Though people love shopping, shoppers are inherently loss averse, which makes them twice as sensitive to pain than psychological pleasure.
This makes procrastination a natural habit—which in turn, results in the most major eCommerce woe: Cart Abandonment.
This is where “nudging” can enter the picture, to move shoppers towards more effective purchase decisions—something we’ll cover in-depth in this piece through:
- How does nudge theory work?
- Top 29 eCommerce Nudge Theory Examples
How does Nudge Theory work?
First popularly explored in the book “Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness”, Nudge Theory explores the possibilities that can shape an environment for a desirable action or outcome to happen.
In eCommerce, businesses can adopt this theory by designing the choices shoppers can make. The “design” has to find its basis on what these shoppers already know, like, prefer and aspire to be.
A good example of Nudge Theory at work is the decoy effect. When a third, asymmetrical option is added (often a price differential, where the decoy is the cheapest option), shoppers begin to think of the first two choices differently.
Let’s say a shopper was earlier looking at two recommendations, one priced at $49 and another at $40. Without the decoy, they would’ve likely considered neither. But with the third option being, let’s say, $25, the aversion to making a “cheap” choice sets in, and most reach out for the product that’s worth $40.
But this isn’t the only way the Nudge Theory works—read on to explore a long list of brands, examples and applications to make your pick(s).
Top 29 eCommerce Nudge Theory Examples
Share the following nudge marketing examples with your team to improve profit.
1. Nike’s Notification Nudge
In this nudge marketing example, we see how the brand displays a notification right under the product image gallery, showing how popular the product is in real time.
This product page nudge technique hints at buying the product while it's still trendy:
What is Notification Nudge?
A notification nudge is a kind of a message that helps shoppers discover other people’s interest in the same product, a price drop or even a limited time upgrade.
Where do Notification Nudges work best?
This type of nudging marketing is especially great for products where trends are a major influence—this also works very well in seasonal marketing when shoppers are likely to compare and buy.
You can use this nudge for clothing, beauty products, and even gadgets.
High intent pages you can use this kind of nudge marketing on are the homepage (to let’s say, draw attention to how many products have been sold the past week against a recommendation) and product pages (like the above example.)
How to implement Notification Nudge
✔ Ensure your notifications are dismissible
✔ Make your content persuasive—if possible add social proof or statistics
✔ Position it at a location that doesn’t disrupt the other elements of your page
✔ Use behavioral insights to decipher smart delivery timing—for example, notification nudges around the primary CTA are more effective at getting conversions
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Notification nudges make a lot of sense when you make them a part of your mobile conversion strategy—only see to it that they feature alongside an easily identifiable icon like a human eye.
2. Biolite Energy’s Review Nudge
Here’s why we love this nudge marketing example:
Biolite knows that shoppers might hesitate before a purchase.
To overcome that obstacle, the brand implemented nudge theory through reviews.
While they have displayed the usual star rating, they also show how many customers recommend the product:
What is Review Nudge?
Put simply, review nudges build social proof.
Their use is meant to trigger a potential customer to think: “Ah! So this brand is indeed trustworthy and seems to have products other people are happy about.”
Where do Review Nudges work best?
Review nudge marketing works specifically for high-ticket items or products that require extensive research.
Think of cutting edge skincare, health supplements or even customizable fitness equipment.
Use review nudges across homepage recommendations, the first fold in product pages and even right above or below the order summary on the cart page.
How to implement Review Nudge
✔ Make it authentic by showing off customer details name, profession & geographical location
✔ Borrow a snippet from an existing review along with the associated rating & customer photo
✔ Dedicate a product page section to highlight “what the community says” across parameters like size, fit, comfort, quality etc.
✔ Use a third-party review nudge snapshot in the homepage header
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Include a UGC review nudge in your image gallery for higher engagement & greater confidence in the purchase.
3. Nerdwax’s Upsell Nudge
Nerdwax uses nudge theory to upsell a high-value pack on their product pages.
Nerdwax goes into detail by showing what the high-value pack contains as well as how much a shopper would typically save by opting for this bundle.
Alongside, they also feature free shipping in this nudge marketing example:
What is Upsell Nudge?
Nudges that recommend relevant products and consequently increase AOV are what upsell nudges are about.
