How better wishlists boost e‑commerce sales.

Part of our approach to building successful e-commerce platforms is ensuring that we always give the customer something in return for spending their time on the website, and that goes long before they have their product delivered to them.

Creating a user-centric design that allows users to make their purchasing decisions calmly will likely fuel brand loyalty and increase conversions in the long run. As a retailer, this is your primary goal. However, there are many actions you can take to boost conversions before those final Go to Check Out and Pay Now actions.

The Wishlist is a sweet spot between desire and action. It allows you to get a glimpse of what your customers like without requiring them to commit to making a purchase.

In this blog post, we explore this feature based on our acquired knowledge, thoroughly backed by research, after 10 years of designing and developing the best web experiences.

We illustrated our insights with the case study of our recent collaboration with Hey Harper, a waterproof and tarnish-free jewellery brand. Since they are positioned within the jewellery sector, which has one of the highest average cart abandonment rates (84.49%, according to SaleCycle), optimising their e-commerce experience proved to be a rewarding challenge.

Wishlists for All.

Hey Harper democratises high-quality designer jewellery, so making their Wishlist feature available for all users only made sense! That said, one of the actions we recommend to improve conversions is giving non-registered users an inclusive experience by allowing them to build a Wishlist.

Few e-commerce stores offer this possibility, setting you apart from the get‑go. Moreover, doing so gives users time to research their desired products and allows them to keep track of and return to them. Non‑registered users can become first-time buyers, so giving them the space to look around and" try your products on” as they would in a physical store is a nice touch. A tidy little prompt to log in or create an account to keep their Wishlist forever is smart.

Breezy checkout.

People crave an efficient checkout — that's why a quarter of those who abandon their carts blame having to create an account as their reason for leaving. In fact, according to the Baymard Institute, having to do so stops 24% of shoppers from buying.

Therefore, in addition to allowing for an account-free Wishlist, offering your customers a guest checkout option and an easy way to create an account after the purchase is the way to go and ensures your long-term relationship begins gracefully.

Additionally, consider displaying all costs on each product page, including taxes and shipping fees to ensure shoppers feel informed and in control. This shouldn't be ignored, given that the same study shows extra costs lead 48% of shoppers to abandon their carts, and 16% of participants reported abandoning their carts because they could not view or calculate the total cost of their order upfront.

Personalised experiences.

Creating a Wishlist is a personalised experience where users select their preferred items. Based on their current Wishlist, you have an optimal opportunity to share recommendations for other products they might like. This approach can boost engagement, encouraging users to spend more time on your site and increasing the likelihood of conversions.

Easy Peasy.

Let’s not overlook how simplifying adding items to a Wishlist can benefit your customers—and, consequently, you. All products should have a clear icon they can click while browsing, and the ability to continue browsing afterwards must be secured.

Consider offering your customers the option to build different Wishlists depending on the product type. For this, guarantee your users can easily segment their desired products into the respective Wishlist without leaving the page they are on. Every action must be seamlessly easy and fast.

Moreover, use that data to remind them of their selection with effective email marketing activations which take them to their Wishlist at a discounted price. This will increase your chances of conversion.

Out of Stock? No dramas!

Wishlists also provide insights into inventory needs, as items frequently added to them are more likely to sell out quickly. Hey Harper ensured that all customers, even those without an account, can request to be notified when the product is restocked. This also increases the chances of conversion.

Mobile vs Desktop.

According to Kinsta®, mobile platforms account for a significant portion of e-commerce revenue and traffic, with mobile devices constituting 59.9% of global e-commerce revenue as opposed to 37.5% for desktops. Ensure your Wishlist feature is optimised for a smooth user experience on all screens, especially on mobile, as you are more likely to convert in this context.

Sharing is caring.

Gift-giving is a love language, but deciding on the perfect present can be hard. Enabling users to share their Wishlists with their loved ones via public or private links is a thoughtful detail!

Although several Apps or browser extensions allow users to save their preferred items, such as Wishupon, Gifster, Chestr, and Gowish, the possibility of sending them directly to someone makes a conversion more likely.

It's a win-win!

The Wishlist is a cornerstone of user-centric design, not an add-on. You can do plenty with Wishlist data to formulate an effective sales strategy. For example, you can prepare targeted paid campaigns, manage stock levels before the big Black Friday rush, create social campaigns, or set up return-to-stock or price-drop sale email notifications.

Continuing to be present on your customers-to-be social media feeds and surreptitiously pushing products they love will eventually lead them to revisit their Wishlist and convert. By the way, this is something Hey Harper also excels at.

From interest, to intent, to kerching.

Hey Harper has shared with us that visitors who use the Wishlist…

• ... convert 3x more than an average website visitor.

• ... buy 0.9 more items than an average buyer.

• ... have a 16% higher average order value.

Go for it!

Like Aladdin's lamp, a well-implemented Wishlist can transform customer desires into tangible sales, turning casual browsers into loyal customers. Wishlists are strategic tools that gather valuable data on customer preferences, streamline the shopping experience, and increase conversion opportunities:

1. Strategic tool: Wishlists are central to conversion strategies beyond a UX feature, helping you tailor marketing efforts and manage inventory effectively.
   
   

2. Enhance engagement: these keep products top-of-mind, encouraging return visits and ongoing engagement that leads to purchases. They work particularly well if paired with follow-up emails.
   
   

3. Data-Driven insights: using Wishlist data, you can predict trends and prepare targeted campaigns, increasing sales and customer satisfaction.