Loft Footer Updated to Better Accommodate Large Brands

We are really excited to bring all of our current and future merchants an improved footer design. Historically our footer has been minimal to evoke the minimal aesthetic we have always targeted with Loft. However, we realize that this minimal approach is not always what is ideal for large inventory brands, who we aim to serve. So we went to work to bring some much desired improvements, while maintaining a clean, minimal aesthetic in how we display a much more dense amount of information.

New Footer Features

With our improved design you will find:

• Layout options to display short or long link lists

• The ability to display navigation menus with child links

• Flexibility to add icons to your google play or apple store apps

• Display options for your newsletter to be full width to increase engagement

• Column width settings to dynamically control the balance of your footer content

• Currency and Language select

Let’s take a look at some of the powerful combinations you can now create with your footer in our updated theme.

Large menu with child links

Some brands desire to show a large “fat footer” at the bottom of their site to allow users to quickly jump to the page they are looking for. We find that returning customers like to use a fat footer rather than working their way through a mega menu or navigating through site content. These shoppers know what they are on the site to find and crave a direct path to get there.

Settings to achieve this look:

• Show payment icons - selected

• Show language selector - selected

• Show currency selector - selected

• Content

  • Logo

    • Logo - select image

    • Logo width - 125

    • Store description - “Kansas City’s place for modern home and decor.”

    • Social heading - “Follow Us”

    • App store links - “Grab our apps”

    • App store link - URL to your Apple store listing

    • Google play link - URL to your Google play listing

  • Newsletter

    • Full width - selected

    • Heading - “Get 10% off”

    • Description - “Join our list and save on your first order.”

  • Navigation

    • Block width - 60%

    • Footer menu - select your desired navigation menu

Now let’s take a look at a couple variations of this layout, featuring a large menu.

• Remove app icons

• Turn off currency, language and payment icons

• Decrease width of navigation block to 30%

• Turn off full width option for newsletter block

• Remove Logo block

• Remove Newsletter block

• Turn on language, currency and payment icons

Smaller menu with child links

Perhaps you don’t want to put your entire menu in the footer, but you do have a 2-level menu that you want to show. Historically, Loft did not present a solution for this. But now you have the freedom to showcase any menu type you like. It is common to use the footer to show a menu with information about your company, or policy information or perhaps wholesale related pages. This is a good strategy to give an extra layer of links that are not shown in your main nav, but you still want to give easy access to your audience.

Settings to achieve this look:

• Show payment icons - selected

• Show language selector - selected

• Show currency selector - selected

• Content

  • Logo

    • Logo - select image

    • Logo width - 100

    • Store description - “579 Loft Ave Kansas City, MO”

    • Social heading - none

    • App store links - “Grab our apps”

    • App store link - URL to your Apple store listing

    • Google play link - URL to your Google play listing

  • Navigation

    • Block width - 60%

    • Footer menu - select your desired navigation menu

  • Newsletter

    • Full width - selected

    • Heading - “Enjoy 10% off when you sign up.”

    • Description - “We promise we send great emails! You won't be disappointed.”

You will notice in this setup we now have the newsletter full width block below our other two navigation blocks. By dragging and dropping the order of your content blocks, you can control the way they display.

Single Level Navigation Menu

Now let’s get back to our roots and see what improvements you can achieve with a single level navigation menu. For those merchants that swooned over our minimal navigation menu, we still have your back! Your footer will still look minimal and beautiful with this update, while giving you a few more options. At Trailblaze we crave a minimal and sleek footer. When you make good use of a mega menu it is ok to pull back on your footer. Between a robust main menu and search functionality, your shoppers should still be able to go direct to your content without needing to rely on a fat footer. Use a minimal footer to provide a few key anchor points to your store and your brand.

Settings to achieve this look:

• Show payment icons - selected

• Show language selector - selected

• Show currency selector - selected

• Content

  • Logo

    • Logo - image selected

    • Logo width - 100

    • Store description - “579 Loft Ave Kansas City, MO”

    • Social heading - none

    • App store links - none

    • App store link - none

    • Google play link - none

  • Navigation

    • Block width - 30%

    • Footer menu - select your desired navigation menu

  • Newsletter

    • Full width - unselected

    • Heading - “Enjoy 10% off when you sign up.”

