One of the things that truly matters when it comes to optimizing conversion for an online store is user experience. And Magento widgets make a huge difference. A widget can display content and add functionality to a store. In Adobe Commerce, you can create and manage widgets easily. In this article, we will explore widgets and best practices to improve user experience with them.
What are Magento Widgets – and how do they work?
In simple terms, a widget is a feature on a store’s page. It displays content that helps a user on the website. A widget often makes the store page more interactive by displaying dynamic, static, or real-time content. You can add a widget anywhere on a store page within existing content, and even modify existing widgets using the Widget tool. How do they work, though? Widgets are code snippets and can be enabled as and when they’re required in the Magento CMS.
Best Practices for Using Magento Widgets to Improve User Experience
Ultimately, the goal of using a widget on a Magento store is to improve the experience of users. Here are a few ways in which you can do it during your Magento store optimization.
1. Align Widgets with User Intent
Are your Magento 2 widgets in the right place? You can find it by looking at your customers’ user journey. The chances of users interacting with a widget are significantly higher when they’re placed according to the user’s journey. For example, a product recommendation widget will perform better on the page and position designed for customers in the consideration journey.
2. Prioritize Mobile Optimization
In the second quarter of 2024, nearly 75% of total traffic on retail sites in the U.S. came from mobile (Source: Statista). Ensure that widgets are optimized for mobile. Magento widgets are inherently optimized for mobile. However, some free Magento widgets may not be compatible with mobile.
3. Keep Load Time in Check
The faster your store loads, the better. However, store pages don’t always load fast, especially when you’re using an extension or a widget. Magento 2 jQuery widgets often slow down the store due to loading of JavaScript. You can minimize JavaScript and CSS to speed up the loading. Additionally, you can –
- Enable Caching
- Compress images
- Use lazy loading
- Use asynchronous loading
4. Dynamic Content and Personalization Options
Personalization is a game-changer for online store owners. Widgets in Magento 2 can transform user experience through personalized content based on purchase history, recent purchases, browsing history, etc. You can implement cross-selling and upselling widgets on your store too. Similarly, you can use a product recommendations widget to show recommended products to your visitors.
Furthermore, personalized content improves customer engagement and SEO and builds a strong relationship with the customers.
5. Leveraging Customer Data for Targeted Engagement
Magento 2 is a storehouse of customer data. You can leverage customer data to personalize the widget content and engage customers. You can use Magento customer segmentation and analytics to ideate content for customers and deliver it via widgets for targeted engagement.
6. Create Intuitive Navigation with Widgets
A link widget in Magento can direct users within the store or an external application. You can easily create a link widget with the Widget tool. Widgets can simplify navigation and even make essential items discoverable in an online store, making the experience better for users.
7. Enable Product Discovery through Custom Widgets
With widgets like product sliders, you can make product discovery easy for users. If you go a step further and build a custom widget that shows products that a user is searching for and exposes them to new products, you may enhance the user experience.
Summary
Widgets are an excellent way to improve user experience for online stores. Using Magento 2 widgets can improve user experience by enhancing loading speed, navigation, product discovery, and personalizing content for the store.
FAQ’s
Magento widgets help improve user experience by adding interactive and personalized elements to your store, like product recommendations, banners, or navigation aids. These widgets display content dynamically, to help users find products faster and engage better with your store.
Magento 2 blocks and widgets are features of Magento CMS that help display content. A block is a space on a page that can be used to display text, image, or video. It can’t have personalized content. A widget, on the other hand, can display dynamic, static and real-time content. It can be interactive, too.
A block is available on a few select pages and positions; a widget can be placed anywhere across the store.
To add a widget in Magento 2. Use the following path:
- Go to the admin panel and navigate to the page or edit the block tab
- In the WYSIWYG editor, click Add Widget in the Content Editor
- Choose the widget you want to add and configure it with relevant parameters.
