Remember the old days of online shopping? In 1995, Amazon looked more like the clunky search page at your local library than the future’s most promising business. Can you imagine trying to order something from this site in 2020?
Image via: Business Insider
Unsurprisingly, they had a net loss of $303 thousand dollars that year. Some people just weren’t ready to give their payment information to this primitive—yet epochal—business model. But things have changed…
Today we shop online like it’s going out of style. And we aren’t just ordering books, electronics, or grandma’s Christmas soaps. Some people order groceries online; others buy sex toys, beauty masks, pool tables, you name it! Any product you can think of someone is selling on their Shopify store.
A “website” just doesn’t cut it anymore. Ecommerce merchants must think about the user experience of their customers like shopkeepers of the past. Every detail counts. You wouldn’t have a broken window in your brick-and-mortar flower shop; it could prevent walk-up customers from entering the store. Similarly, one bad user interface flaw could lose a sale online. Not showing swatches, or giving customers the ability to pick the right size, color, or flavor, could lose you hundreds of sales.
That’s where Bold Product Options comes in. I know it sounds like we’re going to talk about how great our product is now, tell you it has so many useful features, that it can make you more money…
Or instead, we can show you! Here are 10 Shopify merchants that have perfected the art of Bold Product Options. Hint: they’re all killing it!
disclaimer: some of the examples shown may require custom development in conjunction with Bold Product Options. Please contact Bold Merchant Success if you have any questions.
1. Qualtry
Gift personalization pros Qualtry let you “make someone’s day” without leaving home — a perk that Covid-19 has made more valued than ever. Cheer a friend, family member, or co-worker up by engraving their name on a Bluetooth speaker, mug, or custom cutting board:
Image via: qualtry
Using the Bold Product Options app on their Shopify-powered store, Qualtry allow customers to choose from a number of popular giftable products and then add a stamp of originality.
They can use the personalization tool to test out different versions of their engraving on these cutting boards, allowing them to actually see what the gift is going to look like in real life before committing to a purchase. 
image via: qualtry
2. EZ Corporate Clothing
You don’t need to know someone with a screen printing press to get personalized apparel anymore. EZ Corporate Clothing specializes in custom shirts, hats, and outerwear, perfect for your company, golf tournament, sports team, or fundraiser.
Image via: ezcorporateclothing
Shoppers can use the Custom Printed Apparel Design Lab to create exactly what they are looking for. It’s as simple as picking a style, choosing a color, and adding a logo or artwork. They can even upload a custom design for a look that is truly theirs.
Image via: ezcorporateclothing
3. Woodgeek
The name says it all: this store is run by “geeks with a passion for all things wooden.” They sell wooden notebooks, office accessories, sunglasses, and yes, bow-ties:
Image via: woodgeek
Formal guests will never have to worry about tying a tie again with this snazzy snap-on accessory. They even allow you to pick from a swatch of fabric styles to customize the tiny strip of fabric on the bow. Talk about attention to detail!
Image via: woodgeek
These customizable wooden sunglasses are a great gift for that friend who can never have too many shades. From a gifting standpoint, you can even add a wooden card to top off your gift.
Product Options enables a field where customers can add custom text to the arm of the glasses. What a great way to add an extra layer of personalization to make a friend or family member feel special. Plus, they’ll never get their shades mixed up with someone else’s at a party again!
Image via: woodgeek
Another cool feature with Product Options is the ability to use conditional logic to only show shoppers the options they are interested in. As an example, if you click on the “add greeting card” box it opens up a new image and space to type in a custom message. This way only people who are shopping for a gift end up seeing this option.
4. I Love Jewelry
Here’s a store that has cleverly combined two of the hottest trends in the ecommerce world: subscription boxes and monogramming.
If you’re new to subscription boxes, learn how to treat your customers to an unforgettable unboxing experience.
Monogramming is where you personalize a gift or product with embroidered lettering. Imagine the look on your friend or family members face when they open their Monobox and see their initials embroidered right on one of the items.
Image via: ilovejewelry.com
With Bold Product Options they are able to give their customers the ability to choose clothing size, monogram specific, quantity, or, click “No Monogram” for a faster order. This extra stamp of personalization takes an already thoughtful gift and makes it that much more special.
Image via: ilovejewelry.com
5. Xotic PC
Computer customization is one area where Product Options really gets to flex its muscles. Computer gamers put a lot of thought into each part and configuration when building a system, so it’s important that the user experience is smooth and easy to navigate.
Xotic PC makes it easy to sort through the many expandable lists of components, adding or subtracting the price in real time as the user selects and deselects parts. This makes it convenient for users to experiment with many different builds, all while keeping an eye on their price range.
This is an example of a merchant tapping into the more advanced features of Bold Product Options to offer an extremely personalized purchasing experience on their Shopify store.
These sort of customization tools are also great for increasing the average order value (AOV) of the purchase. Customers are presented with a wide range of price options for individual parts — like a video card — and may be tempted to click one that’s a bit more expensive, increasing the overall quality (and price!) of their build.
