43: Squarespace Ecommerce: Conversion-Boosting Product Page Tips & Customer Content Strategies

May 23

EPISODE SUMMARY

Dreaming of turning your website into a sales machine? Well, buckle up, because we're about to dive into five actionable tips that will have your product pages singing and your customers clicking that "add to cart" button like nobody's business! On top of that, we'll uncover some secret email marketing strategies to turn those first-time buyers into lifelong fans.

Crafting Clear & Concise Product Descriptions

First things first: product descriptions. They're the welcoming committee of your product page, reeling customers in and giving them the juicy details. But here's the thing: conciseness is key! No one wants to slog through a text wall. Instead, think of your product description as a captivating trailer, enticing viewers and leaving them wanting more.

Squarespace lets you showcase this description right above the magical "add to cart" button. Here's your chance to shine! Use bullet points, clear headings, and strong verbs to paint a picture of your product's awesomeness. Highlight its unique features and benefits, but keep it sweet and to the point. Remember, the goal is to pique their interest, not write a novel.

Unlocking the Power of "Additional Info"

There's a goldmine of opportunity hiding in Squarespace product pages, and it's called "Additional Info." This is your space to unleash the full potential of your product. Testimonials raving about its quality? Care instructions for that fabulous new scarf? An FAQ section to answer any lingering questions? Stuff it all in here!

Think of "Additional Info" as your chance to chat directly with your customers. Address their concerns, provide valuable details, and showcase social proof (those testimonials we mentioned) to build trust and credibility. Here's a pro tip: don't be afraid to get creative! Add images, videos, or even an accordion FAQ section to keep things engaging.

Double Down on Sales with Strategic Product Blocks

We all know the power of a clear call to action. In the world of ecommerce, that translates to a prominent "add to cart" button. But here's a secret weapon many Squarespace users miss: adding a product block within your "Additional Info" section.

Imagine this: a customer is engrossed in the details of your handcrafted candle, captivated by its intoxicating aroma (well, virtually captivated, at least). Then, bam! Right there in the "Additional Info," they see the perfect hand-painted candle holder to match. It's a match made in shopping cart heaven!

By strategically placing a product block within "Additional Info," you're making it ridiculously easy for customers to snag both items at once. This can seriously boost your average order value, and who doesn't love a little extra jingle in the cash register?

Introducing the Product Add-On Feature: Your Secret Weapon for Sales Superpowers

Squarespace keeps rolling out amazing features to help you shine, and the product add-on feature is a game-changer. Here's the scenario: a customer is browsing your collection of exquisite pottery. They find the perfect mug, but then BAM! They see a recommendation for a matching saucer, like a perfectly coordinated dream come true.

Product add-ons are like a digital "Hey, wouldn't this look amazing together?" nudge. By suggesting complementary items, you're not only providing exceptional customer service but also increasing your chances of a bigger sale. It's a win-win!

Email Marketing Magic: Turning One-Timers into Raving Fans

Squarespace does a fantastic job of sending automated emails throughout the buying journey, from order confirmation to shipping updates. But did you know you can personalize these emails to add a sprinkle of your own magic?

Infuse these emails with your brand voice! Craft a friendly welcome message, express your appreciation for their purchase, and maybe even offer a special discount code for their next shopping spree. A little personalization goes a long way in building relationships and transforming first-time buyers into loyal fans.

Bonus Tip: Embrace the Power of User-Generated Content

Showcase the love! Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your products on social media. Reposting user-generated content is a fantastic way to build trust and social proof. After all, there's nothing quite like seeing your product in action through the eyes of a happy customer.

