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10 Shopify Mistakes to Avoid for a Successful eCommerce Business
Thinking about building an online store? As you might know by now, Shopify is a great platform to use. However, there are a few mistakes that beginners can make when using Shopify, which can cost you time and money. In this blog post, we'll go over 10 of the most common mistakes made by Shopify users, and how to avoid them on your online store. Whether you're a well-established or new online store, by the end of this post, you should have a better understanding of how to use Shopify to its full potential and grow your online business. Don't make these Shopify store mistakesâlet's dive in! So many to choose from - it can get overwhelming! 1. Choosing a Shopify theme before you know what kind of store you want to create Choosing a theme is a great way to get started, but it's important to have an idea of what kind of eCommerce store you want to build before settling on a theme. One of the biggest Shopify store mistakes I see is rushing to decide on a theme and then regretting your choice later (as it can be really time-consuming/expensive to switch themes later on!). Choosing the wrong theme can cost you a good chunk of change when you inevitably end up buying another (better) one, spending the time to rebuild, and/or spending a lot on monthly apps for functionalities that should have been built into your theme. There are loads of themes to choose from - both free and paid options - and each offers different functionalities for you to explore. It's also worth noting that some apps may require a specific theme in order for them to connect with your store, so it's best to have an idea of which functionalities you need before diving in. The main thing to focus on when selecting a theme When narrowing down the themes that you're choosing from, the #1 thing you want to focus on is the functionalities and section layouts that a theme offers. Don't let the design style/look and feel of a theme sway your decisionâthis can be changed easily when it comes time to build your store. On the other hand, without custom code or apps, it's hard to add new layouts or functionalities that aren't already built into your theme. So, try and find a theme that is as close as possible to what you're going for with your store! Overall, having an idea of what kind of store you want to create before selecting a Shopify theme will save you time (and likely money!) in the long run. 2. Slowing your Shopify store down with too many apps Juggling multiple Shopify apps can be overwhelming and take up a lot of time when it comes to improving your Shopify store. To balance customer experience and the ROI of using apps, make sure to remove any leftover code that you donât use anymore, as apps usually keep accumulating information in the background. Online stores can get really bogged down by the accumulation of data that apps leave behind when you uninstall them (noteâyou can frequently ask the app's support to help make sure this doesn't happen when uninstalling!). Cutting out or replacing existing apps with better alternatives can go a long way towards keeping things running smoothly on your shop. 3. Focusing more on customer acquisition than retention Many Shopify store owners focus on attracting customers rather than keeping existing ones, but it's important to consider the costs associated with customer acquisition in order to have a solid marketing plan. ROI when focusing only on customer acquisition can be difficult to measure, as the costs of marketing and advertising add up quickly. Furthermore, trying to acquire customers without ensuring that they stay might actually end up being more expensive in the long-run as it fails to maximize their lifetime value - a statue measure for how much a single customer is worth to your company over time. Therefore, it's vital to consider both customer acquisition and retention when mapping out a marketing strategy so that ROI doesn't suffer in the long run! 4. Losing money on every order by forgetting to set up shipping rates Setting up your shipping rates can be tricky, but it's also very important if you're running an eCommerce business. A common Shopify mistake is forgetting to take the time to accurately calculate and input your shipping costs, therefore eating into your profits on every order. Your competitors are already doing this, so make sure not to miss out! It's a good idea to see what they're charging for different shipping rates in order to get an idea of what your customers might pay. All the time and effort you put into creating a great product will be for nothing if customers turn away because of the cost of delivery. With careful planning, you can make sure that your shipping rates aren't impacting sales or eating into your profit. Lovehair.com does a good job utilizing dropdowns to organize their product info 5.  Confusing your customers with poorly written/structured product descriptions When it comes to your product pages, dropdowns and metafields can be incredibly useful in helping potential customers know exactly what they're buying. Investing some time into making sure that your product descriptions are clear, succinct, and informative will go a long way toward creating a pleasant customer experience. Instead of writing a multi-paragraph product description that's packed with information, try presenting your product details in a more digestible way through the use of different sections, dropdowns, and icons on your product page. Metafields provide you with the ability to add additional details about the product when needed so customers feel confident in their purchase. What's nice about metafields is that once they are set up, they're built into your product backend so you don't need to create a new product template in your theme for each and every SKU you have. 6. Not explaining clearly what sets your brand/products apart In today's crowded marketplace, it can be hard to stand out from the competition. Without a clear explanation of what makes your brand or products special, your message can get lost in an oversaturated industry where everyone is saying the same thing. It's time to break away from the boring things other brands are doing and entice customers with something fresh and bold. In order to do this, you first want a really good understanding of your target audience and how your brand message demonstrates the problem you're solving for them. Explain yourself clearly and don't be afraid to shine - thatâs how youâll capture their attention and make them loyal supporters. Zara Home has some of my favorite product photography ever. It tells such a story! 7. Not being able to convince your customers to buy with crappy imagery In my eyes, this is probably the #1 Shopify store mistake that can deter first time visitors no matter how good the store's design. Investing in stunning, clear, and engaging product photos for your store is essential for a successful business and increasing your online sales. ALL truly successful eCommerce companies have product photography that's on point. This is an area where you don't want to cut corners. Even though most of us arenât professional photographers, it is possible to take great pictures without spending a lot of money. High quality images are possible with the right lighting and backgroundâyou don't even necessarily need a proper DSLR these days to take stunning photos. Nowadays, people are visual creatures and even good amateur photography can have a big impact on how many products you sell. Invest in basic lighting and background materials to help your shop stand out and bring customers back! Though, if you're ever in doubt about whether your images are really good enough, go with a professionalâthe $500 - $1,500 you spend on a small initial shoot will be money well spent when it comes to attracting your ideal customer. 8. Not properly optimizing your store for SEO Site speed First off, site speed is important for eCommerce stores! A website that loads quickly will show search engines your site is legitimate and give you a ranking boost. Mobile visitors are particularly sensitive to slow site speeds as mobile data is often slower than WiFi. Accessibility Secondly, accessibility should be a top priority in any optimization effort. Making sure that visitors with disabilities or those on mobile devices can still access and interact with your site will go a long way to improving the user experience. Watch out for baking text right into images/graphics (instead of making the text live on site)âsearch engines don't recognize words in photos or illustrations, so if your page relies heavily on these visuals it's worth adding additional content just for the benefit of these crawlers and visually impaired users navigating your site using screen readers. Optimizing important landing pages even further through proper heading structure, image size, and proper linking is a way to drive lots of (free!) traffic to the important areas of your Shopify store. 9. Having a half-assed email marketing strategy If you're skimping on your email marketing efforts, it may be time to reconsider. Nobody likes cart abandonment, but with a strong email marketing strategy, it could become a thing of the past. Email is often regarded as the most valuable marketing channel - and with good reason! It's highly customizable, so you know you can provide real value to your customer base in a direct and personalized way. Plus, when combined with social media campaigns, it can act as an effective tool to drive traffic and sales while increasing brand engagement. So don't half-ass your email anymore - it might just be the key to get loyal customers in no time! My go-to contrast checker tool 10. Forgetting about accessibility Beyond SEO-related accessibility, it's easy for many entrepreneurs to overlook accessibility when designing a website or creating digital content. This is a no-go as it can have a huge impact on the user experience. We ensure to make public spaces physically accessible for all people, so why shouldn't the same principles apply to the web? Tips for making your store more accessible One common thing a lot of Shopify stores get wrong is the contrast level between the store's foreground and background, AKA the color of the text vs. the color of the site's background. Pair this with text that is too small and thin to be legible and you've got an accessibility disaster! My favorite resource to use that combats this issue when creating color palettes is WebAIM's contrast checker. You simply input your site's foreground and background colors and it lets you know if they meet accessibility standards. Adding alt text to images is an important step to allow visually impaired visitors who use screen readers to access the information that the image conveys. Picture how much context you'd be missing out on if you couldn't see any images that are on the webâthat's why it's important to add these small lines of descriptive text to each photo! It's also important to make sure all links on your site are clear, logical, and intuitive in structure without repeating terms and phrases. For example, the hyperlink being applied to "schedule a call" is much more informative than "click here". Taking these small steps now will ensure everyone can fully benefit from the content you create online and create a more inclusive and user-friendly experience. Conclusion If you're thinking about setting up a Shopify store, avoid making these 10 common mistakes. By diving into your business plan taking the time to understand what kind of store you want to create, choosing apps wisely, and setting up your shipping & payment gateway properly from the start, you'll be on your way to creating a successful online shop. As you make small improvements to your store over time, make sure you're keeping track of the growth in ideal customers that your store is experiencing (and obviously revenue as well!). Get our Free Shopify Course Want to dive into setting up your Shopify store the right way even further? Sign up for our free 1-week long email course, Shopify in 7 Days to get daily emails detailing all the things you won't want to forget when creating a Shopify store that converts. Happy designing!  đš đïž đ„
10 Shopify Mistakes to Avoid for a Successful eCommerce Business
Thinking about building an online store? As you might know by now, Shopify is a great platform to use. However, there are a few mistakes that beginners can make when using Shopify, which can cost you time and money. In this blog post, we'll go over 10 of the most common mistakes made by Shopify users, and how to avoid them on your online store. Whether you're a well-established or new online store, by the end of this post, you should have a better understanding of how to use Shopify to its full potential and grow your online business. Don't make these Shopify store mistakesâlet's dive in! So many to choose from - it can get overwhelming! 1. Choosing a Shopify theme before you know what kind of store you want to create Choosing a theme is a great way to get started, but it's important to have an idea of what kind of eCommerce store you want to build before settling on a theme. One of the biggest Shopify store mistakes I see is rushing to decide on a theme and then regretting your choice later (as it can be really time-consuming/expensive to switch themes later on!). Choosing the wrong theme can cost you a good chunk of change when you inevitably end up buying another (better) one, spending the time to rebuild, and/or spending a lot on monthly apps for functionalities that should have been built into your theme. There are loads of themes to choose from - both free and paid options - and each offers different functionalities for you to explore. It's also worth noting that some apps may require a specific theme in order for them to connect with your store, so it's best to have an idea of which functionalities you need before diving in. The main thing to focus on when selecting a theme When narrowing down the themes that you're choosing from, the #1 thing you want to focus on is the functionalities and section layouts that a theme offers. Don't let the design style/look and feel of a theme sway your decisionâthis can be changed easily when it comes time to build your store. On the other hand, without custom code or apps, it's hard to add new layouts or functionalities that aren't already built into your theme. So, try and find a theme that is as close as possible to what you're going for with your store! Overall, having an idea of what kind of store you want to create before selecting a Shopify theme will save you time (and likely money!) in the long run. 2. Slowing your Shopify store down with too many apps Juggling multiple Shopify apps can be overwhelming and take up a lot of time when it comes to improving your Shopify store. To balance customer experience and the ROI of using apps, make sure to remove any leftover code that you donât use anymore, as apps usually keep accumulating information in the background. Online stores can get really bogged down by the accumulation of data that apps leave behind when you uninstall them (noteâyou can frequently ask the app's support to help make sure this doesn't happen when uninstalling!). Cutting out or replacing existing apps with better alternatives can go a long way towards keeping things running smoothly on your shop. 3. Focusing more on customer acquisition than retention Many Shopify store owners focus on attracting customers rather than keeping existing ones, but it's important to consider the costs associated with customer acquisition in order to have a solid marketing plan. ROI when focusing only on customer acquisition can be difficult to measure, as the costs of marketing and advertising add up quickly. Furthermore, trying to acquire customers without ensuring that they stay might actually end up being more expensive in the long-run as it fails to maximize their lifetime value - a statue measure for how much a single customer is worth to your company over time. Therefore, it's vital to consider both customer acquisition and retention when mapping out a marketing strategy so that ROI doesn't suffer in the long run! 4. Losing money on every order by forgetting to set up shipping rates Setting up your shipping rates can be tricky, but it's also very important if you're running an eCommerce business. A common Shopify mistake is forgetting to take the time to accurately calculate and input your shipping costs, therefore eating into your profits on every order. Your competitors are already doing this, so make sure not to miss out! It's a good idea to see what they're charging for different shipping rates in order to get an idea of what your customers might pay. All the time and effort you put into creating a great product will be for nothing if customers turn away because of the cost of delivery. With careful planning, you can make sure that your shipping rates aren't impacting sales or eating into your profit. Lovehair.com does a good job utilizing dropdowns to organize their product info 5.  Confusing your customers with poorly written/structured product descriptions When it comes to your product pages, dropdowns and metafields can be incredibly useful in helping potential customers know exactly what they're buying. Investing some time into making sure that your product descriptions are clear, succinct, and informative will go a long way toward creating a pleasant customer experience. Instead of writing a multi-paragraph product description that's packed with information, try presenting your product details in a more digestible way through the use of different sections, dropdowns, and icons on your product page. Metafields provide you with the ability to add additional details about the product when needed so customers feel confident in their purchase. What's nice about metafields is that once they are set up, they're built into your product backend so you don't need to create a new product template in your theme for each and every SKU you have. 6. Not explaining clearly what sets your brand/products apart In today's crowded marketplace, it can be hard to stand out from the competition. Without a clear explanation of what makes your brand or products special, your message can get lost in an oversaturated industry where everyone is saying the same thing. It's time to break away from the boring things other brands are doing and entice customers with something fresh and bold. In order to do this, you first want a really good understanding of your target audience and how your brand message demonstrates the problem you're solving for them. Explain yourself clearly and don't be afraid to shine - thatâs how youâll capture their attention and make them loyal supporters. Zara Home has some of my favorite product photography ever. It tells such a story! 7. Not being able to convince your customers to buy with crappy imagery In my eyes, this is probably the #1 Shopify store mistake that can deter first time visitors no matter how good the store's design. Investing in stunning, clear, and engaging product photos for your store is essential for a successful business and increasing your online sales. ALL truly successful eCommerce companies have product photography that's on point. This is an area where you don't want to cut corners. Even though most of us arenât professional photographers, it is possible to take great pictures without spending a lot of money. High quality images are possible with the right lighting and backgroundâyou don't even necessarily need a proper DSLR these days to take stunning photos. Nowadays, people are visual creatures and even good amateur photography can have a big impact on how many products you sell. Invest in basic lighting and background materials to help your shop stand out and bring customers back! Though, if you're ever in doubt about whether your images are really good enough, go with a professionalâthe $500 - $1,500 you spend on a small initial shoot will be money well spent when it comes to attracting your ideal customer. 8. Not properly optimizing your store for SEO Site speed First off, site speed is important for eCommerce stores! A website that loads quickly will show search engines your site is legitimate and give you a ranking boost. Mobile visitors are particularly sensitive to slow site speeds as mobile data is often slower than WiFi. Accessibility Secondly, accessibility should be a top priority in any optimization effort. Making sure that visitors with disabilities or those on mobile devices can still access and interact with your site will go a long way to improving the user experience. Watch out for baking text right into images/graphics (instead of making the text live on site)âsearch engines don't recognize words in photos or illustrations, so if your page relies heavily on these visuals it's worth adding additional content just for the benefit of these crawlers and visually impaired users navigating your site using screen readers. Optimizing important landing pages even further through proper heading structure, image size, and proper linking is a way to drive lots of (free!) traffic to the important areas of your Shopify store. 9. Having a half-assed email marketing strategy If you're skimping on your email marketing efforts, it may be time to reconsider. Nobody likes cart abandonment, but with a strong email marketing strategy, it could become a thing of the past. Email is often regarded as the most valuable marketing channel - and with good reason! It's highly customizable, so you know you can provide real value to your customer base in a direct and personalized way. Plus, when combined with social media campaigns, it can act as an effective tool to drive traffic and sales while increasing brand engagement. So don't half-ass your email anymore - it might just be the key to get loyal customers in no time! My go-to contrast checker tool 10. Forgetting about accessibility Beyond SEO-related accessibility, it's easy for many entrepreneurs to overlook accessibility when designing a website or creating digital content. This is a no-go as it can have a huge impact on the user experience. We ensure to make public spaces physically accessible for all people, so why shouldn't the same principles apply to the web? Tips for making your store more accessible One common thing a lot of Shopify stores get wrong is the contrast level between the store's foreground and background, AKA the color of the text vs. the color of the site's background. Pair this with text that is too small and thin to be legible and you've got an accessibility disaster! My favorite resource to use that combats this issue when creating color palettes is WebAIM's contrast checker. You simply input your site's foreground and background colors and it lets you know if they meet accessibility standards. Adding alt text to images is an important step to allow visually impaired visitors who use screen readers to access the information that the image conveys. Picture how much context you'd be missing out on if you couldn't see any images that are on the webâthat's why it's important to add these small lines of descriptive text to each photo! It's also important to make sure all links on your site are clear, logical, and intuitive in structure without repeating terms and phrases. For example, the hyperlink being applied to "schedule a call" is much more informative than "click here". Taking these small steps now will ensure everyone can fully benefit from the content you create online and create a more inclusive and user-friendly experience. Conclusion If you're thinking about setting up a Shopify store, avoid making these 10 common mistakes. By diving into your business plan taking the time to understand what kind of store you want to create, choosing apps wisely, and setting up your shipping & payment gateway properly from the start, you'll be on your way to creating a successful online shop. As you make small improvements to your store over time, make sure you're keeping track of the growth in ideal customers that your store is experiencing (and obviously revenue as well!). Get our Free Shopify Course Want to dive into setting up your Shopify store the right way even further? Sign up for our free 1-week long email course, Shopify in 7 Days to get daily emails detailing all the things you won't want to forget when creating a Shopify store that converts. Happy designing!  đš đïž đ„
Essentials for Your Shopify Home Page: How to Build a High-Converting Home Page
Your visitor's first impression is crucial, especially when it comes to a Shopify store where visitors are flying through at light speed. Your homepage is often the first stop for potential customers, so you want to make sure it's up to snuff. In this post, we'll go over some essential elements for your Shopify homepage and how to build a high-converting page design. Here are some essential elements for a high-converting Shopify homepage design: Sections to Include on your Shopify Homepage Greenhouse Navigation Bar Navigation bars are a great, high-converting way to highlight certain promotions you've got going on at the moment. These typically sit on top of your site header and include a promotion such as free shipping over a certain threshold, a seasonal sale, or a new collection on your store. Peak Moods Hero Section Make sure that your Shopify home page hero section is extremely eye-catching (think literally the BEST image that you have of your products) and that the copy lets your visitor know within seconds what your store sells. Your headline is one of the first things visitors will see when they land on your homepage, so make it count. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. And make sure it's relevant to what you're selling. No one wants to be drawn in by a misleading headline. One word of adviceâDON'T fall into the trap of creating hero banners where the text is baked into the image. This is terrible for your online store's SEO and makes your website inaccessible to disabled people using screen readers. Nothing screams amateur hour like doing this! Anna Sheffield Featured Collections/Shop by Category Once you have the hero banner sorted on your Shopify homepage, it's time to feature some of your products! Start by creating a few sections featuring some of your most popular collections. This will help organize your products in a way that makes sense for customers and make it  easier to find what they're looking for. Life Elements Mission Statement/About Page Link Once you have your users' attention with a good headline, you need to keep them engaged with relevant copy. Write copy for your Shopify homepage that tells visitors what you're all about and why they should stick around. Again, be sure that it's relevant to what you're sellingâno one wants to read a bunch of fluff about something they're not interested in. Aquerone Bestsellers If you've already got a few products that have sold well, feature them on your homepage. This helps customers connect with what you're selling instantly and gives them an idea of the type of products and services you offer. Prismatic Plants Social Proof + Logo List Show off any press coverage or awards you may have received via a list of logos of the brands you've been featured in. This is one of the easiest ways to build instant credibility and trust with your audience. You can also use customer reviews to add credibility to your store. Include quotes from customers who love your productsâit's always helpful for potential shoppers to hear from other people who have bought from your store before. Life Elements Unique Selling Proposition Icons A way to clearly communicate your brand's values and what sets your products apart is to create a small section with icons for each of your USPs on your Shopify homepage. This is particularly effective for visitors that speed through your site and don't take the time to read full paragraphs.  Chamberlain Coffee Relevant Promotions Don't forget to include relevant offers on your Shopify homepage so customers are enticed to buy. These could be a sale, special discounts, or even a free shipping offer over a certain threshold. Highlighting the current promotions you have going on is a great way to nudge your visitors down the funnel and get them closer to checking out. Six Penny CTA Don't forget to include a powerful call-to-action at the end of your homepage so that once your visitor has finished scrolling through they're able to easily take the next step toward purchasing. Whether it's signing up for your newsletter, checking out your latest blog post, or buying one of your products, make sure there's a clear call-to-action on your homepage so visitors know what the next step is. Typically, these CTAs will nudge your users down the funnel by sending them to a collection or product page. Dae Social Links Next, make sure you include links to all of your social media accounts. This helps stay engaged with your consumers if they're feeling your brand but are not quite ready to buy yet. If you have an active community, this is also a great place for visitors to get involved in the conversation and connect with like-minded individuals. Building up a deeper meaning around your brand leads to a more loyal audience and higher customer lifetime values. F. Miller Skincare Footer Your footer should make it super easy for your users to navigate the entirety of your store. This is where you place a lot of "miscellaneous" links that don't really fit well anywhere else on your pagesâas an example think policies, career pages, and links to your wholesale inquiry form. Psssstâget our exact wireframe template for a high-converting homepage layout in our free Shopify Resources Vault. This will show you what order we typically place these sections in! All in all, your Shopify homepage design can make or break your Shopify store An effective homepage design is key for any eCommerce business owner who wants to increase their online store conversion rate. By including these essential elementsâa good headline, relevant copy, visuals, and calls to actionâyou can build a high-converting homepage that will entice visitors to stick around and learn more about what you have to offer. Get our Free Shopify Course Want to dive into setting up your Shopify store the right way even further? Sign up for our free 1-week long email course, Shopify in 7 Days to get daily emails detailing all the things you won't want to forget when creating a Shopify store that converts. Happy designing!  đš đïž đ„
