Shopify Games Stores: Weekly Inspiration Issue #8
Table of Contents
- Shopify In A Nutshell
- Inspirational Shopify Games Stores
- Board game geek store
- Breaking Games
- Daily Steals
- Board Game Bliss
- Making It Mobile
- Getting Started
Hello… Do you wanna play a game?....
Welcome back to our Weekly Inspiration Series where Shopify success is the name of the game. It’s Brendan from the SellerSmith team once again, and the goal remains the same.
To equip you with the tools and knowledge to achieve Shopify merchant success no matter what your niche is. Last week I went in depth into Shopify accessories stores and how you can start your own.
This week we’re going to play a little game I like to call “cut to the damn chase”.
There will be no inspirational fluff or jargon in this post. Just in-depth and practical solutions for making money with Shopify on your own terms.
This post is for YOU if:
- You would like to learn more about Shopify
- You have ever thought about selling products online
- You know of Shopify but don’t know how to get started
- You currently run a Shopify store and are looking for solutions to increase sales
- You need inspiration and a good kick in the a*% to start your own Shopify store
Shopify In A Nutshell
Shopify is an industry-leading eCommerce platform that allows anyone to start a brand, build an online store and sell products online with ease.
Gone are the days of having to hire an expensive coding master to make your fortune selling stuff online. Shopify comes equipped with hundreds of templates to fit the needs of your niche, as well as thousands of Shopify apps to help you boost traffic, sales and much more to your online store.
It’s backed by over 600,000+ people from college dropouts to global superstars like Kylie Jenner.
Why am I telling you all this?
Because that’s my job. But also because I trust in the power of technology in the 21st century.
I truly believe this is the easiest time in history to make your fortune by leveraging the internet, social media and software.
And it can all be done from the comfort of your own computer.
If you’re reading this post, my guess is you are much like me. You don’t believe humans were meant to conform to the 9 to 5, stuck at desks, licking the boots of our superiors just to get a measly few extra peanuts in return.
You believe in pure financial freedom by leveraging the right people and the right technology. You believe in a happy, fulfilled, stress-free life of freedom to do what you want when you want, without the restriction of money lingering over your head.
The freedom to play games all day if you want to! There are many ways to achieve this. And Shopify is one of them.
Inspirational Shopify Games Stores
Board Game Geek
BoardGameGeek is the main website which hosts a vibrant community of game enthusiasts. The homepage is fairly basic, large hero images with an “Order Now” button below it, but that’s all you may need for an online games store.
The interactive collection page shows a view button as you hover the mouse over the product. They also remind you before you click if the item is in stock or not.
WOW! One look at the apparel section and it’s cleared out. These guys seem to have a strong community - most gaming communities are - and have leveraged that to their advantage.
Eight payment options are available including PayPal and Apple Pay. The more payment methods you offer the better, as you don’t run the risk of missing out on customers who are restricted to a certain payment type. Aim to make the payment processes as smooth as butter to capture more sales.
The checkout offers express payment options. That being said, some merchants don’t like the flow of PayPal as it usually sends the customer to PayPal without including the shipping cost. In this case, you may want to hide the PayPal button at checkout with Hide PayPal In Cart App to create a smooth checkout workflow.
Though this is totally up to you as a merchant - there are benefits to both.
Conclusion:
Nice layout boasting large images and consistent color theme. Multiple payment options available.
Solutions:
- Check out our post on Shopify payments if you need to know more about payment gateways.
- Sites like this are supremely easy to build with PageFly and are mobile compatible. 14-day free trial available.
Breaking Games
There are a few things going on here that pique my interest when I land on the homepage. The first is the large hero photography that carousels between games.
The second is the “ORDER NOW” call to action button.
The third is the “Contact Us” button that opens a nifty window to leave the site owners a message.
The fourth is the social buttons located on the top section of the homepage. And then there’s the Kickstarter statement that adds credibility to their brand.
I talk in my other posts about the importance of leading the buyer by the hand and telling them exactly what to do to purchase. Breaking Games does a fine job here.
Email Popup collection tool gives buyers the chance to be part of the inner circle of exclusive deals and offers. A lot of people underestimate the power of email. Although it’s not what it was 10 years ago, it should still be utilized by every eCommerce brand to market their products.
The product page is simple, with a gallery, reviews section and short description. But if you scroll down they have embedded some really cool videos into their product page of the game being used in action.
Conclusion:
Large images, call to action buttons, product reviews and video make the site easy to navigate, and answers any question I may have.
Solutions:
- For themes similar to this one, the Retina Shopify theme is a popular choice boasting amazing reviews.
- MailChimp is a great email collection tool if you want to add this feature to your site.
Daily Steals
Daily Steals is more than just a game store. They trade a wide range of electronics by finding great deals for their customers.
You’re faced with two pop-ups when landing on the homepage. One tells us about the sale and gives a real sense of urgency, adding more weight to the buying decision. Urgency using countdown timers is a proven technique for increasing sales due to most people having a fear of missing out.
