You’ve no doubt had your purchasing decisions shaped by calls to action in the context of ecommerce—even if it was a single click on a button that says BUY NOW. CTAs are a simple-yet-important component of any website and have the power to influence your purchasing decision in as little as a single word.
Read on to discover the function of an effective call to action for beauty and skincare brands, how to test a CTA’s success and how to write your own, as well as real-life examples of calls to action in the realm of beauty and skincare ecommerce.
What is a call to action?
A call to action—often shortened to CTA—is a marketing term that describes the next step or action that the brand wants you to take. When used as a marketing tool for ecommerce stores, calls to action take the form of a button or pop-up window. In other words, every click has the potential to be a new sale or customer.
Hard vs. soft CTAs
Ecommerce calls to action tend to fall in one of two major categories: hard or soft. Both types of CTA are used to guide customers toward a potential purchase.
- A hard call to action is like a hard sell—confident, decisive, and firm. Hard CTAs use verbs that demand immediate action, such as BUY or SHOP, to create a sense of urgency.
👉Use hard CTAs for the most important actions, such as purchasing a product or signing up for promotional emails.
- A soft call to action is like a soft sell—friendly, welcoming, and subtle. Soft CTAs are generally used to inform and invite curiosity about a product or service and may contain words such as DISCOVER or LEARN.
👉Use soft CTAs to build a long-lasting relationship with your customers over time.
Finding out what works: A/B testing a CTA
As the name suggests, A/B testing for calls to action (or split testing as it’s sometimes referred to) compares two versions of a CTA to determine which one leads to greater customer conversions. In other words, it allows the business owner to see which CTA leads to the most sales and email signups.
A/B testing a call to action for your beauty ecommerce is beneficial in the following ways:
- It allows you to gather insight into what works for your customers (and what they’re more likely to respond to).
- A/B testing is relatively low cost. While you might miss out on sales if an A/B test fails, you’ll be able to tailor your next calls to action to the specific needs of your audience.
How to write a call to action for ecommerce
Guiding your audience through the purchasing process takes practice, but the following tips will help you craft compelling CTAs that intrigue and convert customers. Whether you’re creating a hard or soft CTA, in most cases you’ll want to begin with an action verb.
- Focus on clarity (choose words such as BUY, SHOP, LEARN MORE, EXPERIENCE, and UNLOCK)
- Use familiar language—your audience shouldn’t be confused by the CTA.
- Use inclusive pronouns to personalize calls to action (YOUR or YOURS)
- Add a “why” to your CTA—tell customers why they need to buy your beauty products or why they need to sign up to receive news and promotions.
- Use time-sensitive language to create a sense of urgency; words such as URGENT, LIMITED, and HURRY can help your audience make a decision about making a purchase.
Make your CTA stand out on your ecommerce shop
Once you’ve written your calls to action for your beauty brand, it’s important to make sure they’re easy-to-read and immediately visible to your audience.
- Use a color wheel to determine contrasting colour choices for any buttons you plan on making. Not only will your CTA stand out, it will be more accessible to a greater number of potential customers.
- Keep the size large enough that the CTA is visible, but not so large it takes over the page.
- Have fun with the shape and size of the button or pop-up window, but keep user experience in mind at all times.
Examples of effective CTAs in the beauty industry
1. Versed
LA-based skincare company Versed uses its brand name as a play on words in this CTA to learn more about their product. Although the site uses traditional hard calls to encourage action, it also uses a soft CTA to invite the shopper to learn more about their products.
“Get well versed”
“Get good skin and good emails”
2. Glossier
The darlings of the dewy skin and makeup look, the Glossier website uses CTAs that evoke feelings of their product being a well-deserved treat. To entice customers into shopping their summer line, Glossier compares its new line of products to a luxurious and relaxing French holiday.
“You deserve it”
“Swimsuit optional: Capture the essence of effortless, sun-soaked days on the French coast”
3. Charlotte Tilbury
Fans of Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup and skincare line love the brand for its timeless and consistently on-trend products. The Charlotte Tilbury site makes use of calls to action that suggest a personalized experience (in the form of shade match tools and other quizzes) as well as plenty of effective action verbs to help navigate the site.
“For a personalized experience log in”
“Unlock rewards & benefits”
“Complete your beauty profile”
“Download the app”
“Book a virtual consultation”
Conclusion
Using calls to action on your ecommerce beauty site is a simple but proven method for boosting sales and customer conversion. At Blanka, we offer dropshipping for hundreds of unbranded skincare, cosmetics, and hair products so that you can focus on what’s going on behind-the-scenes.
Looking for more articles about running a successful ecommerce beauty brand?
- 5 High-impact ways to increase your Shopify store's AOV
- Easy AI product descriptions with Shopify magic
- How to start an ecommerce beauty brand in 2025
From product development to warehousing and shipping fulfilment services, Blanka makes it easy to grow your beauty and skincare business. With no minimum orders and no order fees, beginning your ecommerce journey with Blanka is risk-free.
