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Fashion

4 ways fashion retailers can keep product pages on trend this summer

By Kathy Heslop

May 20, 2014 | 4 min read

While the British Summer brings no guarantee of good weather, one thing that is certain is that UK eCommerce fashion retailers will experience a seasonal increase in online activity as consumers refresh their wardrobes for upcoming holidays and the garden party season.

However, even with the chicest stock in the land, if your product pages are poorly thought-out and fail to deliver a great user experience you’re unlikely to convert many browsers into buyers.

Here are four ideas on how to ensure that your product pages look great, showcase your stock effectively and successfully guide users from the digital shop-floor to the till.

1) Show me, show me

The visual process of buying something online is no different to being in the store, especially with fashion. Your customer needs to be able to see and almost feel the item they’re thinking about purchasing. It goes without saying that your product page will have an image of the item, but this is not nearly enough. Your page needs high resolution quality images, that are crisp, and preferably on a plain white background.

As a minimum, have images of the item from multiple angles, with features that allow zooming and rotation of your wares. If you really want to impress, including videos showing catwalk models wearing your attire will really get customers moving down the conversion funnel.

2) Stay focused on the sale

Product pages often contain lots of information that can divert attention from the primary objective – selling.

Have clear Calls To Action above and below the fold that dominate the page, always nudging your customer towards conversion. Authoritative icons labelled ‘Add to Cart’ or ‘Proceed to Checkout’ need to be brightly coloured and clashing with brand style.

Akin to visiting a store, when online, customers are happy to receive a little bit of helpful advice to ease them through the buying process. Passing on trends, with options like ‘Winter Wardrobe’ or ‘Complete the Look’ provide more than a basic shopping experience, almost like providing your customer with their own personal stylist.

3) Relevant info never goes out of style

An in-depth manufacturer’s specification is the prerequisite with copy, but it shouldn’t stop there. Too many fashion eCommerce sites take the easy option with their product description by providing the bare minimum.

The first thing to consider here is your target audience. The aim should be to produce unique copy that sells the product as if your customers were standing in front of you. Great copy should enrich the shopping experience. Yes, by providing required information, but also by stimulating desire through in-depth description.

Let’s not forget the SEO benefits of unique copy either. These relevant search terms will help engines find your site as well as distinguishing you from other eCommerce sites selling similar apparel.

4) Cut return rates with customer reviews

More so than in any other industry, returns are part and parcel of eRetail. At last count, a massive 40% of garments purchased online were sent back. Just because a large returns rate is to be expected doesn’t mean you can’t use your product pages to pare it down somewhat.

Include customer product reviews through a simple starring system, for example, or demonstrate social proof through social media icons - this also has the added benefit of getting shoppers to promote your attire for you.

These techniques will help fill your customer with the confidence to complete their transaction.

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