The other is a pop up for capturing emails. Building a big email list allows you to promote, cross-sell and provide content to customers directly to their inbox.
The drop-down menu is huge and instantly loads by hovering the mouse over each button.
Black Friday Sale is forefront once again to let that memory stick in your mind before scrolling down to the collection of games.
Thumbnails of the products show the name and price. The left column features some top-selling products from other areas of the site. There’s nothing too fancy going on here, but the layout is simple and effective.
The product page itself is pretty clean and crisp. HD image column on the left, with product overview in the right column. If you scroll down you can find a deeper description, related products and more information on warranty.
Conclusion:
Overall it’s an efficient, no thrills Shopify store. The use of a countdown timer and email collection tool is the winner here. Both can be used with great success to increase sales and conversions and exposure to your brand.
Solutions:
- PageFly Advanced Page Builder is a Shopify app that lets you drag and drop elements to create columns like the ones used in this site. 14-day free trial available.
- Countdown Cart to add urgency, scarcity & social proof to maximize conversions. Free for Shopify merchants.
Board Game Bliss
Ah Board Game Bliss. The more I learn about eCommerce and Shopify in general (the learning curve really is never-ending), the more appreciation I have for straightforward, uncomplicated, but efficient store pages. This site's layout is nearly reminiscent of a forum style web page, and the woody theme ties in with the concept of old-school board games.
There’s shipping info, drop down menu, and two prompts to take advantage of their rewards system. This is a great way to improve loyalty and encourage those repeat visitors to your site. Remember it’s often easier to target existing “warm” customers than to spend money on marketing to gain new ones.
This news section with recent articles on the right column is nice to see. All the information you could ever need on games, events, new releases and sales are on site.
As you can see, the homepage is long-form - similar to that of a sales landing page. Products feature ‘sale’ stickers and ‘SOLD OUT’ warnings to save you the bother of clicking on a game that isn’t available.
Direct yourself to the bottom of the homepage and you’ll find the latest ‘News’ posts, payment options, contact details and social buttons that actually display the number of FB likes they’re rocking. Just another technique that adds credibility - something you need if you’re to gain customers trust as a leader in your industry.
Conclusion:
The site layout is basic but refreshing. Being more text-based, there is more than likely all the information you'll need on site without having to contact the owners. The use of a rewards system is absolutely key, especially when you sell in a small niche and are looking for brand loyalty.
Solutions:
- Offer rewards with Smile: Rewards & Loyalty App from the Shopify app store. They offer a free and paid plan of $50 depending on your needs.
- If you’re looking for a commercial theme for a large number of products, try Shopify Sunrise Theme and edit it to your preferences.
Making It Mobile
If you’re serious about making this Shopify thing work, you have to pay attention to the importance of mobile.
Think about it. When’s the last time you took out your laptop to do some online shopping?
While that’s not an outrageous statement, the chances are you’ve more recently purchased through your phone than your desktop.
Make sure if you plan on selling games online, that your store is optimized for mobile.
Board Game Geek’s store is consistent from a mobile standpoint. Nice large images and a pop-up toolbar for navigation.
The same goes for Breaking Games. The product page is streamlined and the green chat tab remains in mobile view.
Whether you browse by mobile, tablet or desktop Daily Steals make sure they won’t miss an opportunity to capture your email. The collection page looks great too featuring the Black Friday Sale still.
Homepage and product page at Board Game Bliss are consistent with the desktop version. Nothing fancy, but it definitely works. I quickly ran through buying process on mobile and even though this seems like the least optimized, it was a smooth experience. All the content is also still there - News, Featured Games, Reviews, Events etc.
So what does this all mean?
Basically, you can’t get away with not optimizing your site for mobile anymore. More than 50% of all eCommerce traffic on Shopify is from mobile devices.
And what’s the solution?
Luckily Shopify comes with tons of mobile-friendly features that can be further tweaked with responsive themes.
The other solution is to build your own Shopify store with a third party app that mobile optimizes it for you. PageFly can do this by being mobile-friendly by default and mobile-customizable by choice.
When using the PageFly app, it’s as simple as clicking on the ‘All’ button shown above to view your page in desktop, mobile or tablet mode and adjust accordingly.
Getting Started
Here’s what you have to do to get started on your Shopify journey and start monetizing your passion for selling stuff today.
Firstly, sign up for Shopify’s free 14-day trial. Don’t worry about having a credit card, all you need is your email for now.
Then pick your niche you want to market to. You may already have an idea of the type of product you want to sell but if you don’t, I’ve written about several niches you can draw inspiration from:
After that, you’ll want to read up on the best apps for increasing sales for your Shopify store. Apps are designed with one purpose in mind - to help you reach Shopify success through higher sales and conversion and customize your store to your preference. Don’t look past them.
Tune in next week when I’ll be chowing down on some Inspirational Shopify food stores.
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