Essentials for Your Shopify Home Page: How to Build a High-Converting Home Page
Your visitor's first impression is crucial, especially when it comes to a Shopify store where visitors are flying through at light speed. Your homepage is often the first stop for potential customers, so you want to make sure it's up to snuff. In this post, we'll go over some essential elements for your Shopify homepage and how to build a high-converting page design. Here are some essential elements for a high-converting Shopify homepage design: Sections to Include on your Shopify Homepage Greenhouse Navigation Bar Navigation bars are a great, high-converting way to highlight certain promotions you've got going on at the moment. These typically sit on top of your site header and include a promotion such as free shipping over a certain threshold, a seasonal sale, or a new collection on your store. Peak Moods Hero Section Make sure that your Shopify home page hero section is extremely eye-catching (think literally the BEST image that you have of your products) and that the copy lets your visitor know within seconds what your store sells. Your headline is one of the first things visitors will see when they land on your homepage, so make it count. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. And make sure it's relevant to what you're selling. No one wants to be drawn in by a misleading headline. One word of adviceâDON'T fall into the trap of creating hero banners where the text is baked into the image. This is terrible for your online store's SEO and makes your website inaccessible to disabled people using screen readers. Nothing screams amateur hour like doing this! Anna Sheffield Featured Collections/Shop by Category Once you have the hero banner sorted on your Shopify homepage, it's time to feature some of your products! Start by creating a few sections featuring some of your most popular collections. This will help organize your products in a way that makes sense for customers and make it  easier to find what they're looking for. Life Elements Mission Statement/About Page Link Once you have your users' attention with a good headline, you need to keep them engaged with relevant copy. Write copy for your Shopify homepage that tells visitors what you're all about and why they should stick around. Again, be sure that it's relevant to what you're sellingâno one wants to read a bunch of fluff about something they're not interested in. Aquerone Bestsellers If you've already got a few products that have sold well, feature them on your homepage. This helps customers connect with what you're selling instantly and gives them an idea of the type of products and services you offer. Prismatic Plants Social Proof + Logo List Show off any press coverage or awards you may have received via a list of logos of the brands you've been featured in. This is one of the easiest ways to build instant credibility and trust with your audience. You can also use customer reviews to add credibility to your store. Include quotes from customers who love your productsâit's always helpful for potential shoppers to hear from other people who have bought from your store before. Life Elements Unique Selling Proposition Icons A way to clearly communicate your brand's values and what sets your products apart is to create a small section with icons for each of your USPs on your Shopify homepage. This is particularly effective for visitors that speed through your site and don't take the time to read full paragraphs.  Chamberlain Coffee Relevant Promotions Don't forget to include relevant offers on your Shopify homepage so customers are enticed to buy. These could be a sale, special discounts, or even a free shipping offer over a certain threshold. Highlighting the current promotions you have going on is a great way to nudge your visitors down the funnel and get them closer to checking out. Six Penny CTA Don't forget to include a powerful call-to-action at the end of your homepage so that once your visitor has finished scrolling through they're able to easily take the next step toward purchasing. Whether it's signing up for your newsletter, checking out your latest blog post, or buying one of your products, make sure there's a clear call-to-action on your homepage so visitors know what the next step is. Typically, these CTAs will nudge your users down the funnel by sending them to a collection or product page. Dae Social Links Next, make sure you include links to all of your social media accounts. This helps stay engaged with your consumers if they're feeling your brand but are not quite ready to buy yet. If you have an active community, this is also a great place for visitors to get involved in the conversation and connect with like-minded individuals. Building up a deeper meaning around your brand leads to a more loyal audience and higher customer lifetime values. F. Miller Skincare Footer Your footer should make it super easy for your users to navigate the entirety of your store. This is where you place a lot of "miscellaneous" links that don't really fit well anywhere else on your pagesâas an example think policies, career pages, and links to your wholesale inquiry form. Psssstâget our exact wireframe template for a high-converting homepage layout in our free Shopify Resources Vault. This will show you what order we typically place these sections in! All in all, your Shopify homepage design can make or break your Shopify store An effective homepage design is key for any eCommerce business owner who wants to increase their online store conversion rate. By including these essential elementsâa good headline, relevant copy, visuals, and calls to actionâyou can build a high-converting homepage that will entice visitors to stick around and learn more about what you have to offer. Get our Free Shopify Course Want to dive into setting up your Shopify store the right way even further? Sign up for our free 1-week long email course, Shopify in 7 Days to get daily emails detailing all the things you won't want to forget when creating a Shopify store that converts. Happy designing!  đš đïž đ„
The Best Shopify Fonts - Sans Serif + Serif Font Combinations
Fonts matterâthey are a REALLY important part of any Shopify store. Why? They set the tone for your brand and can make or break your customer's experience. But don't worry, we're here to help you out! In this article, we'll show you the best plug-and-play font combinations that will give your eCommerce website a distinguished look. Fonts that work well together need to have enough visual contrast to create a clear hierarchy. All of the below font pairings are available right in the Shopify font library that lives in the Theme Settings section of your theme customizer. This is good news because there's no need for uploading any custom font files in your backend code in order to use them when you can add fonts straight from their platform! Additionally, some of these are Google Fonts, which are downloadable for use for free. So, what are the best available fonts for you to use on your online store? Winning font combinations Americana + Madera Starting off strongâthis combo pairs a welcoming sans serif family font for the body text with a vintage-inspired typeface for the header. A balanced mixture of a wide letter heading and a crisp body text. Asul + Karla The combo of Asul + Karla will bring a welcoming yet refined feel to your eCommerce store. You cannot go wrong with a bold header paired with a straightforward, sans serif font, body for your next project! Basic Commercial + Futura This font combination is oh-so-minimal and pleasing to the eye. You truly can't go wrong with Futura, and the more friendly curves of Basic Commercial, a sans serif fontâthat brings a little bit of warmth and friendliness in a bold header in contrast to Futura's bold angles. Baskerville No. 2 + Lucia Oh to see this lovely pair in action. Script fonts can either seem super elegant or super tackyâmy vote is for super elegant with this gorgeous Lucia paired with the serif font family Baskerville No. 2. ITC Clearface + Muli Keeping it tall, thin, and refined. With a clean serif to sans serif typeface ratio, ITC Clearface means business while Muli keeps the friendly vibes at bay. Another crowd favorite to keep in your rotation. Mariposa Sans + Courier New This is perhaps my favorite combination of them allâI'm such a sucker for a soulful monospaced (AKA equally spaced letters) font such as Courier New when used. Paired with the beautiful display font Mariposa Sans, you'll get a vintage-inspired yet modern feel for your eCommerce store. Optima Nova + Century Old Style If you're looking to spice up your home page this may be the pair for you. With this combo of Optima Nova + Century Old Style, your online business will ooze sophistication and timelessness. Yes, please! Georgia Pro + Nunito Sans This fan-favorite combo! Georgia Pro is a personally favored serif typeface. You can't go wrong with a timeless typeface like the Georgia Pro font family. Combine it with Nunito Sans and keep the classic vibe throughout your reader's experience. Claire News + Poppins Oh so feminine and classy. Claire News is the perfect serif family for a refined feel while Poppins, in the sans serif fonts family, keeps the balance between sophisticated and welcoming. Poppins is the default font, the go-to when we're looking to keep things light and fun! Fette Gotisch + Zurich Extended If you're looking for a bold display font, this is the combo for you. Taking a blackletter classic font such as Gotisch and pairing it with a super-sleek sans serif such as Zurich Extended is sure to turn heads. This would be a great option for an online store that is a streetwear brand, tattoo shop, etc.  Choosing the right fonts for your Shopify store can be tricky. You want to find a font pairing that is both unique and inviting to customers. In this article, we've shown you some of our favorite font combinations that are available in the Shopify font library. If you want to dive even further into other fonts that Shopify offers, be sure to check out their entire font library here. Is choosing your Shopify fonts sending you into a tizzy? Want to hand if off to an expert? Get in touch about a project together. :)
The Best Shopify Fonts - Sans Serif + Serif Font Combinations
Fonts matterâthey are a REALLY important part of any Shopify store. Why? They set the tone for your brand and can make or break your customer's experience. But don't worry, we're here to help you out! In this article, we'll show you the best plug-and-play font combinations that will give your eCommerce website a distinguished look. Fonts that work well together need to have enough visual contrast to create a clear hierarchy. All of the below font pairings are available right in the Shopify font library that lives in the Theme Settings section of your theme customizer. This is good news because there's no need for uploading any custom font files in your backend code in order to use them when you can add fonts straight from their platform! Additionally, some of these are Google Fonts, which are downloadable for use for free. So, what are the best available fonts for you to use on your online store? Winning font combinations Americana + Madera Starting off strongâthis combo pairs a welcoming sans serif family font for the body text with a vintage-inspired typeface for the header. A balanced mixture of a wide letter heading and a crisp body text. Asul + Karla The combo of Asul + Karla will bring a welcoming yet refined feel to your eCommerce store. You cannot go wrong with a bold header paired with a straightforward, sans serif font, body for your next project! Basic Commercial + Futura This font combination is oh-so-minimal and pleasing to the eye. You truly can't go wrong with Futura, and the more friendly curves of Basic Commercial, a sans serif fontâthat brings a little bit of warmth and friendliness in a bold header in contrast to Futura's bold angles. Baskerville No. 2 + Lucia Oh to see this lovely pair in action. Script fonts can either seem super elegant or super tackyâmy vote is for super elegant with this gorgeous Lucia paired with the serif font family Baskerville No. 2. ITC Clearface + Muli Keeping it tall, thin, and refined. With a clean serif to sans serif typeface ratio, ITC Clearface means business while Muli keeps the friendly vibes at bay. Another crowd favorite to keep in your rotation. Mariposa Sans + Courier New This is perhaps my favorite combination of them allâI'm such a sucker for a soulful monospaced (AKA equally spaced letters) font such as Courier New when used. Paired with the beautiful display font Mariposa Sans, you'll get a vintage-inspired yet modern feel for your eCommerce store. Optima Nova + Century Old Style If you're looking to spice up your home page this may be the pair for you. With this combo of Optima Nova + Century Old Style, your online business will ooze sophistication and timelessness. Yes, please! Georgia Pro + Nunito Sans This fan-favorite combo! Georgia Pro is a personally favored serif typeface. You can't go wrong with a timeless typeface like the Georgia Pro font family. Combine it with Nunito Sans and keep the classic vibe throughout your reader's experience. Claire News + Poppins Oh so feminine and classy. Claire News is the perfect serif family for a refined feel while Poppins, in the sans serif fonts family, keeps the balance between sophisticated and welcoming. Poppins is the default font, the go-to when we're looking to keep things light and fun! Fette Gotisch + Zurich Extended If you're looking for a bold display font, this is the combo for you. Taking a blackletter classic font such as Gotisch and pairing it with a super-sleek sans serif such as Zurich Extended is sure to turn heads. This would be a great option for an online store that is a streetwear brand, tattoo shop, etc.  Choosing the right fonts for your Shopify store can be tricky. You want to find a font pairing that is both unique and inviting to customers. In this article, we've shown you some of our favorite font combinations that are available in the Shopify font library. If you want to dive even further into other fonts that Shopify offers, be sure to check out their entire font library here. Is choosing your Shopify fonts sending you into a tizzy? Want to hand if off to an expert? Get in touch about a project together. :)
How to Create a Shopify About Us Page That Inspires Purchases
ECommerce shops are a special breed. With so many different aspects to take care of, you can't afford any mistakes or oversights! This means that your product pages are fleshed out and complete, your shipping information is easy to find, and your about page is up-to-date and informative. Your about page is a great way to connect with customers on an emotional level. It allows you the opportunity for storytelling, which builds trust and responsibility in your business modelâsomething necessary when making such important decisions as purchasing something online. So what should you include on your eCommerce about page? In this blog post, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about your About Us page. From who you are as a business owner to what makes your products unique, we'll cover it all! Ideas for what to include in your online store about page Your about page is one of the most important pages on your website when it comes to increasing conversion rates. Why? Well, this summarizes what you're all about in a few short sentencesâallowing you to instantly make an emotional connection with your buyer (or not). Your About Us online store page is an opportunity to tell your story and inspire confidence in your audience. In order to make sure that people actually visit your Shopify About Us page, you'll want to link to it clearly on any menu page that is frequented by your target audience. Here are a few ideas for what to include on your About Us page: A brief history of your eCommerce business You don't need to go into too much detail here, but a short overview of how your company got started on your Shopify about us page can be helpful. Here are some questions to spark ideas for the history that you'll include on your about us page: How did you come up with the idea for your eCommerce store, and what inspired you to start it up? How have you succeeded in building a loyal customer base, and what do you think sets your eCommerce store apart from others in this space? What are some of the challenges you've faced as an eCommerce entrepreneur, and how did you overcome them? How did you eventually find business success? About Page example that does a great job at this: Greenhouse Your mission statement What is it that you're trying to achieve with your business? In order to make your brand stand out, you need a mission statement that is both memorable and concise. Your mission statement should be brief, but it should capture the essence of your eCommerce brand as a whole. Your goal should be no more than one sentence long so as not to confuse customers or send them on an irrelevant tangent with too much information. Get clear about the audience that your business serves and how it serves them in a way that's unique to other businesses in order to craft a meaningful mission statement. About Page examples that do a great job at this: Wylde The Good Plant Co. Your company's core values What are the core values of your company, and why do they matter to not only your customers but your employees as well? Your company's values are the foundation of everything that you do, from your products and services to how customers interact with them. On your about page, you should not only list out your company's core values but also explain how they guide everything that you do. About Page examples that do a great job at this: Life Elements Prima Information about your team Customers like to know who they're buying from, so include some information in your page template about the people behind the scenes. This could be a brief overview of each team member's role in the company or a more personal story about why they're passionate about the business. You can also include headshots of each team member so that customers can put a face to the name. About Page example that does a great job at this: Blume Press and media mentions of your online business If you've been featured in any press or media outlets, make sure to mention it on your about page! This helps build trust and credibility. If you don't have any press or media mentions yet, don't worry. You can still include other customer reviews and testimonials (which we'll talk about next). About Page example that does a great job at this: Health-Ade Social proof for your eCommerce store Social proof is an incredibly powerful tool for increasing conversion rates. Including customer reviews and testimonials on your about page is a great way to build trust and credibility with potential customers. In addition to reviews, user-generated content (UGC) is another great way to show social proof on your about page. This could be anything from customer photos and videos to product reviews. These are often sourced from social platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok, so make sure you have somebody on your team that's in charge of curating this content. About Page example that does a great job at this: Vitable What sets your Shopify store apart Why should someone buy from your eCommerce store instead of a competitor's store? When someone visits your eCommerce store's about page, they should get a sense of who you are and what you're all about. But more importantly, they should understand why they should buy from you instead of a competitor. Here are a few reasons why someone should choose to shop with you: You offer a unique selection of products that can't be found elsewhere. You pride yourself on providing excellent customer service. You offer competitive prices and frequent sales and discounts. You have a user-friendly website that makes shopping easy and enjoyable. Take some time to highlight these reasons on your about page, and let your visitors know that you're the best option for their needs. By doing so, you'll give them one more reason to choose your store over someone else's. About Page example that does a great job at this: Makesy How to get in touch It's important to include contact information on your Shopify about us page so that customers can easily get in touch with you. You can include your email address, phone number, or even a link to your contact form. Make sure that this information is prominently displayed and easy to find for your website visitors. About Page example that does a great job at this: Life Elements A clear call to action One of the most essential factors on your about page is a clear call to action (CTA) that tells visitors what you want them to do next. It's important to have a clear next step on every page on your Shopify store in order to nudge your visitors down the funnel to purchase, therefore increasing conversion rates. Do you want them to buy a product? Visit your blog? Follow you on social media? Whatever it is, make sure that your CTA is clear and easy to follow. Placing featured or best-selling products at the end of your page template is a great way to include a CTA that directly leads to purchase. About Page example that does a great job at this: Health-Ade Tips for designing your about page template Now that we've covered ideas for content that should go on your about us page, it's time to talk design. When it comes to having an about us page on your Shopify store, there are a few key things youâll want to consider when designing your new page in order to inspire confidence and encourage purchases. Keep the design consistent First and foremost, your about us page should be designed in a way that is consistent with the rest of your website. Your store's about us page is an excellent opportunity to show off your brand's personality, so be sure to make it visually appealing. This means using the same fonts, colors, and overall aesthetic as the rest of your amazing Shopify site. The last thing you want is for your about us page to stick out like a sore thumb! Palette Martha Stoumen Use just the right amount of copy to tell your brand story Secondly, youâll want to make sure that you use just the right amount of copy to tell your brand story. You donât want to overwhelm visitors with too much information, but you also donât want your page to be lacking in content. You really want to avoid including huge paragraphs in your page templates because readers will likely just skim through them. Instead, try to break up your content into shorter paragraphs or even bullet points. A good rule of thumb is to keep your about us page readable in about 2-3 minutes. You wouldn't believe how quickly potential customers and visitors scroll through your site in order to make a purchasing decision! Kona Coffee Purveyors Boheme Fragrances Avoid using stock photos to create a more personal connection Last but not least, youâll want to avoid using stock photos on your about us page. While it can be tempting to use these kinds of photos in order to save time and money, they often end up looking fake and forced. Instead, try to use real photos on your Shopify about us page that capture the essence of your brand.  This could be anything from lifestyle photos to images of your team hard at work. If you don't yet have the budget for a full-blown professional photoshoot, at least consider hiring a local photographer for just a couple of hours to get some great shots that you can use on your about page and beyond. Beautiful imagery is key when it comes to creating credibility and trust in your brand's story. No matter what kind of photos you choose, the goal is to showcase your own story and brand values in a relatable way for your audience. Some More Awesome Shopify Store About Us Page Examples Now that we've gone over what to include in your Shopify About Us page, let's take a look at some examples of stores whose about page templates are killing it. Use these as inspiration for your own about page with the goal of increasing conversion rates. Dae Dae does a beautiful job at welcoming new customers by outlining its unique value proposition and mission statement. The page design is friendly and informative without being annoyingly long and hefty to read. Daring Daring's Shopify about us page is a great example of what works for both in-depth readers and skimmers because it visually emphasizes key things about the brand such as pain points that they solve. It even goes so far to rename their about us page title to "Our Mission" and place it prominently next to the store's main menu. Although there's no clear CTA at the end of the page, it leaves you at their website's footer which is neatly organized and easily navigable. Brightland Brightland's about us page stands out due to its visual content and evocative storytelling that goes beyond just the products it sells. It does a really good job at not only describing its company values and important elements of the brand but also including a curated selection at the bottom of the page to encourage purchasing. Eadem The Shopify About Us page on Eadem's site is relatively short but packs a punch. It demonstrates social proof through the use of quotes from large publications about their products. Their additional sales page, Beauty Burden, goes into even further depth about their main selling pointâuplifting women of color in the beauty industry. ---- Creating an effective and inspiring Shopify About Us page can seem like a daunting task, but if you follow the tips we've provided and take inspiration from some of the great examples out there, you'll be well on your way to driving more sales and conversion rates for your store. If you're looking for more tips on how to improve your eCommerce website's design, check out our post on how to build a $100k/year Shopify store. Ciao for now! ---- Do you have any other questions about creating an effective Shopify About Us page? Reach out to us using the form here and we'd be happy to chat!