6. Rudy Project
Rudy Project sell high-quality bike helmets, sunglasses, and accessories for dedicated cyclists and athletes. Using Product Options they have built a clean and colorful user interface, with just enough options to give shoppers the customization they crave without overwhelming them.
Image via: rudyproject
Shoppers can select their model type then browse all the colors available. As shown above, the “Regular” model comes with 19 different color swatches. If the customer clicks on a different style, such as “Running,” they are only shown the colors available for that model. Conditional logic rules, set by Product Options, only show customers what they need to see.
Image via: rudyproject
Here’s a clever way to use Product Options to cross-sell or bundle complementary items. On the Shop menu under Helmets, one of the options offered is a Helmet + Sunglass Combo.
Image via: rudyproject
Navigating to the combo page opens up an attractive arrangement of swatches. Here the customer can pick and choose a helmet and sunglass combo that go well together. The swatches allow them to visualize which colors and styles would be a good fit so they can make their purchase with confidence.
Image via: rudyproject
7. State Bicycle Co.
For cyclists who love hand-building a bike from scratch — from the comfort of their home computer, tablet, or mobile device — State Bicycle Co. is an excellent option.
Once the customer has picked the model they like, they can get down to tweaking the bike of their dreams. This store uses Bold Product Options to create a customization flow that is as smooth to navigate as their bikes are to ride.
Image via: statebicycle
Once the customer picks out a bike model they like they are given the option to read reviews or continue on to the customization tool. They may want to click on the “What’s My Size?” button first though, to bring up this handy sizing infographic:
Image via: statebicycle
Next comes the fun part: picking out every part. Much like Xotic PC’s machine builder tool that we looked at above, here the customer is able to select from lists of upgradable components. The final total updates in real time as customers try out different parts and configurations, so they can test out different upgrades without losing sight of their price range.
Tip: this is a great way to gently nudge the customer into spending a bit more than they had intended. You increase the value of their order, and they get a more premium bike. It’s a win-win!
Image via: statebicycle
8. Sofas 24
This online furniture store lets customers make their “home beautiful for less,” providing upscale design for shoppers on a budget.
Image via: sofas24
The beauty of this site is it gives customers a simple, easy to follow interface to customize their furniture. Product Options allows the merchant to set up conditional logic rules so customers don’t have to look at a bunch of swatches that don’t apply to their purchase.
Notice how the fabric swatches only appear once the shopper has selected the Fabric option:
Image via: Sofas 24
New swatches appear for Eco Leather only once that is selected, removing the fabric swatches that were previously shown. However, if the customer is also looking at Fabric options for the Base / Frame Material, they can see both swatches simultaneously to fully visualize their sofa.
Image via: Sofas 24
Now there’s an online shopping experience you could get comfortable with!
9. Wooden Cork
Wooden Cork sell a variety of premium spirits, liqueurs, and aged rarities. If you’re looking to order someone a nice bottle they can sip on and savor, this is your spot.
Image via: woodencork
Giving someone a nice bottle of liquor can be a highly sentimental gift. The spirit, brand, and age chosen reflect an intimate knowledge of the recipient’s personal taste. Those who enjoy fine spirits often consume them over time, being reminded of the person who gave it to them each time they have a taste. Therefore personalization options like a greeting card or gift wrapping are crucial to the bottle’s presentation.
Image via: woodencork
Bold Product Options allows the buyer to add gift wrapping before they place the item in their cart. Or, if they want a greeting message but no gift wrapping, they can select that as well. Once they click on either option a field opens up where they can add their personalized message.
Image via: woodencork
10. Callia
Callia are the “best new way to send flowers.” They offer hand curated bouquets with delivery service across Canada. Want to deliver an insta-worthy bouquet of beautiful, fresh flowers to your friend in Vancouver even though you live in Toronto? No problem. Pick your bouquet and then start customizing.
Image via: Calia Flowers
Once the customer has decided on the right bouquet, they are able to fill in different options, including size, card type, message, and other personalization details. The image will actually adjust as the customer changes sizes, allowing them to better visualize the moment that special someone receives their gift.
Image via: Calia Flowers
In addition to the beautiful swatches and personalization options that Callia was able to set up with Bold Product Options, they also use the apps functionality to manage complementary add-ons. Gifters can send their bouquet in an Artisanal Rose-Gold vase, or add floral spray, tea, or chocolates to their order to make it extra special.
Feeling inspired?
We love showing off the brilliant ways merchants use the Product Options App to enhance their online shopping experience. With Covid-19 forcing many businesses to rely solely on their web presence, the ability to create a shopping experience with the right product options has become integral. If you are interested in integrating our app into your Shopify store, you can try it free to see if it’s the right fit for your store.
Be sure to head to our Covid-19 landing page as well, which has a ton of helpful resources for merchants who are operating during this time.
Have an awesome Product Options use case on your store that you’d like to share? Drop a comment below and we’ll be in touch. Thanks for reading!
This article originally appeared in the Bold Commerce blog and has been published here with permission.
![how-to-create-a-profitable-social-advertising-strategy-with-snapchat-[masterclass-2]](https://ecommercefastlane.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/23653/how-to-create-a-profitable-social-advertising-strategy-with-snapchat-masterclass-2.jpg-23keepProtocol)
