web host is, once again, the party in charge of your caching settings. You’ll want to find its documentation and follow the instructions to enable local caches and set expiry dates (which instruct browsers how often they should refresh cached assets from your site). 

11. Use a content delivery network (CDN)

Browser caches only help audiences who have come to your website before. Content delivery networks, or CDNs, stash assets as close as possible to each visitor to cut down on load times. 

CDNs don’t rely on local machines to store assets. They simply distribute your assets to a network of servers in various locations. That means instead of having one server in Virginia that answers all requests, you may have a server in Virginia, one in California, one in Illinois, and so on. Companies that serve international audiences can work with international CDNs, so they have servers in multiple countries, regions, and continents. 

Whenever a browser sends a request to load your website, that request routes to the server that’s geographically closer to the user. It may not sound like a huge time-saver, but since page load speeds are measured on a very small scale, CDNs make a noticeable difference. 

12. Regularly audit your plugins

Plugins, add-ons, and extensions are a huge time-saver for most web developers. But, like external scripts, bloated plugins can drag your page speed down. Improve your website performance by revisiting your plugin library to see whether there are any hangers-on that you no longer use. 

Sometimes, you need all your plugins, but your pages are still loading way too slowly. In that case, it’s time to figure out the culprit. Copy your site into a staging environment, disable all your plugins, and test your site load speed. Then, enable plugins one at a time to determine whether a single plugin is tanking your performance metrics. (Make sure you enable, test, and then disable each plugin so you’re not accidentally measuring cumulative effects.)

Thankfully, with so many plugins out there, you’ll likely be able to find a replacement for any sluggish tools. 

One other option is to look for plugins that have been optimized for speed. For instance, our Ratings & Reviews display technology was designed to keep your website running quickly, and our developers shared the steps they took to fulfill that promise. Find tools built in this vein — ones that use best practices like minifying and reducing script files, caching, and lazy loading — to make your audits a breeze. 

13. Remove unnecessary pop-ups

Yes, we’ll say it. Pop-ups are super unpopular. They lead to a bad experience, especially on mobile devices. Even if you think your pop-ups are tastefully done and helpful, internet users are faced with a barrage of modals, overlays, and chat widgets all day long. Everyone has pop-up fatigue, and if you contribute, you’re eroding your consumers’ trust. 

Most pop-ups call outside scripts and reference assets like images and fonts, all of which a browser has to load. Modals that appear conditionally have to gather audience data before triggering, which also takes time. And if your Total Blocking Time is high, users may not be able to close out of these elements as the rest of your site renders. This delay would influence users’ perception of your site speed even if there was no actual slowdown. 

The slowdown is real, though, as is the nearly universal dislike for these tools. Removing them from your site is a win-win. 

14. Choose the fastest services

When a customer clicks a link or types in a URL, they’re telling their browser to query a DNS service to take them to their target site. That DNS service routes the browser to your site’s IP address. Then, their browser starts reading your HTML files and requesting assets from your server or CDN so it can render the website you’ve designed. 

That’s a lot of services coming together to make your site appear. If any one of them is slow, your page speed will be negatively affected. That’s why the cheapest option isn’t necessarily the best option for your technical infrastructure. 

For instance, many base website hosting plans are shared. This means other websites use the same server you do, so a spike of traffic from one of them might slow down your load times. VPS hosting (for growing sites) or dedicated website servers (for those who can afford them) will return better results.

You also want to make sure your domain registrar, which handles DNS hosting, is a high performer. DNSPerf keeps an ongoing log of DNS performance so you can see for yourself how various providers stack up.

Of course, speed doesn’t only matter at the top levels. We talked about finding lightweight and streamlined plugins. You’ll also want to think about services like your security software and other backend tools. Though customers don’t interact with them directly, they can still impact your e-commerce website’s performance. 

15. Monitor website operations

Checking your website performance every once in a while to see if there’s big problems is a smart idea. Constantly monitoring your site so you’re aware the second a problem pops up is even smarter. 

You can invest in tools that collect data on your users’ experience to show how your site performs in the real world. Since many shoppers will be visiting you from setups unlike your own, real user monitoring provides a fresh perspective. 

Other tools pretend to be human visitors, using a series of scripts to navigate your website and test its performance. Synthetic monitoring setups like these are more useful for teams looking to gather data from controlled tests. If you’re in the midst of optimizing your site, synthetic monitoring will help you spot changes that actually make a difference. These systems can also run scheduled tests with the goal of catching major problems before your customers run into them. 

There’s plenty of tools that perform both of these jobs (and more):

• Site24x7 performs synthetic and real user monitoring for you
• LogRocket monitors users and identifies errors and site interactions users typically struggle with
• New Relic is an end-to-end synthetic monitoring system that integrates with just about every infrastructure there is 

Whichever tool you use, make sure you configure the alerts to tell you when something goes wrong. The quicker you can fix the problem, the fewer customers you’ll disappoint. 

Website performance is all about the need for speed

As internet and mobile connections become faster and even more ubiquitous, consumer standards will continue to rise. Providing a fast, convenient experience is a baseline expectation. Companies who can figure out how to excel on mobile and get those loading speeds down to a second or less will have a chance to capture more market share.

The customer experience you provide is directly connected to your conversion and retention rates, and your website’s performance is directly related to that customer experience. Website optimization isn’t a project that can wait for a rainy day. It’s an essential part of bringing customers to your site and making more sales.

Improving your site’s speed isn’t the only way to reach more customers. Check out these ways to increase organic traffic to keep your momentum on the SERP.

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Masterclass: 3 powerful tactics to increase product page conversion rates

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Another shopping trend that really boomed is the uptake in subscription businesses. In 2022, the subscription commerce market is valued at $26.9 billion and is predicted to reach $74.2 billion by 2028, according to global research. So if you hadn’t been considering a subscription business for your brand, it might be time to start.

Chapters:

1. What is subscription commerce?
2. Benefits of subscription commerce
3. Subscription commerce best practices
4. Subscription commerce FAQs
5. Personalize your subscription commerce experience

What is subscription commerce?

Subscription commerce is a business model where your customers pay a set recurring price to receive your products or services on a regular cadence. The three most common types of subscription commerce model:

1. The curation model: This popular model provides subscribers with pre-selected items based on their personal needs and preferences. This option offers an element of surprise with each subscription box and is particularly good for helping your customers discover new products!
2. The replenishment model: Commonly known as the “subscribe and save” model, this type of subscription allows customers to automate the purchase and delivery of everyday consumer products, such as vitamins, cosmetics, or hair products, for a discounted price
3. The access model: With this model, customers pay a regular fee to attain desirable member-only perks, such as select discounts and early access to new products. Subscribers to this model are often attracted to the exclusivity that membership offers

For consumers, subscription commerce offers convenience, high-quality products, reliability, and great value, while brands and retailers benefit from locking in higher recurring revenue — more on that to follow.

Benefits of subscription commerce

Subscription commerce is riding a high right now. When done well, this service provides brands and retailers with some wonderful advantages.

