The Buyers Guide: Creating A Rich Brand Experience

1. Godiva – Spring Entertaining

This is a powerful buying guide example because the experience’s purpose goes beyond the chocolate it sells. It is a guide to entertaining; specifically, designing a lush springtime tablescape.  With five easy to follow steps, decorating tips, and rich and colorful graphics, the experience is completely on-brand: It’s fun, festive, and whimsical, just like Godiva. Integrated quickviews, clearly marked with plus sign call-to-actions, make the path to purchase seamless. Customers can buy everything they need for their own seasonal table without ever being taken away from the experience, meaning they’ll spend more time on the page making purchases. And as an added bonus, the seasonal theme makes the page fresh and current.

2. Hush – Mandy’s Picks

Combining content with an expert perspective gives your customers confidence in the products displayed, making it easier for them to hit that “add to cart” button. Here, Creative Director Mandy Watkins takes customers through her favorite must-have items of the season. The products themselves range from a floral off-the-shoulder dress to chic culottes, but what sets them apart are the editorial touches. Mandy dispenses tips and tricks for styling the pieces, and why she personally selected them. Customers can feel reassured knowing their products were hand-picked by someone they trust. It’s an effortless way to strengthen that sought-after customer relationship, while guiding them along the path to purchase. 

3. Dormify – How To Bring Hygge Home

Check out any décor blog or magazine and you are bound to come across one of the biggest trends of the year: hygge. Sourced from the Danish culture, it refers to the feeling of coziness that can only be found with friends on a cold snowy night, preferably with board games. Dormify capitalized on this trend with its “How to Bring Hygge Home” buying guide experience. The shoppable countdown takes users through the top five keys to hygge; fluffy pillows, cozy blankets, and rustic tableware all make the list, and are all shoppable. Style tips with that signature Dormify voice coupled with beautiful images make the experience rich and immersive. It’s clear that this buying guide is about more than just the products; it’s about the hygge lifestyle, and the Dormify brand experience. 

How can your buyers guide deliver a similar customer experience?

• Establish a clear context – what is the purpose of the guide?
• Make it easy to navigate – a countdown keeps customers on track, and on the path to purchase
• Finally, make it easy to buy – the instant a user is inspired, they should be able to take that next step. Integrated quickviews mean they never have to leave the experience to add to cart, so they can shop as they go.