Introduction:
You have identified your target audience, refined your brand message, and selected the right marketing channels. Now it’s time to craft the perfect call to action to persuade your customers to take the desired steps for your business.
A compelling call to action in e-commerce can boost the conversion rates of your online store. Whether you are crafting calls for product pages or newsletters, effective call-to-action buttons convince hesitant shoppers to continue their customer journey.
What is a Call to Action in E-Commerce?
A call to action (CTA) is a button or link on a webpage that prompts users to take a specific action. The call to action plays a critical role in guiding the user journey, increasing conversion rates, and achieving business objectives. Examples include “Buy Now,” “Sign Up Now,” or “Learn More.”
How to Write a Call to Action in E-Commerce
Writing a compelling call to action requires strategy beyond merely distracting instructions in your online store or email marketing campaigns.
Using active language, considering the customer journey, and keeping the call to action above the fold are some copywriting techniques to consider:
1. Consider the Funnel Stage
The marketing funnel describes the journey customers take from their first exposure to your brand to purchasing a product and beyond. The funnel represents your interactions with customers and identifies their needs at each stage of the relationship.
The goal when planning funnel stages is to map a path to conversion. The call to action encourages the right action at each stage along the funnel.
2. Make Early Offers Low-Risk
Potential customers should find it easy to engage with your business. People are more likely to click on a button that won’t cost them time, money, data, or effort. Then, you can direct them to a landing page that gives you another opportunity to close the sale.
By offering something of high value in exchange for something of lesser value or effort, you give your customers an incentive to engage. For example:
- You could offer customers a free item with a purchase or a discount.
- You could pair your offer with a call to action asking for a social follow or email subscription.
3. Use Urgency to Increase Conversion Rates
When shoppers feel that an opportunity is limited, they are more likely to buy. This creates a sense of urgency, which studies show can lead to higher conversion rates.
You can apply urgency to sales and offers in your e-commerce store through your calls to action.
For example, you might emphasize when a product is low in stock on the product page or through an email campaign, or create limited-time offers with phrases like “Buy Now – Only available until midnight.”
4. Test Different Colors
While there is no specific button color that guarantees the best conversion results, it’s important to ensure you use a color that works for your visitors and reflects your brand. You can use A/B testing to create several versions of the same call-to-action button using different colors to see which generates a higher click-through rate.
Here are some tips to consider when deciding on the right color for your call to action:
- Use white space around the call to action to make it clear where to click.
- Choose a high-contrast color that stands out on your webpages.
- Consider the font and shadowing and other design features.
5. Use a Simple Button and Text for the Call to Action
It takes 50 milliseconds for a visitor to form an opinion about your website or ad. This makes simplicity essential. You can make your call to action simple by using buttons to direct visitors’ attention to the actions you want them to take.
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Although most Shopify templates already include call-to-action buttons, make sure to place the buttons at suitable points in the customer journey.
6. Use Attractive Hero Images
You can use hero images – the main and highlighted images on the website – to showcase a product or collection. Images are often used as visual calls to action. Ensure that the hero image links to the product or collection page to make it easier for visitors to browse.
7. Keep Call-to-Action Above the Fold
The term “above the fold” comes from the newspaper industry, where the most important stories appear on the upper half of the front page – the half you see when it’s folded on a newsstand.
Above the “fold” in your online store is the area you see before scrolling down. It’s the content visitors see immediately upon entering your online store.
If you can capture the visitor’s attention above the fold, they are more likely to continue clicking and navigating through your store.
15 Examples of Effective Call-to-Action in E-Commerce
Call-to-Action Examples on Facebook and Instagram
1. hideAWAY
hideAWAY uses an appealing pop-up on the homepage that employs emojis in the text and invites visitors to interact with Ashy, an international fitness coach, to encourage people to subscribe to the SMS and marketing messages.
2. Ladystrategist
Ladystrategist promotes a Canva template designer via a Facebook ad promoting a small webinar to capture the attention of potential customers. The ad includes a short video showcasing ways to improve social media, highlighting the benefits offered to customers. Then Ladystrategist uses this content to promote an 80% discount on its product.
3. Slidequest
Slidequest attracts its target audience using its own product to create an ad. The video displays the templates and graphics available in digital marketing campaigns. Slidequest uses a mix of bright colors to grab attention and a calm white background to enhance contrast. The brand uses phrases like “Unlimited Downloads” and “Lifetime Updates” to pique interest and also mentions popular software like Adobe Illustrator and PowerPoint.
4. Sephora
Sephora uses Instagram stories to create a sense of urgency. The ad contains a few words on a yellow background, with a call-to-action button prominently in white. The phrase “Don’t Miss Out” is displayed prominently, and since it’s a story, readers have only 24 hours to click this link before it disappears.
5. 5 Napkin Burger
5 Napkin Burger aims to attract new local customers and build a database for future marketing efforts. Therefore, 5 Napkin Burger runs click-to-talk ads with a call-to-action button where potential customers can get a special offer for buying one hamburger meal and getting one free.
Call-to-Action Examples on Websites
8. Mattel Creations
The homepage of the Mattel toy association store includes several call-to-action buttons labeled “Shop Now,” accompanied by a hero image and a short phrase targeting movie and sports fans, as well as game series enthusiasts.
9. FashionNova
A display window appears when visiting the Fashion Nova site, capturing the attention of website visitors and serving as a great first step in the site’s sales funnel.
10. Zanerobe
The men’s fashion store Zanerobe engages visitors through push notifications, a type of engagement that typically yields high click-through rates. While browsing the store, a small pop-up appears at the top of the screen containing a call-to-action button. Viewers can click on “I’m In!” to subscribe to push notifications and receive news and offers.
11. Pura Vida
Pura Vida uses an embedded call-to-action that blends into its category pages. While browsing, you can easily subscribe to the SMS list and receive a 20% discount on your order. The call-to-action “Sign Me Up!” encourages customers to take action.
12.
Craftd
The men’s jewelry store Craftd uses a pop-up to grab your attention, share a targeted message, and build an email list. If you are a new buyer, Craftd offers you a 10% discount on your first order in exchange for an email address. The call-to-action unit is well-designed and relevant to its audience. There are no distractions as the store fades into the background, increasing the conversion rate.
Examples of Calls to Action in Email
13. Cotton Bureau
Cotton Bureau, a store that sells custom-designed t-shirts, uses an email ad that includes several effective call-to-action practices. The special offer is displayed boldly, so there is no chance of ignoring it. The ad copy creates urgency, presenting this as an opportunity “until supplies run out”. The call-to-action button is displayed in a large size and is hard to miss. Most importantly, all of this is achieved above the fold in the recipient’s inbox.
14. Buck Mason
This email from Buck Mason, an American clothing brand, uses multiple calls to action that fit with the surrounding content. For the “Field-Spec Cotton Surplus Crew”, the email uses the call to action “Shop Field Spec”. For the playlist, the call to action is simply “Listen”. Context-specific calls to action can help make emails feel more relevant and personal than a generic button. If you want to promote different products or services in an email, create different call-to-action buttons that relate to each distinct action.
15. Magic Spoon cereal
Readers can recognize the call to action in Magic Spoon’s email subject line: “How to Cure a Case of the Mondays”. This helps the content compete with other emails in the customer’s inbox. The design of the email makes it easy to understand the promoted content and how to take action. The attractive pink panel and creative images pop in a way that directs you straight to the purple call-to-action button urging you to “Order Now”.
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