1. Recurring revenue: Subscriptions bring in consistent income that makes it easier to forecast sales and plan for the future — handy in a time when 77% of consumers have changed spending habits. And since you get paid upfront monthly, quarterly, or annually, you’ll be able to map out your fulfilment operations way easier
2. Higher customer lifetime value: One of the best things about subscription services is that retention is built into the business model. By offering personalized discounts and membership perks, you have a better chance of attaining long-term customer loyalty, which increases the lifetime value of your customer base
3. Lower customer acquisition costs: As we just mentioned, a higher CLV from subscription services means lower customer acquisition costs. All you have to do is keep your subscribers happy, and you’ll be able to significantly decrease your customer churn, lower your new customer acquisition costs, and watch your profit margins grow
4. Easier Inventory Management: Unlike the pay-once model, a subscription commerce model removes the uncertainty about how often you’ll need to replenish your stock. This tells you how many customers are going to buy specific products in any given period of time, making it way easier to assess your stock levels properly
5. Enhanced customer service: Shoppers love having control over their purchasing decisions. A subscription service offers this, plus the added benefit of discounted pricing. Toss in some personalization and incredible customer service, and you’ve got a recipe for an awesome subscriber experience.

Subscription commerce best practices

You can have the best products in the world as part of your subscription service but if it doesn’t come with the right criteria to wow your customers, it really won’t matter. To make a positive and lasting impression, you need a customer-first mindset.

1. Choose the right subscription model

An obvious starting point, but don’t trip up at the first hurdle. Depending on what you offer, select the subscription model that fits your e-commerce business best. It’s also worth testing two or more models with a select few of your shoppers so you can get a feel of what works and what doesn’t.

2. Figure out your USP

Any good subscription revolves around a very specific niche. Without a clear unique selling point, your brand won’t be well-positioned to spark curiosity around your subscription or deliver the tailored experiences consumers expect.

Ask yourself what makes your subscription different from your competitors. Next, ask what your customers stand to gain from your subscription instead of taking the more conventional course. Shoppers value specialized products and services. Being selective about what you choose for your subscription service will help you carve out your niche.

3. Make signing up easy

Once a customer decides to subscribe, signing up should be as simple as possible. Consider offering a streamlined registration process that asks for essential information only, like name, email address, and password.

Customers should also be able to sign up on your e-commerce website, app, or even through social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

You’ll also want to make sure subscribers can choose the frequency of their subscription deliveries, as well as the ability to pause or skip any they may not want. Studies show that subscribers who can skip an order last 135% longer than those who can’t.

4. Optimize the subscriber journey

When a subscriber visits your website, they should be welcomed with a seamless experience that provides valuable information, effortless navigation, and easy checkout. Focus your efforts on:

• Tailored subscription options. Provide different types of subscriptions for your different audiences so they can choose the service that fits them best. You could even include a quiz to help them uncover which option perfectly meets their needs! 
• Intuitive navigation. Ensure subscribers can find what they’re looking for easily by including distinct menus, logical categories, and a search functionality. Have people in your organization test user journeys, too
• Swift website speed. Maximize your website’s performance by minimizing page load times — nearly 70% of consumers say that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer
• Clear and compelling product information. Include detailed product descriptions and high-quality images. You’ll also want to feature any customer ratings and reviews — 88% of shoppers use them to evaluate products before making a purchase
• Streamlined checkout process. Simplify the checkout process by removing unnecessary steps, offering guest checkout, and providing a clear snapshot of the purchase summary. Include secure payment gateways and flexible payment options as well

5. AI-Driven contextualization

Subscribers are more likely to engage with content when it’s personalized to their specific preferences and needs. Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms help you deliver contextualized shopping experiences by leveraging customer data like browsing and purchase history to provide tailored product recommendations.

In turn, subscribers feel more valued and better connected with your brand.

6. Valuable incentives

Consumers love deals, discounts, or any other offer that saves them money. Who doesn’t? By offering this to your subscribers, you’ll strengthen their desire to save on their purchases.

Typically, subscription commerce incentives revolve around a monetary reduction, but don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to just that! Providing free products (or samples) or access to exclusive services or events are other great ways to increase subscriber loyalty.

7. Social proof

Social proof like customer reviews and other forms of user-generated content, can significantly impact purchasing decisions. To help build trust with your customers, encourage subscribers to leave reviews and share their positive experiences so you can highlight on your website, social channels and everywhere your shoppers are.

Influencers are another effective way to build loyalty with your subscribers — 71% of consumers are likely to buy products from an influencer they trust. Just make sure to find the right ones that fit your subscription niche.

8. Effective communication

Customer communication is a key element of a fantastic subscription commerce experience. Start by establishing a cohesive communication plan that helps you keep subscribers informed and excited about new products, special offers, and other related news. Just don’t overdo it!

Then make sure to correspond regularly and segment your subscriber audiences so you can tailor your messages according to specific preferences and interests.

9. Exceptional customer support

Subscription commerce goes far beyond selling products or services. It requires excellent customer service that addresses issues quickly and efficiently. 

91% of shoppers say they won’t willingly do business again with a company that left them unhappy. Avoid dissatisfied subscribers by prioritizing your customer support with these tactics:

• Offer multiple channels such as live chat, email, or phone to ensure customers can reach out through their preferred method
• Utilize chatbots for support during off-business hours or for commonly asked questions and pain points
• Include self-service resources such as a thorough FAQ section that encourages customers to find answers on their own
• Make every effort to reply quickly to customer queries by addressing their questions or concerns promptly
• Respond to negative reviews and turn negative experiences into a positive that creates advocates for life

10. Retain subscribers through customer feedback

Listening to customer feedback is key to enhancing the subscription commerce experience and ensuring customer retention. Analyzing data, reviewing ratings and reviews, and sending out regular customer satisfaction surveys to subscribers are all useful ways to understand their needs and expectations better.

Another way to retain customers is to ensure you’re surprising and delighting them with every package you send. Don’t let your subscriptions go stale. Continue to find new ways to impress people, like providing new brands and products you know they’ll love. 

Subscription commerce FAQs

Thinking of starting a subscription business for your products? Ask yourself these questions to determine if the subscription commerce model is a good fit for your brand. 

Personalize your subscription commerce experience

The subscription commerce opportunity is ripe for brands and retailers to truly understand shopping habits, adapt to consumers’ new ways of buying, and instill trust to create long-lasting relationships. Not to mention, the recurring revenue stream it will provide.

As shopping behaviors continue to change, you might have to alter how you get your products in shoppers’ hands, and a subscription commerce offers a great way to do that. If you aren’t already thinking about starting a subscription service for your brand, you certainly should be.

But the difference between an okay service and one that delivers a wow factor is personalization. You need to know your audience better than you know yourself. Bazaarvoice AI tools can help you deliver personalized experiences that drive repeat business and higher customer satisfaction. Get in touch below to learn more.

Since first taking off a few years ago, the use of video in e-commerce is no longer just an option — it’s a necessity. 89% of consumers want to see more videos from brands in 2024, and over 60% of shoppers are more likely to buy a product if its product page has customer videos, according to research by Bazaarvoice. 

Chapters:

1. What is video commerce?
2. The value of video commerce for brands and retailers
3. How to use video in e-commerce
4. Video commerce: Best practices for brands
5. Drive more sales with video commerce

What is video commerce?

Video commerce is the use of video content to promote your product and services to create better shopping experiences for consumers that drives purchases.

If you’re scrolling through, say, your favorite e-commerce store, which type of content is more likely to snag your attention? Walls of text, static images, or engaging videos that show the products in action? Likely the latter. That’s the power of video commerce. It’s a dynamic way of advertising and selling products that’s transforming the e-commerce landscape by helping consumers feel more confident in their purchases.

