A Guide to eCommerce Web Design - Product Page

The product page is arguably the most important page on any eCommerce website. This is where visitors decide whether or not your product is worth their money. 

When done well, your product page can convert those same visitors into customers, generating steady sales for your business.  

This article will cover the importance of a product page, what to include on your product page, and how to design your product page. Using these tips will help facilitate in inspiring customers to click the checkout button, purchase your product and hopefully leave a 5 star review! 

What is a product page?

The product page is the page on your website which displays your product and all of the information about your product to help facilitate the customer in their decision making process. This includes images of the product, along with specs and answers to questions they may have.

Goals of a product page

Simply put, the goal of a product page is to convert a customer from considering, to purchasing your product. Here’s how to accomplish this goal: 

• Make it visually appealing - The first thing a potential visitor will notice is how your page looks, this includes the quality of your product images! Images are essential to 93% of customers in the decision making process.
• Write an informative & persuasive product description - Product photos can’t describe everything about the product. A great product description details features and benefits of buying or owning the product. 
• Keep it simple - You don't want a complicated process to be the reason you lose a sale. 76% of customers say that the most important part of a website is that it’s easy to navigate. Make sure your product page has a fast load time and is easy to use on mobile, desktop, and tablet.
• Show social proof - You can say your product is fantastic but why should a customer believe you? It is your product! Providing social proof through reviews shows the customer that real people also love your product, and customers trust reviews 12 times more than product descriptions! 
• Make it accessible - Your product is likely not just of value to able bodied people but is valuable to disabled people too. It is important to create a product page that is accessible to everyone, including the visually impaired.
• Create a sense of urgency - Sales can be increased by 332% when your product has a sense of urgency. Running low on stock? Let the customer know! Have a sale ending in 24 hours? Put a countdown next to the product price.

What is the purpose of the product page?

For the seller

The purpose of a product page is to persuade the customer that they need your product. To do so, you have to present the right information above the fold, forcing them to scroll down and view the rest of the page.

1. Clearly define the product

Describe the product in a short snappy way that gives the customer confidence in the product they are buying - What does the product look like? How big is it? What is it made of? What colour is it?

Does the product include anything that could make your product more valuable to the customer? - If it’s battery operated, does it include batteries? Extra accessories such as a charger? Does it come with a warranty?

One of the most important pieces of information to the visitor… How much does it cost? You can have an incredible product but you will not convert if the customer does not know how much it is - Is it on sale? Is there a discount the more you purchase? How much is one? Is shipping free?

How does it work?  - How do you use the product? Are there different use cases? Who is it made for? 

Check out this one from Party Pastries, which clearly explains what the customer can expect with their purchase. 

2. Establish trust 

Social proof is vital! Having a great product description is fantastic, but if the  reviews don’t align with how the product is described, they’ll never buy it. 

Have an influencer that mentions loving your product in their latest YouTube video or TikTok. 61% of consumers say they trust influencer recommendations –  leverage this and link any influencer marketing on your product page!

3. Align with the buyer’s goals

Why would you buy a product you don’t need? You wouldn’t. Create an environment on your product page that persuades the visitor that they need your product. 
Show how owning your product can help your customer solve their pain point, satisfy their craving, or achieve a certain goal. 

4. Get them to the checkout page

You can have an outstanding product page, but if there is no obvious way to checkout, how do you expect to have any conversions? It’s your job to make your customers' lives easier, not to give them a treasure hunt!

Include a call to action (CTA)  above the fold such as “add to basket” or “get this deal” that directs the customer to the checkout page. Be original with your CTAs; they don't have to be formal.

For the buyer

When someone visits your product page it is likely that it is because they need to solve a problem or satisfy a desire. 

Just talking about the features of your product is not enough. You need to discuss how and when the features of your product will fulfil the problem your customer is having.

If a photographer is looking to upskill, simply telling the photographer to take your online course is not enough. You need to tell them what they will learn in your course, how it will help them improve their photography, and ultimately, make them more money.  This speaks to the need of feeling superior to their competitors.

If a customer has been sunburnt and they are looking for relief, they don't just want to hear the ingredients in your product. The customer wants to know how the ingredients in your product provide relief and how soon they can expect results.

What should be on a product page?

Craft a creative & descriptive product title

Yes, you want such a juicy product title that your customers struggle to resist clicking on the product…But, you can’t mislead them.

If you tempt the customer with a clickbait-worthy title, they might click on the product. But they’ll be left frustrated and you run the risk of losing many potential customers because of your deceit. 

If you don’t have value to offer, don’t offer value. It’s that simple!

Use high-quality images

UGC can be fantastic, especially when it is high quality content. If possible, leverage content from powerful influencers in your target market. 

Don’t use the stock or manufacturer photos. Take your own photos and make sure they are high quality! 

Some consumers find it easier to visualise using your product when they can see others using it. Include pictures of people using your product or better yet a video of someone using your product.