How to Create a Shopify About Us Page That Inspires Purchases
ECommerce shops are a special breed. With so many different aspects to take care of, you can't afford any mistakes or oversights! This means that your product pages are fleshed out and complete, your shipping information is easy to find, and your about page is up-to-date and informative. Your about page is a great way to connect with customers on an emotional level. It allows you the opportunity for storytelling, which builds trust and responsibility in your business modelâsomething necessary when making such important decisions as purchasing something online. So what should you include on your eCommerce about page? In this blog post, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about your About Us page. From who you are as a business owner to what makes your products unique, we'll cover it all! Ideas for what to include in your online store about page Your about page is one of the most important pages on your website when it comes to increasing conversion rates. Why? Well, this summarizes what you're all about in a few short sentencesâallowing you to instantly make an emotional connection with your buyer (or not). Your About Us online store page is an opportunity to tell your story and inspire confidence in your audience. In order to make sure that people actually visit your Shopify About Us page, you'll want to link to it clearly on any menu page that is frequented by your target audience. Here are a few ideas for what to include on your About Us page: A brief history of your eCommerce business You don't need to go into too much detail here, but a short overview of how your company got started on your Shopify about us page can be helpful. Here are some questions to spark ideas for the history that you'll include on your about us page: How did you come up with the idea for your eCommerce store, and what inspired you to start it up? How have you succeeded in building a loyal customer base, and what do you think sets your eCommerce store apart from others in this space? What are some of the challenges you've faced as an eCommerce entrepreneur, and how did you overcome them? How did you eventually find business success? About Page example that does a great job at this: Greenhouse Your mission statement What is it that you're trying to achieve with your business? In order to make your brand stand out, you need a mission statement that is both memorable and concise. Your mission statement should be brief, but it should capture the essence of your eCommerce brand as a whole. Your goal should be no more than one sentence long so as not to confuse customers or send them on an irrelevant tangent with too much information. Get clear about the audience that your business serves and how it serves them in a way that's unique to other businesses in order to craft a meaningful mission statement. About Page examples that do a great job at this: Wylde The Good Plant Co. Your company's core values What are the core values of your company, and why do they matter to not only your customers but your employees as well? Your company's values are the foundation of everything that you do, from your products and services to how customers interact with them. On your about page, you should not only list out your company's core values but also explain how they guide everything that you do. About Page examples that do a great job at this: Life Elements Prima Information about your team Customers like to know who they're buying from, so include some information in your page template about the people behind the scenes. This could be a brief overview of each team member's role in the company or a more personal story about why they're passionate about the business. You can also include headshots of each team member so that customers can put a face to the name. About Page example that does a great job at this: Blume Press and media mentions of your online business If you've been featured in any press or media outlets, make sure to mention it on your about page! This helps build trust and credibility. If you don't have any press or media mentions yet, don't worry. You can still include other customer reviews and testimonials (which we'll talk about next). About Page example that does a great job at this: Health-Ade Social proof for your eCommerce store Social proof is an incredibly powerful tool for increasing conversion rates. Including customer reviews and testimonials on your about page is a great way to build trust and credibility with potential customers. In addition to reviews, user-generated content (UGC) is another great way to show social proof on your about page. This could be anything from customer photos and videos to product reviews. These are often sourced from social platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok, so make sure you have somebody on your team that's in charge of curating this content. About Page example that does a great job at this: Vitable What sets your Shopify store apart Why should someone buy from your eCommerce store instead of a competitor's store? When someone visits your eCommerce store's about page, they should get a sense of who you are and what you're all about. But more importantly, they should understand why they should buy from you instead of a competitor. Here are a few reasons why someone should choose to shop with you: You offer a unique selection of products that can't be found elsewhere. You pride yourself on providing excellent customer service. You offer competitive prices and frequent sales and discounts. You have a user-friendly website that makes shopping easy and enjoyable. Take some time to highlight these reasons on your about page, and let your visitors know that you're the best option for their needs. By doing so, you'll give them one more reason to choose your store over someone else's. About Page example that does a great job at this: Makesy How to get in touch It's important to include contact information on your Shopify about us page so that customers can easily get in touch with you. You can include your email address, phone number, or even a link to your contact form. Make sure that this information is prominently displayed and easy to find for your website visitors. About Page example that does a great job at this: Life Elements A clear call to action One of the most essential factors on your about page is a clear call to action (CTA) that tells visitors what you want them to do next. It's important to have a clear next step on every page on your Shopify store in order to nudge your visitors down the funnel to purchase, therefore increasing conversion rates. Do you want them to buy a product? Visit your blog? Follow you on social media? Whatever it is, make sure that your CTA is clear and easy to follow. Placing featured or best-selling products at the end of your page template is a great way to include a CTA that directly leads to purchase. About Page example that does a great job at this: Health-Ade Tips for designing your about page template Now that we've covered ideas for content that should go on your about us page, it's time to talk design. When it comes to having an about us page on your Shopify store, there are a few key things youâll want to consider when designing your new page in order to inspire confidence and encourage purchases. Keep the design consistent First and foremost, your about us page should be designed in a way that is consistent with the rest of your website. Your store's about us page is an excellent opportunity to show off your brand's personality, so be sure to make it visually appealing. This means using the same fonts, colors, and overall aesthetic as the rest of your amazing Shopify site. The last thing you want is for your about us page to stick out like a sore thumb! Palette Martha Stoumen Use just the right amount of copy to tell your brand story Secondly, youâll want to make sure that you use just the right amount of copy to tell your brand story. You donât want to overwhelm visitors with too much information, but you also donât want your page to be lacking in content. You really want to avoid including huge paragraphs in your page templates because readers will likely just skim through them. Instead, try to break up your content into shorter paragraphs or even bullet points. A good rule of thumb is to keep your about us page readable in about 2-3 minutes. You wouldn't believe how quickly potential customers and visitors scroll through your site in order to make a purchasing decision! Kona Coffee Purveyors Boheme Fragrances Avoid using stock photos to create a more personal connection Last but not least, youâll want to avoid using stock photos on your about us page. While it can be tempting to use these kinds of photos in order to save time and money, they often end up looking fake and forced. Instead, try to use real photos on your Shopify about us page that capture the essence of your brand.  This could be anything from lifestyle photos to images of your team hard at work. If you don't yet have the budget for a full-blown professional photoshoot, at least consider hiring a local photographer for just a couple of hours to get some great shots that you can use on your about page and beyond. Beautiful imagery is key when it comes to creating credibility and trust in your brand's story. No matter what kind of photos you choose, the goal is to showcase your own story and brand values in a relatable way for your audience. Some More Awesome Shopify Store About Us Page Examples Now that we've gone over what to include in your Shopify About Us page, let's take a look at some examples of stores whose about page templates are killing it. Use these as inspiration for your own about page with the goal of increasing conversion rates. Dae Dae does a beautiful job at welcoming new customers by outlining its unique value proposition and mission statement. The page design is friendly and informative without being annoyingly long and hefty to read. Daring Daring's Shopify about us page is a great example of what works for both in-depth readers and skimmers because it visually emphasizes key things about the brand such as pain points that they solve. It even goes so far to rename their about us page title to "Our Mission" and place it prominently next to the store's main menu. Although there's no clear CTA at the end of the page, it leaves you at their website's footer which is neatly organized and easily navigable. Brightland Brightland's about us page stands out due to its visual content and evocative storytelling that goes beyond just the products it sells. It does a really good job at not only describing its company values and important elements of the brand but also including a curated selection at the bottom of the page to encourage purchasing. Eadem The Shopify About Us page on Eadem's site is relatively short but packs a punch. It demonstrates social proof through the use of quotes from large publications about their products. Their additional sales page, Beauty Burden, goes into even further depth about their main selling pointâuplifting women of color in the beauty industry. ---- Creating an effective and inspiring Shopify About Us page can seem like a daunting task, but if you follow the tips we've provided and take inspiration from some of the great examples out there, you'll be well on your way to driving more sales and conversion rates for your store. If you're looking for more tips on how to improve your eCommerce website's design, check out our post on how to build a $100k/year Shopify store. Ciao for now! ---- Do you have any other questions about creating an effective Shopify About Us page? Reach out to us using the form here and we'd be happy to chat!
How to Create Collections in Shopify
If you're running an online store, then you know that Shopify is a great platform to use. It's user-friendly, conversion-focused, and has tons of features that can help you run a successful online business. One of the great things about Shopify is that it allows you to create collections to organize your products. So, why is this helpful? Making sure your products are well-organized with collections helps your customers find what they're looking for (or what they didn't even know they needed), which in turn can help improve your conversion rate. Collections help you build the entire structure and navigation of your store, so they're important to get a hang of. Beyond just helping with navigation and sorting, collection pages help boost your website SEO as they offer an opportunity for custom copy on your site. Sweet! In this blog post, we'll give you the lowdown on what collections are and how to create a collections page in Shopify. We'll also chat about how collections can improve the user experience on your website and some lesser-known tips on how to use collections in crafty ways. So stay tuned! Shopify collections + why are they useful Collections are a way to group products together on your Shopify store and sales channels. You can create a product collection based on a variety of criteria such as price, type of product, or theme. For example, you could create a collection of all the products that are under $50, or a collection of all the products that are considered "gifts". Creating your collections based on product details such as this will help a variety of visitors with different intents on your site. These types of collections are particularly helpful when creating in-depth navigation such as mega menus. Maisonette Creating collections also allows you to add additional text + information about the products you're grouping together by writing a collection description. This helps give a higher-level overview of what makes your products stand out and why they are awesome! For example, you can write a description of the collection and add a collection image. This is helpful because it allows you to give your visitors more information about what they'll find in that particular collection. Pure Sun Farms Beyond just helping your visitors navigate, you'll want to add a collection description as they are beneficial for your site's SEO because they give you another opportunity to use keywords and unique copy. Collections are also frequently used/required in certain apps such as bundle builders, custom product option creators, and upsell/cross-sell appsâso, it's good to think about these when mapping out your overall collection page strategy. To sum it up, collections are a great way to organize your products and improve the user experience on your Shopify store. But how can we get our first collection page up and running in Shopify? Keep reading for a step-by-step guide on how to create a collection and more about collection types! How to add a collection in Shopify Create Collection First, from your dashboard, you're going to want to go to  "Products" and then "Collections." This is where you'll be able to create or edit collections. From there, you'll be able to create a new collection via the "Create Collection" button. Naming your collection When creating the title and description for your new collection, you'll want to be very clear about the type of products that will be in the collectionâfor example, "Gifts for Him" or "Summer Essentials". When thinking up the titles for your various collections, you'll want to make sure that these titles and descriptions are also optimized for search engines. So, avoid using more "artistic" titles and opt for ones that your potential visitors might be searching forâfor example, "Beach Vacation Essentials" instead of "The Bondi Bundle". This strategy also applies to your product pagesâeven if you'd like to name your products something more "out there", still include in clear words what the product actually is! Manual Collections vs. Automated Collections There are two types of collections in Shopify: a manual collection and an automated collection. Both have their usesânote that once you create a collection you can't change back and forth between the two, so you want a good understanding of what type of collection to use before you spend time setting them up. So, what collection type should you use? When to Create a Manual Collection Manual collections are great for smaller product catalogs, when you want to hand-curate a specific collection, or when you're running a flash sale with specific products. This collection type is perfect for creating small or specialized collections or when you have seasonal or rotating inventories of some type. You'll want to create a manual collection when you know that you won't get overwhelmed inputting and maintaining too many products. For that reason, I recommend limiting yourself to about 20-30 items in a manual product collection. Anything above that will leave you pulling your hair out trying to manage everything manually! When to Create an Automated Collection Automated collections are generated based on conditions that you set and can be a huge time saver if you have a large product catalog. This is because the collection's conditions automatically populate the collection page with the particular products that fit the conditions you've outlined. No need to manually add products one by one! Note that automated collections have a limit of 60 conditions that you can set (although, I don't really see why you'd need that many). One thing to consider when creating an automated collection in Shopify is that you need to be careful that products don't accidentally get added automatically before you're ready to launch/make them live on your storefront. What do I mean by this? So, if you're doing a big product drop, double-check that the product(s) you're launching are not going to accidentally end up on a live collection page on your store. (Or, at least make sure that the product being launched remains in draft until it's ready). Finalizing your Collection + Featuring it on your home page Once you've hit create collection, input a title, description, collection image, and set up its manual or automated status, you're ready to click save! Let's say you've just created a "best selling" collection and you want it to appear on an important page on your online store. This will be a little different for every theme, but the idea is the same. You're going to want to go to Online Store > Customize. From there, you'll add a section to your existing or new page such as "Featured Collection". Next, you'll easily select the collection that you want to be featured, edit the title if necessary, and then tap Save. Now, the products in this collection will be displayed nicely and be clickable through to each specific product's page. Additionally, if you have multiple collections/categories that you want your users to be able to shop from via your home page, you can feature a collection list. An example of this would be featuring categories like "Lotions", "Hand Balms", "Body Washes", and "Haircare" on your homepage. To do this, in the same area of the Customize section you'll want to pick a section typically titled "Collection List" and then select the specific collections that you want to be featured. Cool! Now that you've got the hang of creating collections, how can we use them to our advantage in a smart way on our store? Peep the tips below! 5 tips for using collections strategically on your online store 1. Collections vs. Product Type vs. Vendor vs. Tags Collections aren't the only way to organize your products in Shopifyâthere are a few other organization categories that you'll want to be aware of. Namely, Product Type, Tags, and Product Vendor. These three organization buckets can be used to automate the creation of a collection, but not the other way around. So think of these three categories as more specific, stackable pieces of information about your products that funnel them into the right collections.  Because of this, the same products can end up in a variety of different collection pages on your Shopify store. Product type, vendor, and tags are all added within the product editor, not the collection editor. These 3 buckets also serve the purpose of helping your visitors filter and sort products as they're browsing your storeâso, it's a good idea to be intentional and thoughtful when first setting up your different product types, vendors, and tags. When adding things such as product carousels and grids to your online store, you'll select a collection to feature, not product type or tag. Therefore, if you wanted to feature body washes on your store and this was already a product type, you'd need to create an automatic "Body Washes" collection that's populated based on type. This will allow you to easily feature your product types across your site. In short: Product types are used to group similar products together (for example, "Shirts" or "Dresses"). Product Tags are used to specify attributes of the product (color, gender, material, age etc.) Vendors are pretty straightforwardâthese are great for a boutique or marketplace-style Shopify Site to feature the brands that they source their products from. Collections are the main categories that you'll be able to feature easily on your store via carousels, product grids, and individual collection pages. These can be directly created via one product type or tag (ex. "Shirts" or "For Boys" collections), or they can be created via a stack of types, tags, and other conditions (ex. Shop 2-3 Years Boys Sale). 2. Collection Menu Titles Something you may not realize about Shopify collections is that the menu names for the collections in your store's navigation (ex. your nav bar, mega/drop down menu, and footer) don't need to be the exact same as the name of the collection itself. You can easily choose a different name for the link to your collection in the Navigation section of your Shopify dashboard. See below for an example! 3. Mega Menus Collections are going to play a key role in creating a mega menu for your store. Mega menus are typically used in stores such as fashion brands that have a large catalog and want to give their customers the ability to easily find what they're looking for without having to click through a bunch of different pages. 4. Using Collections for Wholesale If you're running a wholesale business on Shopify, collections can be a great way to keep things organized and streamlined for both you and your wholesale customers. You can use Shopify's built-in Wholesale Channel (or another third-party app) to set up wholesale pricing for specific products and then put those products into collections. Then, you can hide and send a link to this collection to your wholesale partners for easy browsing. 5. Using Product Types to Hide Products from your Shopify Storefront A nifty way to remove products that are live from a collection page is to create a product type that's titled something like "removed". You'll then be able to use this product type in one of your automated collection's conditions to hide that product. In the automated collection that you're looking to hide the product from, simply set a condition of product type is not equal to "removed", and voila! It will not appear in this collection. ------------- Collections play a big role in Shopify stores, whether you're using them for wholesale, mega menus, or just to organize your products. Using them strategically can help your audience better navigate your store, which eventually leads to more orders and therefore revenue. In this blog post, we've gone over how collections work and some of the different ways you can use them to improve your user experience. We hope that this information is helpful as you build and design your own online store! If you have any questions or need help setting up your collections, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy Shopify building!
