Shopify and the value behind creating product context pages

shopify product context pages

Homepage. Collection Page. Product Page.

9 times out of 10 you’ll find direct to consumer brands pushing visitors from ads to one of the pages listed above. The bad being the homepage crew.

Knowing your customer you’ll understand the multitude of reasons people buy what they buy. The importance of building trust with first time customers. The value of context.

And, 9 times out of 10, that context isn’t created on the page you land your visitor on. Sure, product pages cover all angles and can do a great job. They’re built to cover all angles. However, if your ad highlights a particular benefit, a particular style of product or a particular need of your potential customer than is the product page really enough?

Think beyond the standard Shopify Product Page

This is why I advocate Shopify-hosted DTC brands take a step back and look at what else they can and should be delivering their new customer. Product context pages. Pages that are built to carry on the conversation you create through your advertising. Pages built upon the customer insights you’re learning. Where you bring into play curating existing customer reviews that provide the context of why your new visitor just landed at your store. From the voice of your customer.

Product context pages are conversational. They’re focused. They’re built to lead your customer to make their purchase in a more informed manner. They can be storytelling. Here’s a great example from Blissy taking long form copy and presenting the ‘case’ for the Blissy pillow before presenting the product itself. By presenting context rather than simply presented product. The CTA button is at the foot of the page. Price isn’t mentioned once [at the point of writing this article!]

Do Product Context Pages work for all stores?

Short answer? Yes. Long answer? Yes, because, again, your job as a marketer is to learn the reasons people shop what they shop. You use that learning to create pages that fit around that specific reason.

Product Context Pages work well for Google Ads too. Consider the struggle you may face when considering what to include as site link extensions within your ads. Highlighting the key context behind why people buy your products ensures you land people on the most relevant page to their specific need at that specific time.

For fashion brands, Product Context Pages work great when you’re highlighting a new seasonal collection, colour scheme or new pairings for your range. The alternative? A Shopify collection page? Meh.

For beauty brands you have consideration for skin tones, age, price points, a multitude of deciding factors that may be covered in a standard product page, but not focused upon.

I love Shopify. I advocate Shopify. I also understand the constraints of Shopify and how marketers rarely think beyond the golden triangle of Homepage, Collection Page and Product Page.

How do you create product context pages? Replo.

Well, we’ve the rollout of Headless Commerce which will hand the keys to the store back to the creative-minded marketing. Which is fantastic.

Right now, if you’re on a standard Shopify theme or Shopify Plus? Go see Replo. Replo is a simple plug and play app that allows you to quickly create pages within Shopify where you control the layout. Conveniently, Replo pulls your standard Shopify header and footer into the design. The bit in the middle? That’s left well and truly up to you.

Get started creating Product Context Pages built for your customers

You know the value of correct segmentation and personalisation. Building Product Context Pages is one simple and easy way to present your customers with exactly what they’re looking for (because that’s the reason they clicked your ad in the first place).

Don’t become too restricted in your work by the template you work from. Shopify, a wonderful platform that has transformed how we build stores for the better, works to a template. Sometimes to deliver your customer a truly personalised shopping experience you need to untemplate your work. Creating Product Context Pages is a great starting point. Learn more and discover examples from my own work subscribing to my weekly Ecommerce Growth Lessons newsletter below.

Want more insight on getting the most out of Replo for your Shopify Store? Get in touch.


Written By:
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Ian Rhodes

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First employee of an ecommerce startup back in 1998. I've been using building and growing ecommerce brands ever since (including my own). Get weekly growth lessons from my own work delivered to your inbox below.