Have you ever landed on an e-commerce store and got stuck because the products were not organized and you couldn’t find what you were looking for?
The arrangement and categorization of products in an e-commerce store according to the audience’s interests are of great importance. Treating your customers like stars and not giving them any inconvenience is the number one rule in the e-commerce business.
Ecommerce website merchandising plays a crucial role in improving the user experience and giving customers satisfaction. In this blog post, we’ll discover the what, how, and why of ecommerce website merchandising and the top strategies for running a high-performing e-commerce store.
So, let’s get the ball rolling.
What is website merchandising?
Website merchandising is the process of strategically arranging and showcasing your online product catalog in a way that encourages shoppers to stick around and buy.
It’s like arranging the layouts of products at an online store, so customers can easily find what they want to shop for.
When done right, website merchandising helps customers through their buying journey by giving them the right information at the right time.
Why is website merchandising important?
Merchandisers need to focus on merchandising strategies more than ever. Your store is a source of attraction to visitors when you do the right merchandising.
In terms of presentation, action should always speak louder than words to attract customers.
By looking at the presentation, customers enter the shop, so the point is that their decisions are based on your branding tactics, price tactics, and interior merchandising.
How to create a top strategy for ecommerce website merchandising: Key elements to include
Product categories
Did you ever browse an online store, searching for classic sandals? When you click on the footwear section, you will see several options that are neatly organized. You can see the type, brand, and style. Isn’t it very convenient? That’s how perfectly organized product categories work on an e-commerce website.
Creating efficient product categories is more than just throwing random items together. It’s about understanding how your customers shop, what their buying journey is, and how they switch from one category to another.
There’s one major trick to understand: what may seem like a logical grouping might confuse your customer. Achieving a balance between simplicity and inclusivity can be a daunting task. So, put yourself in the customer’s shoes and analyze the things.
Product categories are crucial to improving your website’s search engine optimization. However, they might collapse if they are not properly optimized with relevant keywords and descriptions, which would make it harder for potential customers to find what they’re looking for.
Visual Merchandising
Everyone got drawn to the beautifully arranged display in the store window, it made you unable to resist the desire to go to the store and explore stuff. That’s how visual merchandising works.
In the ecommerce world, creating a visually attractive experience is as crucial as all the technical issues of a website.
How to benefit from visual merchandising:
- Use images, videos, and captivating graphics
- Attach attractive promo banners
- Use sale attributes and focus on details
- Use product spotlighting to show the top product in the first category
- Promote product through SKU
Be aware of the main challenges of visual merchandising, like:
- Finding the right line between aesthetics and functionality
- Don’t overdo banners
- Make sure every change gets consistent across various devices
- Keep your visual aesthetic with the seasonal trends
- Regularly analyze and update your visuals
Enhanced Content
Remember both the bad and good shopping experiences of your life? That’s it. Did you ever think about what creates a memorable shopping experience? Enough money, Well, it is. Besides that, the thing that elevates the experience is the elegant and perfect pieces in the store.
Enhancing content on an e-commerce website works like this. From brief product descriptions to emotional storytelling, enhanced content transforms a website from a boring e-commerce store into a showroom where users can explore, engage with, and connect with your brand at a deep level.
The following are some things included in enhanced content:
- Detailed product descriptions
- Customer reviews
- Interactive Features
- High-quality product images and videos
- Engaging storytelling
Challenges to take care of when it comes to enhancing content on e-commerce website merchandising:
- Don’t overwhelm customers with information; (be concise)
- Present information in a clear and digestible format
- Content consistency across different product pages
- Precise formatting, tone, and level of detail in content to maintain professionalism
- Create a narrative that resonates with the audience
Now, let’s have a look at the benefits:
- Build trust and credibility with your audience
- A fine product description with high-quality images lets users make an informed purchasing decision
- Reduce the likelihood of returns or dissatisfaction
- Enhance the value of your products
- By adding different benefits, you can justify higher prices
- Enhanced content lets the brand differentiate itself from competitors
Internal search capabilities
Sometimes you know exactly what you want but still struggle to find the desired product. This happened when internal site searches didn’t work right.
By implementing site search tools, internal site search features provide customers with exactly what they want. In ecommerce websites, internal site search features refer to the functionality that allows customers to find the product quickly.
This involves implementing the following unique features:
- Autocomplete suggestions
- Filters
- Sorting options
- Synonym recognition
- Reports & analytics
- Promoting a product by “showing my sku”
- Implementing the right keywords in “Show my sku”
Let’s dive into a few challenges:
- Ensuring the accuracy and relevance of search results
- Understanding user intent
- Interpreting search queries accurately
- Precision in optimization of search query
- Organizing a bulk amount of data
Now, let’s talk about the top points:
- Convenient & personalized shopping experience
- Higher satisfaction & repeat purchases
- Valuable insight into customer behavior and preferences
- Getting valuable data to inform manufacturing decisions
- Identify search trends and optimize your store accordingly
- Better product assortment
- Increase conversion rate and revenue
- Increase opportunities of up-selling & cross-selling
Boost order value with cross-merchandising
Some e-commerce websites manage to convince shoppers to buy more than originally planned. It’s like buying a dress intentionally from an e-commerce website but ending up buying some matching scrunchies with the dress. Or craving a grilled burger but ordering some fries as well. Here, scrunchies and fries are the answer to cross-merchandising.
Convertopia and many other site search tools provide “no result page templates” to increase the chances of cross-merchandising. This involves strategically recommending related or complementary products to customers based on their browsing or purchasing behavior. This can involve various perfect bundles purchased together, as some explain above.
By adding some complementary products to the cart, you can increase the average order value.
Now, let’s have a look at a few challenges and benefits of cross-merchandising:
| Challenges | Benefits |
| ● Ensuring relevant products align with customer intent. | ● Let customer explore new products that complement their original purchase |
| ● Balance between promoting additional products and taking care of customer preferences | ● Save customer’s time and effort in searching for related products. |
| ● Bombarding customers with too many recommendations | ● Cross-merchandising increases average order value by increasing average transaction value. |
Final thoughts
By following all the above-mentioned ecommerce website merchandising strategies, you can set your business apart from competitors. However, it’s important to remember that creating a top strategy for website merchandising is an ongoing process. It requires continuous monitoring, analysis, and adaptation to evolving market trends and customer preferences.
Remember, when it comes to building a successful online business, a site search tool like Convertopia provides every feature you need to thrive. From advanced merchandising tools to intuitive analytics and seamless integrations, Convertopia empowers you to create the ultimate shopping destination for your customers. So, book a free demo today to develop a winning website merchandising strategy with Convertopia by your side.