Video commerce might’ve started as just a trend (you can blame TikTok for that), but it quickly evolved into much more than that. It’s a strategy that blends entertainment with instant purchasing options and makes the shopping experience more engaging, informative, and fun.

The value of video commerce for brands and retailers

E-commerce brands are in a constant battle to find the next shiny strategy that will capture consumer attention and, ultimately, increase profits. Video commerce is precisely that, as it provides a creative outlet for brands to not only showcase their products but also weave compelling narratives that resonate with consumers.

Enhanced customer engagement

You can’t just put your products in front of an audience and hope for the best. Marketing is everywhere. If standing out and getting audiences to engage with your brand is the goal, you need to invest in immersive and interactive experiences that captivate and retain their attention. 

This is where videos shine. They have the unique ability to tell stories, evoke emotions, and create a sense of closeness with a brand. And stories are what connects us. They’re the difference between someone buying a product versus an experience, something purely material versus a narrative they can relate to on a personal level. 

Thanks to YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels, the shareability of videos has gone through the roof, which can mean very good things for your brand reach. When users share video content on social media platforms, it not only extends a brand’s visibility but also adds a layer of credibility through peer recommendations. Overall, this organic spread of content contributes to a broader and more engaged audience.

Building trust with audiences

Trust is at the heart of any successful brand-customer relationship, and video commerce offers an authentic means to help you build it. Through videos, you can present your products in a transparent and genuine way, allowing customers to see the real value and application of what they’re buying. 

This authenticity is amplified tenfold when brands incorporate user-generated content (UGC), such as customer testimonials or product reviews, into their video content strategy. Getting Beyoncé to promote your brand is great, but it’s seeing real people use and endorse your products that promotes trust and credibility (and it’s also a lot cheaper.) 

Featuring employees or behind-the-scenes footage in videos also helps humanize your brand, making it more relatable and trustworthy to the audience. Beyond building confidence in the product, this approach also creates a sense of loyalty and connection between your brand and your customer base. Faceless corporations are out, the human element is very much in.

Improved product understanding and visualization

It doesn’t matter how glossy your products look. If a consumer can’t glean their value in a real-life setting, they’ll likely give up on the purchase. Video content addresses this issue by providing detailed demonstrations and showcasing products in action. Marketers have caught on to the value of video in this scenario, with 96% agreeing that videos have helped increase user understanding of their products or services.

Images are still important, but videos can effectively highlight the features, functionalities, and real-life applications of a product, giving your customers a comprehensive understanding of what they’re buying.  This type of dynamic visual content can truly bring products to life, offering a virtual “try-before-you-buy” experience that is particularly valuable in an online shopping environment.

How to use video in e-commerce

Video helps you better promote products, build brand trust, and reach new customers through relatable, viral posts on social media. And there’s no shortage of options — from snappy short clips to impactful and lengthier ads, as well as GIFs and livestreams. Customers also crave unboxing videos, tutorials, testimonials, interviews, and more. 

Here are the most effective ways to use video in your e-commerce strategy. 

Optimize your product pages with video content 

Because more and more shoppers are making purchasing decisions online instead of in-store, brands need to help consumers feel confident before they buy. Video does just that, because it shows: 

One way you can instill confidence is by enhancing your product pages with videos. You can produce unboxing videos that allow your customers to experience your product before they buy it, or you can go down the ‘how-to’ route with videos that help customers understand how to use your products. 

Customers also love user-generated videos, like testimonials or previous shoppers showcasing how they use a product. In fact, Bazaarvoice research shows that both men and women look at user-generated videos to see the product in action. 

Address frequently asked questions with video responses 

Give your brand a voice and show off your authenticity by answering frequently asked questions (FAQs) in a video format. Video gives you the chance to really bring questions to life and provides nuanced and contextual answers that don’t translate as effectively into text. You can also create accompanying graphics and visuals to better explain more technical answers, because who doesn’t love a nice pie chart? 

If you’re looking for a prime example of this, check out eyeglass company Warby Parker’s YouTube channel. They have an entire playlist dedicated to FAQs that answer commonly asked questions. 

Some videos are animated, while some feature employees explaining products, but all of them exude Warby Parker’s personality. 

Customers can also ask questions in the comments and receive a response. 

Share shoppable video content on Instagram 

Social media is the pinnacle of video and e-commerce, and Instagram is leading the way. Instagram’s video capabilities have evolved so much since the app first introduced the feature in 2013 that you could argue it’s now a video-sharing app (blame TikTok…again.) 

Instagram has made it even easier to shop on their platform, by allowing brands to link to products in videos. All customers have to do is click on the link to the product they want to buy, and they can either save it for later or go to the product page to make a purchase. 

Apparel brands like Meshki have used the feature to create video content that shows people wearing their clothes, with links that go directly to the products worn. For example, they produce videos that feature regular people donning their newest or most popular items. Customers can see products in action before deciding whether or not to buy, and if it’s an immediate yes, the link to the product page is right there in the video. It’s social commerce at its finest.

Share engaging short-form clips on TikTok 

With over a billion users worldwide, TikTok is the hottest new social media app rife with future customers for your brand to engage with. The app encourages creativity with a wide range of filters, video effects, and the ability to add music to your clips. Easily expand your audience by joining video TikTok trends and challenges, and watch your videos go viral. 

In October 2020, TikTok partnered with Shopify to introduce shoppable video ads on the app. Now business accounts can create in-feed ads included within the TikTok algorithm, making it the pinnacle of video in e-commerce. 

But shoppable videos aren’t the only way you can engage with your audience on TikTok. From behind-the-scenes videos to product demos and brand collaborations, the app is a powerhouse for all things video content and a top-tier distribution channel for all your rich UGC.

Hop on the livestreaming trend 

Originally popularized in China, livestream video in e-commerce began to trend around the world during the pandemic, when consumers craved human connection. And now, livestream shopping is changing the industry. 

Walmart created the first ever “shoppable” livestream, called the “Holiday Shop-A-Long Spectacular,” where a live digital audience got to watch ten TikTok creators showcase their favorite Walmart fashion items. 

Verishop saw the immense potential of live commerce and launched a new app called Shop Party, to meet this demand. On the app, users can hang out, explore products and shoppable content together, and purchase products. You can get in on the livestream action, too, by hosting a Shop Party for group shopping and educational lessons. 

Supercharge your product launches with video

When there’s a new kid on the block, you want it to make a splash. Teasing and announcing new products with video content is like a mini-blockbuster moment for your brand. You likely won’t become the next #Barbenheimer, but you have the chance to highlight the features and benefits of your new product with a flair that grabs attention and holds it. 

@prettywell.co

New product launch

♬ original sound – bestspedup

You can create a range of content, from teasers that pique interest and build anticipation to in-depth demonstrations that dive into the product’s features and benefits. These videos can be shared across different platforms — from your website and social media channels to email newsletters — for maximum visibility and engagement.

Incorporate video in email marketing campaigns

Who doesn’t love a brand email with great big walls of text? Right? Right? Wrong. Inboxes are often flooded with text-heavy emails, so this is yet another area where video can be a much-appreciated breath of fresh air. A well-placed video can summarize your message succinctly, so it’s easier for your audience to understand and engage with your content. 

