Are you getting the most out of your merchandising? Or is it all manual pain and no conversion gain? As online retailers are stepping up their merchandising creativity, a banner here and there is no longer enough to keep shoppers on your site.
Get inspired and level up your campaigns with these standout merchandising tactics from some of the best in the biz.
Homepage Merchandising
Hook shoppers immediately by merchandising the homepage with relevant, eye-catching information. Invest in visuals that go beyond basic product imagery, and update the page regularly with captivating graphics and messaging.
Case in point: Good American’s homepage is merchandised with striking banners that announce the latest drops, collections, and collabs. A timely party-themed header takes the spotlight, while an additional promotional banner creates urgency with a sitewide discount code.
PEARL iZUMi takes a similar approach, but with a rotating carousel of banners. The store’s holiday gift guide, new arrivals, and limited edition collection are placed front and center. Meanwhile, a banner at the top of the page promotes free shipping and the option to subscribe for early access to sales.
Category Page Merchandising
Category pages are where boost rules, badges, and more banners come into play. Get the most out of your category merchandising by keeping shopper behavior in mind. Base strategy around products and offers that resonate and make sure the most relevant results show up at the top of the page.
For example, Jonathan Adler boosts new products on their vase category page. They also use merchandising badges to highlight thing like new arrivals. This tactic is paired with a complementary banner that shows must-have products styled in the home.
Category merchandising also creates urgency and holds shopper attention as they scroll. Skims adds badges to products that are low in stock, on waitlist, or coming back soon. This approach fits with Skims’ wider hype-strategy and draws attention to sellout favorites.
Landing Pages
Campaign landing pages are like main categories, but with even more merchandising potential. Typically created for a short period of time, merchandised landing pages are used to curate seasonal styles, limited collections, or the latest sale. Add some merchandising magic and pre-schedule your page launch for the perfect destination for marketing campaign clicks.
Take inspiration from CostumeBox, which has a dedicated page for festive costumes, decorations, and accessories. As a helpful reminder, they also include a banner that lists final shipping dates for the holiday season. Not only is this useful from a customer service perspective, a banner like this also encourages site visitors to shop early, which eases pressure on order fulfillment during peak periods.
Learn more about CostumeBox and how they have streamlined merchandising.
Inline banners are another great way to get relevant information in front of shoppers. These banners are placed in the product grid alongside (or inline with) product results. Use inline banners to suggest categories, promote a sale, or highlight your loyalty program. In the case of THE UPSIDE, inline banners are used to share details of the brand’s charitable contributions and sustainability initiatives. THE UPSIDE also makes use of features like boost rules to drive success.
Merchandising that Does the Most for Your Store
Are you squeezing every last drop of potential from your merchandising campaigns? Focus on small but powerful tactics across your homepage, categories, and landing pages for a great impact. You can also invest in merchandising products that help streamline processes and automate many of these merchandising best practices – letting you do more with less and improve the shopper experience.