Upsell nudges are typically perceived as win-win: on one hand, they let the shopper (typically) buy more at less and on the other, improves profit margins for the business.
Where do Upsell Nudges work best?
Upsell nudges work well as product image labels across the homepage, category pages and product pages.
While A/B testing for clients, we’ve also seen their efficacy within the mini cart and cart page.
In terms of eCommerce categories, upsell nudges work well for perishables (but more during holiday marketing season,) shorts, innerwear, snacks and even health supplements.
Caveat: Upsell nudges convert only when you personalize recommendations!
How to implement Upsell Nudge
✔ Let them choose the “free” product if you’re offering it on X quantity buys (like “buy 2 get 3rd free - add 3 to bag)
✔ Make the nudge conditional—for example “online only” or “member only”
✔ Make it about a subscription and make it tiered—”get X% off when you subscribe for 3 months, Y% off for 6 months, Z% off for a whole year”
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
To implement this nudge theory in practice, start by adding upselling nudges on popular products and then expanding to other categories.
4. Amazon’s Urgency Nudge
Designing urgency around an action gets shoppers to act.
This is a nudging tactic eCommerce giant Amazon figured out a long ago.
In the example below, notice how they’re apply urgency to a shipping condition—they attach “free shipping” to a slower day and then state “fastest shipping” as a limited time offer:
What is Urgency Nudge?
This kind of nudge marketing helps a business clinch a shopper’s interest and money without delay.
What this fights is a typical shopper’s tendency to look elsewhere for better deals, research more before buying and in the process, delaying the purchase.
Where do Urgency Nudges work best?
Urgency nudges can work well sitewide—however what’s important is that you don’t be too in-your-face with it as it can indicate a desperation to sell.
Use notification bars, exit intent pop-ups, category page banners and even image labels on product pages to bring in such a nudge.
Urgency nudges are a great conversion driver across necessities like food, pet care, skincare and even healthcare.
Caveat: Think twice before you apply urgency nudging to luxury products—it could however work for product drops that establish exclusivity through a pre-order or early access condition.
How to implement Urgency Nudge
✔ Show a dynamic current price—and say “Get it at $X for the next (include a countdown timer)”
✔ Talk about low stock—best to be precise, so saying “Last 5 left” is better than “Running low!”
✔ Make it available only for “free order pickup”—and clearly say “out of stock” against shipping
✔ Attach a free gift to the purchase—but make it a limited time offer
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Adding relatable labels to your urgency nudges can work to create more conversions—consider “Last Chance” on recommendations across pages, “Ends in XXYY minutes” on the notification bar when you auto apply checkout discount codes etc.
5. Vade Nutrition’s Discount Nudge
In our nudge theory example below, the discount works as the prime mover for a shopper to opt-in to receive marketing emails later.
What makes this nudge example special is that the discount comes with a condition: only when someone makes their first subscription order:
What is Discount Nudge?
A discount nudge leverages the promise of a price drop to draw the attention of shoppers and make them act on a micro-conversion or a conversion.
Where do Discount Nudges work best?
Notification bars, hero headers, exit intent pop-ups, product labels, you name them—because of their universal appeal, discount nudges are some of the most effective nudges across an eCommerce site.
However, the high intent pages they work best across are the homepage, product pages and separate sale pages reserved for clearance or seasonal offers.
How to implement Discount Nudge
✔ Feature the discount with a compelling message on “early access,” “exclusive” or even “sitewide”
✔ Use price anchoring to show the old and new price—also mention the % savings for better impact
✔ Show it on the hero header—this is especially effective when there’s a sitewide or annual sale
✔ Leverage seasonal discounts like Black Friday, Christmas, etc.
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Balance between one-time discount nudges and those that you want to maintain around the year, like bundling discounts and a separate flash sales section on your website.
Short on time? Here's a quick video with all the brilliant Nudge Theory examples:
6. Beardbrand’s Highlight Nudge
Most websites would scream, “Free! Free! Free!”
But Beardbrand does it differently.
The nudge marketing strategy they use is the highlight nudge that gets shoppers to think of purchasing more while engaging more deeply with the brand:
What is Highlight Nudge
A highlight nudge is a kind of nudging technique that calls out one attribute through design or copy or both to stop a potential shopper from scrolling past.
