Ah, Black Friday — the day where even your nan becomes a shopping ninja. From hunting for the best deals to dodging website crashes like a pro, it’s the period of time where queues in front of stores put concert merch lines to shame.
But even if you're online only, you ought to be prepping just as hard for a real Black Friday sales boost.
Here’s the thing: As a brand, you can’t just toss up a couple of discounts and hope for the best. Literally all your competitors are doing the same thing.
You’ll need to bring your A game, which starts with optimising your product page user experience — or even better, building custom optimised landing pages that are so irresistible, they’ll have your customers hitting “Add To Cart” without even thinking twice.
*Note: If you’re wondering why we’re prioritising this lever over ads and such for now, keep in mind that this was written in September.
Website changes can’t typically be actioned with a flip of a switch, and implementing substantial CRO strategies don’t have an overnight turnaround time. So, it’s where you should be starting with to build strong foundations and holistic marketing strategies... Whilst there’s still a little bit of time to make those high-converting landing pages pretty.
Now, why bother? Because storytelling sells (like, really sells)
People don’t just buy products; they buy stories.
Take Dyson, for example. Compare the following narratives (which we’ve made dramatically different and highly exaggerated to prove a point):
1. "Our vacuum cleaner has powerful suction."
2. "Pet hair, snack crumbs, the glitter from your last DIY project – Our vacuum cleans up everything in seconds, even faster than your date can knock on your door."
Instead of just listing out features, tell a story that makes your customers think, “I need this in my life right now.” And your product pages? They’re the perfect canvas for this.
How to Tell a Killer Product Story
- Showcase your product’s essence.
Not its dimensions or any technical details. What’s the heart of your brand?
Mockingbird nails it by saying: “When you're holding your baby in one arm, our stroller's one-hand fold can be a real game-changer.” – which covers the PAS framework in a single sentence, paints a picture, elicits an emotional response and specifies who their target audiences would be. That’s way more relatable than just talking about specs and nutrition labels, right?
As a start, ask yourself: “Why does my product even exist?”
What problem does it solve? How does it make life better? Warby Parker doesn’t just sell glasses — they sell style, innovation, and a feel-good message of giving back, where for every pair of glasses or sunglasses sold, you help someone in need. And if you’re worried about choosing the wrong pair, Warby Parker’s got those concerns covered too, with a landing page quiz that opens with the callout “Try 5 frames for free, without leaving home.” Succinct sells.
- Simplify the complicated stuff.
Some products are basically rocket science (*again, exaggerated, but you get the point). But storytelling is your secret weapon to break down complex features into bite-sized, digestible info. Guide your customers through a narrative that makes even the most technical products feel easy-breezy.
For instance, if you’re a skincare brand with 101 active ingredients to talk through, align them against their respective benefits and tangible values.
Hyaluronic acid? What even is that?
Natural substance found in the fluids of eyes and joints? Okay, and?
Reduces wrinkles and lines by increasing skin elasticity. Ah, finally. Got it.
Speaking your customers’ language is a real landing page conversion tactic too. If you’re selling to Gen Z, don’t bore them with corporate jargon. And if you’re selling to CEOs or professionals in the big scary business world, it might be wise to tone down the “rizz” and “skibidi sigma” and “it’s giving slay” vernacular.
The Maudern by Maude is one of the best displays of copywriting, with its tone of voice and brand alignment. Sophisticated, candid, informative and inclusive – everything the brand is, encapsulated in language that is quite simply beautiful.
- Make shopping fun again.
No one wants to slog through a wall of text. Especially when it comes to Black Friday marketing.
Make your product pages engaging, fun, and interactive, and opt for graphics over paragraphs of copy.
A picture’s worth a thousand words, but an interactive product video? That’s priceless.
With tools like Novel, you can turn your bank of assets and UGC into yet another high-converting tool, this time on your website. NuFACE, for instance, features a section of shoppable UGC on their homepage (incl. relevant products attached to each video) – which lets customers see how their products work, and visually imagine it fitting into their lives.
It’s like giving users a test drive, but without the awkward salesperson.
Also, get your customers hooked on a story by ensuring that everything flows properly for a solid product page user experience. Are you providing all the necessary information? Have you missed any crucial details that would cause some obvious barriers to conversion? Hopefully not.
- Stand out in a sea of sameness.
Black Friday ad campaigns are pretty much a crowded marketplace where everyone’s shouting about deals.
How do you get noticed? By telling a story that no one else can, on a platform where you're the only star of the show (aka. your website!)
Show off what makes your product unique, whether it’s the eco-friendly materials, the handcrafted details, or the way it fits seamlessly into your customer’s life. If you’ve created something original and first-in-market, even better. Milk that sh*t!
Like how frank body established itself as the first brand to do a coffee scrub (with old grinds from coffee shops turned into a skincare), or how the twin brothers at Lucent Globe brought to life multiple brand success stories through eco-friendly laundry, dishwashing and toilet cleaning sheets – now expanding into the world’s first foaming hand soap sheets too.
- Build that loyalty.
A good story sticks. When your customers feel connected to your brand’s narrative, they’re more likely to keep coming back… Especially if you have the likes of CRM automations and strategies, education pieces, or community building initiatives to keep them involved / coming back for more.
Which means, to optimise product pages, you’ll need to activate certain elements that can serve to nurture these long-term relationships.
On-site pop-ups to collect emails and grow your database are a must-have, and subscription modules are super effective if you’re in the FMCG space where recurring orders are expected (*plus replenishment flows, anyone?) After all, you do want to make it as easy as possible for shoppers to come back for more.
Check out Carpe’s BYOB (Build Your Own Bundle) page for some inspo, and note how at checkout, the “Subscribe and save” checkbox is automatically selected! Which is a little bit cheeky, but has probably generated proven marketing results.
The Bottom Line?
Improve site conversion rate by getting your PDPs ready for Black Friday Cyber Monday 2024.
Black Friday isn’t just another sale — it’s a battlefield. Your best weapon?
A killer product page that doesn’t just inform but engages, excites, and, most importantly, sells. By weaving your products into compelling stories that paint your brand as a destination worth shopping from, you aren’t just selling an item — you’re selling a vision, a solution, a relationship, a lifestyle.
This all sounds like a lot and your brain hurts. So, what’s next?
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