Want to stand out from the crowd? Then we have gathered a number of unusual and smart features you can use to improve your online store.
Favourite lists. Check.
Integration of customer reviews. You have that under control too.
But what about the features that lift your online store from good to 'god, how smart is that'? Features such as quick shopping, extended favourites list, and gated products to name just a few.
We have had the big magnifying glass out in the hunt for smart functions and features you can lean towards if you need inspiration on how to make your online store even better.
More specifically, we have had a large number of B2C online stores under the microscope and selected 14 features.
However, keep in mind that all companies are different, and what seems brilliant for some may be completely superfluous for others. So before you scroll impatiently down to the list of examples, we would like to ask you to take a look at the customer journey. This can help you sort and select the features that make the most sense for your business and your customers.
Think customer journey before features
What challenges and needs do your customers have? What does their consideration and purchase process look like? And what information do they need before, during and after they have shopped with you?
What you answer to questions such as these goes a long way in determining which features make sense to develop and implement on your B2C online store.
Your answers help map the customer journey in your business.
Only when you know your typical user down to the last detail should you start emptying your head of ideas for features that easily guide potential customers from A to B and all the way to checkout.
In the blog post, we have done a little of the thinking for you.
Some of the features you're presented with will make sense for your type of online store and customers, while you'll find that others are less important to your business.
Dive into them and see which ones make sense for your online store.
14 brilliant features for your online store
Now for what you came for.
Here you will get inspiration and concrete examples of features that can transform your online store from ordinary to extraordinary.
They are aimed at those who can already tick off standard features such as upsells, favourite lists and the like.
That is, for you who are curious to take the next step in terms of (further) developing existing or new features.
What I want with the below is copy on left and an image on right as an example of the feature for each of them
Offer price match when customers compare prices
Do you resell products that can also be bought elsewhere? And do you offer price match in your online store?
Then this feature is a must.
The feature takes into account that your customers compare prices across online stores when they shop online. An indication that your customer is in the process of comparing prices is when she marks the specific product name and presses "Copy".
When this happens, a message automatically pops up that your online store of course offers a price match if you have found the product cheaper with one of the competitors.
Extended basket view
When a potential customer clicks on the cart icon, he should of course get a quick overview of the products he has added to the cart.
But in addition to showing the price and quantity, you can consider expanding the overview with other relevant information.
This can be information about the expected delivery date, just as you can work with upselling and offer relevant accessories for the product the customer is about to buy. You can also inform the customer that he is only x amount of kroner away from getting a free gift with the purchase.
As you may sense, the possibilities are many.
Quick Buy / Express Buy that shortens the customer journey
Some customers know exactly what they need.
We call them the targeted shopper.
Maybe that type of shopper also visits your online store? In that case, consider enabling the visitor to shop directly from the category page through a quick buy feature. For example, if you sell clothes, the visitor can choose a colour and/or size with a few clicks and then start paying directly. This makes the buying process shorter and reduces the risk of losing customers along the way.
Extended customer reviews that increase credibility
Your Google Business reviews are beautiful and sit at the top of your online store (or wherever you have placed them). So far so good.
But you can go one step further and turn the often anonymous reviews into more personal ones where you put a face to your satisfied customers.
This can be done through short and simple video testimonials, where you reach out to returning customers and ask if they would like to share their experiences with some of the products your online store offers. You may be able to offer a product or a discount code as a thank you for your help.
Badges and icons at the product and/or category level
If there are special USPs (Unique Selling Points) you would like to highlight on your products, badges and icons are an effective and simple way to do so.
They can be used in different ways, depending on what you want the customer to do.
With a "Get in stock" icon, you can create urgency and incentive to click on the product. You can also highlight the membership price to nudge the customer to become a member (if you offer it). Or add a free shipping badge to products that climb above a certain threshold and thus provide free shipping.
These were just a few examples – the possibilities are many.
Virtual Shopping Assistant
Does your online store sell products that require guidance from subject matter experts to a greater extent? Or maybe you're selling products in a price range that requires a bit more consideration?
