This article has been updated for 2024.
We often get emails from winery owners and marketers asking how they can improve their winery’s ecommerce product pages. I always get over-excited by these requests because product pages are baby steps toward frictionless customer experiences. BUT, before you start (and this is super important), any successful digital improvement begins with an understanding of your customers. None of the tips that follow have a ghost’s chance in hell if you aren’t in tune with your buyers.
It’s often on the product page where users make up their mind on whether or not they want to purchase the featured product. This makes the product page layout, product page design, and features, the centerpiece of the user’s ecommerce experience. At the same time, the product page layout and features are under a lot of strain as they’re largely a template reused for almost every single product on the site.
The Baymard Institute
While each winery has its own unique challenges, here are the top five most common recommendations.
Make Mobile Optimization Your Top Priority
If your product pages aren’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of sales. Over 60% of eCommerce traffic now comes from mobile devices, so your product pages need to load fast, look great, and be easy to navigate on smaller screens.
- Quick Load Times: If your page takes more than three seconds to load, you could lose nearly half your visitors. Compress images, minimize code, and use a content delivery network (CDN) to keep your site fast.
- Mobile-First Design: Make sure buttons are easy to tap (thumb-sized!) and that users don’t have to zoom in to read product details or add items to their cart. Simple, streamlined layouts perform best.
By putting mobile optimization at the forefront, you’ll create a seamless experience that keeps users engaged and encourages quick purchasing decisions.
Write Clear, Benefit-Focused Product Descriptions
Product descriptions are your chance to speak directly to the customer, showing them not just what the product is, but why it matters to them. A clear, benefit-focused approach is key.
- Highlight the Experience: Instead of just listing the product specs (e.g., “12% ABV, 750ml”), describe the sensory experience. For a wine product, you might say: “A lush, berry-forward Pinot Noir perfect for cozying up by the fire or pairing with grilled meats.” Make the customer envision themselves enjoying the product.
- Keep It Simple, but Detailed: Avoid long-winded descriptions. Aim for concise but informative copy that includes important product details (like flavor notes, awards, and pairings) in an easy-to-scan format. Bullet points work well for this, but don’t overuse them—keep the experience narrative front and center.
Integrate Social Proof: Reviews and User-Generated Content (UGC)
Nothing sells a product like seeing that others love it. In 2024, social proof in the form of reviews, testimonials, and UGC is more important than ever. Make reviews a central part of your product page, not an afterthought. Showcase top reviews that mention specific details (e.g., “Perfect for summer BBQs!”) and include visuals when possible.
If you don’t have a lot of reviews yet, start encouraging customers to leave them on your Google profile: that’s a double win!
Incorporate Personalization for a Tailored Experience
Personalization isn’t just a nice touch—it’s a proven sales booster. In 2024, using customer data to tailor product recommendations and offers can significantly increase sales.
- Use Dynamic Product Recommendations: Suggest related or complementary products based on what the customer has viewed or purchased in the past.
- Personalized Discounts: Offer personalized discounts based on customer behavior, such as a discount on their birthday or a special offer after they’ve made their third purchase. These small gestures can build loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.
- Welcome Returning Customers with Custom Messages: If your site recognizes returning visitors, greet them with a personalized message or product recommendation. It’s a simple way to make customers feel valued and catered to.
Personalized content is one reason we use Commerce7 for our custom website builds, and they remain an untapped opportunity for most wineries.
Leverage Imagery: Beyond the Pack Shot
And last but not least, winery photography. We have a whole video on this, but here’s the gist:
- Pack Shots for Clarity: Pack shots are your straightforward, no-nonsense photos—clean, clear, and shot against a neutral background. These are essential for giving customers an accurate view of your product, helping build trust by showing them exactly what they’ll get. For wine or spirits brands, these shots are crucial for showcasing the label, bottle shape, and key details, ensuring customers feel confident before they add to cart.
- Beauty Shots for Emotional Impact: Think of beauty shots as the polished, artsy photos that make your product shine. These images use dramatic lighting, close-ups, and creative angles to highlight the product’s most appealing features. They create desire, capturing the mood or atmosphere your brand represents—whether it’s elegance, celebration, or a sense of exclusivity. Beauty shots work best in areas where you want to hook the customer emotionally, like banners or featured product sections.
- Lifestyle Photography for Relatability: Lifestyle images bring your product into the real world, showing it in the kinds of scenarios your customers can imagine themselves enjoying. Whether it’s a bottle of wine set for an outdoor picnic or a craft beer being poured at a barbecue, these images connect the product to the customer’s own life. This style builds a bridge between the product and your audience, making it easy for them to visualize the experience your product promises.
When you integrate these three types of imagery—pack shots for clarity, beauty shots for impact, and lifestyle photos for connection—you create a product page that feels complete and engaging. Together, they work to guide your customers through the journey from curiosity to confident purchase, driving up conversions and boosting sales.
Final Thoughts
There ya have it, the 5 big edits that are proven to increase your conversion rates. The good news is that none of these require complicated solutions; they only require that you begin to see your digital space as a direct extension of your real life winery experience. When in doubt, step away from the computer and role-play: what would you say to a fan or visitor? How can you use copy, images, and personalizations to share that message on your wine pages? Make a list, pay attention, and give yourself the opportunity to embrace new norms for interacting with customers. Just because they aren’t standing in person in front of you, doesn’t mean you can’t enfold them into your brand.
[Photo by Jahsie Ault on Unsplash]