    • Description - none

You will notice in this layout that the newsletter is not full width and instead is taking up 30% of the footer row. The percentage you choose for your navigation column width will determine where the other blocks sit in relation.

We hope that you are as excited about these footer improvements as we are! Our desire is to meet the needs of large inventory brands, while maintaining the strength in our minimal and balanced aesthetic. With the varying options we have provided, we think you will find a winning combination for your store.

Announcement Bar Content Strategy With Shopify's Loft Theme

In our 1.4.9 release we made some adjustments to our announcement bar. You now have the ability to provide several slides of messages at the top of your site. Here is a little peak at the new controls available in the theme editor.

Message Strategy

Let’s take a look at some message strategy that we recommend for the announcement bar.

Free Shipping Always!

Let your shoppers know about some guarantees your brand offers for all orders. A popular offer is Free Shipping on all orders. Or perhaps you offer free shipping on orders over $50. If you do have limitations on your guarantee, you may consider linking to your terms and conditions page to offer total transparency to your shopper. Whatever the case, let your shoppers know what guaranteed savings you have in store for them.

Limited Time Promotion

Are you running a special? Use the announcement bar to let them know they can save! Be sure to include the important terms of the offer such as:

• How long the offer lasts “good through 4/30/2020”

• Provide any required codes “use code SAVENOW”

• Include a clear call to action and link it to the right collection or product on your store “Shop Sale Now”

Changes On Your Store

If your store is experiencing any change in expectations, use the announcement bar to let them know! Some examples might include:

New Store Hours
We are now open even later on Fridays! Come visit us until 9pm.

Shipping Delays Expected
Due to high sales volume, we are experiencing longer shipping times.

Exciting News for Your Store

Do you have something exciting to share? Maybe a new location is opening or a new service or product line is being added. Build excitement with the announcement bar and link to a blog post or page detailing this something new!

New South Store Location Opening in May!
We are so excited to join the Hayworth community with our new store. Read about our new location.

Fresh Summer Looks Right Around the Corner
Our hot summer collection is coming this May! See what our designers have to say about this new line.

We are hiring!
Come join our team of brilliance! View our open jobs.

Common Mistakes with the Announcement Bar

There are lots of powerful ways to utilize the announcement bar, but if your brand does not have a powerful use, then just pass on this section. For example:

• Do not simply list your store’s name in the announcement bar. This is redundant with your logo which likely appears in your header.

• Be sure all messages are still relevant. If you are running a promotion, be sure you remove this content when the promotion is over.

• Don’t overcomplicate the message. Use links to drive to more information rather than getting too verbose in the announcement bar.

We are excited to be able to offer more powerful controls for your announcement bar. Let us know how you are utilizing this section and what success it is driving for your store.

How to Update Your Retail Store Hours On Google and Facebook

If you’re an e-commerce brand with a physical location, make sure you update your store’s hours! Whether you’ve shuttered your brick and mortar operations for the interim, or have reduced hours as an essential business, make sure search and social accurately reflect your store’s availability to ensure your customers don’t end up showing up to closed doors. They won’t be happy.

Not sure what to do? Here are some suggestions.

How to Update Your Store’s Hours On Google

If Google My Business is new to you, make sure you sign up first (it’s free!). If you already have an account, here’s how to update your hours in Google:

1. Sign into Google My Business and click manage to find the location you want to edit.

2. Click Info on the left menu.

3. Make changes to the hours and make sure you click Apply.

For brands with 10+ locations, you can make bulk updates. More information on that here.

How to Update Your Store’s Hours On Your Facebook Page

Second to Google Search, your customers are likely looking you up on Facebook for your store’s hours. Here’s how to updates on your store’s Facebook Page:

1. Login to Facebook and navigate to your businesses’s Facebook Page.

2. Click Edit Page Info on the left side of the Page.

3. Select the Open on selected hours under the Hours section.

4. Click Time and update your store’s hours.

5. Click Save Changes.

If you don’t see an Hours section, you may need to change your Page’s Category.