ep 43
[00:00:00]
Squarespace store owners: this episode is for you! You've poured your heart into your creative products, designed a beautiful website, and now you're ready to take the e commerce world by storm, but just wait, before you hit that launch button, there are a few important things you can do to make those product pages pop.
Welcome to Think Inside the Square, a podcast full of tips and tricks to help you create a Squarespace website that you're proud of. I'm your host, Becca Harpain, Squarespace expert and creator of InsideTheSquare. co. In this episode, I'm sharing some actionable ideas that you can use for the product pages in your Squarespace store.
I personally sell digital products, but these tips will work for physical products too. For a transcript of this episode, along with the links to any resources mentioned, visit InsideTheSquare.co/podcast
The term Squarespace is a trademark of Squarespace Inc. This
[00:01:00] content is not affiliated with Squarespace Inc.
Product pages are often the first and sometimes only impression that a customer gets of your amazing stuff. Imagine them clicking on an ad or an Instagram post, they land on that product page and bam, they are sold. That is the magic that we're aiming for. Here's the good news. Squarespace makes building an awesome product page super easy.
But even with its user friendly platform, there are some tricks that you can use to make that product page truly shy. Before we dive in, I want to be clear about what I'm talking about today. You can always create a single page that is a sales page for your product. And I have a whole different episode that I'll link to in the show notes.
That's all about that. In this episode, we're talking about the product page for a single product in your online store. When you create a store and then you add a product to it, that's the page we're talking about. Okay? Now, these product pages, they are made up of page sections, like a standard page on your website.
So the layout isn't
[00:02:00] as flexible as we're used to. No matter which of the four layout options you choose for this product page, the content in the first part will be the same. You'll get an opportunity to add your images. You'll have a product title, a description, and then an add to cart button. If you have variants of a product or people can select a quantity, that'll be there at the top of the page as well.
My first tip for your product page is about this very first product description. People are going to need to know more details about your product, but do not use this space to bombard them with a wall of text. This is a newbie mistake that I see all the time. Squarespace lets you add additional content after this first add to cart button.
And that's where all the other stuff goes. Think testimonials, care instructions, sizing charts, shipping questions. Those additional details belong in the additional info section. This very first product description should be concise and clear. Now you can use text formatting features here like heading
[00:03:00] types and bullet points, but it's important to keep in mind that the more you pack into this section, the farther away that add to cart button will be.
I recommend to my e commerce clients that this first description is clear, concise, and actionable, and we save all the additional content for the additional info section. So that brings me to the second tip for this episode, adding additional info. I've noticed that a lot of people new to Squarespace have no idea how to access this section.
The editor for products is drastically different than any other type of editing we do in Squarespace, so I'm not surprised that so many people miss this. In the details section, directly under the product name and description, you'll see the text additional info. It might also say enabled, which is kind of strange because there really isn't a way to disable the feature.
And why would you want to? But anyway, focusing back to the actionable advice part of this podcast, add additional info. If you aren't sure what to add, Here's some advice that I learned from the queen of e commerce herself, Kristine
[00:04:00] Neil. Okay, she doesn't call herself that, but I do. She's my go to expert for all things Squarespace e commerce.
We did a workshop together last year, and one of the tips she shared was too good to keep behind a paywall. This additional info section that we're talking about, it's a great place to add more images, testimonials, and an FAQ accordion for products that need a little more info. But if you have a lot of additional information to add in this section, You should consider adding another add to cart button at the end of the section using a product block.
There is no rule that says you can only have one add to cart option on a product page. In fact, having it more than once can even increase conversions for some products. So there's your tip from Christine Neal. Use a product block inside the additional info section to encourage people to purchase the product after they read all of the selling points.
This way they don't have to scroll all the way back up to the top of the page to take the action that you want them to take. Alrighty, another tip I want to share is about a
[00:05:00] feature that Squarespace released at the end of last year around November 2023 known as add on products. Imagine this, a customer is browsing your amazing handcrafted candles.
They pick out their favorite scent and then they see it. The perfect hand painted candle holder to match. By enabling add on products in your Squarespace settings, you can suggest complementary items on an individual product page. Customers discover products they love and then you can increase your average order value.
Think about it as like the ultimate friend recommendation, but way cooler because it happens on your website and it's content that you manually control. You'll find this option under the selling tools for an individual product. At the time of recording this, this can only be set up on the individual product page.
You can't just click a single button and have your hand painted candle holder listed on every product. This is one at a time, but still, it's pretty cool. For my visual learners, check the show notes for a link to a quick tutorial that will teach you
