You have found your target audience, refined your brand message, and chosen the right marketing channels. Now it’s time to write the ideal call to action to persuade your customers to take the necessary steps for your business.
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. They play a critical role in guiding the user journey, increasing conversion rates, and achieving business goals. Examples include buttons like “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 just distributing instructions on 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 keep in mind:
1. Look at the Funnel Stage
The marketing funnel describes the journey that customers take from first discovering your brand to purchasing a product and beyond. The funnel represents your interactions with customers and identifies their needs at each stage of your relationship with them.
The goal when planning funnel stages is to map out a path to conversion. Calls to action encourage customers to take appropriate action at each stage along the funnel.
At a high level, the marketing funnel consists of three parts: the top of the funnel (TOFU) is the awareness stage, where people learn about your product. The middle of the funnel (MOFU) is the interest and consideration stage, where people seek solutions. The bottom of the funnel (BOFU) is the action stage, where people are ready to buy.
Understanding the stage for which you have designed the webpage or ad will help you choose the appropriate call to action. For example, first-time blog readers will react differently to a call to action aimed at completing a purchase compared to a regular email subscriber or a loyal customer.
2. Make Early Offers Low Risk
It should be easy for potential customers to engage with your business. People are more likely to click a button that won’t cost them time, money, or effort. After that, you can lead them to a landing page that gives you another chance to close the sale.
By providing something of high value in exchange for something of lower value or effort, you give your customers the incentive to engage. For example, you might offer customers a free item with their purchase or a discount. You can pair your offer with a call to action that asks for social follow or email subscription.
A great example of a low-risk call to action is Colourpop’s offer of 15% off for an email address. It’s a low-risk offer for the customer because they don’t even need to commit to anything after providing their email address for a nice discount.
3. Use Urgency to Increase Conversion Rates
When shoppers feel that the opportunity is limited, they are more likely to buy. This creates a sense of urgency, which studies have shown can increase conversion rates.
You can apply urgency to sales and offers for your e-commerce store through calls to action.
For instance, you can emphasize when an item is low in stock on the product page or through an email campaign, or create time-sensitive offers with phrases like “Buy Now – Only on sale until midnight.”
Note how Pura Vida uses urgency in the example below. At the top of the checkout page, it has a countdown message.
4. Test Different Colors
While there is no specific button color that converts better, it is important to ensure that you use a color that resonates with your visitors and reflects your brand. You can determine this through A/B testing.
Create
Some versions of the same call-to-action button use different colors to see which one generates a higher click-through rate.
Here are some tips to consider when determining 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 web pages.
- Consider the font, shadow, and other design features.
5. Use Simple Call-to-Action Buttons and Text
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.
While most Shopify templates already include call-to-action buttons, make sure to place the buttons in appropriate points in your customer journey.
6. Use Engaging Hero Images
You can use hero images – the main and featured images on your website – to highlight a product or collection. Images are often leveraged 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.
Here’s an example from the video game store Gamestop, which uses hero images as calls to action on its homepage. The page uses images to entice shoppers to learn more about the games, and clicking on the hero images takes them to the product page where they can complete their purchase.
7. Keep it Above the Fold
The term “above the fold” comes from the newspaper industry, where the most important stories appear on the top half of the front page – the half that you see when the paper is folded on the newsstand.
Above the “fold” for the store is the area of the website seen before scrolling down. It’s the content that visitors see immediately when 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.
In this example, the Shopify merchant Dr. Squatch places all the customer information needed in the top half of the homepage. It includes the call-to-action button in a prominent position, along with all menu options at the top. The text is simple, and the hero image showcases the brand’s best products.
15 Examples of Effective Calls to Action in E-commerce
Let’s take a look at companies that use effective calls to action across social media platforms, their websites, and your inbox. The following list is broken down by channel:
Calls to Action on Facebook and Instagram
1. hideAWAY: hideAWAY uses an attractive 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 her instant messaging and SMS list. The button is effective for two reasons: the messaging icon indicates that a conversation will open in messaging. And using words like “my” and “me” instead of “your” and “you” has shown an increase in conversion rates of up to 90%.
