Summary of Jam Session:In this session we did 6 critiques, Cynthia Katsingris – Diabetes Accessories. Dario – Dinosaur Apparel. Nefi Isa – Luxury Kaftans. Kendra Hill – Photography Backdrops & Boutique. Zane Gilbert – Wine Racks & Accessories. Justin Mattis – Accessibility Products.
Critiques:
Critique 1
0:04:00 – Critique number 1 is for Cynthia Katsingris, http://thisdiabetic.com/. Diabetes Accessories.
Homepage: Only use one exit-intent popup, you do not want to spam your users. Remove automatic sliding banners, this is not a user friendly experience. Fix the width of the banner on desktop so it does not get cropped out. Figure out the most effective lifestyle image of this product with a couple value points on a static image will be more effective. The body font isn’t a great font for readability.
Collection Page: Use a correct filter app which filters that matter to your users. Reupload higher quality images, they are a little blurry on desktop.
Product Page: The product title is too long, create a punchy title and utilize the rest of the information in the description. Brad mentions using a GIF on the homepage and product page showing off the use of the product. The UVP’s are too difficult to make out on the product page, they need to be designed in a way that’s scannable and clear. Use your actual review app instead of the stock review feature that comes with the theme. Add a feature callout image to show off the benefits of the product.
Cart Page: Your CTA buttons need to be the same color across all your pages. Remove the payment icons from your cart page and leave your paypal. Test removing your reviews, keep it very clean. We also add a “View Cart” button so users can use the specific cart page if they wish.
Checkout: Suppress your third party payment links. Change the CTA button color to match previous steps. Change the microtext within the checkout fields to match our best practices. Add the support details within your checkout logo.
Critique 2
0:40:55 – Critique number 2 is for Dario, http://dinostorus.com/. Dinosaur apparel.
Homepage: Some icons are not loading correctly in the header. The collection boxes should not be on a slider, they should be laid out. There is a lot going on in the banner and it is quite hard to see. The discount code is very small, increase the size of the text to match the headline. The primary product images do not show off the designs very well, they should be closeups to clearly show off the design. Use the correct UVP’s at the right step of the funnel, the team discusses some UVP’s for the homepage.
Collection Page: Add review stars under the product title on the collection page if you have enough reviews. Test removing swatches from the collection page to reduce page load. Add filters that are relevant to the users. Product Filter & Search app is the go-to filter app.
Product Page: Add size chart link to be under the size options. Use Kiwi Size Chart app. Add a separate tab for shipping and returns to inform your visitors right on the product page. The team goes over one of the biggest value propositions for Dario, being the fact that he owns his designs. We go over how he can bring this to life on the product page.
Critique 3
1:19:35 – Critique number 3 is for Nefi Isa, https://www.luxurykaftans.com/. Luxury Kaftans.
Homepage: The logo colour needs to be reversed so there isn’t a box. Remove currency converter if you are just advertising to the United States. Banner is cut off on larger desktops. Unique value propositions need some work, the team also discusses the existing value props Nefi is using. Put the 30% off storewide offer in the banner at the top of every page. Products without price underneath may confuse users as a collection, instead of a product listing. Change the theme reviews to your dedicated review app. Add a product filter and search app to optimize your search.
Collection Page: Remove the interest dropdown and replace with product filters, users should be able to refine product listings by relevant options such as size, color, material etc.
Product Page: Typically we do not use a red font color for any prices or CTA’s as they signal an error. Product images aren’t matching color options. Change from dropdown to swatches. Jacob talks about the UVP’s on the product page and the effectiveness of guarantees. The team talks about the product descriptions and implementing some emotional pressing copy, and telling a story about your products.
Cart Page: Simple carts are performing better for our clients currently. Reviews without images do not provide as much trust and legitimacy.