Communicate Your New Hours

Not all your customers will seek the new information. While you can’t reach every customer who might try to visit you, you’ll want to be proactive in trying to make sure new hours are communicated. Here’s where you can communicate your store’s new hours:

• Create a text or image post on Facebook.

• Upload an image of new hours on IG and Twitter.

• Create a Story on FB and IG with your new hours.

• Send new hours in your email newsletter.

• Make a quick blogpost with new hours.

• Update other social profiles where you list your hours, such as YouTube, Pinterest, etc.

Now that you’ve updated everything… don’t forget to change it back when the time comes!

Logo List Content Strategy With Shopify's Loft Theme

Content Strategy: Making good use of the Logo List Section

We recently launched a new section in Loft called Logo List. This is a great section to use to communicate brand promises, trust indicators, brand validation and more. We wanted to make this section versatile so that you could use some creativity in putting the content to work. For instance, you can choose to display or hide images, you can choose whether images are placed above, to the left or right of text and you can choose between rows or a slider. Let’s take a look at some of the content you can implement with this new section.

Communicate Trust Indicators

Building customer loyalty is an important part of the user journey. You want them to feel safe and comfortable with making a purchase from you. The Logo List is a great section to use to communicate your trust indicators. These may include messages like free shipping, award winning, satisfaction guaranteed, no hassle returns and more. We typically recommend placing this type of message right below or above your hero so that the user can start to build trust as soon as they land on the page. You will notice that we are using a consistent set of icons in our example. You will want to develop a set of icons that align with your brand image and tone. Websites like Adobe Stock offer icon sets that can cover all of your communication needs in a consistent and cohesive manner. 

To create this look, use the following settings:

• Header: none

• Subtitle: none

• Layout: Image next to left-aligned text

• Image width: 70px

• Enable slider

• Do not show card background

• Content settings: 

  • Show image

  • Heading: enter headline

  • Text: enter text

  • Link: optional

Create Brand Validation

Your customers want to know that they are not the only ones who think you are awesome! A useful way to do this is to showcase some of your PR mentions. The Logo List is the perfect way to illustrate some of the marketing outlets that have boasted your brand, with as “As Seen In” section! This allows your shopper to feel good about purchasing from you because others have validated that it is a good choice. This is another use case that we recommend putting above the fold.

When implementing a solution like this please be sure to use proper logo files. Do not rely on Google images for these assets. Brands of the World is a great website to get logo files from, or make a direct request.

Another tip for this implementation is to showcase logos in a consistent fashion. All black or all white is a great way to go. All brands should have a black and white version of your logo that you can use. 

To create this look, use the following settings:

• Header: As Seen In

• Subtitle: none

• Layout: Centered image and text

• Image width: 100px

• Do not enable slider

• Show card background

• Content settings: 

  • Show image

  • Heading: none

  • Text: none

  • Link: Link to the brand’s website (it will automatically open in a new window)

Introduce the People of Your Brand

When building your Shopify website it is always ok to bend the rules. In this next example, you can see where this Logo List section is not making use of logos or icons at all. Instead I am utilizing the structure of the section and putting it to use in a different manner–to display a team of employees. Your shopper likes to see the faces behind the brand. It provides a human and relatable aspect to your overall brand experience, making them realize they are in good hands!

A Meet the Team section can be effective on your home page, below the fold and coupled with other company related information like blog posts, location details or newsletter sign up. For this implementation I decided to format each employee headshot in a circle rather than just uploading my raw photos. This gives a little more visual interest to the section and breaks away from all the other boxes being used on the page.

While Shopify makes it really easy to upload a raw image and insert it into a section, some production on your images can help personalize your content. You could consider an accent color around the circle or some other brand texture that makes sense to you. Taking little considerations like this is what allows a Shopify theme to become personal to your brand. 