Highlight nudges can be a simple phrase, a well-designed icon on a text-heavy page or even what Beardbrand does above: an argument that a shopper is forced to pay attention to!
Where do Highlight Nudges work best?
Highlight nudges work across high intent pages including homepage, category pages, product detail pages as well as some instances of cart and checkout pages.
Additionally, highlight nudge marketing does well when the placement involves notification bars, microcopy above or below the primary CTA (specifically on product pages) and product labels.
How to implement Highlight Nudge
✔ Feature a member-only special price—but make sure you put this text in a color contrasted to the rest of the text but agreeing with the visual imagery
✔ Highlight a notification bar offer with an easy icon—think visual language like ⏰, ❓and 🎁
✔ Categorize product variants under sale differently on a product page—you could just put a tag saying “sale,” “clearance” or “almost gone!”
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
To enhance responsive design for mobile commerce, keep your highlight nudges expandable unless they’re just a blurb or a phrase.
7. Patagonia’s Overlay Nudge
Patagonia has a different store dedicated to revamping old clothing and giving them away.
So, why do we love this nudge marketing example?
This is a strong nudge marketing overlay that offers trade-in credit in exchange for old clothing.
What is Overlay Nudge
An overlay nudge or pop-up nudge is meant to dim the screen in the background and pull attention to an offer or a limited time downloadable resource.
Where do Overlay Nudges work best?
Overlay nudges work well across high intent pages on your website—however, what’s important is that you pay attention to the messaging it carries based on which page shoppers are spending more time on and why.
How to implement Overlay Nudge
✔ Use it to improve micro-conversions like email sign-ups and text sign-ups
✔ Highlight free seasonal shipping on a certain spend & flank it with an appropriate CTA
✔ Feature a short post purchase survey
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Study shopping behavior to identify the perfect time to show your pop-up—and make the cancel button obvious so users can easily navigate away from your overlay.
8. Patagonia’s Cause Marketing Nudge
Yet another example of a nudge marketing strategy comes from Patagonia.
As a brand that actively supports cause marketing, their nudges are subtle and don’t appear pushy:
What is Cause Marketing Nudge?
A cause marketing nudge is a way for eCommerce businesses to connect with customers at a philanthropic level—by highlighting one major cause or letting a shopper choose from several relevant ones, this kind of a nudge increases connection between brand and buyer beyond the transactional.
Where do Cause Marketing Nudges work best?
Typically, cause marketing nudges work best across the homepage, product pages and about us pages.
This kind of nudging strategy is ideal for categories like apparel, nutrition, pet products and jewelry.
How to implement Cause Marketing Nudge
✔ Use the power of a hero header headline to draw attention to your most popular categories
✔ Tie membership rewards and positive impact through video content (like TOMS shoes does)
✔ Create an “impact report” and make your home, product and about us pages carry this
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
It’s important to create the recall factor if you want your cause marketing nudging to work—one way to do this is to identify a singular message and run it across your site and socials.
9. SkinnyMe’s Price Anchoring Nudge
SkinnyMe uses a price anchor as their nudge marketing strategy. They show off the before and after price discount for this product.
The displayed drop in price makes more shoppers convinced about the purchase:
What is Price Anchoring Nudge?
A price anchoring nudge is meant to create a reference price point for shoppers against which they can make an effective purchase decision.
Where do Price Anchoring Nudges work best?
You can use this nudge campaign on specific products during clearance sales or other kinds of discounts. Position this on the pricing page or on your catalog page. They can also be used across ads on your digital channels.
How to implement Price Anchoring Nudge
✔ Feature a lower price and then follow it up with a higher value $X nudge
✔ Feature the price and talk about the spend per serving / unit (this works exceptionally well for nutritional products, pet care products etc.)
✔ Feature tiered pricing messaging on your hero header (and send it across in your transactional emails as well!)
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Apply the decoy effect to amp up your price anchoring nudges across the homepage as well as product page and mini cart recommendations.
10. SkinnyMe’s Community Nudge
SkinnyMe's focuses this nudge strategy in the review section—offering before / after imagery to drive the point more smartly.
