101 Elements Of A Complete eCommerce Product Page

Is there a concept like ‘a complete product page’?

Chances are if you have ever found yourself on an eCommerce product page you have figured out the basic elements:

• The Headline
• The Product Image
• The Product Specifications
• Pricing
• The Call to Action buttons
• The Payment methods

Download Free: Customer Engagement Guide

Shouldn’t that be enough to make a sale? The user lands on your product page, a self explanatory title to the product he wants finds him, he reads the specifications (color, size, material, make, model, related features), after a glance he starts to look around for the payment methods. He likes it, presses the CTA button and bam! Sold! Works like the good old brick and mortar stores, or not?

The better question is; Is there something like complete shopping experience?

The answer is ‘Yes’. There are 101 elements to put together on a product page to complete that experience. If you are one of the lazy lot like most, there’s a quick checklist to save at the bottom of this page.

To know how these elements work, stay with us..

Put yourself in the customer’s shoes..

• You get into a retail store to buy pasta, you are greeted by the nice security guy at the door. The store manager smiles at you. You are pointed to the right shelf.
• You scan through the variety of pasta (Spaghetti, Fusilli, Penne and Farfalle in tempting packaging). One has a free dip to go with it, you take it.
• On the next shelf you find some dried rosemary, “Why not make it an exotic recipe?” you add it to your cart.
• Now, you are looking for your preferred brand of ketchup, the staff member arranging goods on the shelves tells you they are out of stock.
• A lady, another customer, exchanges greetings, casually mentions she loves the Tabasco and the Sriracha from a particular label. You take a bottle each.
• The sign boards take you to the cash counter.
• The lady at the cash counter wears a reassuring smile. She suggests you buy the fresh herb instead of the dried rosemary and offers to get it quick for you, you oblige.
• A little guilt for overspending creeps in, you cancel one of the exotic sauces “I don’t need Sriracha!”. The friendly lady at the the counter smiles and excludes it.

In analogy, your product page is the retail store. The friendly security guy, the store manager, the staff member, the options, the distractions, the freebies, the branding, the other customer, the sign boards, discount coupons, the reassuring lady at the cash counter who cares about your recipe enough to add fresh herbs to it are all eCommerce product page elements.

Why would you press that button or make a purchase without the complete experience online?

Persuasion: The Reason Your User Will Press the Button

Subtle and not so subtle psychological factors are at play when persuading people to buy. Cialdini’s six principles of influence govern the product page elements on eCommerce as well. Here is a classification of the functional product page elements listed down for your convenience.

Reciprocity (It’s a Give and Take)

In simple terms tell your consumers you care and they’ll care to buy from you.

‘Hey, we want to save you some money, here’s the coupon for this product in your cart.’

‘If you want to talk we have a discussion board.’

Live chats and availability pop ups make your eCommerce site more interactive and human. Who doesn’t like a considerate seller?

The eager to help staff member at the mart and the lady at the counter know this secret. They are doing their job well by being helpful and responsive.

1. Add – Ons
2. Shipping Information
3. Show Speed Of Results
4. Industry Feedback
5. Tools For Rating Reviews
6. Notify When This Item Becomes Available
7. Live Chat
8. Flag Item
9. Contact Us Link
10. FAQs
11. Feedback
12. Benefits/ Freebies
13. Discount
14. Sorting Feature
15. Store Finder
16. Track Orders
17. Email
18. DataSheet, Brochure Or Manual
19. Coupon Code Box
20. Audio
21. Discussion board
22. Availability (In stock or out of stock)
23. Return Policy
24. Privacy Policy
25. Search Feature

Related Post: How Badly Does Your Online Shop Need Live Chat?

Commitment (We are Creatures of Habit)

We want to belong to a common set of values, actions or belief. The consumer feels a sense of ownership when he sees ‘My Account’, ‘My shopping history’ mentioned on the product page of an eCommerce site. A history or an account is his investment into the website and hence a commitment. This commitment has to be reinforced with warranties and insurances under applicable conditions. Remember, if there is a store you visit often you are more likely to buy from them.

