What is an eCommerce Call to Action?
eCommerce call to action is a button to generate an action. In simple terms, it is a button on a webpage, banner or content that allows users to complete specific actions whether it be initiating a checkout process to complete a purchase, start filling a lead form etc.
There are many call to action we see every day! Let’s have a look at an example
Where are CTAs used?
Assuming a marketing funnel with the 3 main steps i.e., Awareness – Consideration – Conversion CTAs can be used in all stages of the funnel but it is ideal to use CTAs as per your goals/KPIs.
If the target is to get more subscribers to a newsletter, using Subscribe now on a blog page or content wall would act as a great CTA. On the other hand, if the goal is to make the user add a product to the cart, your CTA would be Add to Cart or Add to Bag.
In some cases where a newsletter has been sent, and the goal is for the users to click on it and visit the blog page on your website, the ideal CTA would be Learn More!
The idea of using a CTA is to have an action associated, whether it be clicking and reading more about a blog, adding a product to the card, clicking the submit button on your lead form and much more.
How to optimize your eCommerce CTAs?
Make use of action words: Use words that move the focus from a desire to action, words such as Order Now, Subscribe Today, Get the Offer and more.
Create a sense of urgency: Having time reminders around your CTAs is a good idea to convert users faster, it completely depends on your business industry and category but it is always good practice to create a fear of missing out.
Also, it is important to remember that time-based offers should go off when the time is up. It should not be just for generating sales! Below is an example of FashionNova, one of the top eCommerce websites in the world.
Keep your USP near the CTA: It’s always a good practice to give your users are small reminder by highlighting your unique selling proposition near your CTA. This helps make decision-making easier for users who want to complete the purchase.
Make your CTA unique: Although mainstream CTAs get the job done in many cases, it is a good practice to create unique ones that highlight your product or an ongoing offer.
Add social proof: Highlighting reviews about your product is the best idea since it comes from users who have actually experienced the product. The end-user can relate and proceed to complete the purchase accordingly.
The example below is taken from AppSumo where a product is being promoted and it has the proper use of an action word, a sense of emergency and social proof.
Does the Call to Action color matter?
Colors make all the difference when differentiating the content on your webpage from the actual CTA. CTAs should be eye-grabbing and pause-worthy to make the end user take a look at them and proceed to make a purchase.
Studies have shown that blue can improve creativity, but red increases memory and attention to detail. The psychology of color allows marketers to create logos and branding materials that will be more persuasive. Hence colors matter!
What are the best colors for CTA buttons?
As per a study by JoeHallock, Men and Women favor different colors:
Blue seems to be the color that both men and women prefer the most. On the other hand Purple is the second top pick for women while Green is the second for men.
Depending on your audience targeting you can change your colors for ideal results. Although this should not act as a benchmark for your CTA colors but it can be a great data point to start testing colors on your eCommerce store.
How to make your CTA stand out on your product landing page?
Make sure the CTA color and content have some pause value i.e., entice users to have a look at it at least once before they proceed to scroll further and know more about the product.
Top Call to Action phrases used on eCommerce websites!
Creating your unique CTAs is always good but there are certain places where generic CTAs achieve all the required goals. Here are the top CTAs used by online businesses:
- Buy Now: The classic CTA for a user to make a purchase.
- Subscribe: Mainly used for newsletter subscriptions but can also be used for recurring product purchases.
- Join us: This combined with a great offer yields create sign-ups to pre-offers, early launch and overall great for pre-product launch campaigns.
- Get started: When your product is not a one-time purchase but maybe is an educational course, class or something related to ed-tech, this CTA also works great for SaaS products.
- Add to Cart/Add to Bag: Before the user completes the checkout, this is an ideal CTA to have directly on the grid page where there is more than one product being highlighted.
Consistency, Colors and CTAs
CTA colors on your landing pages to resonate with the brand! Just because certain colors work for certain audiences doesn’t mean they should be implemented right away. Every brand has its own story and branding, CTA colors should be consistent and go hand in hand with the branding.
Although there are many ways to use different CTA colors, being consistent with your branding colors helps maintain re-call value when the users revisit or do research similar to your product category.
Be clear about which parts of your page should get user attention. Don’t confuse your users by using a lot of different call-to-action colors on the same page.
The best call-to-action examples!
Conclusion on eCommerce CTAs
CTA helps visitors take action by guiding them to the right content and place on your site. This article has given you a clear picture of what Call to Action mean and what is a good CTA. Now it is time to write an effective one for your landing page.
If you use the same example in all your call-to-action examples, there would be a higher chance of better conversion rates. So go ahead and implement today!