The slideshow has been an essential part of online shopping sites for a long time now. 8 of the 15 most visited French websites feature them on their homepage. The slideshow is an indispensible sales tool which you need to learn how to create as it will not only increase product visibility but also clearly express your positioning. Set up a standout slideshow on your site with these 5 top tips!
- A slideshow highlights your best sellers, promotions and new products. It should reflect the evolution of your special offers and products. Don’t be afraid of changing its content on a regular basis. Consider adapting it to suit particular times of year e.g. Christmas and sales periods.
The slideshow on www.eric-bompard.com promotes Christmas gift ideas.
For www.pixmania.com, Christmas is the best time to launch strategies to increase demand during the festive season. Promotional offers are in abundance. Here is an example of the shop’s slideshow.
The slideshow also introduces your customers to new products. New products require special promotion upon arrival on a website. Fnac’s slideshow (slide 3) promotes new products with the potential to become Christmas best sellers. For example, the Cars 2 DVD on the slide below.
Fnac’s second slide features a flash sale which is another popular online promotional offer.
- When you present a product on your slideshow, don’t forget to include a link to redirect visitors to the product page in question. The customer won’t and shouldn’t have to search for promotions or new products in your categories or search engine.
When you click on a slide on the La Redoute website,
you end up on the corresponding product page. The customer can then benefit from the promotions highlighted on the slideshow.
Your slideshow should make the visitor want to take a closer look at the product and find out more about it. Slideshows on websites such as Fnac, La Redoute and Pixmania are created by professionals. We suggest you browse these sorts of website and take inspiration from them.
The slideshow varies according to what is being promoted. If you compare the slideshows on Fnac and Chanel then you will see that they are very different. The former uses snappy lines and unmissable offers to attract customers whilst the latter is made up of arty photos and the only text is the name of the product. Its clean and uncluttered layout is enough to draw the customer in. Your slideshow must reflect your position. It will help your visitors understand what sort of website they are on.
- Avoid flash slideshows. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, flash does not help optimise your natural ranking. Also, if you’re not used to using flash then updating your slideshow can be tricky.
The slideshow is a great sales tool as it encourages the visitor to view your best offers i.e. those that increase turnover. It is also a way for your visitor to be clear on your position as soon as he or she lands on your website.