Videos in emails can play a big part in boosting key metrics like click-through rates and engagement. People are naturally drawn to visual content, and a compelling video can encourage them to spend more time with your email and, by extension, with your brand. 

Whether it’s a product demonstration, a behind-the-scenes look, or a heartfelt message from your CEO, videos can convey emotion and information in a way that text alone cannot. You can use it to add excitement to new product announcements, offer valuable how-tos, share customer testimonials, or even give a sneak peek into upcoming events. The possibilities are endless, and the result is a more engaged and responsive audience.

Implement video into customer service and support

What’s the difference between reading through a complex troubleshooting guide and watching a simple, step-by-step video that walks you through the process? For starters, you wouldn’t be bored to tears and tempted to give up altogether. But the latter also makes the solution more accessible and adds a personal touch that can be reassuring to customers. 

Plus, video support can be incredibly versatile. Live video chats, for example, offer real-time assistance, making customers feel heard and valued. Pre-recorded instructional videos, on the other hand, provide a resource that customers can access at their convenience, reducing the need for repeated support for common issues. 

Whatever the format, implementing video in customer service demonstrates your brand’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. It shows that you’re willing to go the extra mile to ensure a positive customer experience.

Video commerce: Best practices for brands

Are you tempted to immediately start recording your surroundings? Understandable, we made a good case. But before you channel your inner auteur, take a minute to consider the following best practices and ensure your video commerce strategy yields the best possible results.

Focus on high-quality video production

It’s the 21st century, and no one wants to put up with grainy videos on their feeds — especially if they’re being sold something. Unless it’s a mermaid or UFO sighting, your video content should always reflect the quality of your brand and match or surpass the standards of your competitors.

The most important elements are clear footage, good lighting, and solid editing. Sound quality also matters — clear audio without background noise is essential, especially in videos that include speaking parts or demonstrations. Investing in good-quality microphones and sound editing can really enhance the overall quality of your video. 

You can’t always get top-quality when the videos are coming from outside parties such as influencers and other content creators. But working with a UGC provider like Bazaarvoice goes a long way here. We help you partner with the right creators and ensure that the content meets your brand’s standards before making its way to your marketing channels.

Keep content authentic and relatable with UGC

We already touched on it, but it bears repeating. UGC, which includes videos created by your customers, resonates deeply with audiences because it showcases real-life experiences with your products or services. 

UGC acts as social proof. When users see other people enjoying your products, it reinforces the idea that they’re making a good choice. This peer validation is incredibly powerful at a time when consumers are bombarded with marketing messages from all sides. It cuts through the noise and provides a clear, honest perspective — a far cry from a polished, professional advertisement.

Incorporating UGC into your video commerce strategy also fosters a sense of community around your brand. It shows that you value your customers’ voices and experiences, further enhancing the connection between your brand and your audience. This community-building aspect can transform one-time buyers into brand advocates, extending your reach organically (read: free.)

Optimize videos for search engines

If you want your video content to reach the masses, you can’t ignore search engines. Just like with typical search engine optimization (SEO), video SEO involves a set of practices designed to make your content more attractive to Google & co. 

The first step is to use relevant and keyword-rich titles and descriptions. This doesn’t mean stuffing keywords in haphazardly, but rather incorporating them in a way that accurately describes the content of your video. The title and description should give potential viewers a clear idea of what to expect, while also aligning with the terms they might use in their searches. 

Thumbnails also play an important role here. A compelling thumbnail can dramatically increase the click-through rate of your video. It should be visually appealing and relevant to the content, as it serves as the first impression for potential viewers. 

Transcripts and captions are not only beneficial for accessibility but also for SEO. They provide additional text that search engines can crawl, making your video more likely to show up in searches. 

Lastly, hosting your video on a platform that is recognized and trusted by search engines can impact its visibility. Platforms like YouTube, which is owned by Google, are often prioritized in search results, making them a good choice for hosting your video content.

Ensure mobile-friendly video formats

We are quickly approaching a time when people might as well have their smartphones glued to their foreheads. While the situation isn’t that dire (yet), audiences do prefer to watch videos on their small devices — according to Statista, 70% of the digital video content audience in the US was reported to watch videos on their smartphones. So if your videos aren’t optimized for mobile, you’re already at a disadvantage. 

Optimizing for mobile means considering aspects like video format, size, and loading times. Videos should be in a format that’s widely supported across various mobile devices and operating systems. Formats like MP4 are generally a safe bet, offering good compatibility and quality. 

Another key aspect is the size and resolution of the video. While high-definition videos are great for larger screens, they might not be necessary for mobile viewing and can lead to longer loading times. Optimizing video resolution and compression for mobile devices ensures that your content loads quickly and plays smoothly, even on slower data connections. 

With the rise of mobile usage, vertical videos have gained popularity, especially on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Creating content that can be easily viewed without rotating the device can enhance the user experience significantly. 

And don’t forget to consider the design and placement of any text or graphics in your videos. On smaller screens, these elements need to be clearly visible and legible. Overcrowding the screen with too much text or too many graphics can make the content hard to follow on a mobile device and give your audience a migraine.

Drive more sales with video commerce

Regardless of what platform your brand is focusing on, using video in e-commerce is simply unavoidable. Lest we forget, it literally killed the radio star. Learn how to make shoppable video work for you and your brand to fit into the modern landscape of e-commerce. Learn more about how to collect and wield this visual content here.

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How to boost conversion with visual and social content

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Let’s take a look at each and find out which are best suited to your goals.

Chapters:

1. Customer care and support integrations
2. Marketing automation and personalization integrations
3. Customer experience optimization integrations
4. Brand loyalty integrations
5. Choose the right Bazaarvoice integration for your business

Customer care and support integrations

Your customers have come to expect exceptional experiences at every touchpoint, whether they find you on social, your website, or in ads. Keeping a customer first mindset and learning from the outside in is a powerful tool for brands and retailers that want to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Customers engage through a variety of channels that include social, ratings & reviews, email, chat, call centers and support boards. Keeping and logging all of this information into your CRM system can take loads of time. Enter four integrations that connect your CRM data to your help desk platform. 

These integrations allow brands and retailers to integrate their Bazaarvoice Data (Ratings & Reviews and Questions & Answers) into their help desk platform so that customer support agents can more efficiently manage customer interactions through one unified interface.

1. Zendesk

Zendesk’s mission is to simplify the complexity of business and make it much easier for companies and customers to build better connections. Their customer experience software unlocks the power of billions of interactions, enabling businesses to build rich, meaningful relationships with their customers. 

The Bazaarvoice Zendesk integration makes responding to customer reviews and questions more streamlined (particularly if you have a high volume of reviews), helping you create better customer experiences, improve workflows, manage brand reputation at scale, and improve overall customer satisfaction.

2. Sprinklr

Sprinklr helps the world’s biggest companies and the most beloved teams make their customers and fans happier. Across 30+ digital channels, their industry-leading AI creates insights for deeper and more real-time customer and fan experiences.

Sprinklr Connector — the integration with Bazaarvoice — allows you to leverage the response management tool you’re already using to answer questions and respond to reviews on your own site. This allows you to drive online sales by turning negative reviews into a positive, identify the high-priority customer questions to answer first, and save time by including this data in your existing Sprinklr reports. 