How to Create Collections in Shopify
If you're running an online store, then you know that Shopify is a great platform to use. It's user-friendly, conversion-focused, and has tons of features that can help you run a successful online business. One of the great things about Shopify is that it allows you to create collections to organize your products. So, why is this helpful? Making sure your products are well-organized with collections helps your customers find what they're looking for (or what they didn't even know they needed), which in turn can help improve your conversion rate. Collections help you build the entire structure and navigation of your store, so they're important to get a hang of. Beyond just helping with navigation and sorting, collection pages help boost your website SEO as they offer an opportunity for custom copy on your site. Sweet! In this blog post, we'll give you the lowdown on what collections are and how to create a collections page in Shopify. We'll also chat about how collections can improve the user experience on your website and some lesser-known tips on how to use collections in crafty ways. So stay tuned! Shopify collections + why are they useful Collections are a way to group products together on your Shopify store and sales channels. You can create a product collection based on a variety of criteria such as price, type of product, or theme. For example, you could create a collection of all the products that are under $50, or a collection of all the products that are considered "gifts". Creating your collections based on product details such as this will help a variety of visitors with different intents on your site. These types of collections are particularly helpful when creating in-depth navigation such as mega menus. Maisonette Creating collections also allows you to add additional text + information about the products you're grouping together by writing a collection description. This helps give a higher-level overview of what makes your products stand out and why they are awesome! For example, you can write a description of the collection and add a collection image. This is helpful because it allows you to give your visitors more information about what they'll find in that particular collection. Pure Sun Farms Beyond just helping your visitors navigate, you'll want to add a collection description as they are beneficial for your site's SEO because they give you another opportunity to use keywords and unique copy. Collections are also frequently used/required in certain apps such as bundle builders, custom product option creators, and upsell/cross-sell appsâso, it's good to think about these when mapping out your overall collection page strategy. To sum it up, collections are a great way to organize your products and improve the user experience on your Shopify store. But how can we get our first collection page up and running in Shopify? Keep reading for a step-by-step guide on how to create a collection and more about collection types! How to add a collection in Shopify Create Collection First, from your dashboard, you're going to want to go to  "Products" and then "Collections." This is where you'll be able to create or edit collections. From there, you'll be able to create a new collection via the "Create Collection" button. Naming your collection When creating the title and description for your new collection, you'll want to be very clear about the type of products that will be in the collectionâfor example, "Gifts for Him" or "Summer Essentials". When thinking up the titles for your various collections, you'll want to make sure that these titles and descriptions are also optimized for search engines. So, avoid using more "artistic" titles and opt for ones that your potential visitors might be searching forâfor example, "Beach Vacation Essentials" instead of "The Bondi Bundle". This strategy also applies to your product pagesâeven if you'd like to name your products something more "out there", still include in clear words what the product actually is! Manual Collections vs. Automated Collections There are two types of collections in Shopify: a manual collection and an automated collection. Both have their usesânote that once you create a collection you can't change back and forth between the two, so you want a good understanding of what type of collection to use before you spend time setting them up. So, what collection type should you use? When to Create a Manual Collection Manual collections are great for smaller product catalogs, when you want to hand-curate a specific collection, or when you're running a flash sale with specific products. This collection type is perfect for creating small or specialized collections or when you have seasonal or rotating inventories of some type. You'll want to create a manual collection when you know that you won't get overwhelmed inputting and maintaining too many products. For that reason, I recommend limiting yourself to about 20-30 items in a manual product collection. Anything above that will leave you pulling your hair out trying to manage everything manually! When to Create an Automated Collection Automated collections are generated based on conditions that you set and can be a huge time saver if you have a large product catalog. This is because the collection's conditions automatically populate the collection page with the particular products that fit the conditions you've outlined. No need to manually add products one by one! Note that automated collections have a limit of 60 conditions that you can set (although, I don't really see why you'd need that many). One thing to consider when creating an automated collection in Shopify is that you need to be careful that products don't accidentally get added automatically before you're ready to launch/make them live on your storefront. What do I mean by this? So, if you're doing a big product drop, double-check that the product(s) you're launching are not going to accidentally end up on a live collection page on your store. (Or, at least make sure that the product being launched remains in draft until it's ready). Finalizing your Collection + Featuring it on your home page Once you've hit create collection, input a title, description, collection image, and set up its manual or automated status, you're ready to click save! Let's say you've just created a "best selling" collection and you want it to appear on an important page on your online store. This will be a little different for every theme, but the idea is the same. You're going to want to go to Online Store > Customize. From there, you'll add a section to your existing or new page such as "Featured Collection". Next, you'll easily select the collection that you want to be featured, edit the title if necessary, and then tap Save. Now, the products in this collection will be displayed nicely and be clickable through to each specific product's page. Additionally, if you have multiple collections/categories that you want your users to be able to shop from via your home page, you can feature a collection list. An example of this would be featuring categories like "Lotions", "Hand Balms", "Body Washes", and "Haircare" on your homepage. To do this, in the same area of the Customize section you'll want to pick a section typically titled "Collection List" and then select the specific collections that you want to be featured. Cool! Now that you've got the hang of creating collections, how can we use them to our advantage in a smart way on our store? Peep the tips below! 5 tips for using collections strategically on your online store 1. Collections vs. Product Type vs. Vendor vs. Tags Collections aren't the only way to organize your products in Shopifyâthere are a few other organization categories that you'll want to be aware of. Namely, Product Type, Tags, and Product Vendor. These three organization buckets can be used to automate the creation of a collection, but not the other way around. So think of these three categories as more specific, stackable pieces of information about your products that funnel them into the right collections.  Because of this, the same products can end up in a variety of different collection pages on your Shopify store. Product type, vendor, and tags are all added within the product editor, not the collection editor. These 3 buckets also serve the purpose of helping your visitors filter and sort products as they're browsing your storeâso, it's a good idea to be intentional and thoughtful when first setting up your different product types, vendors, and tags. When adding things such as product carousels and grids to your online store, you'll select a collection to feature, not product type or tag. Therefore, if you wanted to feature body washes on your store and this was already a product type, you'd need to create an automatic "Body Washes" collection that's populated based on type. This will allow you to easily feature your product types across your site. In short: Product types are used to group similar products together (for example, "Shirts" or "Dresses"). Product Tags are used to specify attributes of the product (color, gender, material, age etc.) Vendors are pretty straightforwardâthese are great for a boutique or marketplace-style Shopify Site to feature the brands that they source their products from. Collections are the main categories that you'll be able to feature easily on your store via carousels, product grids, and individual collection pages. These can be directly created via one product type or tag (ex. "Shirts" or "For Boys" collections), or they can be created via a stack of types, tags, and other conditions (ex. Shop 2-3 Years Boys Sale). 2. Collection Menu Titles Something you may not realize about Shopify collections is that the menu names for the collections in your store's navigation (ex. your nav bar, mega/drop down menu, and footer) don't need to be the exact same as the name of the collection itself. You can easily choose a different name for the link to your collection in the Navigation section of your Shopify dashboard. See below for an example! 3. Mega Menus Collections are going to play a key role in creating a mega menu for your store. Mega menus are typically used in stores such as fashion brands that have a large catalog and want to give their customers the ability to easily find what they're looking for without having to click through a bunch of different pages. 4. Using Collections for Wholesale If you're running a wholesale business on Shopify, collections can be a great way to keep things organized and streamlined for both you and your wholesale customers. You can use Shopify's built-in Wholesale Channel (or another third-party app) to set up wholesale pricing for specific products and then put those products into collections. Then, you can hide and send a link to this collection to your wholesale partners for easy browsing. 5. Using Product Types to Hide Products from your Shopify Storefront A nifty way to remove products that are live from a collection page is to create a product type that's titled something like "removed". You'll then be able to use this product type in one of your automated collection's conditions to hide that product. In the automated collection that you're looking to hide the product from, simply set a condition of product type is not equal to "removed", and voila! It will not appear in this collection. ------------- Collections play a big role in Shopify stores, whether you're using them for wholesale, mega menus, or just to organize your products. Using them strategically can help your audience better navigate your store, which eventually leads to more orders and therefore revenue. In this blog post, we've gone over how collections work and some of the different ways you can use them to improve your user experience. We hope that this information is helpful as you build and design your own online store! If you have any questions or need help setting up your collections, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy Shopify building!
7 Things to Know Before Starting Your Shopify Store
Are you ready to dive into the world of E-Commerce and get your Shopify store up and running? There are a few key things to be aware of before getting started that can make or break your store's success in the long run. Read below for a few things to lock down before you even think about hitting Publish on your site: 1. How you will fulfill your orders When you're running an eCommerce business, fulfillment is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. After all, if you can't get your products to your customers, you're not going to make any sales! Before you can start shipping orders from your Shopify store, you need to decide how you will fulfill them. The three most common options are shipping the orders yourself, using a dropshipping company, or using a fulfillment company. The DIY Approach Shipping orders yourself is the cheapest option, but it's also the most time-consuming. You will need to pack and ship each order yourself, and you will be responsible for any lost or damaged items. A lot of businesses start here and then quickly upgrade to a fulfillment center once their order volume is enough to justify the extra cost. Dropshipping Using a dropshipping company is a more expensive option, but it is much less time-consuming. The dropshipping company will handle all of the packing and shipping for you, and they will also be responsible for any lost or damaged items. Fulfillment Companies For many businesses, fulfillment is a daunting task, which is why fulfillment companies have become increasingly popular in recent years. Fulfillment companies are third-party logistics providers that handle storage, shipping, and returns for their clients. They differ from dropshipping companies in that with fulfillment you technically own the inventory and they are just responsible for storing and shipping it, whereas with dropshipping the dropshipper actually owns the inventory. While fulfillment companies can be a great option for businesses of all sizes, there are also some potential drawbacks to keep in mindâthey can be expensive with both a monthly and a per-order fee being charged. 2. Your costs Before you open a Shopify store, it's important to understand the costs associated with running your business so that you can make informed decisions. A few important figures to stay aware of are: Your profit Your profit is the difference between your cost of goods sold (which includes your materials and labor) and the sale price of your products. Fixed costs Your fixed costs are costs that are not related to the production of your products, such as your Shopify subscription + apps. These are not tied to the amount of product that you move and therefore are considered fixed. By knowing your profit and your fixed costs, you can determine how much you need to sell in order to make a profit. This will help you make more accurate monthly goals to aim for and determine what your breakeven point is so that you can understand the health of your business. PS - it may take a couple of months after launch before you break even! If you're not clear about your costs, it's easy to end up in the red. But, by taking the time to understand your numbers, you can set your Shopify store up for success. 3. Your monthly budget for apps Taking a closer look at one of the big expenses you'll have in your Shopify businessâwe're talking apps hereâit's important to find a balance between using apps strategically to drive revenue and overspending on a ton of unnecessary apps (that will also bog down your site, harming your site speed + SEO). Shopify apps can quickly add up in cost if you're not carefulâa lot of Shopify owners will install an app and then be surprised when they see the monthly price tag. Luckily, free trials are super common with paid Shopify apps, so take advantage of them whenever possible to see if the app works for your needs. Sometimes, the more expensive Shopify apps are TOTALLY worth it and will actually save you time in the long run. If you have to spend an hour every week on a certain task, it might be worth your while to buy an app that will automate that task and only cost you $10/month. In the end, it's important to prioritize which apps will push the needle in your business vs. chew up your profit margins with little reward. 4. Your target audience Before you build your Shopify store, it's important to take some time to define your target audience. This will greatly impact things like your store's look and feel, tone of voice, and marketing strategy. Knowing who you're targeting will help you make better decisions about every aspect of your business. Are you selling products for men or women? What age group are you targeting? Where's their yearly income and disposable income at? Beyond just looking at surface-level demographics, you should also deeply consider their psychographics. What interests do they have? What are their pain points and main motivations for buying their product? What does purchasing from a brand such as yours say about them as an individual? Answering these questions will help you fine-tune your store to appeal to your ideal customers. Keep in mind that you can always adjust your target audience as your business grows. That being said, taking the time to properly define it from the start will save you a lot of headaches down the road. 5. How your product helps your audience In a world full of competitors, it's essential to make sure your product or service and how it helps is defined clearly in the minds of your audience. What sets you apart? How does your offering help your ideal customer? If you can't answer these questions quickly and confidently, it's time to take a step back and figure out what makes you unique. Once you have a firm understanding of what your product(s) bring to the table, it will be much easier to craft a message that resonates with your target audience. The result of this is that when customers know exactly how you can help them, they'll be more likely to give you their business. So, don't underestimate the importance of defining your product or serviceâit is potentially the BIGGEST factor in making your store a success. 6. Paid vs. Free theme When it comes to Shopify themes, you have two main options: paid or free. Paid themes are definitely more robust with more blocks, features, and overall control of your site's appearance and functionality. However, they're also on the more expensive side at about $200-$300 per theme. But, this is actually super cheap if you consider what it'd cost to hire a developer to design just one of the super-cool custom sections that paid themes come with. If you're on a budget, you may want to consider a free themeâyou can still do a lot with the free themes that Shopify offers and they can be great starting points. Whichever way you end up going, I would generally recommend sticking to themes from the Shopify theme store as they have a strict set of standards they need to adhere to and are fully vetted. You'll also want to make sure that whichever theme you're choosing is optimized for Shopify 2.0 so that you can take advantage of new features such as sections everywhere and metafields. 7. DIY vs. Expert When it comes to setting up a Shopify store, you really have two options: do everything yourself, or hire an expert. If you're the DIY type, then you're probably prepared to put in the time and effort required to research the best way to set up your store and get it running smoothly. This is the way to go if you're strapped for cash, already have brand guidelines, and have an available 100+ hours necessary for learning about Shopify + building your store from scratch. However, if you're busy and just want someone to take it off your hands, hiring an expert is often a great option. You know that feeling when you want to trust someone with simply getting the job done right? Hiring an experienced designer/developer will save you a ton of time (and likely get you a way stronger end result). These experts are well-versed in Shopify, which means they can get right down into designing or coding without wasting any more precious hours on research. They'll be able to follow the latest best practices for growth and give your store that extra-custom, high-end feel that comes from CSS + Liquid. So, if you're looking for a stress-free option, hiring an expert is definitely the way to go. All in all, Shopify is a great platform to start your business, but there are some things you need to know before getting started. Weâve outlined the seven most important points for you here, but if you still have questions or need help setting up your store, get in touch with us. We'd be happy to walk you through every step of the process and make sure your store is ready to go live. Thanks for reading!
