Product Page Design Fundamentals: 8 Must-Have UI Elements

Investing in website design to make it user-friendly isn’t on most business owners’ to-do lists. Yet web user behavior research suggests that user experience (and user interface elements, by extension) hugely impact the efficiency with which a site can attract, convert, and retain customers.

According to research, almost 90% of users will stop using an app due to poor UX. PWC found that a single poor customer experience will lead 32% of people to stop doing business with brands they love. Additionally, Forrester discovered that investing in good UX design lifts conversions by up to 400%, showing how essential it is to create seamless and user-friendly product pages.

So, if you’re looking for hacks that will elevate the performance of your business by taking care of product page design fundamentals, here are the eight must-have UI elements that will allow you to reach your goals.

Reasons to Have Confidence in the Product

One of the main things to understand about today’s consumers is that their trust in businesses is declining. And even though brands can grab audience attention with innovative products or exciting marketing campaigns, getting people to convert necessitates earning buyers’ confidence.

Now, there are many ways that web design can build brand and product trust. Showing off reviews and ratings is a good start. So is displaying other formats of social proof. Highlighting media mentions, publishing customer stories, or mentioning earned rewards and third-party certifications are all excellent ways to tear down people’s conversion obstacles.

Nonetheless, when it comes to the easiest way to utilize UI elements to promote brand and product trust, it has to be displaying trust badges.
There are two reasons trust badges are such powerful elements for boosting credibility.

On the one hand, they are primarily visual elements that will allow you to efficiently communicate your products’ primary benefits.

If you check out this Transparent Labs product page, you’ll notice that it utilizes highly impactful trust badges to communicate key product features. The badges show that the product doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners and colorings, is gluten-free and non-GMO, and doesn’t contain artificial preservatives. These are all crucial considerations for the brand’s target audience.

On the other hand, trust badges also work because they bring a third-party verification component to your conversion-boosting UI elements.

If you look at the Kylie Cosmetics Vanilla Body Wash product page, you’ll notice an Afterpay badge below the main CTA button. This badge positions the store as a user-oriented organization. It also boosts conversions, seeing how more than 55% of Gen Z regularly uses buy-now-pay-later services.

Measurable Value Statements

These days, most ecommerce brands understand that benefits sell better than features.

Marketers have perfected the process of writing sales-winning product descriptions and showcasing awe-inspiring photography. And it’s no surprise that these product page elements have come so far, knowing that the key to capturing and retaining consumer attention is to get buyers to imagine themselves owning an item.
However, when trying to build user-oriented product pages with zero chance of leaving web visitors indifferent, it’s not a bad idea to focus on your value statements. Then, explore ways to take them to the next level.

By displaying measurable value propositions on your product pages, you’ll have a higher chance of convincing your audience of your products’ benefits. But more importantly, including this must-have UI element on your website gives your customers a clear guideline on what they can expect from their purchase.

For example, if you check out Going’s Flights to Europe page, you’ll see that the Flights to Europe Overview section promises several well-defined benefits of signing up for the brand’s service. More precisely, by showcasing information like the average round trip price, Going makes it easy for potential customers to imagine what they’ll get from their subscription. And maybe even more importantly, the data gives buyers a significant metric to track, allowing them to confirm (time and again) that investing in Going’s services was worth the investment (automatically boosting their brand loyalty).

Or, for an ecommerce example of how you can use this UI element to elevate product pages, check out FitBit’s Versa 3 product page. Here, the brand promises buyers will get 6+ days of battery life, a claim that’s not only impressive but easy to verify as well.

A Simple Add-On Mechanism

Most business owners measure the effectiveness of product pages through conversion rates. However, average order value (AOV) is another superb metric to track — especially when trying to get buyers invested in your brand.

The great thing is that boosting AOV by paying attention to product page design is extremely easy. All it requires is a simple cross-selling mechanism, a technique proven to increase revenue by as much as 30%.

If you decide to include an add-on mechanism to your product pages, it needs to:

• be intuitive
• work seamlessly
• present buyers with hyper-relevant product suggestions

For a great example of a brand getting it right, check out Digestive Warrior. On its Takesumi Supreme product page, the brand includes a seemingly standard “Related Products” section. However, what stands out about this brand’s approach to cross-selling is that buyers can add additional items to their cards without navigating away from the product page they’re browsing.

This type of add-on element doesn’t just save time for consumers. It also makes them more likely to add items to their cart on impulse and spend more in the online shop, which is a big win for the ecommerce brand.

User-Generated Media

We already mentioned that displaying social proof is crucial for ensuring high conversion rates on product (and landing) pages. However, there’s one user behavior fact that could help you choose the best social proof-based UI element for product page success.

According to research, consumers find user-generated content more trustworthy and authentic than any other format — especially when compared to branded content. So, if you’re looking to approach product page design from a user-first point of view, do your best to showcase as much UGC as possible.

