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For years, physical retail stores have harnessed the power of visual merchandising to captivate their customers. As online shopping is in full bloom, this strategy has made its way to digital stores and gives merchants more control over the product listing page.
In the realm of eCommerce, your website and digital content serve as your virtual storefronts. To stay ahead of the fierce online competition, online merchants need to make the shopping experience as smooth and enticing as possible for their customers. One powerful tool at your disposal is collection merchandising.
By implementing a well-crafted eCommerce merchandising strategy, online businesses can effectively capture the interest of potential shoppers and create a memorable experience akin to someone passing by a meticulously curated window display. In this blog post, we'll explore why you should be using it and how to do it effectively.
Why Do You Need To Shift The Focus On Collection Pages?
Among all eCommerce webpages, Collection pages are often underestimated. While the Hompage is usually the first page customers visit, the Product pages are where most of the conversions happen. And Collection pages? They are just for listing items. Those who ignore Collections might think (and definitely not us).
In our opinion, Collection pages, Category pages, and all other listing pages are the unsung heroes of your eCommerce store. They serve as the crossroads where product discovery, conversion optimization, and user satisfaction converge.
These pages are more than just a digital display; they are your platform for maximizing customer engagement and sales conversion. Let's delve into these aspects to unveil the true potential of collection pages.
Fueling Product Discovery
Most of the time, customers will land on the brand's Homepage. After that, you who already have a product in mind will go to the search bar, and the others will click open Collections. They flip through pages with a view to discovering and getting inspired. Collection pages are the treasure troves where customers stumble upon unexpected gems.
For those who are browsing, it's essential that you show them the best thing you have to offer. This keeps customers on your site, exploring for more items and likely making a purchase.
Elevating Conversion Rates
A well-crafted collection page is your secret weapon for transforming casual “browsers” into committed buyers. Once the customers are delighted by your products, they can switch roles and become the searchers who convert at nearly 2x higher than the website's average.
Customers can also seal a deal right on an optimized Collection page. The Quick view feature lets them check detailed product pages without leaving the product listing page, while the Slide cart allows instant checkout.
Enhancing User Experience
Simplicity is the essence of an impeccable collection page. It's akin to the user-friendly experience delivered by Google's Material Design—clean, intuitive, and supremely efficient.
Captivating collection pages entice visitors to keep scrolling and exploring. The more time they spend on your site, the higher chance they become a “buyer".
Collection pages are your eCommerce equivalent of the "Read More" section, holding customers' attention and encouraging extended interaction.
Why Use Collection Merchandising?
Collection merchandising involves strategically arranging and displaying products on your collection or category pages to influence customer behavior. Here's why it's a game-changer for your eCommerce store:
- Highlight Your Best Offerings: As mentioned earlier, Collection pages play an important in online product discovery. Therefore, displaying products with a strategy here is an excellent idea to accelerate sales. You can prominently showcase your top-performing products with collection merchandising. Customers who see popular items upfront are more likely to make a purchase.
- Spotlight Seasonal Promotions: Take advantage of holidays, seasons, or special events by featuring relevant products in a prominent position. This encourages customers to explore and buy items that align with the current season or occasion.
- Push Inventory Clearance: Easily draw attention to products you want to clear from your inventory. You can create a sense of urgency and encourage faster sales by placing clearance items at the top of the collection.
- Improve User Experience: Organizing products logically and aesthetically enhances the overall shopping experience. Customers can quickly find what they're looking for, leading to higher satisfaction and more sales.
How to Do Collection Merchandising
Step 1: Define Your Goals
Everything you do should have an objective so you know you’re on the right track. It's the same when you start doing eCommerce merchandising on Collection pages.
Start by setting clear objectives. What do you want to achieve with your collection merchandising efforts? Whether it's increasing sales of specific products, promoting seasonal items, or enhancing the user experience, having goals will guide your strategy.
If you want to promote specific items, use Pin rule or Boost rule. Want to keep the out-of-stock and outdated products out of customers' sight? Demote rule or Hide rule can help.
Step 2: Choose the Right Merchandising Tools
If you’re far from tech-savvy, a merchandising app will make a great companion. You can start searching in the Shopify app store, skimming through the reviews, and installing some apps to try yourself.
A great tool should allow you to easily rearrange product listings with multiple strategies. Being able to set up merchandising rules based on product attributes is a big bonus since product groupings reduce a lot of manual work. Finally, you will want a preview to let you know how your customers will see the collections after the merchandising strategies are put into effect. This ensures that what your shoppers get is what you expect.
Collection Merchandising in Boost AI Search & Discovery.
Step 4: Plan Your Collection Merchandising Strategies
Now comes the fun part—arranging your products. Keep these tips in mind:
- Place best-sellers and high-margin items at the top
- Highlight new arrivals
- Create thematic collections for holidays or seasons
- Stockouts and items from last season should be at the bottom
- Don't show free gifts for purchases on Collection pages
Step 5: Monitor and Adjust
Collection merchandising is not a set-it-and-forget-it task. Regularly review your strategy's performance using analytics. Track metrics like conversion rates, click-through rates, and revenue. If something isn't working, don't hesitate to make adjustments.
Step 6: Test, Test, Test
A/B testing is your best friend. Experiment with different layouts, product placements, and banners to see what resonates best with your audience. Over time, you'll fine-tune your collection merchandising for maximum impact.
Step 7: Stay Updated
eCommerce trends and customer preferences evolve. Keep your collection pages fresh and up to date. Replace outdated banners, remove sold-out products, and refresh your strategy to align with changing seasons and trends.
Before You Leave
Collection merchandising is a powerful tool every eCommerce merchant should leverage to boost online sales and enhance the shopping experience. By strategically arranging and promoting products on your collection or category pages, you can lead customers along their unique shopping journeys, increase sales, and cultivate a dedicated customer following. This is a clever move to stay competitive in the eCommerce landscape.
Start optimizing your collection pages today, and watch your sales soar with Boost now!
