Add a Header Bar to Increase Order Values on Shopify May 3, 2016 19:00

A number of major brands use a header bar to display useful and relevant information to their online shoppers. If you have a Shopify store, you can take advantage of this very visible area even if it isn’t a part of your store’s theme. You can accomplish this through a number of free and paid apps.

In this post, we will go over how a header bar can enhance your online store, some ideas of what you can include in the bar, and list a few simple Shopify apps you can use to add the bar.

Add a header bar: Why use the header bar

For most eCommerce stores, building a unique brand and providing a great customer experience are key to long-term growth. Your business may have a number of value-added policies to ensure this. These policies can include 24/7 phone support, free shipping and returns on all orders, same-day deliveries, and more.

If there are unique or high-value things your store or business does, it’s important that these are highlighted to your customers. This is especially true if these policies take the risk of ordering away from your store, or encourage customers to purchase more items that increase their order value. This can include full no-questions-asked refunds or free returns, and highlighting free shipping thresholds, respectively.

A number of brands – like Coastal and Michael Kors – use the top bar to highlight high value information for their stores. Some of these stores even make the same header bar a part of their email templates. This not only helps solidify the information at each customer touchpoint, but also associates your brand with that information.

Add a header bar: What you can display

There are a number of different things you can display on the header bar. Think of the most unique thing about your store, or the most value-added thing you provide your customers. This, or any other information that pushes customers along to conversion can be added to the top bar.

Below are a few things you can consider including on your store:

1. Free shipping – You can highlight that your store provides free shipping which signals a saving for customers. You can also highlight a free-shipping threshold to encourage customers to order more items to meet that threshold.
2. Free returns – This removes the hassle customers may potentially experience in case they have to return your products, and makes the purchasing decision easier.
3. Store notifications and policies – These can include customer service hours, new product launches, and any other information that customers may find useful.
4. Discount codes – Highlight promotions and provide discount codes so that customers feel like they’re getting a bargain right at the beginning of their journey.
5. Countdown timers – Create urgency related to promotions by adding a countdown timer at the top. You can also add a timer leading up to the launch of new products, or other important features on your store.
6. Contact information – Instead of burying it in the footer, displaying a phone number or a physical address at the top can build trust amongst customers as these signal that there are real people behind the online experience.
7. Social links – Drive people to engage on your social sites by quickly highlighting the types of conversations on these sites. For example, you can prompt your store visitors to see how people are using your products and sharing them on your social sites.
8. Email subscriptions – You can emphasize your newsletter or store updates, and potentially get more people to sign up using their email address.

Add a header bar: Shopify apps

There are a few free and paid Shopify apps that allow you to add a

Welcome Header Bar

Welcome Header Bar is a free app that allows you to quickly add a header bar to your Shopify store. Once you install the app, you will be directed to the app dashboard for the Promo Bar feature.

Promo Bar settings with a preview at the top

Here, you can set the text, the call-to-action button, and the button URL. You can also customize the style and layout of the promo bar to complement your store theme and brand.

In addition to the Promo Bar, the app also gives you the option to activate Facebook Live Chat, add social buttons, and create a contact form.

Apps by Hextom

You can also use the following apps by Hextom to add different types of header bars.

• Free Shipping Bar – Price: Free – Add a shipping threshold to the top bar. This message dynamically adjusts based on the value of items in the cart to show customers how close they are to getting free shipping.
• Quick Announcement Bar – Price: Free – Add a store announcement offering discounts, promoting sales, spotlighting new products, and more.
• Countdown Timer Bar – Price: $6.99 per month (7-day free trial) – Add a countdown timer to the header bar along with the event being counted down towards.
• Email Collection Bar – Price: $3.99 per month (15-day free trial) – Add a subscription field in the top bar to highlight features for your newsletter or mailing list.

Here’s the Free Shipping Bar app in action:

You can also cycle between different types of header bars at different times of the year based on your inventory and sales cycle.

Add a header bar: Summary

A header bar is a simple way to display different types of high-value and relevant content. The bar is probably one of the first things customers would see. It also distinguishes content from the rest of the page body, and shows that content throughout the site, no matter which page a customer is visiting.

There are a number of things you can include in the bar. These typically include things that encourage people to follow through with a sale, since they see this throughout the visit. This includes highlighting free shipping or returns, current promotions, time left until the end of a sale, new product announcements, and other notifications.

Shopify has a number of apps that allow you to add a header bar to your store, and manage the content in the bar without using any code. Many major brands use header bars for different purposes, and now you can join them easily.

Do you use a header bar on your store? How have you seen changes to your metrics after inclusion of the bar? Please tell us in the comments below.

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