3. Salesforce

Salesforce is a customer relationship management software juggernaut But they also have applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, analytics, and application development making them a perfect fit for Bazaarvoice.

If you’re a Salesforce user, you can now integrate your Bazaarvoice review data into your Salesforce Service Cloud. Not only does this provide a wealth of data to glean insights from, but it also enables CSMs to easily respond and interact with customer reviews left on the client’s website.

After implementing the Bazaarvoice Salesforce Connector, which allows the customer engagement team to respond to consumer questions, reviews, and other inquiries within one tool, the Nestle Canada customer service team saves on average eight minutes coding cases.

“We previously didn’t have the capacity and had to let go of engaging with as many of the reviews as we wanted. It would have taken eight minutes to open a case and transfer all of that content. Now, it’s all automated,” said Kristina Rapljenovic, Website Manager at Nestlé Canada.

4. 1440 Reputation Studio

1440 Reputation Studio is an all-in-one review management platform, designed specifically to work with Salesforce Service Cloud. That means you can generate, monitor, respond to, and analyze reviews from dozens of channels in a single place, giving you an omnichannel approach to your review management.

Now, instead of wasting time logging into multiple sources, simply manage Bazaarvoice reviews directly from the 1440 app in Salesforce. The Bazaarvoice 1440 integration means brands and retailers alike can facilitate effective follow-up action to all customer feedback they receive.

Marketing automation and personalization integrations

In addition to excellent customer service experiences, consumers expect personalized and contextualized touch points throughout their buying journey — regardless of what channel they’re on.

These types of integrations allow Bazaarvoice user-generated content (UGC) data to be pulled into marketing automation platforms to deliver truly personalized, real-time email or SMS messages that captivate your customers, driving higher engagement and conversions.

Smart marketers leverage this data based on recently browsed, abandoned, purchased, recommended, or pre-selected products. By meeting your customers where they want to be met, you’ll encourage more UGC creation and create meaningful connections with customers that enrich the customer’s shopping experience. 

5. MovableInk

MovableInk is a marketing automation platform that helps clients send customized emails to their customer base to help drive conversions.

The Bazaarvoice MovableInk integration lets you incorporate real-time UGC into email campaigns (customized per user that opens the email) and provide ratings and reviews, social content, and product sentiment for recently browsed, abandoned, or purchased items to inspire more shopper purchases. 

6. Attentive

Attentive is the leading conversational marketing platform, reinventing business to consumer communication. Their SMS-first software platform helps everyone from lean teams to enterprise brands strengthen relationships with their consumers in a new way.

73% of marketers say SMS drives incremental revenue for their business, but SMS is often an overlooked channel. Bazaarvoice partnered with Attentive to solve this by bringing authentic UGC into SMS campaigns, unlocking the power of customer advocacy.

By meeting your customers where they are, you encourage more UGC generation, driving more connections with customers and enriching their shopping experience.

7. Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a unified customer platform that gives online brands direct ownership of their consumer data and interactions, empowering them to turn transactions with customers into long-term relationships — at scale. With Klaviyo, brands can combine customer data with over 220 native integrations to automate personalized email and SMS communications that make customers feel seen.

Klaviyo Marketing Connector allows clients to request reviews through Klaviyo flows, as well as segment users based on UGC data to deliver hyper-personalized campaigns that nurture customer lifetime value.

Customer experience optimization integrations

Shoppers crave experiences. According to our research, 98% of consumers value experience over price. Customer experience optimization is the process of using software tools that leverage customer feedback and data to deliver a frictionless, effective and happy shopping experience across all touchpoints — online and offline.

While optimization integrations overlap with CRM, the clear distinction is the heavy use of analytics tools and AI recommendations with optimization, as retailers evaluate buyer behavior in real time to continually improve experience and outcome.

Our main goal with the Bazaarvoice optimization integrations is to increase sales conversion, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty.

8. Contentsquare

Contentsquare leads the way in digital experience intelligence. Are you struggling to quantify ROI for your UGC campaigns? By integrating Contentsquare’s digital experience analytics platform with Bazaarvoice, you can better understand the impact that UGC has on your engagement metrics, conversion rates, and online revenue, helping you determine ROI of your campaign(s).

The integration also ptimizes the timing and placement of UGC to perfect your digital experience. For example, natural beauty product retailer The Body Shop increased average order value by 13% and enhanced the customer experience with Bazaarvoice Galleries and Contentsquare to guide product detail page optimizations.

9. Monetate

Monetate, a customer experience optimization platform, partnered with Bazaarvoice to join customer intelligence with content intelligence and drive rapid growth and digital transformation. Bazaarvoice provides UGC and data, Monetate optimizes when and where that content should appear in the shopping journey.

Leading brands and retailers are then able to understand, optimize and personalize their customer experiences at scale to deliver authentic, insights-driven personalized customer journeys. The integration means you can:

1. Control the display of inline ratings on product pages
2. Control the display of UGC on product pages
3. Utilize reviews data in Monetate Product Recommendations

Brand loyalty integrations

Every brand knows a retained customer is more valuable than an acquired one — you’re about 70% more likely to sell to a previous customer than a new one. But with a well-executed loyalty and referral program, brand’s don’t have to choose.

Brand loyalty programs allow brands to engage and reward their most loyal customers resulting in significant increase in lifetime value and retention, as well as acquire new customers through program referrals. 

10. Annex Cloud

Annex Cloud transforms customer loyalty experiences for organizations, ultimately making beloved brands. The integration with Bazaarvoice combines best-in-class loyalty management with powerful engagement and communication modules, enabling organizations to improve retention and drive growth on every level.

When you combine Bazaarvoice UGC with Annex Cloud’s loyalty solutions, you’re enabling brands to amplify the voices of its most loyal customers to accelerate growth. And in a time when third-party cookies are phasing out, the solution collects first-party data to build unique customer profiles for you.

11. TokyWoky

TokyWoky and Bazaarvoice have teamed up to allow brands and retailers to get even more of their top customers. TokyWoky’s Community platform technology rewards shoppers for taking specific actions (e.g. — receiving points to leave a review).

This helps make ratings and reviews and social commerce programs successful and turns reviewers into loyal customers. And given that 57% of shoppers spend more with brands they feel loyal to, this can have a noticeable effect on your sales.

Choose the right Bazaarvoice integration for your business

Every one of these integrations has the same goal in mind: to help you get even more out of 2024 and deliver the best customer experiences possible for your brand. But each integration can suit different business needs. Whatever your KPIs for 2024 are, Bazaarvoice has an integration that’s got you covered.

Make this the year that you can get more from the tools you are already using. Get in touch to learn more and discover the right integration(s) for you.

We’re better together. Interested in becoming a Bazaarvoice partner? Apply here.

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People want a seamless experience when they shop, one that’s tailored to their preferences, needs, and behavior. And if brands meet these expectations, they’ll be rewarded with loyalty and revenue, even in times of rising inflation and economic uncertainty.

According to Salesforce, 65% of consumers say they will stay loyal to companies if they offer more personalized experiences. And in a recent Twilio Segment report, 80% of business leaders revealed consumers spend more (38% on average) when their experience is personalized.

Yet, many brands still struggle to deliver on this front. Salesforce research also discovered that consumers’ top frustrations range from disconnected experiences (40%) to being offered products that aren’t relevant to them (33%).