Checkout: Suppress third party payment options until users reach the payment page. Jacob mentions reiterating the logo so it does not have the black box surrounding it. Optimize Checkout just like we have it in the RO handbook. Brad mentions offering a buy now pay later option on the product page because of the cost of the items.
Critique 4
2:01:50 – Critique number 4 is for Kendra Hill, https://www.piratebunnyboutique.com/. Photography Backdrops & Boutique.
Homepage: Ensure your placeholder text within the search bar are your biggest search terms, you can check this in GA. Add some text overlay on your banner for your unique value propositions. Add review stars under the product name for trust. The review images are quite small and unclear, replace this whole feature with a review app.
Collection Page: Add filters, you could also include interests based on different landscapes. Also with the dresses, different types of dresses (formal, casual).
Product Page: Remove social buttons on the product page, you have paid for your traffic to reach your page so you do not want them to leave your socials. Reduce the size of the UVP icons and increase the font size. Move the frequently purchased together section to be under the product description. Break up the paragraphs on the shipping and returns tab. If you have less than 5 options for a particular variant, swap it to swatches instead of dropdowns. Gather reviews for past buyers.
Cart Page: Keep your CTA button colors the same across all your pages. Add paypal accepted icon under the CTA.
Checkout: Add the microtext within the checkout fields. Suppress third party payment options to the payment page. Remove third party payment options if they are not being used.
Critique 5
2:29:45 – Critique number 5 is for Zane Gilbert, http://yourdailyglass.com/. Wine Racks & Accessories.
Homepage: Jacob recommends creating a customized 404 page so users do not feel like they have hit a roadblock. Make sure your navigation links are sorted by most clicks/highest converting and if some collections are not getting any clicks then you could put them in a subcategory dropdown so you are reducing cognitive load. Try not to give away big discounts without a good reason, it can cheapen your product. Jacob talks about making the product images congruent. Change the stock theme reviews and replace it with your product review app. The images are a little small and aren’t relevant to the actual product.
Collection Page: Make sure the tags aren’t pulled through as interest. Add descriptive filters so users can refine their choices.
Product Page: UVP icons aren’t clear enough, they need to be scannable by users. Go through Alek’s UVP training in the members area. If you are going to use order bumps, try and pair up products that compliment the main product and don’t take much of an explanation, otherwise the users will have to go to the other order bump product to learn more.
Cart Page: Increase the size of the continue shopping link.
Checkout: Remove the asterisks before all the checkout fields. Match the CTA button color across all steps.
Critique 6
3:06:00 – Critique number 6 is for Justin Mattis, http://ezable.com/. Accessibility products.
Homepage: The images within the mega-menu are very low quality and grainy. Jacob recommends user testing and post purchase surveys. If installation is only available to one state and the majority of the sales come from outside of that state, I wouldn’t speak to the 10% of the customer base, accommodate to the 90%.
Collection Page: The collection page is very confusing having the subcategories within the category page. Instead add relevant filters and remove the subcollection boxes. Remove the distractions from the collection page. Remove Add To Cart button from the collection page, it is very unlikely that a user will add to cart without reaching the product page. Best selling or featured products should be shown on default.
Product Page: Remove social icons from the product page. You do not want your traffic to leave the product page. Typically description tabs are expanded on page load instead of hidden behind a link. Watch user recordings to see where visitors are getting caught up and bouncing.
Cart Page: There is too much focus on the continue shopping and cart link. The main step you want your users to take is the proceed to checkout button. No mention of a free shipping threshold before the checkout, include this as early as the product page to encourage users adding more items to cart.
Checkout: Add microtext within the checkout fields. Discount links should appear as a link, as it stands it just appears as normal text. Remove any clickable logos or images that take users off the checkout page.
Noteworthy Topics:
0:11:30 – Discussing an effective homepage banner
0:43:05 – Google Analytics academy
1:24:00 – Thoughts on Currency Converter app
2:25:20 – Why we suppress third party payment options
2:33:10 – Great Search Example