Ad comes on. Brand tries to make you laugh. Between agents and actors, tens of thousands of dollars are handed over in the hope that you'll smile and feel good about the brand. The ad will of course finish directing to you shop online. 'Click and collect' and all that.
You hit the site and if you're lucky, the home page has that same personality. More often than not the creative will carry on from the campaign and give you a clear direction on where to go. All is fine up until this point.
Now click through to the promotion that you just read about or to a category that catches your eye. Find the product that you're after.
Things start to go downhill.
The adidas Originals Trefoil Tank is cut from premium cotton jersey and stamped with a snake-patterned Trefoil logo.
No shit. Thats a product description from Aussie eCommerce darling 'The Iconic'. It's sitting next to a photo of a sexy model wearing a fashionable singlet that is nice enough to wear with a pair of jeans but still tough enough for the gym.
Honestly, that’s a waste of a sentence.
There are so many touch points that most of us ignore
- Product descriptions
- Product category descriptions
- Size guide
- Cart & checkout pages
- Order thank you page
- Email confirmation
They're all opportunities to inject personality and warmth into shopping with your brand online, yet so few eCommerce sites give them any attention.
Mix it up with great micro-copy, branded icons and timely creative.
Your purchasing experience doesn't have to be the same as the generic template or status quo.
If you're feeling a little guilty and want some inspiration, check out VinoMofo and Hunting For George – two of my favourites, mixing creative copy and timely creative to maximise their online shopping experiences.
Full of inspiration, get onto your developer. I promise you that this stuff is quick and cheap to get right.
You'll create happier customers, improve your conversion rate and customer retention will skyrocket.
eCommerce doesn't have to be boring.
Oh, and check out Barney Cools – a brand that I’m doing this stuff with right now.
What better way to draw attention to a growing marketing agency, the people in it and the effect that great marketing can have on regular everyday businesses than to showcase a regular everyday business undertaking a marketing transformation.