As a product that’ll warrant a lot of convincing before use, SkinnyMe uses this to nudge their visitors into actually trying the product:
What is Community Marketing Nudge?
Community marketing nudges empower potential customers by telling them about experiences of an existing community that buys from the said brand—this engenders customer trust & improves conversions.
Where do Community Marketing Nudges work best?
Depending upon how you word them and visualize them, this nudging tactic can work across all high intent pages—but more so on the homepage and product pages.
Community nudge marketing can be especially effective for new-age products, sustainable brands and for limited time product drops through brand collaborations.
How to implement a Community Marketing Nudge
✔ Feature a social wall on the homepage and mention which customer bought what product (offer a “shop the look” CTA for every featured tile)
✔ “(Insert number of loyalty program members) and counting” to draw attention to your membership program
✔ Feature a detailed “reviews” page (like Warby Parker does) and link it to every product page as microcopy
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Consider renaming your “Resources” section to “Community” and then empower it with guides, ways to become a brand ambassador, feature guest posts by existing shoppers / members etc.
11. Amazon’s Scarcity Nudge
Yes, Amazon's on our list again. Only because they apply such great nudge campaigns.
In this example, Amazon uses scarcity as a nudge to drive more sales for this product:
What is Scarcity Nudge?
In other words a low stock nudge, scarcity nudging attempts to speed up decision-making around the final purchase by creating FOMO.
Where do Scarcity Nudges work best?
Scarcity nudges work really well across category pages and product pages. Consider using scarcity labels on product recommendations across your site.
In terms of eCommerce categories, we’ve seen scarcity nudging work well for high traction industries like apparel, health & beauty and nutritional supplements.
How to implement Scarcity Nudge
✔ Feature a pre-order CTA for a bestseller that’s getting over (& mention that it’ll be over soon)
✔ Use live activity updates (say “(Insert name) just bought this!”
✔ Show a massive price dip (best used on the hero heder) and limit the flash sale to only a couple of hours
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Apply this type of nudge marketing in lesser-known ways across your A/B tests—for example, try featuring a single hero product on the homepage and featured a grayed out “Sold Out” CTA (this will often prompt your shoppers to explore your website more!)
12. Under Armour’s Wishlist Nudge
To increase the percentage of returning visitors, UA nudges customers to use the wishlist feature through a dismissible banner.
This behavioral budge example can lend to a better omnichannel experience for their visitors and help create more personalized retargeting ads or cart reminder emails.
What is Wishlist Nudge?
Wishlist nudge marketing helps eCommerce businesses earn micro-conversions even if they don’t immediately get macro conversions—nudging examples like this one helps brands supercharge their email strategy.
Where do Wishlist Nudges work best?
Wishlist nudge marketing works across an eCommerce store but more so on category pages, on product pages, within the mini cart as well as on order confirmation pages.
How to implement Wishlist Nudge
✔ Feature a popular wishlisting symbol on the primary navigation bar (H&M uses the ♡)
✔ Offer a wishlisting pop-up whenever user behavior indicates exit intent
✔ Feature a “Share your wishlist” microcopy nudge on product pages (this often prompts shoppers to share their wishlists with friends & family during peak holiday season)
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Run an audit on all out-of-stock products at any given moment and change their category page CTAs to “Notify Me.”
13. ASOS' In-Picture Nudge
With an in-picture nudge, ASOS subtly notifies customers of how high-demand this product is.
This nudging technique is meant to make the product in question seem more desirable to shoppers:
What is In-Picture Nudge?
An In-Picture Nudge draws instant attention to why a shopper needs to act fast or act surely—the right words applied can make such nudge marketing be effective at getting conversions.
Where do In-Picture Nudges work best?
It’s a myth that in-picture nudges need to generate only scarcity or FOMO. Some of the best brands that experiment with behavioral nudges examples, use this to create more confidence or even drive a sense of exclusivity.
How to implement In-Picture Nudge
✔ Feature a “shop the look” nudge to make shoppers click and look at the primary product in addition to cross-sells depicted in the image
✔ Feature a “Just Dropped” nudge for repeat customers to know what’s newly arrived
✔ Feature a members-only price nudge to drive more visitors towards your loyalty program
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Always use less than 6 words to drive your nudging copy so it’s direct and easily scannable.
