It happens all the time. You try to find out who’s behind an online store and land on a page with thousands of characters repeating the same old words: “Innovative online store”, “dynamic, flexible eCommerce”, “independent experts”, “committed company” and, most common of all, “the number one online store” or “the leading eCommerce in the industry”.
After this pile-up of adjectives, each more glowing than the last, our blood boils when there isn’t a single contact address, phone number or anywhere to ask about a return or an order status, or simply to help me make up my mind during checkout.
In the end, so many fine features and adjectives achieve the opposite: instead of informing us, they push us away with their jargon and coldness. And worst of all: if they all say the same thing, how am I supposed to stand out?
One thing must be crystal clear: the About Us page of your online store is your company’s calling card. Just as you take care, polish and review every detail of your résumé (and if you don’t, that’s a problem), you should also take care of how you talk about yourself.
Your online store has a calling card: its About Us page
If you look after your corporate image, banners, product, packaging and logistics to improve your online reputation, it makes no sense to neglect this section of your site. And WATCH OUT! Filling it isn’t the same as taking care of it.
Things we’re tired of seeing on About Us pages
- Superlatives praising the online store as the very best without any online reputation to back it up. Recommendations on online reputation: https://trilogi.com/blog/reputacion-online/
- Long, dull, lifeless copy to fill the page and suggest that more sentences mean more history. You build your history with your customers; looking longer doesn’t mean you have more track record or better experience.
- No way for potential buyers to get in touch. A phone number or email can help someone decide to buy. You’re unsure, you look up who’s behind the store, and they answer you quickly without you having to go to the Contact page. It’s true the About Us section is there to show who’s behind an online store, but it doesn’t hurt to provide every detail that makes a sale easier.
- Ignoring the physical channel and not mentioning whether there are nearby physical stores. The online store helps the physical channel as long as marketing strategies coexist across both sales channels.
Things we’ve liked on About Us pages:
- Telling the online store’s story with a fun, original and highly attractive design. That’s the case of http://www.beatrizfurest.com/historia-bf
- Telling how the store and the company began from a personal perspective, illustrating the whole journey with photos. A good example is the clothing store http://www.nicethingspalomas.com/ecommerce/pages/page.cfm?id=536
- Highlighting your added value in this section, as http://www.solivera.com/about-us does so well
To differentiate your online store and make it stand out from others, be concise, practical, clear and creative to tip the scales in your favor.
