Implementing heat maps to optimize user navigation and engagement on e-commerce platforms

How do you make a heat map?

Heat maps are graphical data representations of data where colors represent values in a matrix. They are often used to visualize the density or intensity of a phenomenon, such as the distribution of website traffic.

In a typical heat map, each matrix cell is given a color based on the value it represents. Hotter colors like red or purple indicate elevated values, while colder colors like light blue or green indicate low values. This color gradient helps to quickly identify areas of high or low concentration within the dataset.

Heat maps revealed that Netflix’s fan base grew by 25% in three years, speaking volumes about the company’s online brand presence. Heat maps helped Amazon capture over 70% of conversion rates, and in 2021, B2B marketers used them to increase their lead count by over 10%.

How do you make a heat map?

There are various tools and software packages available for creating heat maps, ranging from spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to specialized data visualization tools like Python’s Matplotlib, Seaborn, or R, or web-based platforms like Tableau or Plotly.

You choose a color palette that effectively represents your data. Consider using a sequential color scheme for data that ranges from low to high values.

Input your data, specify any additional settings, such as labels or annotations, and customize the appearance of the heatmap according to your preferences. If you’d like to know more, here is some additional information about how to create a heat map. 

Identifying low and high engagement areas

Heat maps allow e-commerce companies of all sizes to optimize their websites by identifying which areas receive the most engagement and attention. By studying heat maps, they can make informed decisions about design, layout, and content placement to enhance user navigation.

Analyzing click behavior

Click heat maps represent where users click on the site. This representation is in the form of hot and cold spots, where areas with more clicks appear hotter. You can study click behavior to determine which components are attracting more attention and which are attracting less or none. If visitors are clicking on non-interactive components, it might mean they are confused, indicating a need for clearer communication or design.

Scroll depth

Scroll heat maps can show how far down users are scrolling on any given page. Cooler colors indicate areas that are viewed rarely, while warmer ones display areas that more users have seen. You can use scroll depth to determine the volume of content visitors are seeing on your pages. If your calls to action or most critical content are too low down, visitors might not be giving them enough attention.

User preferences

By analyzing heat maps, an e-commerce platform may find that visitors tend to focus more on product images than on their descriptions. Hover heat maps can help identify which aspects capture attention: images, buttons, text, etc. You can explore why certain areas are getting a lot of attention. Perhaps they are visually appealing or otherwise highly engaging. They might contain highly valuable information that is attracting interest.