14. IKEA's Directional Nudge
To help their visitors identify certain functionalities of the homepage, IKEA uses a subtle nudge marketing strategy through a directional arrow:
What is Directional Nudge?
Directional nudge marketing is intended to help shoppers act in decisive ways—they could create confidence, bring certain CTAs into prominence or even highlight certain pages of your eCommerce website.
Where do Directional Nudges work best?
Directional nudging can be used at any point in your eCommerce store—but consider using them more across the homepage, product pages and even landing pages that drive your paid traffic conversions.
How to implement Directional Nudge
✔ Use imagery where the model is looking at the headline
✔ Use arrows on CTAs to increase the chances of them being clicked
✔ Highlight the right and left arrows on mobile where you have multiple recommendations lined up
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Along with explicit directional nudges that push shoppers to act more instantly, apply implicit directional cues like white space, color contrasts and framing of recommendations or categories you want to sell more.
15. IKEA's Variant Nudge
We are loving IKEA's creative nudge examples.
By nudging customers into checking out a variant that might better suit their interior style, IKEA shows off their vast stock:
What is Variant Nudge?
A variant nudge helps shoppers see how many subtypes of a particular product the store stocks—sub-types can be color, flavor or even specification driven.
Where do Variant Nudges work best?
Variant nudges primarily work for stores that have thousands of products across categories, and especially help apparel stores, F&B brands, tools and perfume brands sell better.
In terms of high intent pages, variant nudges work well on category and product pages.
How to implement Variant Nudge
✔ Separate variants based on “new launches,” “on sale” or “limited drop” on the product pages
✔ Offer additional info on variants when clicked (you can do this through elaborate microcopy on product pages or short callout boxes on category pages)
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Ensure you slash out of stock variants across the store to improve UX for visitors.
16. Kenwood’s Freebie Nudge
To nudge their customers into purchasing this product, Kenwood offers a free gift and positions a label highlighting this right beside the product image:
What is Freebie Nudge?
A freebie nudge is one of the nudge marketing examples of changing customer perception—by offering a free gift or consultation, the idea is to appeal to first time visitors or even those who’ve been browsing but not buying.
Where do Freebie Nudges work best?
Freebie nudges work well on homepage hero header, as microcopy when placed on the product page right above the product description or even on category page banners.
Freebie nudges are best used by businesses that feature higher value products in order to keep profit margins intact.
What are the ways to implement a Freebie Nudge?
✔ Feature a pop-up with a “free mystery gift” offer on $X worth of purchases
✔ Bring in a progress bar in-cart to show to shoppers when they quality for the freebie
✔ Use the notification bar across the website to display a crisp, interesting call-out
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Leverage subscriptions to make freebie nudges more appealing—under such circumstances, avoid featuring them for individual products.
17. Taylor Stitch's Notification Nudge
Taylor Stitch is a wonderful nudge theory example as it allows first-time customers to make a purchase to get a 20% discount with a sticky label positioned on the notification bar:
What is Notification Nudge?
A notification nudge is meant to draw attention to the most important goings-on across your website at a single point of time—it could be about an ongoing sale, a product drop or even a brand new and extended returns policy.
Where do Notification Nudges work best?
Notification nudges quite naturally work best on notification bars, but some brands also use the space above or below the notification bar to call attention to deals, categories or even free shipping clauses.
How to implement Notification Nudge
✔ Highlight a single message on your notification bar (but if you feature more, consider up to only three, and if you have to link, link only up to two)
✔ Feature a slide-in notification (which when clicked can enlarge into a pop-up)
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
If you’re leveraging your navigation menu for notifications, make sure it’s sticky so shoppers can keep seeing it even when they scroll away
18. Taylor Stitch's Progress Nudge
To encourage their customers to complete the checkout process, Taylor Stitch uses this nudging technique to create more predictability:
What is Progress Nudge?
Nudge marketing through a progress bar gamifies user engagement around actions that could otherwise be perceived as boring or confusing or even expensive!
Where do Progress Nudges work best?
Progress nudges blend well with various parts of an eCommerce site, but mostly where multi-step forms, checkout steps and threshold qualifications have to be filled / met.