7 Things to Know Before Starting Your Shopify Store
Are you ready to dive into the world of E-Commerce and get your Shopify store up and running? There are a few key things to be aware of before getting started that can make or break your store's success in the long run. Read below for a few things to lock down before you even think about hitting Publish on your site: 1. How you will fulfill your orders When you're running an eCommerce business, fulfillment is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. After all, if you can't get your products to your customers, you're not going to make any sales! Before you can start shipping orders from your Shopify store, you need to decide how you will fulfill them. The three most common options are shipping the orders yourself, using a dropshipping company, or using a fulfillment company. The DIY Approach Shipping orders yourself is the cheapest option, but it's also the most time-consuming. You will need to pack and ship each order yourself, and you will be responsible for any lost or damaged items. A lot of businesses start here and then quickly upgrade to a fulfillment center once their order volume is enough to justify the extra cost. Dropshipping Using a dropshipping company is a more expensive option, but it is much less time-consuming. The dropshipping company will handle all of the packing and shipping for you, and they will also be responsible for any lost or damaged items. Fulfillment Companies For many businesses, fulfillment is a daunting task, which is why fulfillment companies have become increasingly popular in recent years. Fulfillment companies are third-party logistics providers that handle storage, shipping, and returns for their clients. They differ from dropshipping companies in that with fulfillment you technically own the inventory and they are just responsible for storing and shipping it, whereas with dropshipping the dropshipper actually owns the inventory. While fulfillment companies can be a great option for businesses of all sizes, there are also some potential drawbacks to keep in mindâthey can be expensive with both a monthly and a per-order fee being charged. 2. Your costs Before you open a Shopify store, it's important to understand the costs associated with running your business so that you can make informed decisions. A few important figures to stay aware of are: Your profit Your profit is the difference between your cost of goods sold (which includes your materials and labor) and the sale price of your products. Fixed costs Your fixed costs are costs that are not related to the production of your products, such as your Shopify subscription + apps. These are not tied to the amount of product that you move and therefore are considered fixed. By knowing your profit and your fixed costs, you can determine how much you need to sell in order to make a profit. This will help you make more accurate monthly goals to aim for and determine what your breakeven point is so that you can understand the health of your business. PS - it may take a couple of months after launch before you break even! If you're not clear about your costs, it's easy to end up in the red. But, by taking the time to understand your numbers, you can set your Shopify store up for success. 3. Your monthly budget for apps Taking a closer look at one of the big expenses you'll have in your Shopify businessâwe're talking apps hereâit's important to find a balance between using apps strategically to drive revenue and overspending on a ton of unnecessary apps (that will also bog down your site, harming your site speed + SEO). Shopify apps can quickly add up in cost if you're not carefulâa lot of Shopify owners will install an app and then be surprised when they see the monthly price tag. Luckily, free trials are super common with paid Shopify apps, so take advantage of them whenever possible to see if the app works for your needs. Sometimes, the more expensive Shopify apps are TOTALLY worth it and will actually save you time in the long run. If you have to spend an hour every week on a certain task, it might be worth your while to buy an app that will automate that task and only cost you $10/month. In the end, it's important to prioritize which apps will push the needle in your business vs. chew up your profit margins with little reward. 4. Your target audience Before you build your Shopify store, it's important to take some time to define your target audience. This will greatly impact things like your store's look and feel, tone of voice, and marketing strategy. Knowing who you're targeting will help you make better decisions about every aspect of your business. Are you selling products for men or women? What age group are you targeting? Where's their yearly income and disposable income at? Beyond just looking at surface-level demographics, you should also deeply consider their psychographics. What interests do they have? What are their pain points and main motivations for buying their product? What does purchasing from a brand such as yours say about them as an individual? Answering these questions will help you fine-tune your store to appeal to your ideal customers. Keep in mind that you can always adjust your target audience as your business grows. That being said, taking the time to properly define it from the start will save you a lot of headaches down the road. 5. How your product helps your audience In a world full of competitors, it's essential to make sure your product or service and how it helps is defined clearly in the minds of your audience. What sets you apart? How does your offering help your ideal customer? If you can't answer these questions quickly and confidently, it's time to take a step back and figure out what makes you unique. Once you have a firm understanding of what your product(s) bring to the table, it will be much easier to craft a message that resonates with your target audience. The result of this is that when customers know exactly how you can help them, they'll be more likely to give you their business. So, don't underestimate the importance of defining your product or serviceâit is potentially the BIGGEST factor in making your store a success. 6. Paid vs. Free theme When it comes to Shopify themes, you have two main options: paid or free. Paid themes are definitely more robust with more blocks, features, and overall control of your site's appearance and functionality. However, they're also on the more expensive side at about $200-$300 per theme. But, this is actually super cheap if you consider what it'd cost to hire a developer to design just one of the super-cool custom sections that paid themes come with. If you're on a budget, you may want to consider a free themeâyou can still do a lot with the free themes that Shopify offers and they can be great starting points. Whichever way you end up going, I would generally recommend sticking to themes from the Shopify theme store as they have a strict set of standards they need to adhere to and are fully vetted. You'll also want to make sure that whichever theme you're choosing is optimized for Shopify 2.0 so that you can take advantage of new features such as sections everywhere and metafields. 7. DIY vs. Expert When it comes to setting up a Shopify store, you really have two options: do everything yourself, or hire an expert. If you're the DIY type, then you're probably prepared to put in the time and effort required to research the best way to set up your store and get it running smoothly. This is the way to go if you're strapped for cash, already have brand guidelines, and have an available 100+ hours necessary for learning about Shopify + building your store from scratch. However, if you're busy and just want someone to take it off your hands, hiring an expert is often a great option. You know that feeling when you want to trust someone with simply getting the job done right? Hiring an experienced designer/developer will save you a ton of time (and likely get you a way stronger end result). These experts are well-versed in Shopify, which means they can get right down into designing or coding without wasting any more precious hours on research. They'll be able to follow the latest best practices for growth and give your store that extra-custom, high-end feel that comes from CSS + Liquid. So, if you're looking for a stress-free option, hiring an expert is definitely the way to go. All in all, Shopify is a great platform to start your business, but there are some things you need to know before getting started. Weâve outlined the seven most important points for you here, but if you still have questions or need help setting up your store, get in touch with us. We'd be happy to walk you through every step of the process and make sure your store is ready to go live. Thanks for reading!
5 Best Shopify Themes
If you're looking for the best Shopify themes for your online store, you've come to the right place! Choosing the Shopify theme that's right for your site can be a bit overwhelmingâso, we've pulled together this list of themes that we personally use in the majority of our projects. In this post, we'll take a look at some of the top themes available in 2022 and discuss why they are great for your eCommerce website. We'll also provide links to download these themes so that you can get started right away!  Shopify's theme store What are Shopify themes and why are they important? A Shopify theme is a template that determines the feel as well as the functionality of your online store. Themes are important because they can help you create a unique and visually appealing store that will stand out from the competition in your customers' eyes. There are both free and paid Shopify themes available, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Free options are often less customizable than paid themes, but are still good options if you're working with a tighter budget upfront. Why is it important to choose the right Shopify theme? Well, the right theme can make or break your online storeâso read below to learn more about how to pick the right theme for your page. What should I look for in a Shopify theme? The best Shopify themes will help you to create a professional-looking website that is easy to navigate for your customers and looks great on all devices. They will also be responsive, meaning that they will adjust to different screen sizes so that your customers can always see your products clearly. It's important that your page is mobile-friendly because 55% of worldwide online visits come from mobile. Finally, the right Shopify theme will have the types of functionalities that you're looking to implement in your store, which will reduce the need for paid apps. The best paid themes for 2022 Impulse Shopify Theme $320 USD - Purchase / Preview Impulse is my go-to Shopify theme. It has a ton of beautiful sections, lots of store customizations, and just looks good. It features big, beautiful images and is very mobile-friendly for your customers. Itâs great for stores that: Have lots of products (and want a mega menu) Run lots of seasonal promotions and sales Want a high-end feel with parallax effects, animations, and video backgrounds Want advanced product customizations built into their theme such as dropdown boxes under product descriptions When in doubt, check out Impulse! I'd venture to say that it's the best Shopify theme in my arsenal. Flex Shopify Theme $485 USD - Purchase / Preview Flex is the cream of the crop when it comes to Shopify themes (and, its price tag reflects it). Thereâs no theme out there that compares when it comes to the number of customizations that Flex offers. Itâs great for stores that: Want to have a lot of power over the design of their store while minimizing the need for a developer Are going for a more robust, custom-looking store with lots of options for the header/footer, comprehensive icon library, + product page layouts Want a lot of pre-built layouts built into their theme to choose from Want the ability to write custom CSS in Shopifyâs âCustomizeâ section rather than having a stylesheet in the backend code Prestige Shopify Theme $300 USD - Purchase / Preview Prestige is one of the most popular paid Shopify themes and for good reason. Its features include a wide variety of tools that can save money on apps such as color swatches, mega menus, and pop-ups. Itâs great for stores that: Want a minimalistic, luxurious feel Want standout features on their page such as a slide-out cart, image hotspot linking, and a timeline Have beautiful, responsive imagery that they want to show off/have as the star of the show on their website The best free themes for 2022 Sense Shopify Theme Free - Install / Preview When I first came across this theme, I was shocked to find out that itâs a freebie from Shopify! It has so much more personality than a lot of free themes youâll find with swoon-worthy gradients, rounded corners, and drop shadows. Itâs great for stores that: Are on a budget but want a plug-and-play, eye-catching theme Have a bit more youthful of a target market Have bright and vibrant brand colors and want to show them off in a fun way Dawn Shopify Theme Free - Install / Preview When Shopify launched its (amazing) new 2.0 platform, Dawn was introduced as their next-generation, open-source free theme. Itâs speedy to load and has more sections than Debut (their 1.0 default theme) does. Because of this, it's one of the best Shopify themes for stores that are just starting out but want a lot of room for customization in the future. Itâs great for stores that: Want to start with a clean slate and customize from there Have the ability to style via CSS to overcome some customization limitations Are using SEO as a primary marketing channel and therefore want a fast site speed 4. How to choose the best Shopify theme for your brand Now that we've gone over our top picks for the best Shopify themes in 2022, let's discuss how to choose the right one for your store. There are a few things that you'll need to keep in mind when making your decision: Look and feel for your eCommerce store First, consider the overall look and feel that you're going for on your Shopify website. Do you want a sleek and modern design, or something more rustic? There are plenty of themes available for every type of brand. Check out the different homepage layouts that your theme offers to get an idea of what you're working with. However, keep in mind that it's really easy to totally change the look of a Shopify theme by changing its colors, typography, and photos, so don't get TOO caught up on the style of a theme when choosing it. The most important consideration is next! Shopify theme functionality + key features The most important thing to consider when choosing a theme for Shopify is its on-page layouts and functionalities. You can always change the colors and fonts easily, but adding extra sections and features that your theme doesn't offer to your page requires an extra app or hiring a developer. The best Shopify themes will have a wide variety of section layouts and features to use on your website. Some useful features to note if a theme has/if you'll need it for your store are: Mega Menu Video Background Email Popup Product Page Dropdowns Product Filtering Animations Different Nav Bar Layouts Side Cart Image Switching on Hover Color Swatches Recently Viewed Products Related Products FAQ Section Make sure to check out the features of each theme before making your decision. You also want to double-check that the eCommerce theme you're going with looks great on mobile devices and is fully responsive before committing to it. This will help not only with user experience but also make your online shop SEO friendly. Your website budget Finally, consider the budget you're working with for your eCommerce site. Paid themes usually have more features than free ones, but they can also be more expensive (although, in the end, they can actually save you money by removing the need to hire a developer). If you're working with a tight budget, there are still some great free options available! Keep in mind that even paid Shopify themes have free trials so that you can give them a test run and see if they'll be right for your online storeâso don't be afraid to experiment. Final thoughts There you have itâour top picks for the best Shopify themes in 2022. Remember to keep in mind your store's overall look and feel, functionality, and budget when making your decision. We hope this guide has helped you to narrow down your options and choose the perfect Shopify theme for your store. And if you're still undecided, we recommend giving one of our top picks a try! Happy shopping! Need help with your Shopify store? Get in touch to learn about how we can help you get your site up and running in just a week.
5 Best Shopify Themes
If you're looking for the best Shopify themes for your online store, you've come to the right place! Choosing the Shopify theme that's right for your site can be a bit overwhelmingâso, we've pulled together this list of themes that we personally use in the majority of our projects. In this post, we'll take a look at some of the top themes available in 2022 and discuss why they are great for your eCommerce website. We'll also provide links to download these themes so that you can get started right away!  Shopify's theme store What are Shopify themes and why are they important? A Shopify theme is a template that determines the feel as well as the functionality of your online store. Themes are important because they can help you create a unique and visually appealing store that will stand out from the competition in your customers' eyes. There are both free and paid Shopify themes available, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Free options are often less customizable than paid themes, but are still good options if you're working with a tighter budget upfront. Why is it important to choose the right Shopify theme? Well, the right theme can make or break your online storeâso read below to learn more about how to pick the right theme for your page. What should I look for in a Shopify theme? The best Shopify themes will help you to create a professional-looking website that is easy to navigate for your customers and looks great on all devices. They will also be responsive, meaning that they will adjust to different screen sizes so that your customers can always see your products clearly. It's important that your page is mobile-friendly because 55% of worldwide online visits come from mobile. Finally, the right Shopify theme will have the types of functionalities that you're looking to implement in your store, which will reduce the need for paid apps. The best paid themes for 2022 Impulse Shopify Theme $320 USD - Purchase / Preview Impulse is my go-to Shopify theme. It has a ton of beautiful sections, lots of store customizations, and just looks good. It features big, beautiful images and is very mobile-friendly for your customers. Itâs great for stores that: Have lots of products (and want a mega menu) Run lots of seasonal promotions and sales Want a high-end feel with parallax effects, animations, and video backgrounds Want advanced product customizations built into their theme such as dropdown boxes under product descriptions When in doubt, check out Impulse! I'd venture to say that it's the best Shopify theme in my arsenal. Flex Shopify Theme $485 USD - Purchase / Preview Flex is the cream of the crop when it comes to Shopify themes (and, its price tag reflects it). Thereâs no theme out there that compares when it comes to the number of customizations that Flex offers. Itâs great for stores that: Want to have a lot of power over the design of their store while minimizing the need for a developer Are going for a more robust, custom-looking store with lots of options for the header/footer, comprehensive icon library, + product page layouts Want a lot of pre-built layouts built into their theme to choose from Want the ability to write custom CSS in Shopifyâs âCustomizeâ section rather than having a stylesheet in the backend code Prestige Shopify Theme $300 USD - Purchase / Preview Prestige is one of the most popular paid Shopify themes and for good reason. Its features include a wide variety of tools that can save money on apps such as color swatches, mega menus, and pop-ups. Itâs great for stores that: Want a minimalistic, luxurious feel Want standout features on their page such as a slide-out cart, image hotspot linking, and a timeline Have beautiful, responsive imagery that they want to show off/have as the star of the show on their website The best free themes for 2022 Sense Shopify Theme Free - Install / Preview When I first came across this theme, I was shocked to find out that itâs a freebie from Shopify! It has so much more personality than a lot of free themes youâll find with swoon-worthy gradients, rounded corners, and drop shadows. Itâs great for stores that: Are on a budget but want a plug-and-play, eye-catching theme Have a bit more youthful of a target market Have bright and vibrant brand colors and want to show them off in a fun way Dawn Shopify Theme Free - Install / Preview When Shopify launched its (amazing) new 2.0 platform, Dawn was introduced as their next-generation, open-source free theme. Itâs speedy to load and has more sections than Debut (their 1.0 default theme) does. Because of this, it's one of the best Shopify themes for stores that are just starting out but want a lot of room for customization in the future. Itâs great for stores that: Want to start with a clean slate and customize from there Have the ability to style via CSS to overcome some customization limitations Are using SEO as a primary marketing channel and therefore want a fast site speed 4. How to choose the best Shopify theme for your brand Now that we've gone over our top picks for the best Shopify themes in 2022, let's discuss how to choose the right one for your store. There are a few things that you'll need to keep in mind when making your decision: Look and feel for your eCommerce store First, consider the overall look and feel that you're going for on your Shopify website. Do you want a sleek and modern design, or something more rustic? There are plenty of themes available for every type of brand. Check out the different homepage layouts that your theme offers to get an idea of what you're working with. However, keep in mind that it's really easy to totally change the look of a Shopify theme by changing its colors, typography, and photos, so don't get TOO caught up on the style of a theme when choosing it. The most important consideration is next! Shopify theme functionality + key features The most important thing to consider when choosing a theme for Shopify is its on-page layouts and functionalities. You can always change the colors and fonts easily, but adding extra sections and features that your theme doesn't offer to your page requires an extra app or hiring a developer. The best Shopify themes will have a wide variety of section layouts and features to use on your website. Some useful features to note if a theme has/if you'll need it for your store are: Mega Menu Video Background Email Popup Product Page Dropdowns Product Filtering Animations Different Nav Bar Layouts Side Cart Image Switching on Hover Color Swatches Recently Viewed Products Related Products FAQ Section Make sure to check out the features of each theme before making your decision. You also want to double-check that the eCommerce theme you're going with looks great on mobile devices and is fully responsive before committing to it. This will help not only with user experience but also make your online shop SEO friendly. Your website budget Finally, consider the budget you're working with for your eCommerce site. Paid themes usually have more features than free ones, but they can also be more expensive (although, in the end, they can actually save you money by removing the need to hire a developer). If you're working with a tight budget, there are still some great free options available! Keep in mind that even paid Shopify themes have free trials so that you can give them a test run and see if they'll be right for your online storeâso don't be afraid to experiment. Final thoughts There you have itâour top picks for the best Shopify themes in 2022. Remember to keep in mind your store's overall look and feel, functionality, and budget when making your decision. We hope this guide has helped you to narrow down your options and choose the perfect Shopify theme for your store. And if you're still undecided, we recommend giving one of our top picks a try! Happy shopping! Need help with your Shopify store? Get in touch to learn about how we can help you get your site up and running in just a week.