So how can you effectively answer the call for a personalized customer journey that rewards both you and your customer base? How can you deliver the right message, in the right place, at the right time? With contextualization.

Chapters:

1. What is contextualization?
2. The role of digital body language
3. Privacy concerns and first-party data
4. Contextualization strategies in action
5. Personalize the entire customer journey with a contextualization solution

What is contextualization?

Contextualization is the practice of seamlessly integrating e-commerce shopping opportunities into a shoppers daily life, regardless of what channel they’re on or where in the buying process. With contextualization, your shoppers are able to find and purchase products within the context in which they discover them, be it on an app, social platform, email, or wherever they are. In practice, this could be a voice command to an Amazon Echo or a “buy now” link on Instagram or a product page.

This hyper-personalized process delivers your customers (and potential customers) an elevated shopping experience which inspires more purchases.

But while personalization relies on information from customers that you’ve previously collected, contextualization anticipates shopper behavior and reacts based on this prediction. It’s like a digital version of reading a friend or family member’s body language.

The role of digital body language

Think about the last conversation you had with a friend over coffee. Chances are, words were just one part of how you communicated and understood each other. The unspoken element of body language also played a pivotal role. A tilt of the head, a furrowed brow, or a relaxed stance — these non-verbal cues often tell us more than words alone. 

Even if we’re not aware of doing so, we instinctively read, interpret, and react to these cues, adjusting our approach, tone, and even our words. This silent feedback guides us in how to build rapport, when to push forward, and when to step back. 

In e-commerce, you don’t have physical movements or facial expressions to guide you. Instead, you have digital body language, a virtual counterpart that is equally telling. Throughout the customer journey, every action a visitor takes — from the pages they linger on, to the products they zoom in on, to the reviews they read — is a form of digital body language. These contextual signals are rich with insights, mirroring the silent cues we rely on in personal interactions. 

Just as a smile or a frown in a physical store gives away a customer’s feelings, digital actions convey similar messages. A quick series of clicks might indicate excitement or urgency, while prolonged inactivity might suggest confusion or disinterest. Interpreting digital body language is what allows brands to understand and anticipate the needs and preferences of their customers, and create a more personalized, intuitive, and satisfying shopping journey.

How to analyze and respond to digital body language

Shoppers are leaving behind a valuable trail of digital breadcrumbs, but you need to decipher them and respond accordingly. This is best accomplished with machine learning software — tools that capture a vast array of user data, identifying patterns in behavior that might otherwise go unnoticed. 

For example, a customer’s hesitation at checkout, indicated by slower mouse movements, can be instantly recognized. The tech can then respond instantly by displaying a reassuring message about product quality, rich reviews, or a limited-time discount offer. 

One significant advantage of machine learning is its ability to analyze behavior without the need for user logins. Whether a shopper is a first-time visitor or a returning customer, you can glean valuable insights from their interactions on your site. But 97 – 98% of a website’s traffic is anonymous, which means that personalization based only on previous consumer data can fail to create contextual experiences for almost all of a site’s visitors.

And unlike traditional analytics, which require time for data processing and interpretation, machine learning operates in real-time. This immediacy is vital in the context of digital shopping, where a delay of minutes can mean the difference between a completed sale and an abandoned cart. 

Privacy concerns and first-party data

By now, you’ve realized that digital body language is essentially customer data, and acting on it (a.k.a. personalizing the shopping experience) inevitably involves collecting that data. With the collapse of third-party cookies set to become final by the end of 2024, how do you go about it in a way that’s safe and compliant? That’s where first-party data comes in.

First-party data is information collected directly from your customers through interactions with your brand –– be it clicks through to website, transactions, or product searches. Unlike third-party data, this information is owned only by your brand and is provided directly by your customers, meaning you don’t have to rely on data aggregators or third-party domains. And since it’s information you get directly from the source, it’s also more reliable than third-party data.

The key concept when talking about first-party data is consent. This means that to be compliant, you need explicit permission from customers to collect information about how they interact with you. You’ve likely seen this at work before, with websites asking you for permission to store first-party cookies on your browser while also giving you the option to opt in or out of data collection.

To ensure website visitors opt in, be transparent and make it clear that it’s a win-win situation. Tell them what data you’re collecting and why. 67% of shoppers are comfortable giving out their behavioral data to allow brands to enhance their experiences, so explain that by accepting, their information will be used precisely for that purpose. 

Contextualization strategies in action

You have your customers’ permission to freely collect their data. Now, it’s time to make the magic happen and use the information to personalize each interaction to their hearts’ content.

Displaying relevant product recommendations

What if you could waltz into a store where every product on display had been handpicked for you? The colors match your taste, the sizes are just right, and every item seems to call out to your unique preferences. You’d likely linger for a while and spend a lot more money than if you were faced with a pile of generic items you had to sift through until something stood out. The same logic can be applied to an e-commerce scenario.

By leveraging data like browsing history, purchase patterns, and search queries, you can curate personalized product suggestions that resonate with each shopper. For instance, if a customer frequently views outdoor gear, showing them the latest camping equipment or hiking apparel would enhance their shopping experience.

Types of product recommendations you can display based on customer data include: 

• Similar Items: Suggest products similar to what the customer is currently viewing, like showing different styles of running shoes to a shopper browsing a specific sneaker. 

• Previously viewed items: Remind customers of items they’ve looked at in the past, which can be particularly effective in nudging them towards a purchase. 

• Cross-selling: Suggest items that complement the customer’s current selection, like recommending a phone case to a customer buying a smartphone. 

• Upsell recommendations: Offer premium or upgraded versions of the products the customer is interested in. 

• Location-based recommendations: Tailoring suggestions based on the customer’s location can significantly enhance relevance. For example, suggesting lightweight clothing to customers in warmer climates or snow gear to those in colder regions. 

Online marketplace Vinted suggests products based on the shopper’s previously bought items.

Personalizing website elements

Websites are dynamic and rich with elements that can be tailored with dynamically updating content that resonates with each shopper. From the moment a customer lands on your page, you can make it so the layout, the content, and the offers are aligned with their interests and behaviors.

One effective approach is to recognize and cater to returning customers. This can be as simple as displaying discounts and highlighting the popularity of items they viewed but didn’t purchase during their last visit. A feature like this not only saves time for the shopper but also demonstrates that your brand values their interest and time. 

Other key website areas can dynamically adapt to the visitor’s preferences and behaviors. This includes: 

• Homepage banners: Tailor these to showcase products or offers relevant to the visitor’s past interactions. If they’re a first-time visitor, highlight your best-selling or featured products to give them a taste of what your brand offers

• Product pages: Adjust product descriptions and images based on what the visitor has shown interest in previously

• Product categories: Customize the display order of categories or highlight specific ones based on the user’s browsing history or the popularity of products within that category 

• Checkout or shopping cart page: Personalize these pages with last-minute additions based on the items in the cart or make the shopper feel great about their choices by highlighting how much money they’re saving

Amazon encourages customers to pick where they left off and prominently displays the most relevant product categories based on previous website behavior.

Enabling dynamic pricing

Dynamic pricing involves adjusting prices based on factors like demand, competitor pricing, and inventory levels. For example, during high-demand periods, such as holiday seasons, prices may increase slightly. In the context of personalization, dynamic pricing means leveraging a customer’s purchase history and engagement levels to adapt pricing in real time.