How to implement Progress Nudge
✔ Feature it in your funnel quiz to let shoppers know how many more steps / questions are left
✔ Use it in your mini cart to help shoppers qualify for perks like free shipping, free gifts or even free gift wrapping
✔ Use it to explain the process of building a box or bundle or setting up a subscription service
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Progress nudges are best placed above the fold to target more visitors—most fall off after the first few scrolls.
19. Ntwrk’s Drop Nudge
While running a sale, Ntwrk utilized nudge marketing strategies to notify customers of upcoming deals.
And so they created a smart notification that nudges customers to sign up like this:
What is Drop Nudge?
Drop nudges make for nudging marketing examples that tap into the limited time nature of specific product collections—the idea behind using them is to amplify the sense of exclusivity a shopper associates with such a collection.
Where do Drop Nudges work best?
Drop nudges work best when they appear as push notification nudges or even as slide-ins carrying an email / text sign-up hook.
How to implement Drop Nudge
✔ Reserve a separate category altogether on your primary navigation (and call it “New Drops” or “Limited Collection”)
✔ Offer an “available only on app” nudge (and make the drop a mystery!)
✔ Do a partial hero header reveal (and make your announcement copy do the rest of the work)
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
One way to enhance a regular drop nudge is to send a nudging email for your subscribers—to make it more compelling, throw in an email-only condition like a discount.
20. Burga’s Social Proof Nudge
On their product page, Burga uses social proof to nudge their customers into adding the item to cart.
The trust symbol ‘Trust Pilot’ also helps to reinforce the sense of reliability:
What is Social Proof Nudge?
A social proof nudge marketing tactic is meant to create assurance in shoppers across various stages of the conversion funnel—including when they land up on the website or even when they’re just about to add to cart.
Where do Social Proof Nudges work best?
Social proof nudges work especially well on the homepage, the product pages and the order confirmation page.
How to implement Social Proof Nudge
✔ Use the hero header to bring in third party social proof (just like nutrition brand Huel)
✔ Make your reviews carry real customer pictures alongside (flank it with their name, age and highlight phrase from their review)
✔ Offer a review snapshot right under the product name on the product page
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Support your social proof nudge with numbers like how many products you’ve sold, how many people you’ve sold to or how many have rated you “excellent” (like the above example.)
21. Burga's Product Recommendation Nudge
Burga nudges customers to increase their order value just before the checkout page by offering a nudge that says “Boost Your Order”:
What is Product Recommendation Nudge?
A product recommendation nudge is at a notch higher than just a product recommendation—it’s meant to offer more impetus to add a product recommendation to their existing cart.
Where do Product Recommendation Nudges work best?
Product recommendation nudges work across an eCommerce store but more so on the homepage, the product pages as well as the mini cart.
How to implement Product Recommendation Nudge
✔ On the homepage: flank product recommendations with a review snippet plus star ratings
✔ On the product page: Offer nudges like “complete the experience” or even “make it wholesome”
✔ In the mini cart: You can follow in Burga’s footsteps but better still, offer a quantity discount nudge like “add x more products, get y% off on the total”
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Make it easy to increase / decrease the product recommendation quantities to make this type of nudge marketing work.
22. Burga’s Reassurance Nudge
In addition to their upsell, Burga offers reassurance to their customers with three checks that offer a wonderful customer experience.
This serves as a nudge to get them to complete the checkout process:
What is Reassurance Nudge?
Since the cart abandonment rate stands at a little over 70%, it’s clear shoppers won’t be convinced unless reassured. This is why you need to create compelling reassurance nudges for them to checkout no matter what.
Where do Reassurance Nudges work best?
Reassurance nudges become really effective at the product page and then onwards, including in the mini cart, order confirmation page as well as the checkout page.
How to implement Reassurance Nudge
✔ Talk about a money back guarantee right under the primary CTA on the product page
✔ Feature popular payment logos right under the primary CTA in the mini cart
✔ Offer a popular payment method as secondary CTA (and state “More payment options” as an additional microcopy nudge on the product page)
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Don’t restrict your reassurances only to the product page and onwards—offering popular payment logos in the footer section and displaying any third-party certifications you’ve received across the store is a good idea.
23. Skinnyteatox's Upsell Pop-up Nudge
In their upsell strategy, Skinnyteatox nudges their customers to add more items to cart by gamifying the experience.