So take on the role of virtual shopping assistant and give your customers the opportunity to book a video meeting.
In this way, the customer gets to put a face to your company, and you can provide personal help that hopefully makes your customers feel comfortable doing business with you.
Feed breaker
Do you have specific products you would particularly like to sell? Maybe products with a good coverage ratio?
Then you can highlight selected products on your category page with what we have called a feed breaker. These are products that break with the normal category feed.
It can be through a different structure in the feed, where selected products get more space, or it can be to replace the classic product image with an environmental image of the product. It's a cunning move because the eyes are naturally attracted to what sticks out. You can use this to your advantage by breaking the feed.
Gated products
Many customer clubs entice with discounts, free shipping and the like, but you can also consider gates specially selected products in the hunt for more members.
This means that you make some products unavailable to people who are not yet members. On the one hand, you add extra friction to the customer journey by gateing products, but on the other hand, you get access to a large portion of first-party data that you can use in your future marketing to your members.
Question function on the product page
Give your customers the opportunity to ask questions about a specific product on the product page.
By making the question and answer visible to anyone who visits the product page, you can address the doubts and uncertainties that other visitors may have as well.
If you (and your visitors) want to get the most out of the question function, you as a online store must of course have the resources to be able to answer the potentially many questions that arise across your products.
Extended favourites list
The vast majority of B2C online stores are equipped with a favourites list function, so visitors can easily save the products they have been looking for.
You can upgrade this feature by adding the number of people who have added a specific product to their favourites list.
In this way, you get to communicate that the product is popular, and thus you discreetly tell the visitor that it may be a good idea to strike before it is too late.
Deadline for basket reservation
If there's one thing that can liven up your customers' buying process, it's the use of urgency.
In this case, this means a message with a built-in time limit.
When you tell them that the customer's basket is reserved for a certain period of time, you also tell them that the customer risks losing the products in the basket if they don't complete the order before the deadline. Just having a deadline for basket reservations can signal that your products are in demand.
However, be aware that this feature can clash with your email automation if you make use of Lost Cart flows.
Offer Expiration Countdown
Imagine that a visitor clicks and scrolls curiously around your online store. She finds a product she wants to buy, but she is still a little doubtful. That's why she sleeps on the decision. The next day, she has decided: She just has to have your product!
She jumps into your online store, but to her great annoyance, she finds out that the offer has expired. A tiresome experience for the customer and a potential lost sale for you.
Instead, show when the offer expires. Not only can it get customers to buy now rather than later, it also communicates that you are transparent about your offers/prices. And that's good style.
Capture permissions from discount code searches
If your customers are like most people, they are guaranteed to go on a discount code hunt on Google as well.
You can actually use that to your advantage.
You can use discount code searches – e.g. your brand + discount code – to collect permissions for your newsletter.
For example, create a dedicated landing page for this type of search, where the message is that you as a new customer can get a 10% discount on your first order. On the condition that you of course sign up for your newsletter.
Collecting feedback via surveys
Knowledge about your visitor's behaviour, preferences, and challenges is invaluable.
A simple way to gain insight into your visitors is by collecting feedback across your site – from the front page to the checkout.
You can do this through surveys that appear on and are adapted to specially selected pages. They must be quick to respond to so that they do not become an annoyance in the customer journey.
For example, in the customer's basket overview, where the question "What is stopping you from reaching your order right now?" and associated answer options appear in a pop-up.
That way, you can identify unnecessary barriers that keep potential customers from making it all the way to the checkout. In addition, you can use your visitors' language and word choice in your communication and marketing.
Platforms such as Hotjar, Sleeknote, and Lucky Orange offer this kind of surveys.
I have an idea for a feature
Great! You know your customers best. Therefore, it is only natural that you have more ideas or special requests for specially developed features tailored to your customers.
If you need help making your idea a reality, our team of UX designers, developers and consultants will be happy to help you (further) develop your B2C online store.
Curious to hear more? Get in touch with us for a free chat.
