Last Updated on by Dan S
Originally Published September 28, 2021.
Whenever a potential customer lands on your store from either an organic google search, product ad, social media post, word of mouth or a happy accident, that customer will usually make up their mind about store in 3 seconds. On‑Site Messaging can be a powerful factor in establishing authority and getting potential customers to remain on-site and checkout.
From how your store looks, to product imagery right through to the messaging conveyed, you are bidding for that customers cash. You ultimately want them to buy from you.
How can On-Site messaging help?
On-site messaging is one of the most powerful methods of communication between your Shopify store and the customer. In just a few pixels, you can “advertise” why your customers should buy from you.
This is your chance to highlight the unique selling points of your store, which payment methods you offer, how and when customers will get their items, what other store policies you have and more.
With the recent rise is “Buy now, pay later” services like Klarna, Afterpay/Clearpay and PayPal Instalments, it is more crucial than ever to inform your potential customers whether you offer services such as these and other key store policies.
What types of on-site store messaging should I be displaying?
Above everything else, the #1 piece of on-site messaging you should be conveying to your potential customers is any unique selling points or “USPs” you offer. A USP is something that differentiate you from other stores. For example, Etsy is known for handmade items so this is a USP they shout about. Amazon has “Prime” so this is what they shout about. If you have a USP worth shouting about then get it out there!
Next would be store policies. These are things like “Fast Shipping”, “Free Shipping on orders over $X”, “Buy now, pay later with X”, “Check out our excellent rating on X” and so on.
Finally, on-site messaging can be a great interaction point. By offering a discount for first time purchasers, you can give them another reason to trust you and take that leap of faith with your store.
A List of great On-Site messaging examples:
- Unique Selling Points or “USPs” – e.g Handmade, patent, unique supplier etc
- Shipping & Delivery Expectations
- Buy Now, Pay Later/Instalment services (Klarna, Afterpay/Clearpay, Splitit, PayPal)
- Reviews & Authority messaging (Trustworthy, established since)
- Promotions & Discounts
- Store Policies (Returns, FAQ links)
- Reminders (Payday, Birthdays, Window shopping)
- Size charts
How can I display on-site messaging on my store?
There are 2 ways you can achieve this on your Shopify store. The first is to have it hard-coded into your theme by a developer. This is great if you have a developer to hand but if not, this can be an expensive upfront cost. Secondly, it is not as dynamic and flexible should you wish to change the messaging. Changing the messaging for seasonal reasons or A/B testing is great to be able to do with speed in mind.
The second (and by far the easiest) option is to use an app. Ping was built from the ground up with this very core feature set in mind. With a free tier available, its the perfect solution to getting your on-site messaging up and running.
Not only does Ping handle on-site messaging, it also offers a Reminders feature and Discount feature. These are great for capturing customer emails for future marketing.
You can get Ping from the App Store here.
