What exactly is Online Merchandising? You’ve probably heard the term before, right? Well, it’s one of those things that is pretty much essential to have a basic understanding of, if you want your Shopify store to be a standout success.
Online Merchandising is the process used to make your product, or products, sell online. Online Merchandising makes people want to buy your stuff and it makes your products look like they belong.
When Online Merchandising is carried out effectively, your customers ‘get’ what you have to offer them. It makes them see how your products fit into their lives and it ultimately makes potential customers enter their payment details into our site and buy things from you.
Below you’ll find 11 useful tips that we highly recommend for getting your Shopify store products popping off the page and into the shopping carts of your customers.
Home Page in terms of Online Merchandising
This is the most important section of your store. The number of visitors that arrive at your site and leave without clicking through to other pages (known as the ‘bounce rate’) is a direct reflection of whether people find your site appealing or not. So, take the time to make your homepage amazing.
- Have an offer or hero product right upfront, at the top of your homepage. All the big stores do this. The product you feature should be something that you believe to be either a new product, or something that is current in people’s minds.
- Other, complementary products further down, still on the home page. These products should have awesome product photography and be some of your key items to show people what you have to offer.
- A free shipping banner. Again, all the big companies do this. If you don’t offer free shipping to your customers, maybe consider building the shipping into your product cost and passing it on that way. People LOVE free shipping.
- Associated images on the home page that connect all the pieces and bring your store together. If you sell video games, consider having images of people enjoying gaming. If you sell children’s toys, consider having images of kids playing with their toys to show customers how those products will fit into their lives, and bring them satisfaction.
Category Pages in terms of Online Merchandising
Just like walking through the aisles of a bricks and mortar store, category pages group similar items together to make it easier for customers to find things.
The category pages on your Shopify store are no different. They should show customers the types of things they will find under a particular category.
- Your category pages should look consistent with each other. The more consistent your pages appear, the more professional your store will look. Try to take the time to ensure each category page has a theme that is coherent with the products and images of that category.
- Where individual products are shown on your category pages, each one should have an image, a price, a way to view more information, and an option to add that product to the cart.
- If possible, use filters and layers to your categories. As an example, Myer (and most big online stores) have the option to filter categories down to brands, sizes, colors, etc. This is not always possible, depending on the Shopify theme you are working with, but it can help your customers view products specific to their interests.
Product Pages in terms of Online Merchandising
- Your product pages are your bread and butter. They should look appealing and have a consistent flow to ensure they come across as professional and engaging.
- Each product page should show the product from a number of different angles where possible. People like to see the product in as many different ways as possible before committing to purchase. A good rule of thumb is to have 3-7 images of each product. If possible, one of the images should be of the product being used in a positive way, to give customers the sense of what it will be like when they have the product themselves. And make sure your product images are of high quality. Ever gone to a product on a site and the images were below par? Not very appealing, is it?
- Zoom functionality is available on many Shopify themes. This allows a shopper to hover their mouse over a product image and zoom it right in, giving a more detailed view. Not everyone likes this function, but it certainly looks professional.
- Product videos. People love videos. They’re making up a huge part of what people are viewing online. Video can be a bit more effort to produce but it is well worth the time invested if you get it right. There are so many tutorials online on how to make excellent product videos. If you’re not sure, just Google it for inspiration.
A parting shot
So, there you have it! 11 tips for you to take your Shopify store to the next level with online merchandising.
If all of this seems too much, however, or you find yourself feeling a bit overwhelmed, there are also loads of businesses that specialize in online merchandising. So, if you have the resources, you can even get it done for you!
All of that said though, all the correct merchandising in the world won’t help you sell your products if the product doesn’t fit the target market or if the price point isn’t right.
So, make sure you know your customer and their problems, and you will be heading in the right direction.
As always, feel free to get in touch anytime if you have thoughts or questions and we’ll be only too happy to assist.