Traffic But No Sales? How to Increase Your Shopify Conversion Rate
If you're getting Shopify traffic but no sales, don't fretâthere are proven ways to increase your conversion rate and get those visitors buying from your online store. There are a few key things you should do in order to make sure your online store is optimized for conversions, and we'll go over them all in this post! By implementing these tips, you can boost your sales and start making money from your Shopify store. If you have a good conversion rate, scaling your store quickly via ads also becomes possible. First, let's take a look at what a conversion rate is and why it's important. Then we'll dive into the specific ways you can increase yours to start converting shoppers. What is a Conversion Rate? Your conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to your store who take the desired action. For most Shopify stores, the desired action is making a purchase. So, if you have a conversion rate of 2%, that means 2% of the people who visit your store end up buying something from you. Conversion rates are important because they give you an idea of how well your store is performing. If you're getting traffic but no sales (or lower-than expected sales), it's a sign that something is causing friction between you and your target audience buying. There are a whole handful of reasons that online stores have subpar conversion rates. It could be that your prices are too high, or that the products you're selling aren't what your traffic is looking for. Whatever the reason, it's important to identify why people aren't converting so you can make changes to your store and turn your traffic into sales. How to identify why people aren't converting 1. Identify the problem The first step towards increasing the number of visitors that make a purchase is to identify the problem (or problems) on your website. Are people not adding anything to their cart? Are they abandoning their carts before checkout? You want to find out what about your user experience is getting in the way of the right audience buying. There are a few ways to find out why people aren't converting on your store. The first step is always to take a look at your analytics. Shopify's analytics as well as Google Analytics will show you where people are dropping off in your sales process. This can be a valuable clue as to where the problem lies for your users. Another way to find out why people aren't converting is to ask them directly. You can do this by setting up an exit survey that pops up when someone tries to leave your site. Exit surveys are a great way to get feedback from customers about what's preventing them from buying from you and learning which optimizations are important for your online store. 2. Figure out where the problem is happening Once you've identified the problem, the next step is to figure out where it's happening. Is it happening on your product pages? Your cart page? Your checkout page? Again, your analytics will be a valuable resource here. Shopify's analytics will show you how people are interacting with your store, and where they're dropping off. This can help you narrow down where the problem is occurring so you can focus your attention on fixing it. 3. Make changes to fix the problem Once you've identified the problem and figured out where it's happening, it's time to make some changes to your page to fix it. This might involve changing the design of your store, adding new features, or adjusting your pricing. Whatever changes you make, be sure to test them out before you roll them out to your entire store. It's also a good idea to test things one by one so that you can know what exactly is helping or hurting the conversions on your website. This will help you ensure that the changes are actually effective at increasing your conversion rate. 4. Measure the results After you've made changes to your store, it's important to measure the results. This is important because it'll help you see whether or not the changes you made are actually working. Again, analytics are going to be your best friend here! Keep an eye on your conversion rate and compare it to your previous rate. If you see a significant increase, that's a good sign that the changes you made are working. You may also need to wait and be patient to be sure that your improved conversions are statistically significant. 5. Repeat as necessary Conversion rate optimization is a never-ending game, so the final step is to repeat the process. Continue to innovate and make changes to your online store and measure the results. Over time, you should see a steady increase in your conversion rate. No more traffic but no sales, hooray! By following these steps, you can troubleshoot any problems with your store and make changes that will increase your conversion rate and delight your target audience. How to increase your Shopify conversion rate Now that we've gone over what a conversion rate is and how to identify why people aren't converting on your store, what are some common ways to increase your conversion rate when you're already getting traffic? Rocky Mountain Soap Company 1. Improve your product pages One of the most important things you can do to increase your conversion rate is to improve your product pages. These pages are the final step in the funnel where people decide whether or not they want to buy from you, so it's important to make sure they're well-designed and informative. Make sure your product pages are well-designed: The design of your product page is important for two reasons. First, it needs to be visually appealing so you can build trust and credibility in the eyes of your customers. Second, it needs to be well-structured so your customers can find the information they're looking for easily and quickly. Using various tools on your page such as dropdowns, FAQs, and ingredient lists can help your users navigate your product page and find everything that they need in order to convert. Expertphotography.com Add high-quality product photos: Adding high-quality product photos is a great way to improve your product pages and increase your conversion rate. Seriously, this is a huge oneânothing diminishes the credibility of your brand faster than subpar product photography. Make sure your photos are clear and show off the product in the best light possible. Depending on the products you're selling, it can also be a good idea to use image zoom features to give people a closer look at the product. Write informative descriptions: Another important thing to include on your product pages to increase sales is informative product descriptions. This is your chance to tell people more about your products and why they should buy them. Your product descriptions should be clear, concise, and persuasive. Be sure to focus on the benefits of the product, rather than the features. Trust badges are also a great way of conveying information about your products to your audience. My favorite reviews app for Shopify, Loox Feature customer reviews: Customer reviews are another awesome way to improve your product pages. They give potential customers an idea of what other people think of your products and are helpful for visitors in deciding whether or not to buy from your brand. Make it easy for people to leave reviews on your site, and be sure to respond to both positive and negative reviews. Use social proof to show how popular your products are: If you have a lot of social media followers or email subscribers, make sure to show it off on your product pages. This is called social proof, and it can be a powerful way to increase your conversion rate. People are more likely to buy from you if they see that other people are already buying from you. So make sure to showcase any user-generated content or testimonials that you have on your product page. 2. Increase the visibility of your call to action One way to increase your conversion rate is to make sure your call to action across your site is visible and easy to find. Place your buy buttons in prominent positions on your page, and make sure they're easy to see and click. Your visitors should only ever be a click or two away from being able to purchase.  Keep in mind that wherever they are on your page, it should be immediately obvious where they can go to buy your products. 3. Offer discounts and free shipping Offering discounts or promotions and free shipping is a great way to increase the conversion rate of your eCommerce store. People are more likely to convert if they feel like they're getting a good deal. You can offer discounts in a number of ways, such as coupons, sales, or free shipping. Just be sure to make the offer clear and easy to find for your visitors. 4. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly More and more people are shopping on their phones, so it's important to make sure your site is mobile-friendly. If it's not, you're likely losing out on a lot of sales. Make sure your site is easy to navigate on a mobile device, and that all of your content is easily accessible for your customers. 5. Make your store easy to use The easier your store is to use, the more likely people are to buy from you. So make sure your navigation is easy to understand and that your checkout process is simple and straightforward. Your homepage should lead visitors to the next step in the funnel and serve as a jumping-off point that leads to your various collections and sale items. You can also increase your conversion rate by offering guest checkout and saved payment methods. Not needing to always type in credit card info will make it easier for visitors to buy from you, which will lead to more sales. 6. Improve your customer service If you want to increase your conversion rate, it's important that your business provides excellent customer service. This includes responding to customer inquiries quickly and efficiently, providing a hassle-free returns policy, and offering live chat support on your website. All of these things will show potential customers that you're a reliable and trustworthy brand. And when people feel good about doing business with you, they're more likely to buy from you. If something goes wrong with an order, people want to know they can contact you and get help. So, make sure your contact information is easy to find and that you have a process in place for handling customer service issues. J Crew 7. Use exit-intent popups Exit-intent popups are a great way to increase your conversion rate by giving people one last chance to buy. These popups appear when someone is about to leave your site, and they offer a discount or promotion in exchange for an email address. This is a great way to capture leads and turn them into customers. And it's also a great way to increase your conversion rate by keeping potential customers on your page for longer. 8. Use urgency and scarcity Urgency and scarcity are two powerful psychological triggers that can increase your conversion rate. When people feel like they need to act fast, they're more likely to buy from you. You can create a sense of urgency by offering limited-time discounts or promotions. In order to create a sense of scarcity you can offer products in limited quantities to a waitlist. Both of these tactics will encourage people to buy from you now instead of later, leading to more sales and a higher conversion rate. 9. Optimize your checkout process Making sure your checkout process is optimized can make a huge difference in your conversion rateâthe goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to buy from you. To do this, you'll need to streamline your checkout process and remove any unnecessary steps or confusion. You should also make sure your payment options are clearly visible and that your form fields are easy to understand. Enabling Shopify's Shop Pay and Shop app will also optimize your checkout process by allowing people to buy from you directly on their phones. According to Shopify, mobile checkouts convert 1.91x higher with Shop Pay, the fastest growing, highest converting, accelerated checkout on the internet. These checkout tips will help reduce friction at the point of sale and increase your conversion rate. 10. Use product recommendations Product recommendations are a great way to increase your conversion rate by showing people products they're likely to be interested in. You can use product recommendations in a number of ways, such as on your product pages, in your shopping cart, or in your email marketing campaigns. Product recommendations are a great way to boost sales and increase your conversion rate. But it's important to only recommend products that are relevant to your customers. Otherwise, you risk turning them off and sending them away. Recap of the tips for increasing your conversion rate Focus on optimizing your product pages. Make sure your calls to action are visible and easy to find. Offer discounts and free shipping. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly. Make your store easy to use. Improve your customer service. Use exit-intent popups. Use urgency and scarcity. So, there you have it! These are just a few of the many things you can do to increase your Shopify conversion rate. If you implement even just a few of these tips, you should see a significant increase in sales. And that's what it's all about! Thanks for reading! Looking for help with your Shopify store? Take a peek at our Shopify Sprints to get your site up and running in just a week.
Traffic But No Sales? How to Increase Your Shopify Conversion Rate
If you're getting Shopify traffic but no sales, don't fretâthere are proven ways to increase your conversion rate and get those visitors buying from your online store. There are a few key things you should do in order to make sure your online store is optimized for conversions, and we'll go over them all in this post! By implementing these tips, you can boost your sales and start making money from your Shopify store. If you have a good conversion rate, scaling your store quickly via ads also becomes possible. First, let's take a look at what a conversion rate is and why it's important. Then we'll dive into the specific ways you can increase yours to start converting shoppers. What is a Conversion Rate? Your conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to your store who take the desired action. For most Shopify stores, the desired action is making a purchase. So, if you have a conversion rate of 2%, that means 2% of the people who visit your store end up buying something from you. Conversion rates are important because they give you an idea of how well your store is performing. If you're getting traffic but no sales (or lower-than expected sales), it's a sign that something is causing friction between you and your target audience buying. There are a whole handful of reasons that online stores have subpar conversion rates. It could be that your prices are too high, or that the products you're selling aren't what your traffic is looking for. Whatever the reason, it's important to identify why people aren't converting so you can make changes to your store and turn your traffic into sales. How to identify why people aren't converting 1. Identify the problem The first step towards increasing the number of visitors that make a purchase is to identify the problem (or problems) on your website. Are people not adding anything to their cart? Are they abandoning their carts before checkout? You want to find out what about your user experience is getting in the way of the right audience buying. There are a few ways to find out why people aren't converting on your store. The first step is always to take a look at your analytics. Shopify's analytics as well as Google Analytics will show you where people are dropping off in your sales process. This can be a valuable clue as to where the problem lies for your users. Another way to find out why people aren't converting is to ask them directly. You can do this by setting up an exit survey that pops up when someone tries to leave your site. Exit surveys are a great way to get feedback from customers about what's preventing them from buying from you and learning which optimizations are important for your online store. 2. Figure out where the problem is happening Once you've identified the problem, the next step is to figure out where it's happening. Is it happening on your product pages? Your cart page? Your checkout page? Again, your analytics will be a valuable resource here. Shopify's analytics will show you how people are interacting with your store, and where they're dropping off. This can help you narrow down where the problem is occurring so you can focus your attention on fixing it. 3. Make changes to fix the problem Once you've identified the problem and figured out where it's happening, it's time to make some changes to your page to fix it. This might involve changing the design of your store, adding new features, or adjusting your pricing. Whatever changes you make, be sure to test them out before you roll them out to your entire store. It's also a good idea to test things one by one so that you can know what exactly is helping or hurting the conversions on your website. This will help you ensure that the changes are actually effective at increasing your conversion rate. 4. Measure the results After you've made changes to your store, it's important to measure the results. This is important because it'll help you see whether or not the changes you made are actually working. Again, analytics are going to be your best friend here! Keep an eye on your conversion rate and compare it to your previous rate. If you see a significant increase, that's a good sign that the changes you made are working. You may also need to wait and be patient to be sure that your improved conversions are statistically significant. 5. Repeat as necessary Conversion rate optimization is a never-ending game, so the final step is to repeat the process. Continue to innovate and make changes to your online store and measure the results. Over time, you should see a steady increase in your conversion rate. No more traffic but no sales, hooray! By following these steps, you can troubleshoot any problems with your store and make changes that will increase your conversion rate and delight your target audience. How to increase your Shopify conversion rate Now that we've gone over what a conversion rate is and how to identify why people aren't converting on your store, what are some common ways to increase your conversion rate when you're already getting traffic? Rocky Mountain Soap Company 1. Improve your product pages One of the most important things you can do to increase your conversion rate is to improve your product pages. These pages are the final step in the funnel where people decide whether or not they want to buy from you, so it's important to make sure they're well-designed and informative. Make sure your product pages are well-designed: The design of your product page is important for two reasons. First, it needs to be visually appealing so you can build trust and credibility in the eyes of your customers. Second, it needs to be well-structured so your customers can find the information they're looking for easily and quickly. Using various tools on your page such as dropdowns, FAQs, and ingredient lists can help your users navigate your product page and find everything that they need in order to convert. Expertphotography.com Add high-quality product photos: Adding high-quality product photos is a great way to improve your product pages and increase your conversion rate. Seriously, this is a huge oneânothing diminishes the credibility of your brand faster than subpar product photography. Make sure your photos are clear and show off the product in the best light possible. Depending on the products you're selling, it can also be a good idea to use image zoom features to give people a closer look at the product. Write informative descriptions: Another important thing to include on your product pages to increase sales is informative product descriptions. This is your chance to tell people more about your products and why they should buy them. Your product descriptions should be clear, concise, and persuasive. Be sure to focus on the benefits of the product, rather than the features. Trust badges are also a great way of conveying information about your products to your audience. My favorite reviews app for Shopify, Loox Feature customer reviews: Customer reviews are another awesome way to improve your product pages. They give potential customers an idea of what other people think of your products and are helpful for visitors in deciding whether or not to buy from your brand. Make it easy for people to leave reviews on your site, and be sure to respond to both positive and negative reviews. Use social proof to show how popular your products are: If you have a lot of social media followers or email subscribers, make sure to show it off on your product pages. This is called social proof, and it can be a powerful way to increase your conversion rate. People are more likely to buy from you if they see that other people are already buying from you. So make sure to showcase any user-generated content or testimonials that you have on your product page. 2. Increase the visibility of your call to action One way to increase your conversion rate is to make sure your call to action across your site is visible and easy to find. Place your buy buttons in prominent positions on your page, and make sure they're easy to see and click. Your visitors should only ever be a click or two away from being able to purchase.  Keep in mind that wherever they are on your page, it should be immediately obvious where they can go to buy your products. 3. Offer discounts and free shipping Offering discounts or promotions and free shipping is a great way to increase the conversion rate of your eCommerce store. People are more likely to convert if they feel like they're getting a good deal. You can offer discounts in a number of ways, such as coupons, sales, or free shipping. Just be sure to make the offer clear and easy to find for your visitors. 4. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly More and more people are shopping on their phones, so it's important to make sure your site is mobile-friendly. If it's not, you're likely losing out on a lot of sales. Make sure your site is easy to navigate on a mobile device, and that all of your content is easily accessible for your customers. 5. Make your store easy to use The easier your store is to use, the more likely people are to buy from you. So make sure your navigation is easy to understand and that your checkout process is simple and straightforward. Your homepage should lead visitors to the next step in the funnel and serve as a jumping-off point that leads to your various collections and sale items. You can also increase your conversion rate by offering guest checkout and saved payment methods. Not needing to always type in credit card info will make it easier for visitors to buy from you, which will lead to more sales. 6. Improve your customer service If you want to increase your conversion rate, it's important that your business provides excellent customer service. This includes responding to customer inquiries quickly and efficiently, providing a hassle-free returns policy, and offering live chat support on your website. All of these things will show potential customers that you're a reliable and trustworthy brand. And when people feel good about doing business with you, they're more likely to buy from you. If something goes wrong with an order, people want to know they can contact you and get help. So, make sure your contact information is easy to find and that you have a process in place for handling customer service issues. J Crew 7. Use exit-intent popups Exit-intent popups are a great way to increase your conversion rate by giving people one last chance to buy. These popups appear when someone is about to leave your site, and they offer a discount or promotion in exchange for an email address. This is a great way to capture leads and turn them into customers. And it's also a great way to increase your conversion rate by keeping potential customers on your page for longer. 8. Use urgency and scarcity Urgency and scarcity are two powerful psychological triggers that can increase your conversion rate. When people feel like they need to act fast, they're more likely to buy from you. You can create a sense of urgency by offering limited-time discounts or promotions. In order to create a sense of scarcity you can offer products in limited quantities to a waitlist. Both of these tactics will encourage people to buy from you now instead of later, leading to more sales and a higher conversion rate. 9. Optimize your checkout process Making sure your checkout process is optimized can make a huge difference in your conversion rateâthe goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to buy from you. To do this, you'll need to streamline your checkout process and remove any unnecessary steps or confusion. You should also make sure your payment options are clearly visible and that your form fields are easy to understand. Enabling Shopify's Shop Pay and Shop app will also optimize your checkout process by allowing people to buy from you directly on their phones. According to Shopify, mobile checkouts convert 1.91x higher with Shop Pay, the fastest growing, highest converting, accelerated checkout on the internet. These checkout tips will help reduce friction at the point of sale and increase your conversion rate. 10. Use product recommendations Product recommendations are a great way to increase your conversion rate by showing people products they're likely to be interested in. You can use product recommendations in a number of ways, such as on your product pages, in your shopping cart, or in your email marketing campaigns. Product recommendations are a great way to boost sales and increase your conversion rate. But it's important to only recommend products that are relevant to your customers. Otherwise, you risk turning them off and sending them away. Recap of the tips for increasing your conversion rate Focus on optimizing your product pages. Make sure your calls to action are visible and easy to find. Offer discounts and free shipping. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly. Make your store easy to use. Improve your customer service. Use exit-intent popups. Use urgency and scarcity. So, there you have it! These are just a few of the many things you can do to increase your Shopify conversion rate. If you implement even just a few of these tips, you should see a significant increase in sales. And that's what it's all about! Thanks for reading! Looking for help with your Shopify store? Take a peek at our Shopify Sprints to get your site up and running in just a week.