They first start by creating a pop-up and make customers feel like they’ve unlocked more discounts because they chose to buy certain products.
What is Upsell Pop-up Nudge?
An upsell pop-up nudge offers some extra reasons for customers to add more to their cart than they had initially thought they would—these nudges can promise discounts, a free upgrade or even a free gift when the shopper adds X number of more products to their cart.
Where do Upsell Pop-up Nudges work best?
Upsell nudges are most effective across the product pages, mini cart and the order confirmation page.
Some eCommerce businesses offer upsell nudges even at checkout, but we don’t recommend this as it creates distraction.
How to implement Upsell Pop-up Nudge
✔ Offer options to select higher quantities of the same product
✔ Position your upsells as “last minute add-ons” within the mini cart
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Make sure that the quantity editing and add to cart functionalities of an upsell pop-up are seamless—it’s ideal to make it one-click.
24. Choosemuse's Engagement Nudge
On their product page, Choosemuse uses a chatbot to nudge their customers into checking out a video of what their latest product looks like—this in turn helps the visitor explore the product & its features with the least amount of friction:
What is Engagement Nudge?
The intent of engagement nudging in eCommerce is to deepen a potential customer’s interaction with a brand at one go, instead of waiting for them to navigate through the store all by themselves.
Where do Engagement Nudges work best?
Engagement nudges work across an eCommerce store, but are more effective across the homepage and category pages.
The nature of the engagement nudge technique decides its efficacy for different kinds of products—for example, a video demo like the one above may be more suitable for a specification-rich product.
How to implement Engagement Nudge
✔ Offer a “Take the Quiz” prompt on the homepage to generate personalized recommendations
✔ Rephrase the way your chat widget reads to make it more human (something like “Feeling lost? Talk to us!” is more relatable than a widget that doesn’t say anything at all)
✔ Feature a “Read all reviews” microcopy nudge with your product recommendations on the homepage
✔ Use “Quick View” as a secondary CTA on category pages
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
It’s important to make your engagement nudges relevant depending on the page you’re displaying them on—for example, a product demo video may work better on a product page, while a video on “how to get a free consultation” is better for the homepage.
25. Koala’s Exit-Intent Overlay
To reduce the number of leaving visitors, Koala designed a creative nudge in the form of an exit-intent pop-up to cross-sell and collect leads:
What is Exit Intent Nudge?
The exit intent nudging design works to stop visitors from leaving the website abruptly—the idea is to make a compelling offer that can inch the visitor towards a purchase or at least, a micro-conversion.
Where do Exit Intent Nudges work best?
Exit-intent nudges work across a website, but more specifically on the homepage, product page and order confirmation page.
How to implement Exit Intent Nudge
✔ Feature a gated resource on the homepage (in exchange for email sign-ups, feature recipes / styling tips / tutorial videos)
✔ Offer a cart abandonment discount (plus make it a limited time offer) on the product page
✔ Talk about a cause you contribute to on the order confirmation page (and clearly mention how much of the proceeds will go towards it)
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Pay special attention to what messaging you offer across exit-intent nudges across the website—the more they’re aligned with where the shopper exactly is, the higher the chances of conversions.
26. Daily Harvest's Benefit Nudge
Benefit nudging is a great way to attract shoppers’ attention when they’re speedily scrolling through.
That's why this product label as a creative nudge example from Daily Harvest is so appealing.
What is Benefit Nudge?
A benefit nudge is a highlight that specifically calls out to talk about how a product will benefit a shopper once they buy it.
Where do Benefit Nudges work best?
Amongst the different types of nudges, benefit nudges are commonly used on the product page.
However, there’s no reason for you to limit it to that—when applied as image labels or design highlights,
How to implement Benefit Nudge
✔ Label the hero image in your product page gallery (this is especially more effective when the product photography is stunning and you use only one image)
✔ Highlight the biggest benefit as a callout for every product recommendation
✔ Use a ticker band across the high intent pages (highlight up to three benefits only!)
It prompts them to understand how the functionality of the product aligns with their lifestyle.
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Consider offering benefit nudges along with press mentions to generate greater interest and confidence among shoppers.
