5 ways to make great eCommerce image hotspots

How to make the most effective hotspots for eCommerce websites? Tips and tricks to make hotspots a valuable addition to the user interface.

User engagement is one of the top priorities of the eCommerce website. The most important thing about it is how the value of the product presents itself.

It is one thing to do a regular product card and roll it out with a wall of text. There is also another way to depict critical points about the product — by using hotspots.

In this article, we will talk about how to make an engaging image hotspot and explain key components of the useful hotspot tag.

How to make an effective image hotspot?

First things first:

• The purpose of an image hotspot is to expand upon existing content with more valuable information.
• The goal is to improve user experience and make content more engaging with interactive elements.

Hotspots can deliver a Cliff-notes version of the card in the product feed. On the other hand, the product card can turn into more visual experience altogether because of the strategic placement of hotspots.

Here are some suggestions on how to make the best hotspots that will surely engage the user.

1. What kind of image is hotspot-worthy?

Just like with any other widget, the use of hotspots needs to make sense for the user to be effective. If the thing is there for the sake of being there — it is a waste of effort.

Thankfully, you don’t need to wonder why to put hotspots in the eCommerce marketplace.

How to determine whether or not you can add hotspots to the image? The answer is context.

Here’s a tip on how to make it right:

1. The image represents the page’s context. If it’s a product card — then it is an image of the product and so on.
2. The image contains elements that can be augmented/expanded with hotspots. Usually, it is one of the two. Either certain spots for technical specifications or descriptions of what the thing can do (like “you can shoot timelapse videos with this camera”).

2. What kind of information to add to the hotspot?

The hotspot is as good as the information it provides. The general rule of thumb is that if it is something valuable for the target audience in the particular context — then you can place it on the hotspot.

• In the case of product cards, hotspots can serve additional information about the product (like description, price, and so on).
• In the case of product bundles, you can attach links to the products depicted in there — same thing for product listings or search results.
• Then there are hotspots in blog posts. In this case, you can use hotspots both to show additional information and attach links to particular products. Also, you can use hotspots for image sources and credits.

3. How to place hotspot content

How to place a hotspot seem to be rather obvious — but there is a catch. As an additional component of the image — you need to avoid putting hotspots in areas where they can distract the user.

Here are some of the most common misplacements and their respective solutions.

1 A hotspot obscures parts of the image.

• For general information hotspots — place them on the edge of an object rather than on the object.
• If hotspots are on the object and describe its specific aspects — it is better to use hotspot tooltip to avoid text clutter on the image.

2 A hotspot is on the skids of an image rather than the foreground;

• such a location is generally ineffective in showing relevant information about the product.
• However, if you place a hotspot in the corner and make it visually distinct — you can attach supplementary information regarding special offers or other treats.

3 A hotspot is disconnected from the objects on the image

• when the hotspot seemingly hangs in the air — it usually gets ignored by the user. It is necessary to tie the hotspot to a particular object to signify the connection between the two.

4. How to arrange multiple hotspots on the image?

In addition to the issues mentioned above with the hotspot placement, there is a problem with hotspots crowding.

Too many hotspots can be detrimental to the cause, not only from the aesthetic standpoint but on purely practical terms. In this case, multiple hotspots cancel each other out.

To effectively place multiple hotspots on one image, you need to keep them at a distance.

The other significant issue with multiple hotspots is the inconsistency of the placement.

For example, you have a product bundle with multiple hotspots. However, each of them is in a different location — at the upper left corner, at the middle bottom, etc.

This approach is confusing for the user. The hotspot locations need to be uniform for all objects on the image to manifest their purpose correctly.

If one hotspot is placed at the bottom corner of an object — the others follow suit.

5. How to leverage different hotspot icons?

While the hotspot icon seems to be one of the least essential elements of the widget — it is more valuable than meets the eye.

As an ideographic representation of the button function — the human brain is trained to recognize question marks, “i”’s, or variations of pluses as a signifier of more information available. Image hotspots thrive on the user’s natural inclination to explore. So why not use different icons for different types of information.

Here are several ideas on how to do it:

• “Plus” sign for showcasing necessary information like tech specs or features;
• “i” in the corner for various disclaimers regarding the product or its selling aspects (special offers, discounts, often including requirements on how to get one);
• the question mark to disclose interesting facts or attached excerpts from FAQ.
• “power” button to launch an animated demo;
• Quotes to add featured quotes from opinion-makers or influencers;
• Rotate signs for switching to a different angle;

Important to note, using different icons doesn’t mean you can turn an image into a hotspot strawberry field.

Conclusion

With this tips you will be able to use image hotspots to the maximum effect.

As you can see, it is not that hard to nail down how to use image hotspots. You just need to follow the fundamentals and everything will be OK.