Why You Should Ditch Etsy for Shopify
Have you been getting a bit annoyed at Etsy's high fees, weird UI changes, and oh-so-demanding customers lately? You're not aloneâa lot of people are in the same boat too. Or, maybe you're cruising along with Etsy just fine, but want to take your business to the next level by increasing brand awareness and control over your store experience. I love this analogy from Style Factory: "When you sell on Shopify, itâs like renting a space where you set up your own shop â but selling on Etsy is more like selling your goods in a supermarket. Hosting a store on Etsy is like having some shelf space in an aisle. Lots of customers will walk past it, but will they reach out for one of your products â or grab one of your competitorsâ?" Here's a guide to why moving from Etsy to Shopify might be a good idea. 1. Shopify has a billion more features than Etsy Okay, a billion is obviously a bit of an exaggeration, but seriouslyâthe amount of powerful apps that Shopify offers changes the game completely when it comes to customizing the way your store is run + how you market to your audience. Some features that you're able to integrate into your Shopify store via apps that Etsy does not offer include subscriptions, upsells, custom bundles, and local pickup + delivery. Etsy's easy-to-use and quite limited is great if you're just dipping your toes in the water of E-commerce, but if you're ready to take your online shop seriously, nothing beats the power and customization of Shopify. 2. Your storefront is so much more customizable This one's a bit obvious, but Etsy's storefronts are super-duper limited to the exact layout and sections that are outlined in its shop structure. A lot of features that Etsy offers, such as reviews and product variants, are easily duplicable using both free or paid apps on Shopify, so you don't need to worry about giving up too much when making the switch. Beyond just apps and functionalities, the ability to have total control over your Shopify store's layout, pages, and look + feel makes it so much easier to tell your brand's story and emotionally connect with your visitors. 3. It's easier to build your email list with Shopify Email marketing is where the $$$ is at in the online worldâits ROI is substantially higher than other marketing channels. So, as an E-commerce store, its important that you're putting effort into it as one of your main ways of driving (qualified) traffic. A tip for starting to build your email list on Etsy is to offer a 10% (or whatever) discount in your product description or photos in exchange for signing up for your email list. However, this is a very manual process for your user, as they need to visit a separate page to sign up for your list. Because there's no way for Etsy customers to automatically opt into your email list in checkout, it's much more effective to be (legally) collecting past customers' emails via Shopify. With Shopify, you have the option of placing a simple check box (which you can choose to have pre-selected) at checkout that automatically opts in your visitor to your email marketing. This is WAY more automated and high-converting than the manual Etsy discount signup strategy. 4. Shopify is extremely scalable There's a reason huge brands like Kylie Cosmetics and Fashion Nova are on Shopifyâit's truly the cream of the crop when it comes to E-commerce. Let's say your business dreams come true and your brand absolutely explodesâyou want to know that your E-commerce platform can handle this amount of traffic + transactions. Shopify Plus is Shopify's enterprise platform that offers a host of features such as custom checkouts, limitless bandwidth, and custom reports. Because of Shopify Plus' hefty $2,000+ monthly price tag, it's a general rule of thumb that you'll want to go for plus once you're pulling in roughly a million per year in revenue. Does this sound like a super far-off, lofty goal to you? It may be closer than you think with a strong + strategic brand strategy. 5. The numbers don't lie Here are a few statistics that will change your mind about the potential Shopify holds: In 2017, Etsy users spent $3 billion on the platform. In the same year, over $87 billion was spent on Shopify (Website Builder Expert). There are over 6,000 apps currently available on Shopify's app store to help you customize your store (Acquire Convert) Some of the conversion rates from various traffic sources were the following: email 4.38%; direct 4.35%; search 3.60%, and social 2%. These are decent! (Hosting Tribunal) Based on the data out there, Shopify is only growing and getting better with time. The main downside of switching from Etsy to Shopify This isn't all to say that there are no benefits to selling on Etsy. So what's the biggest drawback when it comes to moving from Etsy to Shopify? One word: traffic. With Shopify, you're going to need to be a lot more strategic about the various ways of driving traffic. This is because it's not as plug-and-play of a solution as Etsy isâmeaning, you're going to need to have a plan to drive visitors to your site as you won't simply be appearing in Etsy results where people are searching for your exact item. There are a ton of ways to do this and it can be a lot of fun diving into them and learning what works for your brand. The big ones to focus on are typically email marketing, paid ads, Google search engine optimization, and social media. The good news is, you don't have to go all in with one or the otherâyou can integrate Etsy and Shopify and have the best of both worlds. In fact, I recommend trying this first to see what works best for you! In conclusion, both platforms have their definite pros and cons. But, if you're looking to play in the big leagues of the E-Commerce world, Shopify is going to empower you to scale and come off as more "professional" rather than "homemade". Looking for help on which steps to take when setting up your Shopify store? Check out our free Shopify Setup Checklist for a helpful walkthrough of the main things you'll need to do to get up and running.
Why You Should Ditch Etsy for Shopify
Have you been getting a bit annoyed at Etsy's high fees, weird UI changes, and oh-so-demanding customers lately? You're not aloneâa lot of people are in the same boat too. Or, maybe you're cruising along with Etsy just fine, but want to take your business to the next level by increasing brand awareness and control over your store experience. I love this analogy from Style Factory: "When you sell on Shopify, itâs like renting a space where you set up your own shop â but selling on Etsy is more like selling your goods in a supermarket. Hosting a store on Etsy is like having some shelf space in an aisle. Lots of customers will walk past it, but will they reach out for one of your products â or grab one of your competitorsâ?" Here's a guide to why moving from Etsy to Shopify might be a good idea. 1. Shopify has a billion more features than Etsy Okay, a billion is obviously a bit of an exaggeration, but seriouslyâthe amount of powerful apps that Shopify offers changes the game completely when it comes to customizing the way your store is run + how you market to your audience. Some features that you're able to integrate into your Shopify store via apps that Etsy does not offer include subscriptions, upsells, custom bundles, and local pickup + delivery. Etsy's easy-to-use and quite limited is great if you're just dipping your toes in the water of E-commerce, but if you're ready to take your online shop seriously, nothing beats the power and customization of Shopify. 2. Your storefront is so much more customizable This one's a bit obvious, but Etsy's storefronts are super-duper limited to the exact layout and sections that are outlined in its shop structure. A lot of features that Etsy offers, such as reviews and product variants, are easily duplicable using both free or paid apps on Shopify, so you don't need to worry about giving up too much when making the switch. Beyond just apps and functionalities, the ability to have total control over your Shopify store's layout, pages, and look + feel makes it so much easier to tell your brand's story and emotionally connect with your visitors. 3. It's easier to build your email list with Shopify Email marketing is where the $$$ is at in the online worldâits ROI is substantially higher than other marketing channels. So, as an E-commerce store, its important that you're putting effort into it as one of your main ways of driving (qualified) traffic. A tip for starting to build your email list on Etsy is to offer a 10% (or whatever) discount in your product description or photos in exchange for signing up for your email list. However, this is a very manual process for your user, as they need to visit a separate page to sign up for your list. Because there's no way for Etsy customers to automatically opt into your email list in checkout, it's much more effective to be (legally) collecting past customers' emails via Shopify. With Shopify, you have the option of placing a simple check box (which you can choose to have pre-selected) at checkout that automatically opts in your visitor to your email marketing. This is WAY more automated and high-converting than the manual Etsy discount signup strategy. 4. Shopify is extremely scalable There's a reason huge brands like Kylie Cosmetics and Fashion Nova are on Shopifyâit's truly the cream of the crop when it comes to E-commerce. Let's say your business dreams come true and your brand absolutely explodesâyou want to know that your E-commerce platform can handle this amount of traffic + transactions. Shopify Plus is Shopify's enterprise platform that offers a host of features such as custom checkouts, limitless bandwidth, and custom reports. Because of Shopify Plus' hefty $2,000+ monthly price tag, it's a general rule of thumb that you'll want to go for plus once you're pulling in roughly a million per year in revenue. Does this sound like a super far-off, lofty goal to you? It may be closer than you think with a strong + strategic brand strategy. 5. The numbers don't lie Here are a few statistics that will change your mind about the potential Shopify holds: In 2017, Etsy users spent $3 billion on the platform. In the same year, over $87 billion was spent on Shopify (Website Builder Expert). There are over 6,000 apps currently available on Shopify's app store to help you customize your store (Acquire Convert) Some of the conversion rates from various traffic sources were the following: email 4.38%; direct 4.35%; search 3.60%, and social 2%. These are decent! (Hosting Tribunal) Based on the data out there, Shopify is only growing and getting better with time. The main downside of switching from Etsy to Shopify This isn't all to say that there are no benefits to selling on Etsy. So what's the biggest drawback when it comes to moving from Etsy to Shopify? One word: traffic. With Shopify, you're going to need to be a lot more strategic about the various ways of driving traffic. This is because it's not as plug-and-play of a solution as Etsy isâmeaning, you're going to need to have a plan to drive visitors to your site as you won't simply be appearing in Etsy results where people are searching for your exact item. There are a ton of ways to do this and it can be a lot of fun diving into them and learning what works for your brand. The big ones to focus on are typically email marketing, paid ads, Google search engine optimization, and social media. The good news is, you don't have to go all in with one or the otherâyou can integrate Etsy and Shopify and have the best of both worlds. In fact, I recommend trying this first to see what works best for you! In conclusion, both platforms have their definite pros and cons. But, if you're looking to play in the big leagues of the E-Commerce world, Shopify is going to empower you to scale and come off as more "professional" rather than "homemade". Looking for help on which steps to take when setting up your Shopify store? Check out our free Shopify Setup Checklist for a helpful walkthrough of the main things you'll need to do to get up and running.
The Secrets Behind a Successful Brand Strategy
Do you feel like youâre throwing spaghetti at the wall when it comes to your business? Like, youâre always trying some new and shiny marketing tactic, re-doing your Instagram graphics in Canva, or constantly running into writerâs block when itâs time to write a newsletter? Youâre getting a bit of traction, but you keep waiting for that elusive moment where your brand really âtakes offâ. As fun as it can be to get your feet wet in the ânext best thingâ thatâs going to launch your business into success, thereâs one thing that is completely underrated when it comes to actually building a brand that has ongoing, healthy growth: consistency. Your ideal audience NEEDS consistency in order to build trust and recognition that in turn leads to more sales and customer loyalty. Thereâs the classic âmarketing rule of 7â that states it takes an average of seven interactions with your brand before your audience will buy. Therefore, your brand needs to show up in the same way with its visuals, voice, and content for all seven of those interactions in order to make an impact. On top of that, being consistent is exponentially more effective when youâre constantly differentiated from your competitionâmeaning youâre brave enough to stand out from the crowd with the way your brand presents itself to the world. That being said, it can be tricky to build consistency and momentum in your brand when youâve never sat down to actually form a plan in the first place. How can you get this done, and get it done right the first time? The answer is: a thorough, well-thought-out brand strategy (no super basic, surface-level brand values and audience profiles here). So, what makes a successful brand strategy? What even is brand strategy? Check out the below to learn all about how a strong brand strategy can breathe life, growth, and purpose into your business:  1. Getting to know your audience for real Brands are more human than everâthatâs why itâs important that we speak to our audience in a manner thatâs not all dry, salesy, and features-focused. In order to do so, itâs crucial that we understand our ideal audience as deeply as we would a best friend or spouse. Demographics vs. Psychographics Itâs common in the branding world today to overemphasize the importance of your audienceâs demographicsâthings like age, occupation, location, and income. Itâs great to define these, but theyâre not going to tell you why someone will buy from you. In creating your ideal audience persona(s), itâs crucial to take a look at things such as their: Habits, goals, and their decision-making process Relationships and who they look up to Content they consume and where they hang out (both digitally and in-person) Things that are important to them both in their daily life and long-term By diving deep into the inner psyche of your audience, you can get a clear idea of how exactly to speak to them in order to demonstrate the value youâre bringing and how it can make their lives better/happier/more shiny overall. Your audience has 99 problems and you can help them solve one The core of any business is that it solves a problem for an audience. Yes, even nice-to-have luxury goods solve a âproblemâ for their customers. By getting a clear understanding of the problems that you solve for your audience, youâre able to help them bridge that gap between their existing self and their future, better self. How to bridge that gap? Purchase your products/services/offerings! When defining the problems that youâre solving for your audience, itâs important to focus on not only the super obvious external problems youâre aiming to fix, but the internal struggles that your audience is battling. People buy with their emotions, and their purchases are nearly always more than skin deepâwhat is the future aspirational vision of themselves that youâre helping them achieve? Focusing in on this is absolutely key when it comes to getting people to click the âBuyâ button. Digging into your audienceâs buying process By taking a close look at how your audience makes decisions and how this influences their typical buying process, we can get ahead of any potential objections that they may have to buying from you. When we anticipate their needs and get ahead of their questions this builds a sense of trust and authority within the brand (which leads to loyal and happy customers!). Itâs always a great idea to map out each stage of the buying process from the first time they come across your brand until theyâre a raving fan who tells everyone and their grandma about your amazing brand. How are they feeling at each stage in the process, and what specifically nudges them onto the next step? By doing this, youâre able to meet your audience where theyâre at across all interactions with your brand, leading to a seamless and delightful customer experience.  2. Understanding and positioning yourself within your nicheâs landscape Competition Here is where you want to find a fine balance. You want to be aware of what your competition is doing, but you donât want to fall into the rut of imitating themâthatâs not going to help you stand out and attract loyal clients! Mapping out who your closest competitors are, how theyâre similar and different to you, and each of their differentiating factors will help you understand where your brand lies within the industryâs landscape (and what makes it so special). Trends and gaps in the industry Itâs also a good idea to get a good sense of what trends are currently common in your industry. By taking a close look at your competition with a critical eye you can also identify an important thing for your brandâs successâwhat is nobody doing right now that you can capitalize and stake a claim on? Whatâs the ânext frontierâ that you and your brand explore in order to bring your audience products or services packaged in a way that they didnât even know existed?  3. Crafting the essence of your brand Now that we understand who you are serving and where your zone of genius is within your industry, itâs time to distill this all into a personality-filled, human-sounding brand. Values and Voice People donât buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Why does your brand exist in the first place? By clarifying this, your messaging will come across much more powerfully and allow your audience to deeply connect with your brand and its shared values. Carving out a few key values that your brand holds near and dear will allow you to ensure that youâre consistently attracting the exact type of people that youâd like to do business withâthe ones that light you up from the inside and make you so happy that you get to serve people in the way that you love the most. The voice that your brand speaks in is the glue of all of this. It needs some SPICEânothing turns a customer off faster than boring, dry, sales-y business speak. Donât be afraid to invest in a copywriter for your website (at the very least) to make sure that your brand sounds human. Your voice needs to appear consistent across all platforms, not including only your Instagram captions and email marketingâhow much thought have you given to your order confirmation emails, customer service DMs, and packaging insert cards? The most powerful brand impressions can be made with the perfect little quote or phrase inserted in unexpected moments across your brandâs touchpoints. Mission Statement(s) Youâve definitely heard of a classic mission statement, but did you know that you should have (at least) 3 variations of it? Hereâs an example from a recent project weâve worked on: Long Mission Statement: We provide honest, eco-conscious CBD skincare tailored with quality formulas and sustainable packaging to help you influence positive change for the planetâs future. Medium Mission Statement: Influence positive change for the planetâs future with our honest and eco-conscious CBD skincare. Short Mission Statement: Honest, eco-conscious CBD skincare Do you see how by creating multiple versions of your mission statement, it becomes more flexible for different uses? For example, an Instagram caption vs. your websiteâs hero text. When your mission statement is flexible in this way, you use it more without sounding repetitive or stiff (again, leading to our main goal of more consistency!). Content Pillars Here, we define the actual substance of your brandâwhat is it that youâre putting out into the world each day in order to give value to your audience and help foster a meaningful community that surrounds your brand? A content pillar is a main topic that your brand focuses on in its copy (most brands have about 3-5 main content pillars). For example, if youâre a natural skincare brand, your content pillars may include beauty tips, education surrounding the use of different skincare ingredients, and makeup and beauty trends. Itâs important when deciding upon these content pillars to consider what will resonate with your specific target audience. You may have one pillar that targets your main audience segment and another pillar that targets your secondary audience segments. Always keep in mindâwhat kind of content will my audience get value from and keep them coming back for more? What kind of content will build credibility and trust in the eyes of my audience? A quick way for your brand to flop is to always be in selling mode and forgetting to deliver content and insights that will benefit who youâre trying to reach.  4. Translating allllll of that into a visual strategy Phew, weâve made it through the key points of setting a solid brand strategy to act as a foundation for all of our future business activities! Who knew how much there is to consider? Now comes the fun partâusing all of these findings to craft a visual identity that will stand the test of time and bring a steady flow of ideal customers to your business. Industry-specific solutions Before diving into the look and feel of your brand, itâs important to outline specific solutions that you plan on incorporating into your design in order for it to align with your brandâs goals and audience. Some examples of what these may be: Using neutral, earthy colors to signal your brandâs commitment to clean ingredients and sustainability Using vintage-inspired type and local influence to demonstrate your brands heritage or provenance Use of pattern to convey playfulness and vibrance When thinking of design solutions, Iâs really important to steer clear from cliches while still planning something that will easily signal to your audience what type of brand you are. You also want to steer clear of trends that will be dead in two years while still appearing forward-thinking and desirable. Finding these balances is where a designer/brand strategistâs experience comes in handy! Creative Directions In deciding on the look and feel that your brand will give off, itâs important to explore a couple of different options so that you know for sure youâre heading in the right direction. There is more than one way to crack the code of building a brand identity that achieves your goals, which is why coming up with a visual plan for your brand is so much fun. Itâs important for you and your designer to be on the same page before moving onto things such as the logos, color palette, and typography design, so itâs a good idea to dive deeper than simply creating a moodboard to base your designs off of. At Bungalow, we create a visual plan, typography direction, and basic website mockup before moving onto the actual designs. This helps you get a vivid idea of how the brand will look and function in real life before jumping into the identity design head-first. In Conclusion There is a lot to brand strategy. Itâs so much more than a visual plan or list of adjectives that describe your brandâitâs digging into the business and marketing principles that lay the foundation for your brandâs growth well into the future. Building a business without thoroughly understanding your brand strategy first is like building a family home on a foundation of toothpicks. You have high hopes for the good times and comfort itâs going to bring you in the future, but unless you set that foundation right, itâs bound to come crashing down sooner or later. Looking to chat more about how brand strategy can bring you the business youâve always wanted to own? Get in touch now to schedule a free 30-minute chat about your brandâs future.