Write informative & persuasive product descriptions

Most of the time there is no need to write like you are selling to the queen. Write as if you are selling to a friend. It may feel unprofessional at first but to the customer it comes off as genuine.

You want the customer to feel as though they will be missing out if they don’t purchase your product. For example if you are trying to sell a new easy up tent say something along the lines of “Don’t be the one to miss out on toasting marshmallows because your tent took twice as long as everyone else's to put up.”

If they can’t imagine buying or having the product, they’ll never buy it. The description should complement the images in a way that the customer can imagine themselves owning the product.

Check out this one from Dematech.

Add a compelling CTA

The goal of a eCommerce product page is to sell a product. To make that happen, your product page needs a clear CTA . 

And this isn’t limited just to the “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” buttons… You can create a CTA in your product description, with the button click serving as the ultimate action.

Be creative and use your brand voice when creating CTA’s so that you can stand out from your competitors.

Just like we want our product descriptions irresistible to click on (without clickbait) make your CTA’s irresistible too! 

Create trust with social proof

Use trust badges, these let customers know that you are a legitimate brand. Not only are they taking a risk in buying your product online as a first time buyer but they are putting their credit card details into your website.

Just like you are more likely to buy a certain product or brand if it has been recommended to you by a friend, reviews and testimonials act as your customers' online friends.

Reply to those reviews whether they are good or bad. This lets customers know that as a brand you are listening and care what customers think – putting in the work to prevent future issues.

Although it may be tempting to just delete the bad reviews, it is unrealistic for every customer to have a 5 star experience. The key is to be transparent.

Add creative, yet intuitive symbols to draw attention to certain benefits

Website visitors are naturally drawn to symbols, so use these to highlight important features or benefits of your product. 

KeAloha uses symbols to highlight how their products help protect the oceans.  

Include other important information to eliminate any doubt

Customers like to put in the least amount of work possible, so you want to make sure that all of the information a customer may want before making a purchase is available on your product page. If they have to search elsewhere for more information, it’s unlikely that they’ll come back to your site.

The product description is meant to influence them. But ultimately, people want to know exactly what they’re buying. Let them know what’s included with the product, how it works, and how it satisfies their needs & cravings. 

Include a list of commonly asked questions about the product so that customers can quickly find the answer they’re looking for. 

From a few photographs and a short description, it can be hard to gauge the size of the product. Include dimensions for relevant products such as clothing, shoes, and furniture. 

What information does the customer need to know about the shipping of the product? Is it free? How long will it take? Let them know.

Encourage social sharing

Social sharing icons such as  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest should be added to the product page so that customers can easily share the link to anyone they have recommended the product to.

Offer similar products

If the visitor is interested in this product, they’re going to buy it. But if they are not interested, recommending similar products is a great way to keep them on your site, potentially resulting in the purchase of another product.

How to design a product page

Now, it's finally time to design that product page. But how do you get started? 

Get inspired

Have a look at what others are doing! What product pages are your favourites as a consumer? What do they do well and what do you think they could be doing better?

It is great to check out others in your niche, sometimes there are already great ideas out there that you can adapt and make even better.

Design a simple, intuitive layout

You may think that having a lot of words so that you can give the customer every single detail imaginable is a good thing. But, you should keep your information as concise and nicely presented as possible so as to not overwhelm the customer.

Website visitors don’t read every single word on a webpage. Instead, they efficiently scan the page, doing the least amount of work in order to achieve their goal. But, not all users scan the same.

Design the page with the rest of the site in mind. Keep logos, colours, fonts, and image styles consistent across all pages. 

Place the most important information above the fold – this is what the customer first sees when they arrive at your product page. The information above the fold should be enticing enough to convince the customer to scroll down to find out more.

The layout of your product page should provide a seamless uncomplicated experience no matter whether it is being viewed on mobile, tablet, or laptop.

The website should load fast enough that the customer does not notice having to sit and wait for it to load. Ideally, this should be under 2 seconds.

Now, repeat it

The great thing about product pages is that although there are a lot of them to create, you can make a template from the first one and then just duplicate it for your other products. Just swap out the title, descriptions, and images as needed.

Now, whenever you have a new product, the page layout is already complete. This will save you so much time as your business grows and you add more products to your site. 

Test, analyse, and make changes as needed

In a perfect world, you’ll design a high-converting product page that generates thousands of dollars in sales. But in a more realistic world, you’ll likely have to design and test multiple different layouts.

See what’s working and what isn’t – just because it worked for another brand does not mean it will work for your brand. And after enough iterations, you’ll have the perfect product page for your audience.

Conclusion

The product page determines whether or not your website visitors will become customers.  So, it’s important to design a product page that influences them to make a purchase.  Follow the tips in this guide and turn your product from something your customers want to something they need.

Or, if you're looking for a professional web design team, we're always happy to help. Get in touch with us today.