Five Website Optimization Tips For Fashion eCommerce Brands

Can you confidently say your brand's website is optimized to boost conversions and cultivate shopper loyalty? 

As we enter Q2 of 2023 and marketing budgets continue to shrink to microscopic proportions, the importance of delivering a seamless and memorable on-site experience will only continue to grow. This is especially important for those operating in the fashion industry, as cart abandonment rates hit all-time highs amidst dwindling demand.

Don't be fooled by the doomsday soothsayers claiming eCommerce is dead. eCommerce is alive and well, and if your fashion brand needs to drive growth and boost profitability in 2023, the best (and often most cost-effective) method is via website optimization. 

Let our team of eCommerce experts take you on a short journey where we'll detail the five essential steps your brand can employ to convert more shoppers, cultivate loyalty, and recover lost revenue from abandoning site visitors. 

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1. Give Your PDPs a Boost

One of the most crucial yet, overlooked elements of any successful eCommerce site is the PDP or product detail page. PDPs are your virtual salesperson, the central hub for all relevant information on your product, and in most cases, the last page a shopper will see prior to checkout. 

Given their importance, how can you ensure your brand isn't falling short when it comes to PDPs? Here's a short but concise checklist that will help guide you in the right direction:

• Always use high-quality images (The more, the better)
• Don't skimp on product details (Materials, care directives, features/benefits, and sizing information are all crucial)
• Instil confidence via shopper reviews and social media highlights
• If you want bonus points, include a video covering the product!
  

While using high-quality imagery, videos, and reviews is relatively straightforward, many brands fall flat in providing shoppers with detailed product information, especially regarding sizing and fit. 

This is an area where modern solutions like WAIR come into play, providing shoppers with personalized and data-driven size recommendations at scale. Taking size confusion out of the equation not only streamlines the shopper journey but also has been proven to drive conversions, as shown by WAIR's brand partner Vineyard Vines, who increased conversion rates by 31%.

2. Get Real Personal (Within reason)

Personalization is no longer just an industry buzzword. As shopper demands become more exacting and competition grows by the day, personalization is the golden goose all fashion brands are attempting to capture.

The great thing about personalization in fashion eCommerce is that it can take many forms. From curated product offerings based on browse history to personalized size recommendations, the options are virtually endless. 

Take this opportunity to leverage personalization in your brand's drive to boost AOV, drive conversions, and reduce returns. Start by addressing the shortcomings in your current shopper's journey, and continue to layer in personalization from there. 

For example, if you want to get rid of last season's inventory, suggest additional products before and during the checkout phase based on the shopper's browse history. If your shoppers often struggle with sizing, leverage a tool like WAIR to reduce that friction with a personalized size recommendation.

The only word of caution we have regarding personalization is to avoid collecting unnecessary data. Many shoppers are hesitant to divulge their info, so make it easy for them by keeping data collection at the surface level. Full names and email addresses should be more than adequate. 

In 2023, the phrase "personalize or perish" could never be more relevant. Don't sleep on this effort, folks. 

3. Please, Please, Optimize for Mobile 

Over 60% of all online sessions are initiated via a mobile device; needless to say, mobile optimization is a crucial step in your journey toward a better-performing website. 

While (in an ideal world) every mobile website would be as perfectly optimized as their desktop counterparts, this can be considerably difficult to achieve, so start small with these three goals:

• Boost your site speed (Long load times = increased bounce rates)
• Ensure site elements are properly sized for mobile devices (Image overlap and improper sizing can make your site appear low-quality)
• Leverage video content to drive conversions (84% of site visitors report making a purchase after watching a product video)
  

While these essential optimizations will get you on the right path, every step outlined in this article also applies to your mobile site. Remember, the goal is to make the shopping experience as seamless as possible, regardless of how shoppers access your site. 

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4. Streamline Your Checkout Process

In the world of fashion eCommerce, cart abandonment rates have been reported as high as 88%! To say that is a significant amount of potential revenue left on the table is a massive understatement.

Amazon enables single-click checkouts for a reason. They know the more pages shoppers have to endure to finalize their purchase, the less likely they are to complete it at all. Take a hint from the world's largest eCommerce company and streamline your checkout process with these steps:

• Enable guest checkout (The leading reason for cart abandonment is requiring an account to complete the purchase)
• Make ALL costs abundantly clear (Being vague about shipping costs and other fees is always a bad idea)
• Don't sleep on BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later solutions like TryNow can help your brand lessen the fiscal blow during the checkout phase)

The culmination of your hard work to attract, interest, and convert the shopper can be wiped out instantly if your checkout process is lackluster. Don't let your site become another statistic contributing to that 88% abandonment rate...

5. Always Look For (and Listen to) Feedback

Complacency is your greatest enemy when it comes to website optimization. Only by continuing to gather and reference feedback from your site visitors will you guarantee strong and lasting performance from your website. 

If you're struggling to determine how to gather site visitor feedback, we've got a few suggestions for you:

• On-site review popups/chatbots 
• Email surveys to subscribers
• Leverage Google Analytics and Hotjar to track visitor behavior and optimize accordingly
  

If you're having trouble getting survey responses, offering a small incentive (such as a 10% off coupon) never hurts!

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Remember, Website Optimization is an Ongoing Process

If you were to compare eCommerce sites today to the ones created five years ago, the differences would be monumental, so don't get left in the digital dust and make optimization an ongoing task. 

As trends continue to change, the needs of your site visitors will as well. As a forward-thinking website owner, you must adapt accordingly to keep yourself ahead of the (continuously growing) competition. Happy optimizing!

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Interested in learning more about WAIR? Schedule a demo here, and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook for all your fashion content needs!