Now, the one thing you should keep in mind regarding UGC is that simple text works great. However, to take the impact of product reviews to the next level, consider prioritizing user-generated content that includes visuals — whether these are images and videos submitted in reviews or posts sourced directly from social media tags.

For an excellent example, look at the Dress Forms USA Female Professional Dress Form product page. You’ll see that the majority of reviews contain images. This adds to the authenticity of the customer feedback and significantly boosts both brand trust and user experience.

It’s worth noting that encouraging your customers to submit media along with their feedback is an excellent way to proactively invest in user experience. So, if you can, consider adding a UI element that will encourage image and video uploads. It’s guaranteed to benefit your business (as well as your future customers).

Reference to After-Sales Service

If you look at consumers’ priorities when choosing what solutions to invest in, you’ll find that customer service ranks pretty high on their list of requirements.

Research shows that 58% of people will pay more to receive better customer service. Plus, a recent report from Zendesk also showed that in 73% of cases, there’s a direct correlation between business results and the quality of customer care.

With this in mind, consider showcasing UI elements that reference your brand’s after-sales service.

For instance, if you check out the Chewy website, you’ll see that it features a header section titled 24/7 help. The section lists the phone number customers can call if they require assistance. But more importantly, knowing that today’s consumers are self-sufficient, it provides web visitors with links to the brand’s customer support chat, email contact form, FAQ section, and pages where buyers can track their orders or get more shipping info.

Easy Subscription Plans

One of the emerging customer experience trends for 2023 is that some people are choosing subscriptions over one-time purchases.
According to PWC, the main reasons for this type of shopping behavior include convenience (51%), cost-effectiveness (47%), lifestyle factors (42%), personalization (41%), and the opportunity to try new products (41%).

So, if you’re looking for must-have UI elements that will elevate your product pages and help you boost conversion rates, increase revenue, and encourage customer loyalty, consider allowing web visitors to buy your products as a subscription.

For example, if you check out Beancraft’s Decaf Coffee product page, you’ll see that the business offers two subscription options in addition to the one-time purchase. This is a great UI design feature, and not just because it encourages and rewards customer loyalty. From the buyer’s point of view, subscribing for biweekly or monthly coffee deliveries makes sense. It’s a consumable product they’re guaranteed to run out of if they’re regular users.

Free Returns

If you’re looking for design tactics to help elevate the performance of product pages, it might not be a bad idea to add UI elements that address your brand’s refund and returns policies.
According to research from Happy Returns, 63% of people say they’re more likely to shop with businesses that offer free returns. And even more, 50% of buyers will abandon their carts if a retailer doesn’t provide a convenient return method. With this in mind, it’s logical that one of the must-have UI elements you need on your product pages is a free returns badge or even a link to your returns and refund policy.

A quick look at Patagonia’s Untracked Jacket product page shows a Shipping, Exchanges & Returns button. Clicking this element brings up a pop-up that goes into a lot of detail about how the brand handles each purchase.

Moreover, the pop-up encourages buyers to get in touch pre-purchase (to cut down on unnecessary shipping). It explains the brand’s ironclad guarantee, pointing out Patagonia’s dedication to customer satisfaction and its readiness to replace or refund newly bought items and repair those damaged due to wear and tear.

Lead-Capture Mechanisms

Finally, don’t forget that the buyer’s journey (almost) never takes just one touch. Instead, most people go through a multi-step cycle of discovering and evaluating solutions before they decide which one to buy.

Because this means that most people don’t make impulse purchases, it’s essential to enrich your product pages with mechanisms that will allow you to capture leads and then nurture them into customers through various marketing activities.

The great thing is that adding lead-capture elements to your pages doesn’t have to be difficult at all. Something as simple as a newsletter sign-up pop-up can be more than enough to entice web visitors to become leads. For instance, if you check out the Fairfax & Favor homepage, you’ll see that the brand offers visitors the chance to win a free pair of boots in return for signing up for its newsletter.

However, if you want to take this strategy to the next level, it’s not a bad idea to play around with advanced web functionalities, like the option to add items to a wishlist. This is what Chessable does on its Mastering Chess Defense product page.

By adding this function to its site, Chessable effectively gains insights into its users’ preferences. It gains valuable information it can use to segment its audience. Plus, it gives customers a chance to consider and evaluate several courses without feeling like they have to make an instant decision — effectively alleviating sales pressure and boosting CX.

Conclusion

Continually improving product pages is crucial for achieving business success — no matter your goals. But the truth is, you’ll get to your destination more quickly if you do things right the first time and design web pages by paying attention to design fundamentals.
So, whether you’re looking to create your first website and want to get it right or are looking for tips on how to improve your existing site’s performance, consider these eight must-have UI elements. When used correctly, they’re guaranteed to boost conversions and improve customer experience.