27. Taylor Stitch’s Loyalty Nudge
We all know that a good percentage of people love joining loyalty programs and being rewarded for being active customers.
So, why not incorporate that into your nudge campaign strategy like Taylor Stitch does?
What is Loyalty Nudge?
A loyalty nudge tactic is meant to move newer visitors as well as a chunk of existing shoppers to reap benefits—in exchange for buying more throughout the year.
Loyalty nudges work similarly to benefit nudges, except that they talk about the benefits of joining the brand’s loyalty program.
Where do Loyalty Nudges work best?
Loyalty nudges work well across an eCommerce site, and are effective when applied differently across the homepage, category pages and product pages.
How to implement Loyalty Nudge
✔ Mention a special members-only price across recommendations and category page listings
✔ Use the notification bar to highlight a membership perk that’s limited time
✔ Talk about your community through a separate section on the homepage and link to the loyalty program
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
Channel that exit-intent pop-up, that program nudge, into something greater. Incorporate retargeting programs with sales alerts, recommended products, social proof, etc.
28. ASICS’ Badge Nudge
Product badges are a good way to nudge your customers without exerting cognitive load.
The use of badges can often be one of the most fundamental parts of a product's user experience.
29. Pact’s BNPL Nudge
Anticipated to drive $81 billion in online spending IN 2024, BNPL is the reason many shoppers actually spend money—so bringing it in as a valid nudge on your store is a great idea:
What is BNPL Nudge?
A Buy Now Pay Later Nudge is meant to de-risk a purchase for a potential shopper—this sort of a nudge can actually work well for high-value items if a business is in a position to incorporate it.
Where do BNPL Nudges work best?
BNPL nudging reaps maximum benefits on the product page—but its effectiveness lies in shoppers knowing about the BNPL option across the site.
How to implement BNPL Nudge
✔ Use your notification bar to draw attention to split payments (this is especially effective when you highlight a popular BNPL method of payment)
✔ Offer BNPL info along with related payment-related trust symbols in the footer section
Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀
While many businesses rush into featuring BNPL info right after the product name, we suggest you do it above benefit callouts—this just creates a faster impression.
BONUS: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a nudging strategy?
Nudge marketing is a relatively new concept that is becoming increasingly popular with businesses. Essentially, it is a way of using psychology to influence customer behavior.
There are a few key things to know about nudge marketing in order to make it effective.
First, you need to understand what motivates your customers.
Second, you need to create an environment that makes it easy for customers to make the desired behavior.
Finally, you need to deliver a compelling & trustworthy message.
Your nudge marketing strategy will essentially depend on your larger goal at any given time: is it to increase sales, encourage people to sign up for a service, or even get people to share on socials?
What is nudge marketing?
Nudge marketing is a way of using psychology to influence customer behavior. It is based on the idea that people can be “nudged” into making certain choices or taking certain actions.
For example, a business might use nudge marketing to get customers to buy more products. They might do this by placing items in strategic locations, offering discounts, or using other methods to make the desired behavior more attractive.
What are the benefits of nudge marketing?
There are several benefits of nudge marketing.
- It can be an effective way to reach and engage consumers
- Nudge marketing can be used to influence consumer behavior
- By understanding how people make decisions, nudge marketers can design more strategic campaigns
- It is relatively inexpensive and easy to implement
- Nudge marketing can be used in a variety of settings, including online and offline
- Nudges can also be an effective way to boost sales and encourage customers to take desired actions
- It can also be used to increase brand awareness or to change customer perceptions
What are some common techniques used in nudge marketing examples?
Some common techniques used in nudge marketing include social proof, loss aversion, and anchoring.
This technique relies on people’s natural tendency to follow the crowd. When people see others doing something, they are more likely to do it themselves.
This technique plays on people’s fear of loss. People are more likely to take action to avoid losses than to achieve gains.
This technique involves presenting people with a starting point from which they then make decisions. The starting point (or anchor) can influence people’s subsequent judgments and decisions.
When should you use nudge in marketing?
The simple answer to this is: when a shopper is one step away from a micro-conversion or a macro one.
To put simply, since nudges tip over shoppers to take action quickly, they need to be placed carefully across your storefront.
Too much behavioral nudging, and you come across desperate.
Too few, and in the wrong places, and you lose conversion opportunities.
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