10 ways to show you care about the person on the other end of the computer

This weekend I put together a new LEGO set which got me thinking.

Holy heck LEGO instructions are a work of art.

They’ve come a long way over the years so that it’s enjoyable for the entire family.

From the bags to the instructions, even the tools to fix the inevitable mistake of placing a brick and needing to remove it.

LEGO has fine-tuned the entire experience and that wasn’t by mistake. But you don’t have to be LEGO to build the experience your customers long for.

You and your customers want the same thing. To quickly find what they’re looking for, an easy checkout process, and a giant tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Ok, maybe you can’t help with the last one but you can make their shopping experience frictionless.

Whether you’re using shopping ads, social media, SEO, or any combination thereof to attract customers, make the shopping experience easy.

Not sure where to start?

Here are a few ideas to create the best experience possible:

1. Use buttons for variant selections – Using drop-down selections often requires more effort (more clicks). Buttons on the other hand provide more clarity on all the options available and which ones are currently in stock.
2. Avoid automatic carousel sliders – When there is more than one message (e.g. more than one slide), it becomes too much and our brain can’t process it. The banner then becomes completely useless and a waste of space. Too many messages equal no message at all.
3. Increase font size – Using 16 pixel font on your Shopify website is the smallest size for all text to ensure the best readability for everyone.
4. Get them through Shopify checkout faster – Shopify uses dynamic checkout buttons or express checkout as some refer to it. Dynamic checkout changes the payment option on the button dynamically (or automatically) based on the customer’s past shopping experiences. Customers no longer spend time finding their wallets and entering their credit card information.
5. Understand the purpose of a homepage – The purpose of your homepage isn’t to sell them on that one item that brought them in from the proverbial sidewalk. Don’t be too eager to close the sale.
6. Avoid the great wall of text – Break paragraphs out by thought or by 2-3 sentences at most. Breaking paragraphs into smaller chunks allows you to easily keep track of where you are without feeling like you need to use your finger or a ruler. Paragraph text should be around 80 characters long before it moves down to the next row.
7. Group variants into one product – In most cases, it makes sense to group variants together into one product because it’s easier to see all the options in one place. The rare occasion I recommend using individual products is usually when the Shopify store only has one or two products. (There are always edge cases but this is for the majority.)
8. Turn off Quickview – The risk of using Quick View is that some customers misinterpret the Quick View popup as the product page itself. Many customers who click on the Quick View, do so because they are looking for more information. They could be looking for a larger product image, more product images, description details, and perhaps if there are other colors or variants that are available.
9. Enhance the shopping experience with icons – Icons are used all the time, and when done correctly, they communicate the core idea or intent of a product. Everyone absorbs information differently. Some need images, others maybe want videos, and some prefer good old text.
10. Be inclusive – What if I told you that by not purposefully designing for inclusivity, you could be ignoring revenue? What if I told you that designing for inclusivity could be small changes to your Shopify store that will directly impact conversions and don’t have to cost a lot of money?

Your customers are like you when you go shopping.

They want to have a good shopping experience, find what they are looking for, and buy it.

Don’t overcomplicate it.

Remember they are a person on the other end, not a dollar sign.

Remove the friction on your site by making it simple and easy to digest.