Kylie Cosmetics Shopify Secrets Exposed: 4 Store Design Tips You Need to Know

A few years ago, Kylie Jenner made headlines worldwide as the youngest-ever “self-made billionaire” at the time. A title she earned through her business, Kylie Cosmetics. Kylie Cosmetics is one of the biggest and most successful Shopify stores in existence. This eCommerce store sees millions of visits annually and operates completely on the Shopify platform.

Today we’re going to look at what secrets we can learn about building your eCommerce store through the lens of Kylie Cosmetics. So let’s dive right in. Here are 4 of Kylie Cosmetics Shopify store design secrets.

A Brief History of Kylie Cosmetics Shopify Store

Kylie Jenner launched her first lip kit in November of 2015 and in the six years since her business has expanded dramatically.

Her company has gone from a small, one-product-line business to a beauty empire. She has collaborated with Top Shop, her family members (Kardashian/Jenners), Ulta Beauty, and more. (Source)

Shopify Design Secret 1: Simple + Bold Branding

When you look at the Kylie Cosmetics Shopify store, one of the first things you’ll notice is its striking branding. You can see her signature range of pinks in her:

• Product packaging (across product lines)
• Product photography (including models and their hair, nails, accessories, and clothing)
• The product descriptions and titles
• Website pages
• Social media pages
• YouTube videos
• And more.

Kylie Cosmetics doesn’t miss a single opportunity to reinforce the brand image. Since the brand is based on her and targeted toward her fans, the copy on her website speaks to its audience accordingly.

• First-person. The copy is all in the first person, using phrases like “My Matte Liquid Lipstick” in the product description.
• Titles. Kylie also names her products in a tone that matches how she speaks. For example, “ALLERGIC TO BULLSH*T MATTE LIQUID LIPSTICK.” (Source)

By staying clear and true to her brand, she is creating trust and value in it. Over time, her brand has become recognizable and something that truly sets her apart from competitors. Customers also feel like they’re buying from Kylie directly, which increases the value for her audience.

How to Apply Design Secret 1

Create value in your brand by unapologetically sticking to its core values. Here are some ways to do this:

• Be bold. Select a color palette that stands out from the competition and aligns with your company’s core values.
• Be consistent. Branding isn’t just on your website. Make sure your social media pages, product photos, emails, advertisements, etc. stay true to your brand. Every opportunity to reinforce the brand is adding value back into it.
• Be creative. Always keep an eye out for new ways to solidify your brand message.

Shopify Design Secret 2: Create Urgency

On every product page, there is a consistent message: buy this before it’s too late. How does she create this sense of urgency? Looking at one of her products as an example, are a few ways:

Screenshot from kyliecosmetics.com

• Sold out. She showcases products that are sold out in prominent positions next to popular in-stock products. This creates the hint that all products are subject to selling out at any time.
• Image tags. In the above screenshot, the tag “Online Exclusive” is an example of the style of tag Kylie Cosmetics uses sitewide. These tags create a story in a simple word or two that suggests this item is worthy of being added to the cart.
• Split payments. The split payment encourages urgency by discouraging delay. It gives hesitant shoppers peace of mind that can motivate a purchase.
• Rotating collections. She launches at least one annual limited-edition collection/collaboration that encourages avid fans to act quickly, check back frequently, and stay up-to-date on the company so they never miss one.

How to Create Urgency on Your eCommerce Store

As we can see from the Kylie Cosmetics Shopify store, creating urgency on your website encourages purchases. Here are some ways to do this:

• Pay attention to the details. Each product is a new chance to create a sale from your website visitors. Therefore, it's worth the time to give each one the attention to detail that it deserves.
• Reduce friction. Look into your analytics and see where you have a higher-than-average bounce rate. Review heat maps and see where your customers give the most of their attention on your page. By understanding the behaviors your customers engage in (including what makes them click away), you’ll be able to correct issues that increase friction.
• Create scarcity. If your products are non-consumable yet always stable and available, it can be harder to motivate a sale. For example, why would someone who is on the fence about their purchase choose to make a purchase today when they could purchase in the future? Instead, think through what you can do to create a sense of scarcity to encourage the sale today.

Shopify Design Secret 3: Build Trust

One of the major problems new online retailers run into is that the customer cannot physically evaluate your products and business. The lack of tangibility makes trust harder to earn.

Through the last decade or so of online commerce, shoppers have learned to evaluate stores based on reviews. A transparent and easily accessible review section can help tilt shoppers in your favor.

Kylie Cosmetics offers standard reviews submitted online by customers, as well as trial results in the product description. (See the below screenshot.)

Screenshot from kyliecosmetics.com

This level of transparency offers customers what feels like an authentic idea of what to expect when they receive their product. Not only does this help to motivate the sale, but it also reduces the odds that the sale is returned or reversed.

How to Build Trust for Your Store

Add credibility to your website. Reviews are a great tool for this, but they are not the only tool. Here are some ways to boost credibility on your site:

• Display reviews. Reviews are arguably the best way to boost credibility by offering customers the chance to hear from others in their shoes, so we needed to include it on the list.
• Pay attention to the details. Make sure every product description is free of errors (like typos) and answers frequently asked questions.
• Showcase trust symbols. Displaying trust symbols boosts confidence in the security and credibility of your website. Click here for a list of trust symbols and seals.
• Be honest. Don’t oversell your product on features that it cannot live up to or offer a delivery window that you can’t consistently meet. While it may help you receive your first sales, over the long term you will start receiving negative feedback, which will ward off future sales.

Kylie Cosmetics Shopify Design Secret 4: Upsell and Cross-Sell

Something the Kylie Cosmetics Shopify store does to boost sales is offer consistent upsell and cross-sell opportunities. What this means is that her store suggests additional or upgraded products to shoppers based on their interests at every turn.

Here are some examples:

• Within each product page and in the shopping cart, they offer similar or complementary products (cross-selling).
• Within each major product line/section, they offer bundled items (read: upgraded/more expensive versions of their existing product) (upselling).

How to Upsell and Cross-sell Within Your Store

There are many plug-ins on Shopify that can be used for this purpose. Successfully upselling and cross-selling requires you to know your customers and product lines intimately. You’ll need to recommend relevant and enticing products to the right person at the right time. Here are some tips:

• Review purchases. See if there are any discernable patterns you can use to improve your upselling and cross-selling. There may be items frequently bought together that you can use to your advantage.
• Create connections. If you’re selling lipstick like Kylie Cosmetics, offer a gloss or liner to go with it. These are complementary products to the lipstick that improve the customer experience with the product. You could also choose to offer additional shades of lipstick in a bundled package. The important thing is to understand which of your products work well together and what would motivate your customer to choose the upgrade.

Closing Thoughts: Kylie Cosmetics Shopify Lessons Applied

By reviewing the Kylie Cosmetics Shopify store, we hope you feel empowered with ways to take her success and replicate it in your store. There are many ways to make money on Shopify, and paying attention to these details can help improve your conversion rate.

Keep Reading: How to Start a Dropshipping Store for Free

About The Author

Ecombridges

Sebastian is the founder of Ecombridges and an expert in online business and blogging. After getting his Master's in Business Engineering, he worked in IT and sales for Big Tech. Since then, he's managed a diverse portfolio of SaaS software, blogging businesses, e-commerce stores while also doing freelance consulting for small businesses.

On Ecombridges, he shares in-depth tutorials and insightful product reviews based on his firsthand experience. He recommends tools and strategies he trusts and uses in his online businesses, ensuring you receive genuine and actionable advice.

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