In the digital landscape, where every pixel counts, finding the sweet spot between a brand's identity and conversion goals is more art than science. At Domaine, we are passionate about mastering this balancing act, working with a diverse range of brands with unique goals and strategies to ensure their sites are as engaging as they are effective. We dove into this topic on episode 11 of DTCx’s Ultimate Shopify Customer Journey Series.
The Dual Role of Brand and Conversion
Brand and conversion aren't adversaries; they’re partners in creating a memorable online experience. The brand is the soul of a business—it's what can make a site unique and memorable. But without conversion, that brand presence doesn’t translate to growth. At Domaine, our mission is to bring brands to life in the digital space while also driving meaningful results and increasing engagement.
The Art of Translating Brand Identity
Ecommerce frameworks may have the tendency to feel rigid, but there's plenty of room for creativity. When our team at Domaine starts working with a new brand, we delve into their core identity—what we affectionately call the "feelings" of the brand. This involves understanding what makes a brand unique, whether it’s boldness, elegance, or a rebellious spirit. From there, our efforts are turned to translating this to a digital space.
Take typography, for instance. A brand that is bold and seeks to push boundaries might opt for a tall, condensed typeface that exudes authority and confidence.
By focusing on key visual elements like typography, color, and layout, we create visual identities that not only match the brand’s core identity and goals, but also resonate with their customer, and stand out within a crowded space.
Benchmade
For Benchmade, a high-end knife company, we explored multiple visual directions to modernize their site. One concept embraced their outdoor heritage with earthy tones, while another focused on the craftsmanship of the knives with cinematic visuals. A third concept streamlined the user experience with a clean and approachable interface.
By presenting these distinct themes, we could align on a design that felt authentic to Benchmade's identity. Using the same core ecommerce structure, but swapping out different typefaces, colors, and layouts, we can pull at very different elements of the brand.
NEST New York
For brands with more extensive brand books and set color and type guidelines, we still find opportunities to discuss the best way to represent their brand online. For NEST New York, a luxurious fragrance brand, we presented two concepts focusing on smaller visual elements while maintaining the typeface and colors.
The first focused on the packaging and botanical elements, while the second zeroed in on sensory and glamorous imagery. By using the same ecommerce elements within each concept, we were able to solidify all the visual attributes that make each concept feel authentic and true to the brands identity.
Weaving Branding into the Fabric of Ecommerce
Too often, brands isolate their identity to specific areas of their site—like the “About Us” page, landing pages, or blog articles. However, these pages often see lower traffic. To truly embed a brand into the user experience, it's essential to weave brand elements through the entire shopping flow.
When we take a look at our brands’ analytics for this year-to-date across many verticals (including bedding, accessories, hair, apparel, jewelry, maternity, food, and fragrance), on average, brand pages (such as the “About Us” page) received .25% of overall site traffic. Blogs come in a bit higher at 2.3%, but this is when we combine all articles for each brand.
A brand’s content and differentiators should be woven into the main shopping flow, so that as users move between the navigation, homepage, product listing page (PLP), and product detail pages (PDPs), they are gaining a sense of the brand and why they should shop with here instead of with a competitor.
Stoney Clover Lane
For Stoney Clover Lane, a brand known for its customizable bags, we infused their playful color palette and patchwork designs across their entire site. In the navigation, we added pops of the colors that they are known for as well as illustrations that match the aesthetic of their patches.
Timex
Meanwhile, Timex, an iconic American watchmaker, was looking to weave their brand story into every corner of the site. We achieved this by starting their homepage with a bold brand message: "Every watch has a soul and a story to be told," which continues with immersive takeovers that showcase specific watches.
Storytelling on Product Listing Pages
Product listing pages (PLPs) are a wonderful avenue to weave content and stories throughout a product grid, creating small moments of delight alongside product discovery.
Figs
Figs, the brand disrupting the scrubs industry, needed to showcase the innovation behind their fabrics. Rather than simply listing unfamiliar proprietary terms, we incorporated brand education into the filters, ensuring that even the most basic interactions feel true to the brand. These modules highlight how thoughtful Figs is about materials that will perform for the medical professionals they serve, right in the PLP.
Brand Content on Product Detail Pages
On the product detail pages (PDPs), brands can have impactful content like visually interesting information modules, how-tos, and product customizations. These help cement core values, differentiators, and more.
Benchmade
Benchmade allows their customers to customize their knives. We designed visually impactful specifications and video modules to support that message in the PDP. Additionally, small modules can highlight their core values: Made in the USA, Premium Materials, and Free Sharpening on all knives. This section tested incredibly well, with 20% of users commenting positively on these pillars before adding-to-bag.
Fellow
For Fellow’s recent launch of their new Aiden Coffee Maker, we created a modular PDP with a seamless scrolling experience educating the customer on key features and product attributes. This helps differentiate the product as a new launch, focused on education and storytelling while driving towards pre-order.
Making Branded Content Shoppable
Another critical insight we’ve honed is the importance of making branded content shoppable. Brand moments shouldn't be static—they should invite interaction.
This can come to life in a variety of ways depending on the brand and the product assortment available. A skincare brand may encourage users to shop a complete routine. An intimates brand might showcase both a bra and underwear in an editorial image and encourage shoppers to purchase them as a set.
Tuckernuck
For Tuckernuck, a lifestyle and fashion brand, we created an immersive experience where shoppers could click on editorial images to view and purchase the clothing featured directly. This approach blends ecommerce functionality with the brand’s stylish, curated content, enhancing both the shopping experience and brand engagement.
Keen
Keen, known for its footwear and outdoor gear, sought to integrate content and ecommerce seamlessly. We designed each section of their site to reflect both their rich history and purpose while effectively showcasing products, with the ability to “Shop from Anywhere”. Balancing these elements required a thoughtful design system that highlights the brand’s story while driving sales.
Mind the Essentials: Best Practices for Key Elements
Lastly, while we want to bring brands to life with creativity throughout an ecommerce site, there are key elements where simplicity reigns supreme. Navigation, filters, and checkout should prioritize clarity and usability above all else.
Consider best practices and clarity for these key elements:
- Navigation: We've conducted hundreds of user tests where users become frustrated by branded or unclear terms in the navigation. It's best to avoid uncommon or confusing terms. Better yet, test which terms are best for users.
- Filters: Similar to navigation, filter taxonomy should be as clear as possible. If a brand needs to use unfamiliar terms, we recommend exploring options to educate users on their meaning like the Figs example we shared earlier.
- Add to Bag: Be mindful of best practices on the top of the Product Detail Page. While we want to showcase the brand, we also want it to be easy for users to select variants and add-to-bag without any distractions.
- Cart & Checkout: Cart and checkout are not the best places to weave in brand. Keep it simple and conversion focused.
Conclusion
Balancing brand identity with conversion goals is a challenge that we love tackling every single day. By understanding the essence of a brand and strategically embedding it throughout the shopping experience, we create ecommerce sites that are not only beautiful but also effective. At Domaine, we’re proud to help brands strike this balance, ensuring that every interaction is both on-brand and optimized for results.
