Happy Sunday!! I hope if you're reading today's email, you're sitting comfortably in sweatpants (these are my current favorite ones), and maybe holding an Olipop because we love a good DTC beverage.
Last week I launched Report Cards with Tydo, and we ended up breaking FiveTran, the platform powering the data pipes of Tydo. However, it's back up for good now. Sign up here for Report Cards — the free analytics platform with a daily report by email (and soon by text, too)!
Today, I wanted to talk through the perfect homepage, and some of the elements that come together to create that perfect, high-converting experience for a potential customer.
The purpose of the homepage is to do a few things:
- Educate someone who has no idea of what your product does/brand sells/brand emphasizes (what you stand for).
- Make it easy to purchase (ideally by giving them a good "starter pack" style bundle/product).
- Show validation and/or proof that they are legitimate.
- Properly convey the problem and solution they are solving for.
- Make it obvious why they are better than anything else on the market that currently exists.
When we think through new homepages at Sharma Brands, we make sure these points are all addressed. In addition, all of the elements among the page (headlines, images, copy, tag-lines, pricing, featured bundles/products, etc.) are only there because they have proven to work. The headline in the hero section of the site should have proven results that in testing it had the highest CTR (click-through rate), and the 4 featured products should be the products with the highest sell-through rate (aka best sellers).
When it comes to the validation portion, you have to keep one thing in mind: when consumers are shopping, they assume you are "guilty until proven innocent." What does this mean? It means you, as the brand, need to give this person all the validation that they are not making a stupid decision by buying what you're selling. When that box arrives, or when their friend asks them what they bought, you don't want your customer to be embarrassed that they made a silly purchase. This is why I push the idea of reviews, UGC, press snippets/quotes. You, as a brand, saying you have the best product doesn't mean anything, but GearPatrol or Michelle Hayden saying the same thing means the world.
If you want to take your website to the next level, think about how your homepage changes for people from different cities. For example, if you sell skincare, focus on pushing products/messaging that aligns with the location of someone coming to your site. If you sell flavored water, focus on pushing flavors that do well at different times of the day.
One last tip — think about how someone can learn something from your homepage that benefits them, whether or not they end up becoming a customer of yours. For example, at JUDY we push emergency preparedness guides for consumers to at least know the bare minimum of what to do/expect in case of emergencies that affect them. The easiest way to do it is to think about the problem you solve and address it with a digital solution. Not only do you create something they'll remember, but you increase time on site.
What brand has your favorite homepage? Reply to this email and let me know!
On to some fun stuff...
Software/App of the Week:
Co-op Commerce - Post-purchase surveys, upsells, offers, etc!
I've told you about Co-Op before, but now it's even easier to get going with their Shopify app. When someone makes a purchase on Haus, for example, they see offers after for brands like Brightland, Caraway, and JUDY. Co-Op knows that all those brands share the same customer persona, making it easier to add incremental revenue.
On top of the cross-selling, you can push your own products (soon for a one-click up-sell), and get a proper post-purchase attribution survey to understand what it was that drove the sale.
Get it on the Shopify app store here!
Brand of the Week:
Cadence - the perfect travel capsules.
Cadence has been one incredible nearly-bootstrapped business to watch since launching last year. The product sells out so fast, and the demand is something like I've never seen before. Even with just a nimble team, Stephanie Hon (founder) continues to kill it with a great product, packaging, customer service, marketing, and product-line expansions.
Cadence allows you to travel across the country, or to a sleepover, with all your necessary belongings for a few days. Think your serums, body wash (especially if you hate hotel soap, like me), jewelry, pills/tablets, or oils. The capsules are all leak-proof, rugged, and won't create a messy surprise when you open your suitcase or bag (like the normal CVS plastic bottles do).
That's all for this week. The brand launch deck is 99.99% finished and will come to you by email this coming week. I hope you get 9 hours of sleep tonight, a green Whoop recovery score (if you use one), and have an incredible upcoming week!