26. Usual Payment methods
27. Bookmarks
28. Wishlists
29. User Account Login
30. Shopping (Buying) History
31. Suggestions Based On Your Shopping (Buying) History
32. Opt-in Form Or Subscription Form
33. Guarantee
34. Add this to cart
35. Terms Of Service Agreement
36. Insurance
37. Credited points / Regular customer points
38. Links to E-wallets/ Bitcoins

Download Free: Customer Engagement Guide

Social Proof (Since Everyone I Know is Doing It)

82% of consumers trust a company more if they are involved with social media. Belonging comes with acceptance. After commitment the human tendency is to look for validation. Validation on social and eCommerce sites comes with increased trust. If multiple users give rave reviews about an enlisted product people are more likely to consider buying it. Here other elements may include social share buttons which allow people to share and take an opinion on the enlistments they are interested in. That other lady at the sauce shelf shopping for the exotic sauces is the retail store’s social proof without even knowing it.

The page elements to influence by Social Proof are listed here:

39. Graphs And Charts
40. Citations and References
41. Testimonials
42. Industry Accreditation
43. Experience
44. Proof Of Working
45. Track Record
46. Proof Of Any Claim Made
47. Photos And Videos Of The Product In Use
48. Product Ratings
49. Product Reviews (and/or Comments)
50. Item Followers
51. Trustmarks
52. Statistics
53. Seller Rating
54. Follow seller
55. Seller Testimonials
56. “What’s Hot Now” or “What Is Popular Now”
57. Survey
58. Approval By Other Organizations
59. From the makers/author
60. Social Sharing buttons

Related Post: VWO Cart Abandonment Survey: What Makes Shoppers Buy

Authority (We Like being Led)

Authority doesn’t mean you command your users to buy enlisted wares. It means that you create awe around your products or your brand. How to do that? Has the enlisted product been endorsed by an ambassador? Was the product in news recently? Has it won any kind of recognition or awards? If so mention it, the product is more likely to sell; there’s a halo around it. The same applies to your eCommerce portal/brand name. If you have it, flaunt it!

61. Formal Expertise
62. News
63. Tech Specs with special features
64. Audio Visual advertisements
65. Product Endorsement Links
66. Media Coverage
67. Brand certification

Likability (Like It…Will Take It!)

Liking makes a strong positive bias. This is not just acceptance this an out and out affirmation of your brand. Liking is an all-encompassing factor. It includes the UX, UI , and product presentations. It also means crazy copywriting that could lure the more adventurous buyers into visiting your website often, thus turning them into the creatures of habit who get committed to buying from you. It could be the underrated convenience that comes with the user interface or the overrated graphics, slides or product videos.

We are not going overboard with the liking factor, Heineken is selling you beer using a ‘pleasantly smiling’ typeface, ever heard of that?

Related Post: The Why And How of Creating ‘Snackable’ Content

Include these product elements to be more likable:

68. Product Details Or Specifications
69. Size Information
70. Color Options
71. Product Tags
72. Awards
73. 360 Degree Views Of Products (Photos And Videos)
74. Photos And Videos In Different Situations
75. Step by step Explanation Of Usage Of Product – Photos And Videos
76. Photos And Videos Of The Product When It Is Working
77. Sorting Options For Reviews
78. Similar Items
79. Options For Gifting This To Someone Else
80. Units Converter
81. Social Sharing
82. Differentiation
83. Ability To List Products By Different Criteria
84. Blogs
85. Certifications
86. ‘If You Bought This You May Like’ (Cross-selling)
87. Recently viewed products
88. Product Description
89. Tools To Zoom In On The Product
90. Bundling(Customized looks)
91. Breadcrumbs
92. Free Shipping/Benefits

Scarcity (It’s a Tease)

Multiple marketing campaigns promote limited editions to up their sales. The moment you tell your buyers that there are only a few of them left, there is an urge to click that button before anyone else does. ‘We are not telling you to buy this, we are just saying it’s now or never’. Then look at them go for it. But be sure not to create a false sense of urgency, that’s going to hurt your credibility in the longer run.

93. Date Added
94. Spares
95. Urgency
96. Discount Timers
97. Last date of availability
98. Best deals
99. Pitch
100. Must haves List
101. Best Sellers List

Related Post: How to Use Urgency and Scarcity Principles to Increase eCommerce Sales

When you are done adding the elements, don’t forget to test them! Comment if you think we missed any product page elements for eCommerce site, we are happy to improvise.