What you can learn from last quarter’s custom growth plans (Q1 2024)
I offer custom growth plans where I review your store with a mind for growth strategy, namely conversion optimization and product merchandising. You can book one for yourself for personalized recommendations.
Q1 for most ecommerce businesses is a time of recovery, of reflection, and of growth planning. (Unless of course you sell anything health + wellness or planners, in which case, you might just be starting!)
The shops I worked with this quarter are all small businesses on either Etsy or Shopify, with great products, owned by people with great stories and expertise. While no growth plan is the same, there were a couple patterns this quarter that I think everyone can benefit from!
Here are some things you can do to improve your shop:
Set your background color to white.
If you have your own store, on Shopify, Squarespace etc, make sure your background is white. A light color or dark mode just simply won’t do.
It’s better for contrast, which means people can read your text more easily and see your images more clearly. It lets your images shine, so people can focus on the product, not your shop design.
And, it’s been tested to death. How do I know? Because all the biggest brands have white backgrounds, and they don’t make any choices without testing. Seriously, go look up the shops you know are massive: you’ll find with very very few exceptions, everyone is using a white background.
If this bums you out, please know that it bums me out too. I love a beautifully branded and designed site, I really do! But in ecommerce, we only get so much of a potential customer’s time and attention, we have to make it count. Something I have learned over and over again, because it’s something I don’t really want to be true: pretty doesn’t always convert. I’m sorry!
Put your CTA above the fold.
When someone lands on your site, you do not want them to have to scroll before understanding what to do. A clear call to action must be above the fold on your homepage, on both desktop and mobile. You should also consider this on your product page: make sure your Add to Cart button is accessible without scrolling.
Generally the easiest way to fix this is to reduce the height of your images, as the page is usually responsive to the size of the image.
Inject more of your story into your shop.
This is one of my favorite suggestions, and it’s something that has come up with every shop I have worked with.
Don’t be afraid to lean into you. You are what makes your shop special. You are the unique factor: other shops may make jewelry or candles or clothing, but none of them are you making it. Make sense?
I know it’s tempting to focus on your brand voice; to say “we” when it’s just you, or to feel like talking about yourself is unprofessional. But that’s the beauty of it: it’s not “professional,” it’s real. And people want real, they want to connect with you.
In a world full of monopolistic, greedy retailers, embrace being a small business, a one or two person shop. People want to support you, but they need to know you a little bit first.
(psst: I can help you define your story!)
Want to know what you need to do to grow?
Get a specific, researched plan, customized to your shop, so you can scale the right things.Pay what you want pricing, starting at $50.
How does it work?
Growth plans are created asynchronously and do not require a call or any access to software to complete.
The average turnaround time is one week from purchase.
What do you get?
I’ll prepare a written version and a video presentation.
I do not limit our time afterward — if you have questions or would like to review the plan together, I am happy to!
Who is it for?
I can work with all platforms, including Shopify, Etsy, Squarespace, BigCartel, etc, and especially if you are using more than one platform.