The Secrets Behind a Successful Brand Strategy
Do you feel like youâre throwing spaghetti at the wall when it comes to your business? Like, youâre always trying some new and shiny marketing tactic, re-doing your Instagram graphics in Canva, or constantly running into writerâs block when itâs time to write a newsletter? Youâre getting a bit of traction, but you keep waiting for that elusive moment where your brand really âtakes offâ. As fun as it can be to get your feet wet in the ânext best thingâ thatâs going to launch your business into success, thereâs one thing that is completely underrated when it comes to actually building a brand that has ongoing, healthy growth: consistency. Your ideal audience NEEDS consistency in order to build trust and recognition that in turn leads to more sales and customer loyalty. Thereâs the classic âmarketing rule of 7â that states it takes an average of seven interactions with your brand before your audience will buy. Therefore, your brand needs to show up in the same way with its visuals, voice, and content for all seven of those interactions in order to make an impact. On top of that, being consistent is exponentially more effective when youâre constantly differentiated from your competitionâmeaning youâre brave enough to stand out from the crowd with the way your brand presents itself to the world. That being said, it can be tricky to build consistency and momentum in your brand when youâve never sat down to actually form a plan in the first place. How can you get this done, and get it done right the first time? The answer is: a thorough, well-thought-out brand strategy (no super basic, surface-level brand values and audience profiles here). So, what makes a successful brand strategy? What even is brand strategy? Check out the below to learn all about how a strong brand strategy can breathe life, growth, and purpose into your business:  1. Getting to know your audience for real Brands are more human than everâthatâs why itâs important that we speak to our audience in a manner thatâs not all dry, salesy, and features-focused. In order to do so, itâs crucial that we understand our ideal audience as deeply as we would a best friend or spouse. Demographics vs. Psychographics Itâs common in the branding world today to overemphasize the importance of your audienceâs demographicsâthings like age, occupation, location, and income. Itâs great to define these, but theyâre not going to tell you why someone will buy from you. In creating your ideal audience persona(s), itâs crucial to take a look at things such as their: Habits, goals, and their decision-making process Relationships and who they look up to Content they consume and where they hang out (both digitally and in-person) Things that are important to them both in their daily life and long-term By diving deep into the inner psyche of your audience, you can get a clear idea of how exactly to speak to them in order to demonstrate the value youâre bringing and how it can make their lives better/happier/more shiny overall. Your audience has 99 problems and you can help them solve one The core of any business is that it solves a problem for an audience. Yes, even nice-to-have luxury goods solve a âproblemâ for their customers. By getting a clear understanding of the problems that you solve for your audience, youâre able to help them bridge that gap between their existing self and their future, better self. How to bridge that gap? Purchase your products/services/offerings! When defining the problems that youâre solving for your audience, itâs important to focus on not only the super obvious external problems youâre aiming to fix, but the internal struggles that your audience is battling. People buy with their emotions, and their purchases are nearly always more than skin deepâwhat is the future aspirational vision of themselves that youâre helping them achieve? Focusing in on this is absolutely key when it comes to getting people to click the âBuyâ button. Digging into your audienceâs buying process By taking a close look at how your audience makes decisions and how this influences their typical buying process, we can get ahead of any potential objections that they may have to buying from you. When we anticipate their needs and get ahead of their questions this builds a sense of trust and authority within the brand (which leads to loyal and happy customers!). Itâs always a great idea to map out each stage of the buying process from the first time they come across your brand until theyâre a raving fan who tells everyone and their grandma about your amazing brand. How are they feeling at each stage in the process, and what specifically nudges them onto the next step? By doing this, youâre able to meet your audience where theyâre at across all interactions with your brand, leading to a seamless and delightful customer experience.  2. Understanding and positioning yourself within your nicheâs landscape Competition Here is where you want to find a fine balance. You want to be aware of what your competition is doing, but you donât want to fall into the rut of imitating themâthatâs not going to help you stand out and attract loyal clients! Mapping out who your closest competitors are, how theyâre similar and different to you, and each of their differentiating factors will help you understand where your brand lies within the industryâs landscape (and what makes it so special). Trends and gaps in the industry Itâs also a good idea to get a good sense of what trends are currently common in your industry. By taking a close look at your competition with a critical eye you can also identify an important thing for your brandâs successâwhat is nobody doing right now that you can capitalize and stake a claim on? Whatâs the ânext frontierâ that you and your brand explore in order to bring your audience products or services packaged in a way that they didnât even know existed?  3. Crafting the essence of your brand Now that we understand who you are serving and where your zone of genius is within your industry, itâs time to distill this all into a personality-filled, human-sounding brand. Values and Voice People donât buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Why does your brand exist in the first place? By clarifying this, your messaging will come across much more powerfully and allow your audience to deeply connect with your brand and its shared values. Carving out a few key values that your brand holds near and dear will allow you to ensure that youâre consistently attracting the exact type of people that youâd like to do business withâthe ones that light you up from the inside and make you so happy that you get to serve people in the way that you love the most. The voice that your brand speaks in is the glue of all of this. It needs some SPICEânothing turns a customer off faster than boring, dry, sales-y business speak. Donât be afraid to invest in a copywriter for your website (at the very least) to make sure that your brand sounds human. Your voice needs to appear consistent across all platforms, not including only your Instagram captions and email marketingâhow much thought have you given to your order confirmation emails, customer service DMs, and packaging insert cards? The most powerful brand impressions can be made with the perfect little quote or phrase inserted in unexpected moments across your brandâs touchpoints. Mission Statement(s) Youâve definitely heard of a classic mission statement, but did you know that you should have (at least) 3 variations of it? Hereâs an example from a recent project weâve worked on: Long Mission Statement: We provide honest, eco-conscious CBD skincare tailored with quality formulas and sustainable packaging to help you influence positive change for the planetâs future. Medium Mission Statement: Influence positive change for the planetâs future with our honest and eco-conscious CBD skincare. Short Mission Statement: Honest, eco-conscious CBD skincare Do you see how by creating multiple versions of your mission statement, it becomes more flexible for different uses? For example, an Instagram caption vs. your websiteâs hero text. When your mission statement is flexible in this way, you use it more without sounding repetitive or stiff (again, leading to our main goal of more consistency!). Content Pillars Here, we define the actual substance of your brandâwhat is it that youâre putting out into the world each day in order to give value to your audience and help foster a meaningful community that surrounds your brand? A content pillar is a main topic that your brand focuses on in its copy (most brands have about 3-5 main content pillars). For example, if youâre a natural skincare brand, your content pillars may include beauty tips, education surrounding the use of different skincare ingredients, and makeup and beauty trends. Itâs important when deciding upon these content pillars to consider what will resonate with your specific target audience. You may have one pillar that targets your main audience segment and another pillar that targets your secondary audience segments. Always keep in mindâwhat kind of content will my audience get value from and keep them coming back for more? What kind of content will build credibility and trust in the eyes of my audience? A quick way for your brand to flop is to always be in selling mode and forgetting to deliver content and insights that will benefit who youâre trying to reach.  4. Translating allllll of that into a visual strategy Phew, weâve made it through the key points of setting a solid brand strategy to act as a foundation for all of our future business activities! Who knew how much there is to consider? Now comes the fun partâusing all of these findings to craft a visual identity that will stand the test of time and bring a steady flow of ideal customers to your business. Industry-specific solutions Before diving into the look and feel of your brand, itâs important to outline specific solutions that you plan on incorporating into your design in order for it to align with your brandâs goals and audience. Some examples of what these may be: Using neutral, earthy colors to signal your brandâs commitment to clean ingredients and sustainability Using vintage-inspired type and local influence to demonstrate your brands heritage or provenance Use of pattern to convey playfulness and vibrance When thinking of design solutions, Iâs really important to steer clear from cliches while still planning something that will easily signal to your audience what type of brand you are. You also want to steer clear of trends that will be dead in two years while still appearing forward-thinking and desirable. Finding these balances is where a designer/brand strategistâs experience comes in handy! Creative Directions In deciding on the look and feel that your brand will give off, itâs important to explore a couple of different options so that you know for sure youâre heading in the right direction. There is more than one way to crack the code of building a brand identity that achieves your goals, which is why coming up with a visual plan for your brand is so much fun. Itâs important for you and your designer to be on the same page before moving onto things such as the logos, color palette, and typography design, so itâs a good idea to dive deeper than simply creating a moodboard to base your designs off of. At Bungalow, we create a visual plan, typography direction, and basic website mockup before moving onto the actual designs. This helps you get a vivid idea of how the brand will look and function in real life before jumping into the identity design head-first. In Conclusion There is a lot to brand strategy. Itâs so much more than a visual plan or list of adjectives that describe your brandâitâs digging into the business and marketing principles that lay the foundation for your brandâs growth well into the future. Building a business without thoroughly understanding your brand strategy first is like building a family home on a foundation of toothpicks. You have high hopes for the good times and comfort itâs going to bring you in the future, but unless you set that foundation right, itâs bound to come crashing down sooner or later. Looking to chat more about how brand strategy can bring you the business youâve always wanted to own? Get in touch now to schedule a free 30-minute chat about your brandâs future.
Show Off Your Brand in These Unexpected Moments
Sometimes the smallest little injections of brand voice make the biggest impact on your customers. Of course there's the obvious logo design, website about page, and email marketing, but where can you unexpectedly infuse your brand's personality and delight your audience? This type of branding goes beyond just plopping your logo(s) everywhereâhere is where your brand voice is really going to be put to work. Either by yourself or with the help of a brand strategist, come up with a few taglines/phrases that you can pepper around everything your brand touches. Keep on reading for moments where you can do this! Underneath your product lid What better way to delight your customer than insert a witty little phrase underneath your product's lid/top/cap etc.âthink snapple! This will help your audience build an emotional connection with your brand, increasing customer lifetime value. In your order confirmation email The moments after somebody buys is an opportune time to get them even more excited than they already are. Carefully crafting your order confirmation emails so that your brand voice shines through and engages the customer will prime them to be counting down the minutes until they get their package. In your customer support comms Everybody always thinks of things such as Instagram captions, website copy, and email newsletters when it comes to brand voice. But what about your customer support? Make sure that either you or whoever is handling your customer support is well-briefed on your brand's values, voice, and mission so that your brand appears consistent (and delightful!) across all touchpoints. A surprise freebie People LOVE free stuff! There are two ways you can surprise them with a small freebie, such as a sticker, sample of another one of your products, or something else memorable and branded. Option one would be to include it in every order that you send out. This is straightforward and easy! Another option would be to run a campaign and mail your VIP customers a surprise package when they're not expecting itâthis will totally make their day and wow them. In your product instructions/descriptions Why do product descriptions always need to be so....boring and sterile? Barring any legal requirements, brands should be having FUN with these! One of my favorite examples of all time when it comes to unexpected branding is the instructions Lush includes on its body washes: Source  Need more branding and packaging inspo to get the gears turning? Read more on DesignRush's latest list of award-winning designs. Conclusion Once you've nailed down your brand's foundations and feel like you're ready to take it to the next level, it's time to think of the little moments in a customer's journey that are often overlooked. These are oftentimes the most simple but the most impactful tweaks in order to become memorable in your audience's eyes. What are some of your favorite examples of subtle/unexpected/delightful branding? Shoot us a DM on Instagram at @bungalow.creative. đ
Show Off Your Brand in These Unexpected Moments
Sometimes the smallest little injections of brand voice make the biggest impact on your customers. Of course there's the obvious logo design, website about page, and email marketing, but where can you unexpectedly infuse your brand's personality and delight your audience? This type of branding goes beyond just plopping your logo(s) everywhereâhere is where your brand voice is really going to be put to work. Either by yourself or with the help of a brand strategist, come up with a few taglines/phrases that you can pepper around everything your brand touches. Keep on reading for moments where you can do this! Underneath your product lid What better way to delight your customer than insert a witty little phrase underneath your product's lid/top/cap etc.âthink snapple! This will help your audience build an emotional connection with your brand, increasing customer lifetime value. In your order confirmation email The moments after somebody buys is an opportune time to get them even more excited than they already are. Carefully crafting your order confirmation emails so that your brand voice shines through and engages the customer will prime them to be counting down the minutes until they get their package. In your customer support comms Everybody always thinks of things such as Instagram captions, website copy, and email newsletters when it comes to brand voice. But what about your customer support? Make sure that either you or whoever is handling your customer support is well-briefed on your brand's values, voice, and mission so that your brand appears consistent (and delightful!) across all touchpoints. A surprise freebie People LOVE free stuff! There are two ways you can surprise them with a small freebie, such as a sticker, sample of another one of your products, or something else memorable and branded. Option one would be to include it in every order that you send out. This is straightforward and easy! Another option would be to run a campaign and mail your VIP customers a surprise package when they're not expecting itâthis will totally make their day and wow them. In your product instructions/descriptions Why do product descriptions always need to be so....boring and sterile? Barring any legal requirements, brands should be having FUN with these! One of my favorite examples of all time when it comes to unexpected branding is the instructions Lush includes on its body washes: Source  Need more branding and packaging inspo to get the gears turning? Read more on DesignRush's latest list of award-winning designs. Conclusion Once you've nailed down your brand's foundations and feel like you're ready to take it to the next level, it's time to think of the little moments in a customer's journey that are often overlooked. These are oftentimes the most simple but the most impactful tweaks in order to become memorable in your audience's eyes. What are some of your favorite examples of subtle/unexpected/delightful branding? Shoot us a DM on Instagram at @bungalow.creative. đ
3 Things to Watch Out For When Selecting a Branding Studio
Are you wondering what's the difference between a stunningly gorgeous and strategic brand designâone that is even better than you could've imagined and just feels rightâand one that feels a bit off and just...flops? These key things to keep in mind when selecting and collaborating with a design studio will act as your North Star when it comes to going through the rebrand you've always dreamed about. With a sea of branding studios of all shapes and sizes out there, it's no wonder that dipping your toes into the brand design water can be a bit overwhelming. How do I know who and what is right for me and my business? Is the money that I'm spending really going to make a difference in my bottom line in the near future? How do I vet and judge the endless array of brand design studios available to me? These are all valid and common questions that pop up at the beginning of the brand design process. See below for the key things to look out for when scouting out a branding studio to get the job done (and get it done well!): Portfolio AND process Sure, their designs may be beautiful, but is it going to take 12 revisions to get the job done, extending the project timeline by months? SO much of what makes a branding project successful is not only the final outcome but the steps that are taken to get there. Professional designers should be holding your hand and guiding you through the processânot taking a week to respond to your emails and always having you guess what's next. They should make it clear to you that this ain't their first time at the rodeo and they've got your back with any questions you have. The designer you choose should have a clearly established process with distinct milestones, boundaries, and workflows to follow.  Some things to consider when selecting a designer include the belowâif it's not clear on their site or in their sales collateral, just ask! Do they use a project management tool to help organize the project and give a birds-eye view of any milestones? Will there be clear deadlines set for each milestone? Do they set clear expectations and boundaries so that you're on the same page when it comes to how the project will run? Do they have a professional proposal that outlines the exact scope you'll be receiving so that there's no ambiguity along the way? Do they seem confident when communicating their process and value to you? Are they eager to hop on a call to build connection and a strong working relationship? The strategy that informs the design A successful brand design doesn't come in isolationâfor it to be successful, the brand's positioning, values, competitive advantage, and target audience must all be crystal clear. When it comes down to it, SO much of a great brand design process isn't actually graphic design, rather strategic research and synthesis of the brand's foundation. When looking for a designer or agency that will help you build a long-lasting and high-converting brand, it's important to dig deep into how they approach the strategy that informs the design. Ways you can determine this are: Do their case studies have text explaining the core essence of the brand and how this was translated visually, or are they simply eye-catching designs? Do they require a full brand strategy session before moving onto any visual design? Do they work with existing brand guidelines or start all client work with an in-house brand design? Do their case studies seem trendy and dated or a perfect balance of modern yet timeless? Do they practice what they preach by being clear on who their ideal client is and having a cohesive identity and/or specific niche? A business model that complements your own Are they severely underpricing their services? And there you have it! Now that you have a better understanding of how to find a design studio to work with that's perfect for you, you're ready to get yourself out there and get in touch with designers that would be thrilled to do everything they can to make your brand design a successful one. Think that we would be a good fit? Get in touch about a project hereâI'd be happy to answer any questions you have about how we can work together to attract your dream clients and multiply your revenue.
3 Things to Watch Out For When Selecting a Branding Studio
Are you wondering what's the difference between a stunningly gorgeous and strategic brand designâone that is even better than you could've imagined and just feels rightâand one that feels a bit off and just...flops? These key things to keep in mind when selecting and collaborating with a design studio will act as your North Star when it comes to going through the rebrand you've always dreamed about. With a sea of branding studios of all shapes and sizes out there, it's no wonder that dipping your toes into the brand design water can be a bit overwhelming. How do I know who and what is right for me and my business? Is the money that I'm spending really going to make a difference in my bottom line in the near future? How do I vet and judge the endless array of brand design studios available to me? These are all valid and common questions that pop up at the beginning of the brand design process. See below for the key things to look out for when scouting out a branding studio to get the job done (and get it done well!): Portfolio AND process Sure, their designs may be beautiful, but is it going to take 12 revisions to get the job done, extending the project timeline by months? SO much of what makes a branding project successful is not only the final outcome but the steps that are taken to get there. Professional designers should be holding your hand and guiding you through the processânot taking a week to respond to your emails and always having you guess what's next. They should make it clear to you that this ain't their first time at the rodeo and they've got your back with any questions you have. The designer you choose should have a clearly established process with distinct milestones, boundaries, and workflows to follow.  Some things to consider when selecting a designer include the belowâif it's not clear on their site or in their sales collateral, just ask! Do they use a project management tool to help organize the project and give a birds-eye view of any milestones? Will there be clear deadlines set for each milestone? Do they set clear expectations and boundaries so that you're on the same page when it comes to how the project will run? Do they have a professional proposal that outlines the exact scope you'll be receiving so that there's no ambiguity along the way? Do they seem confident when communicating their process and value to you? Are they eager to hop on a call to build connection and a strong working relationship? The strategy that informs the design A successful brand design doesn't come in isolationâfor it to be successful, the brand's positioning, values, competitive advantage, and target audience must all be crystal clear. When it comes down to it, SO much of a great brand design process isn't actually graphic design, rather strategic research and synthesis of the brand's foundation. When looking for a designer or agency that will help you build a long-lasting and high-converting brand, it's important to dig deep into how they approach the strategy that informs the design. Ways you can determine this are: Do their case studies have text explaining the core essence of the brand and how this was translated visually, or are they simply eye-catching designs? Do they require a full brand strategy session before moving onto any visual design? Do they work with existing brand guidelines or start all client work with an in-house brand design? Do their case studies seem trendy and dated or a perfect balance of modern yet timeless? Do they practice what they preach by being clear on who their ideal client is and having a cohesive identity and/or specific niche? A business model that complements your own Are they severely underpricing their services? And there you have it! Now that you have a better understanding of how to find a design studio to work with that's perfect for you, you're ready to get yourself out there and get in touch with designers that would be thrilled to do everything they can to make your brand design a successful one. Think that we would be a good fit? Get in touch about a project hereâI'd be happy to answer any questions you have about how we can work together to attract your dream clients and multiply your revenue.