[00:06:00] how to set this up for a product in your store. Okay, that was four tips so far.
Create a clear and concise product description for above the add to cart button. Use the additional info section to add testimonials and more info about how awesome your product is. Add a product block to the end of your additional info section so people don't have to scroll all the way back up to the top to buy something once they're sold.
And consider using product add ons to promote more of your awesome stuff. Alright, in my notes here, I've got one more tip for you, but I've decided to throw in a bonus tip as well. So here's the last tip that's actually written in my script for this particular episode. And this one isn't about the product page.
Let's talk about how you communicate with your customers after the sale. Squarespace automatically sends emails to your customers at different stages of the buying process, like order confirmation and shipping updates. But did you know that you can personalize these emails? You can change the tone, add a catchy on brand message, or even include a discount code for a future
[00:07:00] purchase.
These emails are a great way to connect with your customers and build relationships. There are a lot of different notifications depending upon what you sell. Physical products, digital downloads, memberships, and more. I'm going to link to the support article in the show notes of this episode. So you don't have to listen to me.
Just read a list. Just remember that you can and should personalize these emails. I like to customize the initial message that they get after making a purchase. In this message, I let people know that I'll reach out again in a few days to check on their progress with the product, and I also add information on how to contact me directly if they need support.
That little bit of extra effort can go a long way in helping my customer feel connected to me after signing up for something that I sell. So there you have it, my Squarespace friend, a few tips on product pages and overall shopping experience that can help you increase conversions and connect with your customers.
But I did mention a little bonus tip I want to add to this episode. I want to talk to you about user generated
[00:08:00] content. This isn't just a fancy buzzword. This is the technique of harnessing the power of your happy customers to spread the word about your amazing offerings. User generated content adds a layer of authenticity and trust that we are desperate for in this digital day and age.
So how do you tap into this goldmine of content creation? Here are a couple of actionable ideas to help get those customer cameras clicking and social media feeds buzzing. The first one is to consider running a social media contest. This is a common tactic for a reason. It works. Encourage customers to share photos or videos of your product with a designated hashtag.
You can offer an incentive for their participation like a discount code or even an exclusive bundle. My local Pilates studio asks people for a Google review in exchange for a discounted rate on their first month. Now, to be clear, they are not spammy about this. They don't say that it has to be a four star or higher review or anything shady like that, but they ask for it.
And because of that, they have more reviews than any other studio in the
[00:09:00] area. All right, on to the second approach here for user generated content. Embrace the power of Instagram stories. I'm not huge on social media platforms, but I'm trying. And a technique I heard of lately that I think seems really cool is asking a question on your own Instagram story, asking customers to leave a review or share their favorite part about your product.
Then you can screenshot the good responses for your sales page, or even promote them on your own stories later. Now for my product based listeners, I've got one more tip for you here for this user generated content. And that's to get creative with your product packaging. You can include a call to action directly on your packaging.
Like a simple, share your photos with this specific hashtag. It can totally spark a wave of user generated content. Consider adding a branded thank you card with a space for customers to leave a review or their own social media handle. Small businesses love some cross promotion efforts. No matter which one of these tactics you try, remember to show your customers that you appreciate their efforts.
[00:10:00]
Like and comment on these posts and consider resharing them on your own social media channels. This creates that positive feedback loop and encourages further engagement. Just remember to be open to customer feedback and show genuine appreciation for their creations, even if it isn't a rave review. Now after you've collected some sweet content, let's take this all the way back to tip number two from way earlier in this episode.
Add your UGC to the additional details section of your product page. This section uses the classic editor so you can add images, quote blocks, or even embed a video here. This social proof is gold and it builds trust with potential buyers who see others loving your products. So there you have it, Squarespace, your conversion boosting product page tips and customer content strategies for your Squarespace site.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Think Inside the Square. If you have a topic you want me to cover in an upcoming episode, let me know. I'm doing my best to share a new episode every week, and I'd love to make sure that I'm creating content that will help you. Send me a
[00:11:00] DM on Instagram, I'm at thinkinsidethesquare, and I'll add your idea to my topic to do list.
Shout out to Lynn Morton for this topic suggestion. Thank you for the idea, and thanks for being an avid listener, Lynn, and thank you Square spacer for listening to episode 43 of Think Inside The Square. If you liked it, please leave me a review and be sure to subscribe to this podcast wherever you happen to be listening to this episode.
Most importantly, have fun with your Squarespace website. Bye for now.
Squarespace Ecommerce Expert Kristine Neil: kristineneil.com
Episode 27: How to Sell Digital Products on Squarespace
Episode 16: How to sell anything on Squarespace
Video Tutorial: How to use the product add-on feature in Squarespace
Squarespace Support: Customer email notifications