Your entire eCommerce website is built for one thing: to drive customers to conversion. Your eCommerce homepage plays a crucial role in the customer journey, it has to instantly tell visitors who you are and what you offer—and convince them to stay, shop and buy.
Imagine walking up to a restaurant, you’re more likely to go in and check out the menu if the restaurant looks inviting.
Your homepage is your storefront. It needs to be well designed, easy-to-navigate and it should clearly display what the customer is looking for to encourage the next step - the purchase!
After 15+ years working in eCommerce marketing, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to design a high converting eCommerce homepage!
In this article article I share with you the most important elements you need to optimise your homepage to move visitors through your sales funnel to checkout.
15 eCommerce Homepage Elements to Increase Product Sales
1. Brand Identity
Your page should immediately shout who you are and what you offer, so customers know they’ve come to the right place. Your company logo and colours foster trust: customers who recognise and remember you feel more comfortable on your site.
2. Value Proposition
Why is your product better than others on the market? What unique value do you offer the customer? Like the iPhones “the world's most powerful personal device” your value proposition quickly differentiates you from your competitors and should be featured proudly on your homepage.
3. Display Key Information First and Foremost
There are certain things that consumers want to know straight away, or there are key pieces of information that will influence their decision of whether to buy from you or not (delivery information, returns, discounts).
For example, 67% of shoppers will check your returns policy before making a purchase.
So, this is the kind of information you need on your homepage to encourage more sales. Place it above the fold, if not at the very top of your page.
4. Make Your Search Bar Stand Out
A prominent search bar is handy for customers and seriously boosts business. Make it big, bold and easy to find i.e. in the upper right corner or right across your banner.
Shoppers that use your site search are 3x more likely to see a purchase through.
It makes sense when you think about it. They can find exactly what they’re looking for at lightning speed, directly from your homepage.
NB: don't forget your search bar should be on all your pages (in the same place), not just the homepage!
5. Calls to Action
Customers are on your site to get something—be it information or goods and services, so make it easy for them.
There are plenty of CTA's you can use, but here are a few tips to make a highly clickable CTA:
1. Choose a contrasting design: Your CTA needs to stand out from everything else on the page. Try to use a colour that contrasts with the background and commands attention.
2. Make the action obvious: Visitors should understand what will happen if they click the button. For example, “Buy now” will clearly initiate a purchase. CTA copy like “Next” or “Click here” is too generic and will leave visitors wondering what action will happen.
(Do some A/B testing on the wording and colours of your CTA buttons, to be sure they suit your specific audience.)
6. Easy Navigation
Your goal as an eCommerce website is to help customers to buy from you as fast as possible. For that reason, you want to keep your top menu product focused.
Break your shop menu into logical categories. Don’t include every single product in the top menu – that’s too overwhelming.
Other links, like Blog and About Us can go in the footer menu with your contact, delivery details, privacy policy and terms and conditions.
Customers expect to find links in the footer. So, doing this makes your site easier to navigate, plus, it’s better for user experience.
7. Easy-access Shopping Basket
Your shopping basket should be a fixture on your homepage and all pages, and it should remain intact so your customer doesn’t have to start shopping all over again if she steps off your page momentarily.
It's common practice to have the shopping basket at the top right of the page.
8. Free Delivery
If you offer it, HIGHLIGHT IT! The #1 reason for shopping basket abandonment is high shipping fees, so tell customers right up front that it’s free. (They’ll even add items to their order to get free shipping.)
If it's not free then be transparent and show them the delivery costs up front. There is nothing more frustrating than completing and funnel and finding a cost at the end you're not happy with.
9. Keep Your Design Simple
Bombard your visitors and they will bounce without making a purchase. It’s best to keep your homepage simple.
Too many products, images and calls-to-action (CTA;s) on your eCommerce homepage will distract visitors. And make it more difficult for them to choose where to go next.
10. Feature Your Bestsellers
Show your most popular products throughout your homepage gives customers an idea of what to buy.
You essentially help them make a purchase decision. And it makes sense to feature the very best of what you have on offer.
11. Show Your Site is Secure
Add widely recognised trust badge on your eCommerce homepage, show people that your site is secure and the business is legitimate.
No one wants to hand over their credit card number to an unsecured site. You need to reassure customers that their financial details are safe with you.
12. Sales and Specials
Everybody loves a bargain, so put it right out there in front.
Feature your current deals and specials prominently on the homepage, and add a navigation tab for a sales page on the menu. Some shoppers go directly to the sales page when visiting a site.
13. Contact Info
Putting your location and phone number on your homepage (most people look for it in the footer) reinforces that you’re a legitimate and trustworthy company.
You should also feature social media buttons and trust badges, like Trustpilot, for the same reason. (Read more about trust metrics.)
14. Display Further Information in the Footer
It’s common practice to find further information in your footer menu. Customers expect to find links in the footer. So, doing this makes your site easier to navigate, plus, it’s better for user experience.
Information to link to in your footer menu includes:
- About us
- FAQ’s
- Contact details
- Blog
- Delivery and returns
- Privacy policy
- Site terms and conditions
15. Reviews
Displaying customer reviews on your site is really important in establishing trust with your new customers – which means more sales for you!
If we can see that other consumers have bought a product and are happy with it, it confirms our choice and makes us far more likely to purchase that item.
Add the star rating to any products you have displayed on your homepage and add the review badge in a prominent position on the badge to show people what your overall rating it.
Need Some Help With Your eCommerce Shop?
The homepage is the most prominent page of any eCommerce website. Yet, it receives less attention that it deserves.
The goal of any eCommerce homepage is to get visitors to click on an image or product on the homepage and bring them ‘in’ to your store.
A high converting homepage is easy to navigate, helps visitors discover products they like and brings visitors back again and again.
We work with clients with eCommerce stores to help improve their eCommerce shopping experience, increase conversions and customer loyalty.
We review their customer’s buyer journey, and employ best practices around customer experience, conversion optimisation, and search engine optimisation to make recommendations on how to improve their page and get more conversions.
Our experienced conversion consultants have the know-how and expertise to ensure your website’s conversion potential. Click here today to book a review.