E-commerce banners should catch the recipients’ attention while not destroying the positive user experience related to browsing the site. Maintaining such a balance is not an easy task, so when creating this type of graphics, certain rules must be followed. In this article, you will learn how to design e-commerce banners!
What challenges await you when creating e-commerce banners?
E-commerce banners definitely stand out against the background of insistent pop-ups, as well as information graphics valuable for the user. They must combine the functions of both, persuading the recipient to perform a specific action while not discouraging him with their persuasive nature. Therefore, before designing your banner, consider the following:
- If it should be permanent or temporary
- If it should be informative only or interactive
- How to keep a positive UX while creating a persuasive message
- How to avoid banner blindness
Banner blindness is an interesting phenomenon in which the user ignores all content that he associates with a marketing message. Recipients do it completely subconsciously because they have learned to recognize advertisements and scan the Internet, bypassing them. Unfortunately, the human brain treats e-commerce banners as the same category of communication, so they often go unnoticed too.
The Internet is saturated with content, some of which are annoying and uninteresting advertisements. Banner blindness is, therefore, a kind of defence mechanism that allows Internet users to browse the web without feeling excessively tired or irritated. People responsible for designing e-commerce banners must keep this in mind to create a message that will catch the eye but not cause negative reactions.
Principles of designing e-commerce banners
To overcome the challenges outlined above, the following best practices should be followed when designing e-commerce banners:
- Add clear titles — the main message must be immediately understandable to the recipient.
- Use a simple design — no elements of the banner should distract the recipient’s attention from the key information.
- Compose understandable CTA — call to action must effectively encourage the recipient to take the desired action.
- Write concisely — the recipient must understand what you have to say within 3 seconds.
- Design attractive graphics — the banner should be designed in accordance with the visual identification of your brand.
- Respect the right proportions — the more important elements of the banner should be larger than the less relevant ones so the recipient immediately understands the message.
At this point, it is also necessary to mention two additional aspects, without which it is difficult to imagine designing e-commerce banners. We are talking about the planned location of graphics and the personalization of their content.
When considering placing an e-commerce banner on a website, you can choose ATF (above the fold) or BTF (below the fold) space. In the first case, the graphic will be displayed immediately when the website is loaded. In the second, the user will have to scroll the page to see the banner. Although ATF seems to be a better solution, such a location can irritate the recipient more quickly. In the case of BTF, the banner is less visible, but it is also not so often considered an intruder.
Personalization, on the other hand, is an issue commonly regarded as one of the conditions for success in marketing. It consists in displaying content appropriately tailored to users. Based on the data obtained from your website, you can divide the target group into several different segments and design a different banner for each of them. One-to-one personalization is an even further solution, where you use the advanced Customer Data Platform, integrating information from various sources. This allows you to create messages with specific individuals in mind.
Advantages of e-commerce banners — summary
Although designing good e-commerce banners is not easy, the effort is worth it. They can help you build a positive image, gain the trust of customers and, above all, increase sales. If you want to know more about their use, read the full article on this topic.
