Product badging is an area that many e-commerce companies may not think about or realise how much emphasis they can add to help sales. However, you should be thinking about product badges for your website! According to Monetate, a cloud-computing based company that provides in-the-moment personalisation software, badging yields their clients between $50 and $100 million in revenue per year. That translates into a 55% improvement in conversion rates for websites that use badges vs. those who do not.
What is product badging?
Product badges are the small “virtual stickers” that you add to your online products to call attention to specials, details, or to quickly and easily convey information about that product. In addition to increasing the conversion rate and calling attention to specific products, the goals of product badging include:
- Making it easier for shoppers to locate relevant merchandise.
- Helping shoppers make purchase decisions.
- Educating the shopper in an effective and creative way.
Automating Product Badges Saves Time & Money
There are companies that will help automate the process of adding badges to your website and make it easier for you to manually choose and add specific badges as well. Certain badges can be automated such as best sellers, trending products, seasonal products, and 5 star best reviewed products. Other types of badges can be scheduled for automation in an effort to drive relevance based on search history, past purchases, etc. Shoppers like personalised attention online just the same as they do in stores. “Just for You” badges with recommended products will make past customers feel special that they were recognised. Certain brands can be tagged with badges as well featuring the brand, just be careful not to overdo it, because too many badges does not help showcase particular items if they all have badges. Badges can also point out which products have excellent reviews. When more people buy well reviewed products, chances are they will be happy with their purchase too.
Here are 10 tips from Monetate that are best practices when it comes to product badges:
- Start with the Basics. If you are just starting out with badges, begin with the simple and “tried and true” basics that always work. These include “new”, “bestseller”, and “top rated” badges.
- Run Tests. Different things work for different websites. Therefore, you must test what works best for your products and your visitors. Try different messaging, colours, and positions to discover which ones convert best for you.
- Use Restraint. No one likes tacky. Too many badges will crowd the page and defeat the purpose of making certain products stand out.
- Avoid Jargon. Use words that all consumers are familiar with. If you have a rare material type, don’t use that in your badge; but of course, detail that in your description.
- Take the Broad View. When offering different views or multiple images, badging one of the images to point out detail is a great idea because it mimics an in-store shopping experience.
- Add Motion. A badge with the familiar play arrow indicates that video is available. This will help draw attention and engagement.
- Get a “Brand Bump”. If you are in an industry driven by brands, using brand badges will increase attention and sales. This is especially great for products where the brand is not visibly noticeable from the picture or image. You might even be able to work out a special discount or arrangement with suppliers for promoting their brands over other competition.
- Use Holidays to Your Advantage. Christmas is of course the big sales holiday, but do not count out other holidays and seasons, especially ones that are important to your industry. Badges will help boost sales by pointing out which products go with each holiday or season.
- Showcase Your Expertise. This tip is also called “Be a Shopkeeper”. These specialised badges would mimic what a salesperson would say who is catering to a customer in-store. Things like “limited edition” or “great under dress shirt” give helpful tips to shoppers.
- Location, Location, Location! The importance of location still applies even on the World Wide Web. If you cater to a local area, this is especially the case, but there are other applications for it such as “Made in the UK”. Some tools can even automate location based products, activities, and create badges based on weather patterns or trends.
If you require further information or have any specific questions, don’t hesitate to give a member of the GoPromotional team a call on 0800 0148 970 or simply email us today.
