"We made it heavier than it needed to be" and two more lines worth stealing

Every shopper looking at a higher price has the same question: why does this cost more? American Giant answers it in two plain sentences next to its Classic Full Zip. Fur and Spiritless answer different questions just as plainly, and all three lines are easy to borrow.

American Giant: it tells you where the money went

In the block that sells its Classic Full Zip, American Giant's homepage reads: "Heavyweight fleece, grown in the Carolinas. Sewn in American factories, by people who’ve been doing this work for years. We made it heavier than it needed to be, and we pay more for the cotton than we have to." The line under it: "You’ll feel both." Further down the same page, three words: "Cheap isn't cheap."¹

Why it works: A higher price makes a shopper wonder what they are paying for. American Giant names the two costs it chose to carry, the weight of the fleece and the price of the cotton, then tells the shopper they will feel both. When the reason for the price sits right next to the product, the price stops being the objection.

Steal this: Write down the one place you spend more than you have to: the material, the process or the people who make it. Say it in one plain sentence next to your price, then tell the shopper how they will notice it.

See how they stack up on Brand Tested: American Giant.

Fur: a new tube, and the same scrub inside

Fur's homepage opens on its Bump Eliminator Scrub in a new tube, with one headline and one line under it: "New look. Same formula." and "Still 14% AHAs. Still the scrub you love."²

Why it works: A redesign is a nervous moment for your best customers. When the tube they know disappears, a loyal buyer starts to wonder whether the product changed too. Fur answers that before anyone asks, and puts a number on it so the promise can be checked against the label.

Steal this: The next time you change your packaging, your name or your look, lead with what stayed the same. Name the one ingredient or spec your repeat buyers care about, with its number, in the line under the headline.

See how they stack up on Brand Tested: Fur.

Spiritless: selling Dry January in October

The bar across the top of the Spiritless homepage reads "Dry January Pre-Sale is live: our award-winning Espresso Martini ships in time for January". The hero under it says "DRY JANUARY, DRESSED UP." with one line of detail: "AWARD-WINNING ESPRESSO MARTINI PRE-SALE · 12-PACK $47.99 · SHIPS FOR DRY JANUARY".³

Why it works: People decide to do Dry January before it starts. Spiritless takes the order while that decision is being made, gives the price and pack size up front, and makes a month of going without sound like something to look forward to. A pre-sale also tells a brand how much to make before it makes it.

Steal this: Find the date your buyer plans around: a holiday, a season, a race, the first day of school. Open orders for it weeks early, say exactly when it ships, and put that line in your top bar.

See how they stack up on Brand Tested: Spiritless.

The Brand Tested Score measures how distinct a brand is (Brand DNA, 40%) and how well its own online store sells (Site Experience, 60%). Scores are Brand Tested’s opinion, built from public storefront pages and the apps we detected on the scan date and our published v2.0 methodology. They aren’t statements of fact about any company. See something wrong? Request a correction.