To create this look, use the following settings:

• Header: Meet the Team

• Subtitle: The shining faces that make your everyday a great day.

• Layout: Centered image and text

• Image width: 100px

• Do not enable slider

• Show card background

• Content settings: 

  • Show image

  • Heading: Employee name

  • Text: Employee title

  • Link: none

Section Tips

In our Logo List section you will notice that you are forced to have a max of 4 logos per row (if you are not using the slider feature). This could feel limiting or cause frustration if you are trying to have 3 content blocks on the top row and 2 content blocks in the second row, centered underneath the first row. While you won’t find this flexibility directly in the section, you can achieve this look by using the section type twice. In this next example you will see how I created 2 rows, the top with 3 content blocks and the second row with only 2 content blocks.

To create this look, use the following settings in the first Logo List section:

• Header: none

• Subtitle: none

• Layout: Centered image and text

• Image width: 60px

• Do not enable slider

• Do not show card background

• Content settings: 

  • Show image

  • Heading: none

  • Text: recycled materials

  • Link: none

• This section will only have 3 content blocks for Recycled, Eco-friendly and Sustainable Practices

Use the following settings in the second Logo List section:

• Header: none

• Subtitle: none

• Layout: Centered image and text

• Image width: NA

• Do not enable slider

• Do not show card background

• Content settings: 

  • Do not show image

  • Heading: 24/7 Support

  • Text: We are here for you and ready...

  • Link: none

• This section will only have 2 content blocks for 24/7 Support and Free Shipping

We hope that this new section allows you to effectively communicate some powerful brand messages to help your shoppers feel good about completing their purchase. We look forward to seeing how you all decide to put this section to use. 

Coronavirus Relief Funding For Small Businesses

In a very short time, the global pandemic known as Coronavirus (or COVID-19) has made an impact on the lives of millions. As members of a small business, our team has been watching what's happening that affects our personal lives and the arena of ecommerce. In spite of global uncertainty, we’ve put together a short list of relief efforts available for small businesses, many of whom are Shopify merchants.

Our team is located in the United States, so not all links will be applicable to everyone. But we encourage all small businesses to do their own research to find additional relief to help supplement the continuation of business in the coming months.

Shopify COVID-19 Response

Shopify is providing help for merchants, new and old, in a multitude of ways, from physical and digital gift cards for all plans, local pickup and delivery options for Shopify POS users, $200 million in small business funding through Shopify Capital, and more.

U.S. Federal Government

Small Business Administration Coronavirus Assistance

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in response to Coronavirus, has various loans and assistance available to small businesses in the U.S. 

State & Local Government

Here in the United States, there are many state and local governments with their own relief funding opportunities. This is likely true in other countries, and so we encourage small businesses looking for help during this Coronavirus pandemic to search those efforts in their own state, provinces, and territories.

Corporate And Non-profit Relief

Facebook Business Resource Hub

Facebook has pledged $100 million in grants for small businesses affected by COVID-19. More information can be found in their newly launched Business Resource Hub.

GoFundMe.org Small Business Relief Fund

GoFundMe, Yelp, and Intuit Quickbooks have pledged up to $1.5 million in the GoFundMe.org Small Business Relief Fund, where small businesses negatively affected by COVID-19 can apply for microgrants.

JPMorgan Philanthropic Effort

JPMorgan Chase has earmarked $8 million of its $50 million philanthropic effort “to assist small businesses vulnerable to significant economic hardships in the U.S., China and Europe.”

Kiva Small Business Loans

Applicable to eligible U.S. applicants, small business owners can apply for loans of up to $15,000 from Kiva lenders with 0% interest for up to six months to help with funding during the Coronavirus pandemic.

USA Today Support Local

USA Today has launched a Support Local for U.S.-based local businesses to list themselves as selling gift cards for supporters to buy and utilize later.

Wefunder Coronavirus Crisis Loan Program

An investment crowdfunding platform, Wefunder launched the Coronavirus Crisis Loans program to expand the availability of cash for small businesses through crowdfunded loans of $20,000 to $1 million from backers.