Past purchase data provides insights into your customers’ preferences and spending habits. For instance, if a customer frequently purchases high-end products, they might be more receptive to premium offerings at slightly higher price points.

Conversely, customers who typically look for deals or budget items could be more price-sensitive, and offering them competitively priced products could increase the likelihood of repeat purchases.

Customer engagement is another critical factor in dynamic pricing. Customers who regularly interact with your site — whether through frequent visits, newsletter sign-ups, or consistent browsing — show a higher level of interest in your products. This engagement can be a signal to offer personalized discounts or deals, encouraging them to move from browsing to purchasing.

It’s important to remain transparent so you can maintain trust and prevent potential dissatisfaction. Customers should be aware that prices may vary based on several factors, including demand, seasonality, and their shopping behavior. 

Adopting triggered messaging

Triggered messages are automated responses to specific actions taken by customers while they peruse your website. Although usually pre-set by e-commerce teams rather than using diigtla body language, they’ll still improve the shopping experience.

Whether someone adds an item to their cart, spends time on a particular product page, or even shows signs of leaving the website, each action can trigger a tailored message that encourages them to move forward in their journey.

Triggered messages can look like:

• Welcome messages: Sent immediately after a new subscription or account creation, these set the tone for the customer relationship (and often include discounts for first-time visitors) 

• Abandoned cart reminders: Target customers who have added items to their cart but haven’t completed the purchase, gently nudging them to return. These usually pop up when the customer is about to leave the website, but can also appear when someone comes back

• Post-purchase follow-ups: Messages that thank the customer, provide shipping information, or suggest related products once they complete a purchase

• Special discounts: If a customer is lingering on a product page, a pop up can display a discount code, bundle deal, or a similar strategy that encourages purchase

• Time-sensitive/low-stock messages: These alerts inform customers about limited-time offers or notify them when an item they’ve shown interest in is running low in stock, or if it looks like the visitor is about to leave the page 

When it comes to triggered messages, timing matters. They should be sent when the customer’s interaction is still fresh so that the message is relevant and has a greater impact. 

Fashion brand Cider uses triggered messages to offer special discounts when first-time visitors access specific product pages.

Personalize the entire customer journey with a contextualization solution

Bazaarvoice’s AI-driven contextualization technology sets the stage for a new level of enhanced online shopping experiences and customer engagement. The solution offers unprecedented insights into shopper behavior, allowing you to deliver precisely timed, relevant content that resonates with each customer’s unique journey. 

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Understanding the six core types of shopper — and the best strategies to reach them — will help you better connect to your customers, meet their needs, and drive more ROI for your business. 

What are the six types of shopper?

Most buyers will fall into one (or two or three) of the following buckets:

1. Impulse buyer: makes quick, spontaneous purchases
2. Researcher: looks around for the best deal before buying
3. Casual shopper: browses without a specific purpose or need
4. Needs-based shopper: shops only when they need a specific item or service
5. Brand loyalist: prioritizes familiarity and usually buys from the same trusted brands
6. Social shopper: relies on input and recommendations from friends, family, or social media

It’s important to understand each of these types of shoppers — and target them with customized content and strategies.

Impulse buyers 

There’s no shopping lists for this crew. Impulse purchasers are spontaneous. They don’t obsess over researching the best products or brands. They don’t spend hours comparing prices. Instead, they’re all about instant gratification. They have a problem. You have a solution. Let’s make this happen!

Perhaps the most important thing to know about this type of shopper is that they’re driven by emotions. These emotions can be positive: They’re excited to try a new hot sauce or they can’t wait to buy a new couch. 

Impulse buyers might also be motivated to address negative emotions. Maybe they feel embarrassed by a skin condition and want to find a product that will ease their symptoms and make them feel more confident. Or they might feel like their current phone or tablet isn’t as cool as their best friend’s. An impulse shopper will want to address this feeling of inadequacy by buying a new device — quickly. 

Finally, impulse buyers may be driven by emotions that have nothing to do with the product they‘re buying. Instead, they’re simply trying to address feelings of boredom, job stress, anxiety, etc. Shopping makes them feel better.

How to sell to impulse shoppers

The best way to appeal to this type of shopper? Make it easy for them to see your products as the solution to their emotional needs. 

If they’re shopping in-store, use stand-out imagery and signage to highlight your product. Place the items you’re trying to promote in areas that get a lot of traffic, like the entrance. The checkout counter is also a prime place to reach these spontaneous shoppers. 

You can also embrace the power of user-generated content (UGC) — social imagery, product reviews, and videos created by customers, not your brand — to reach impulse buyers because 76% of impulse shoppers say reviews and other forms of UGC affect their purchasing decisions.

In-store, that can mean signage that promotes user ratings. Online, you can have a field day with your UGC — especially customer photos:

• 65% of impulse buyers say photos of products taken by other shoppers affect their purchasing decisions
• 60% expect to see shopper photos on product pages

When Hobbycraft, the UK’s largest arts and crafts retailer, featured visual UGC on their site, they saw a 219% increase in conversions and a 24% boost in average order value.

Finally, make it easy for impulse buyers to see related items or add-ons throughout the e-commerce experience. If you have additional solutions that can address their needs — or related products that make the item they’re purchasing more powerful — by all means, let them know!

Researchers

Researchers are the “Type A” of shoppers. Before making a purchase, they launch a thorough investigation. Which companies sell what they need and at what the price point? Are customers generally happy with their purchases? How do the products look in the real world?

A researcher will have all the answers. They might even have a spreadsheet full of answers. But what they don’t have is a desire to make a willy-nilly purchase. They take their time, weigh their options, analyze all the available information, and (eventually) make an informed decision. 

How to sell to researchers 

One way to quickly turn away this type of shopper is to have an outdated website or social channels. When buyers are neck-deep in research, there’s nothing worse than finding a lack of usable info on a brand’s website. 

Maybe you’re running online ads for a new couch — but there’s no photos of the piece on your website or social. Or maybe all the reviews on your site are from 2017. This could be a big problem for researchers. Make sure to regularly update content so researchers get a full, current view of your brand and products. This includes up-to-date UGC.

• 32% of this type of shopper need to see three to five photos and videos on a product page to confidently make a purchase 
• 51% of researchers likely won’t buy a product unless they see shopper content like reviews, photos, videos, Q&A, or social posts 

When cycling gear company Le Col promoted authentic customer reviews and images on its website and product pages, visitors were 5x more likely to convert.

Remember: Researchers are on the hunt for the best deal. So offer one that will catch their eye! 89% of shoppers will spend five minutes or more reading reviews, images, and social content before making a purchase. You need to make research shoppers find your deals regardless of the channel they use. And it can be really simple to achieve.

For example, to win over researcher shoppers on social, Kelly Reis, Product Development and Merchandising Manager at Linon Home Decor, makes sure that, “we provide our Instagram followers with opportunities to shop our products on sale at select retailers and guide them towards the best deals for them.” They also include sale-specific information in captions to drive shoppers directly to their Like2Buy.

Casual buyers

These are the shoppers who don’t necessarily need a specific item. They’re just browsing! Maybe they already have a solid winter coat. But they saw your puffer jackets are on sale and are clicking through out of curiosity.

This casual behavior can be good news and bad news. 

