In the same way a teenaged girl doesn’t want to show up to prom wearing the same dress as anyone else, business owners don’t want their websites to look like their competitors’. It’s a fair comparison. People (and brands) want to exhibit their individuality. Thanks to some updates to SAGE Websites and Stores, you have the power to customize even more than before on every page.

Customization Widgets for Promotional Products Websites and Stores

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “widget” as it relates to websites, think of it as a tool of sorts, an easy way to accomplish a specific task. Let’s break down what some of these new tools are and how they could benefit your website performance.

Form

Whether you want a central location for website visitors to sign up for newsletters or a way for them to provide you with feedback, an on-page form allows them to communicate with you without having to open another window or visit another page. Once they’ve submitted the form, the information is sent to a designated email inbox that should be checked routinely. How and where you use the form is up to you.

Content Slider

A content slider is a way to use the same real estate on a webpage to communicate multiple messages. To the untrained eye, it might look like an automated slide show that appears on a website, touting specials, new products, upcoming events, and more. While you typically see a content slider at the top of a webpage, it can appear anywhere you want it to, based on your specific needs.

Testimonials

In a world where the online reviews of strangers carry more weight than ever, having customer testimonials on your website communicates a level of expertise and trustworthiness. Put testimonials about your company on the home page or sprinkled throughout the website. Put product-specific or service-specific testimonials on pages that talk about that product or service to add perceived value.

Blogs

If you write blogs routinely or use the content package provided with a SAGE Professional Plus Website, include your blog feed on a webpage of your choice. The feed could display as a list or grid view, teasing visitors by making them interested enough in the article to read more by following the link. Blogs help to position you as a thought leader and educate consumers about the industry.

Product Spotlight

Every diva needs her stage. In the case of SAGE Websites and Stores, there are products you want to bring special attention to for one reason or another. Maybe you want site visitors to know that a certain product is ideal for a specific decoration method. Maybe you’re running a special deal on a product. Or maybe you want to introduce something new to the line-up. Whatever the reason, whichever the product, the spotlight widget helps it to stand out in a professional fashion.

Accordion

This term can cause a quizzical reaction until you’ve seen it in action. It’s not polka music related. In fact, it’s not musical at all. Instead of envisioning the folds of the accordion being vertical (as they are on the instrument), picture them horizontal. When expanded, they reveal more information. When contracted, less. This widget is a great way to communicate a lot of information in a smaller amount of space. Often used on an FAQ page, there is space for headlines or questions while the accordion is contracted. Each headline/question invites the visitor to open the accordion by clicking or tapping a + symbol. Doing so “opens” the accordion to reveal information related to that headline or question. To close, visitors click/tap a – symbol.

Widgets aren’t the only new additions SAGE developers have made available. You can also include product ratings and favorites on SAGE Websites and Stores.

Product Ratings

Build trust and boost conversions with reliable product feedback pulled in real time from the SAGE database in the form of product ratings. This feature can be toggled on to show customers how others rated the products, adding credibility and transparency to your site.

Favorites

Make it easy for your SAGE Store visitors to save products for later when you use the Favorites feature. When logged in, clients can simply click the heart icon on any product to add it to their favorites collection. This makes it easier for them to revisit items of interest. From the distributor’s perspective, the feature allows you to glean insight about the products your clients engage with most.

There you have it. A list of ways to make your website look and function as your own. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your account advisor.