The Importance of an Order Page
As we kick off the NPS blog series, we figured why not pick an easy topic to soft launch with. And, in the publishing industry, there’s a common frustration that 99% of our clients share: order Pages.
While a traditional e-commerce brand can use a site like Shopify or create simple pages for purchase, with subscription publications, a fulfillment house is often needed to ensure the magazine is delivered on the specified dates, at the specified cadence throughout the year. It deals with shipping, renewals, cancellations, expired subscribers, all under one roof. But, a common frustration remains: the offer pages don’t allow for much flexibility. Many publishers want the page to look pretty and to have increased functionality. And while some fulfillment houses can deliver, others have more standardized templates that don’t offer much variation.
While at the SubSummit Conference in May, we attended quite a few sessions around fulfillment and what a customer expects during the purchase process. And, while the SubSummit Conference wasn’t publishing-specific, it was geared towards subscription brands and how to stay relevant with all of the change throughout our country, with the younger generations beginning to step into the purchasing limelight, and with all of the other brands that are competing for customer’s precious dollars. And, in most sessions, the key points were relatively the same.
The winning combination: simplicity + value
Provide a clear value proposition, and keep it as SIMPLE as POSSIBLE.
So many of our clients struggle with wanting a offer/order page to be pretty, and while the look certainly matters to an extent, the ease of use is more important. The less pages and the less clicks, the easier the decision to click the purchase button. More bells and whistles is not always better! And the best way to see if your order page is working is by keeping a close eye on metrics. Are you getting clicks to the offer page but not seeing conversions? If so, it might be time to examine your offer pages and make some changes.
Other best practices to increase order page success:
Add Animated Buttons - scroll over button for changing colors, changing text
Limit Supply - have an active ticker of how many are left
Establish Trust - “80% of trusted women recommend…”
Best Value - call out which option is the best value (and give specifics!)
Sense of Urgency - “Order by XX for free gift/guaranteed delivery!”
One-Click Upsell Offers - add on another title or item (tote bag, calendar, etc.) at time of purchase
Final Offer on Thank-You Page - “Thanks for purchasing! As a special bonus gift, get Martha Stewart Living for 50% off!”
So, fulfillment houses + publishers - how do we begin to implement some of the above best practices while keeping things simple? It’s about providing a seamless experience, no distractions, so they can go from interest to purchase in a matter of minutes.
There is always work to be done to increase success of offers and offer pages - and NPS can help! We work directly with your fulfillment house to determine offers, assist in page building, and provide industry-based advice on what works and what doesn’t.
Do you agree with the above best practices? Have others you think would be worth including? Let us know!