2. Ladystrategist: Ladystrategist promotes a Canva template designer to create a small web template to catch the attention of potential customers in her Facebook ad. There is a short video that showcases ways to optimize social media, highlighting the valuable offer for customers. Ladystrategist then uses this content to promote an 80% discount on her product. The brand uses action words like “design,” “say,” and “spend” in the call-to-action copy. This urges potential customers to take advantage of this opportunity to make their lives easier.
3. Slidequest: Slidequest targets its audience using its product to create an ad. The video showcases the templates and graphics available in the digital marketing campaign. Slidequest uses a mix of bright colors to grab attention and a calm white background to enhance contrast. The brand employs phrases like “unlimited downloads” and “lifetime updates” to pique interest, also mentioning popular programs like Adobe Illustrator and PowerPoint. The highlighted offer is the 50% discount that Slidequest provides if the viewer acts now. This creates urgency by providing the deal for a limited time only, encouraging clicks.
4.
Sephora: Sephora uses Instagram stories to create a sense of urgency. The Sephora ad features only a few words on a yellow background, with a call-to-action button highlighted in white. The phrase “Don’t miss out” is prominently displayed in the foreground, and since it’s a story, viewers only have 24 hours to click on this link before it disappears.
5. 5 Napkin Burger: The 5 Napkin Burger restaurant aims to attract new local customers and build a database for future marketing efforts. Therefore, 5 Napkin Burger ran click-to-message ads with a call-to-action button that allows potential customers to receive a special offer to buy two burgers for the price of one.
Examples of calls-to-action on websites
8. Mattel Creations: The homepage of the Mattel play associations store includes several buttons titled “Shop Now,” each accompanied by an image of a hero and a short phrase targeting movie, sports, and toy series enthusiasts.
9. FashionNova: A pop-up appears when you visit the Fashion Nova website that grabs the attention of visitors and is a great step in the website’s sales funnel.
10. Zanerobe: Men’s fashion store Zanerobe collects site data through push notifications, a type of interaction that typically increases click rates.
11. Pura Vida: Although this section of the list contains many successful examples of embedded calls-to-action in pop-ups, not everyone loves pop-ups. Pura Vida shows 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 uses “Sign me up!” to encourage action.
12. Craftd: Men’s jewelry store Craftd uses a pop-up to grab your attention, share a targeted message, and build its email list. If you’re a new shopper, Craftd offers you a 10% discount on your first order in exchange for your 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, leading to more conversions.
Examples of calls-to-action in emails
13. Cotton Bureau: Cotton Bureau, a store selling t-shirts and custom print designs, uses an email advertisement that incorporates several of the best call-to-action practices.
14. Buck Mason: This email from Buck Mason, a California clothing brand, features several calls-to-action that fit the surrounding content. For the “Field-Spec Cotton Surplus Crew,” the email uses the call “Shop Field Spec.” For the music playlist, the call to action is simply “Listen.”
15. Magic Spoon cereal: Readers can recognize the headline containing the call-to-action in the email from Magic Spoon: “How to Cure a Monday Mood.” This headline helps it compete with other emails in the customers’ inbox. The email design makes it easy to understand what is being promoted and how to take action. The appealing pink color palette and creative images lead directly to the purple call-to-action button urging you to “Order Now.”
These were some examples of effective calls-to-action in e-commerce across different platforms. You can use these ideas and techniques to improve conversion rates in your online store or social media campaigns. Test what works and make adjustments to what doesn’t, then watch your sales increase.
Frequently Asked Questions about calls-to-action in e-commerce
How to write a call-to-action?
There are several elements that should be included in a call-to-action, including action words, encouraging customers to take a desired action, and a compelling reason to click.
What
What is a call to action in e-commerce?
A call to action (CTA) in e-commerce is an instruction on a website that tells the user to take a specific action. It is part of the website content aimed at encouraging the visitor to perform a particular action, often leading to conversion.
What is an example of a call to action?
The simplest example of a call to action is “Buy Now.” Other common examples include “Sign Up Now,” “Add to Cart,” and “Proceed to Checkout.”
What are the three elements that should be in a call to action?
Every call to action should include action words, encouragement to take a desired action, and a compelling reason to click.
Source: https://shopify.com/blog/17156160-7-inspiring-ecommerce-call-to-action-examples-and-why-they-work
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