On one hand, browsers probably spend a lot of time shopping — which means there’s an opportunity to turn them into dedicated customers. Since they’re already on your website, a great user experience could inspire them to keep coming back.

On the other hand, casual buyers like to keep their options open. They’re less likely to make a quick purchase and are even okay with not buying anything at all. They abandon their cart more frequently than other types of shoppers. With no compelling purpose behind their shopping and no pressing problem to solve, these customers need a little extra motivation to click “buy now.” 

How to sell to casual shoppers

Human beings — especially casual shoppers — are drawn to stories. So lean on the story behind your products. When a casual customer can connect to the “why” behind an item, that product becomes more than a thing to buy. It sparks an emotion or helps the customer relate to a brand. 

To appeal to this type of shopper, you’ll also want your overall shopping experience to feel welcoming and comforting. 

• DO: Have clear, upfront offers to get their attention
• DON’T:  Rely on aggressive tactics, like multiple pop-up windows or frantic “last chance” messaging. In-store, these shoppers will also be turned off by high-pressure salespeople

Casual customers don’t want to be pushed into buying something. They want a stress-free, low-stakes shopping experience.

Needs-based buyers

When it comes to the different types of shoppers, needs-based buyers are the ones moving with purpose down the aisle (or through your product pages). They know what they’re looking for. And they want to find it quickly and conveniently — with no distractions. 

They don’t want to wade through “similar products” or recommended add-ons. They just want to click or swipe and get on with their day.

How to sell to needs-based shoppers 

Make sure you have the products this buyer needs: That’s priority #1. Beyond that, think about how to provide more value and education throughout the buying journey. 64% of needs-based buyers use shopper content to evaluate whether the product is worth the investment

This is your chance to provide webinars, articles, and more that showcase the benefits of your products. What content can you offer to reassure this type of buyer that your product is exactly what they’re looking for?

Gift guides are another way to reach needs-based shoppers. Let’s say they’re shopping for an espresso machine on your site. Why not offer a handy buyers’ guide that outlines the features and benefits of different models? This gives needs-based customers all of the info they need to confidently make a decision. 

If these purpose-driven shoppers have questions, the last thing they want is to dig through your website to find the answer. Having FAQs on your website is a good way to close that gap. Chatbots can also help answer basic questions. For more involved customer service, make sure the contact info for your human-led team is easy to find on your website. 

Brand loyalists 

For brand loyalists, it’s all about trust. They repeatedly buy from brands they know, can identify with, and can rely on. 

This type of shopper values consistency and is less likely to swap allegiance to a new brand based on a random sale. And that’s good news for brands and retailers: Once brand loyalists trust you, they’ll often pay a premium for your products. 

Apple enthusiasts may pay a little extra to have a Mac computer, an iPad, an Apple watch, and the latest iPhone. But you’ll have a tough time persuading them to switch to a Samsung phone or PC. Nike fans could probably buy a different brand of sneakers — but instead they’ll wait in line for hours to pick up the latest Jordans. There’ are’s plenty of polo shirts out there in the world. But Lacoste brand enthusiasts want the ones with the iconic alligator sewn onto the chest. 

In these instances, brand loyalty beats the cheapest price, most convenient buying experience, or other consumer preferences. 

How to sell to brand loyalists 

Even among these types of shoppers, nothing is set in stone. 54% of loyalists are still open to trying a different company. The secret to keep them coming back is to elevate their experiences with your brand:

Loyalty programs. For example, try a reward system where customers earn points with each purchase. Then they can redeem those toward discounts, bonus services, or even free products. 

Ambassador or referral program. Reward happy customers for sending new shoppers your way. For instance, if a customer refers three buyers to your brand, they get a free tote bag or a discount on a future purchase. 

Customized user experience. Wherever you can, show customers they’re not just a number. Maybe give them access to a unique login portal where they can see their points balance or special offers that month. Or give specific product recommendations based on their previous purchases.

Shoppertainment opportunities. Shoppertainment is an emerging method for boosting shopper engagement and creating loyalty. If there’s a way to promote your products through a fun experience, take advantage. For example, customers can use virtual reality to visualize new furniture in their living room or to try on clothes before purchasing. You can also incorporate gaming elements into the shopping experience.

However you can show this type of shopper that they’re special — and that your brand values them — will help you remain top of mind the next time they want to make a purchase.

Social buyers

These social butterflies make purchasing decisions largely based on recommendations. What do their friends like? What do online reviews say? Is there social media buzz around a product? 

This type of shopper wants social approval and likes to stay trendy. They value feedback from others, both in person and online. Shopping is a social activity to them, and their friends’ input in real time can help boost a product in their eyes. 

UGC also makes a big mark for this segment of shoppers. If a particular kitchen appliance or dog-grooming tool keeps getting recommended by their social media algorithm or influencers they follow, they’ll pay attention. 

How to sell to social shoppers

You’ll want to keep your brand’s social media pages up to date. Better yet, make sure these are engaging. Don’t just post and click away from the page. Interact with your online community! 

Don’t forget to feature all of the awesome UGC you’ve collected, including stories, testimonials, and photos or videos, on your social media profiles. Because for many shoppers, social media is the new search: 

• 64% of social shoppers use social media as a product discovery tool
• 62% use social media to research a brand or item
• 56% of social buyers follow their favorite brands on social media to discover more products
• 42% of social shoppers prefer to shop directly on social media

Considering how important social media has become to most customers’ shopping experiences, your social media profiles are gold mines of opportunity. Take advantage of this space by beefing them up with shoppable UGC. Incorporating shoppable UGC onto your social channels — and everywhere social reaches — inspires purchases which leads to tangible results, as these three social commerce case studies demonstrate: 

1. UK bed specialist Dreams saw a 200% lift in conversions and a 62% increase in average order value
2. MAM, a brand selling premium baby products, doubled traffic and conversion rates — and even saw a 258% increase in time on site
3. Bemz, which creates made-to-order furniture covers, increased its new revenue by $1.65 million

And don’t forget to include UGC on your homepage, landing pages, and product detail pages. Even if someone doesn’t go to your social media profiles, they should still be able to easily find your customers’ reviews, photos, or testimonials wherever they shop.

Reach every type of shopper by optimizing your customer experience

With so many distinct groups of shoppers — each with their own desires and behaviors — it can be overwhelming to try to reach them all. But given that world consumer spending in 2021 was $53,100 billion, it’s well worth optimizing your shopping experience to appeal to all six types of shopper: 

• Prioritize UGC. For most consumers, the top two factors influencing a purchase decision are customer ratings and reviews and UGC (especially photos and videos) from real customers
• Update your website and social profiles. At least 39% of every buyer type discovers new products or services on social media. When your profiles contain accurate, relevant, and authentic information, you’ll turn visitors to your social media pages into customers
• Customize where possible: For example, you could target casual buyers with an abandoned cart email sequence. Enlist influencers or content creators to meet social shoppers where they already are. Or start up a rewards program for brand loyalists

To connect with more prospective buyers, retain current customers, and ensure higher ROI, it’s important to understand the distinct types of shoppers. With better insights into each segment, you can craft more focused marketing strategies — and drive more consistent sales.

Learn more about current shopper behaviors and preferences in the Shopper Experience Index — a global survey of 7,000 consumers and 465 brands and retailers.