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Tip: Increase Conversions with Large Add to Cart Buttons

A great way to increase conversions is to place a prominent "Add to Cart" button on your product page. A clearly visible button leaves no doubt for your visitors as to what the next step in the process should be. 

Here are some factors to consider on this oh so important button:
  • Place the button in an area that the user is likely to see without having to scroll down or across the page.
  • Make it larger than other design elements on the page so that it draws attention.
  • Think about duplicating the button - one at the top and one at the bottom.
  • Keep the text short. For example, don't say "Add item to the cart", where "Add to cart" will do.
  • Use local terminology. In the UK you typically see "Add to Basket", and I've seen "Add to Shopping Bag" in Australia.
"Add to Cart" button round-ups:

Posted by Gavin Terrill on April 19, 2010.

Searchify Update: Multiple Instances

I just pushed out a new version of Searchify that allows you to run multiple instances on the same page. Please check your stylesheets if you have customized versions. I've tried to keep it backward compatible, but basically you should be using class names instead of id's now.

You can see a store with 2 search boxes on it here: http://daisypark.myshopify.com/ (the store is currently under development and there are some z-index issues not related to Searchify).

As part of this change, their is a slight change in the way it works - it now shows what it is searching for as you type. This provides more immediate feedback for users. Let me know what you think.

Posted by Gavin Terrill on March 26, 2010.

Creating Sub Menus using Collections

One of the most common questions folks new to Shopify ask is how to create sub collections. It is actually pretty simple, but requires a little bit of coding.

Let's say you sell Shopify themes, and you want to have sub categories for different styles of theme; say Minimal and Grunge. To do this we would start by creating collections for each of the sub categories. In this case we would have two new collections for "Minimal Themes" and "Grunge Themes".

We then need to associate the the sub-menus with the top-level menu. The easiest way to do this is using a link list (these are created under the Navigation tab in Admin). In this case we would create one called "Shopify Themes", and then we would add links to the two collections.

Now we need to edit the theme so it understands there may be sub-menus. Typically, the code for the menus is in theme.liquid. Open it up and look for the code that is creating the menu items. You need to modify this so it looks for a matching link list, and if it finds one it outputs those links as well. Here is some sample code from the Vanity theme:

{% for link in linklists.main-menu.links %}
<li>
	<a href="{{ link.url| escape }}">{{ link.title | escape }}</a>
	{% if linklists[link.handle].links.size > 0 %}
	<ul>
		{% for sublink in linklists.[link.handle].links %}
		<li><a href="{{ sublink.url }}">{{ sublink.title | escape }}</a></li>
		{% endfor %}
	</ul>
	{% endif %}	
</li>
{% endfor %}

Now your page will have the additional links under the top level item. 

You may need to add some CSS styling to make the menus appear properly. Alternatively, pick an example menu from the excellent CSS play site: http://www.cssplay.co.uk/menus/

That is it. You can see it in action here: http://getvanity.myshopify.com.

Posted by Gavin Terrill on March 22, 2010.

Would You Buy An Additional Product Attributes Widget?

Update: Thanks for everyones feedback. Personified is now available in our store. 

We need your help!

We have developed javascript and liquid code that allows you to display and capture additional product attributes on the Shopify product.liquid and/or the cart.liquid pages. These attributes are carried through to the order and can be embedded in notification emails. This code has been refined by us over the years and used in many sites, and is now very robust and flexible.

If there is enough interest, we would like to offer this as a product and invest the time to document the code and methodology thoroughly. If this sounds like something you’d like to see us offer, please contact us or leave a comment, and let us know:

1. How much you think would be a reasonable price to pay?

  • < $10
  • < $50
  • < $100

2. What about jQuery? Currently this is required.

  • It’s Ok, I can deal with making it work with the other libraries my theme uses.
  • It should work with any other library.
  • jWhat?!

3. Would an installation service be of interest (at say $50)?

Thanks!

Posted by Christine Krokker on February 23, 2010.

Buzzify Your Store

Buzz has recently been released by Google. It is integrated into gmail, and allows you to share interesting stuff with friends, including photos and videos.

You can “buzzify” your Shopify store following these simple steps:


  1. You need to have a Google profile page. Check yours out or create one here: http://www.google.com/profiles.
  2. Open theme.liquid (in Admin > Assets > Theme Editor)

  3. Look for the <head> and </head> HTML tags at the top of the file, then add the following code between them:
    <link rel="me" type="text/html" href="http://www.google.com/profiles/your.username"/>
    Replace your.username with your profile name.

  4. Edit your profile page (http://www.google.com/profiles/me/editprofile) and click “Add A Custom URL” to claim the new site.

Now when you post a new blog article it will appear in your Buzz activity stream for all your followers to see.

Posted by Gavin Terrill on February 16, 2010.

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