Best 404 page examples in e-commerce

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Best 404 page examples in e-commerce

Good day to all Amasty blog readers!

Today we're speaking on a topic that's often missed by shops: making your 404 stand out.

What we can do with 404 error pages

The bigger your shop is, the more important the issue of 404 page appears to be.

For e-commerce sites, 404 page plays a huge role: it should hook different customer groups not to let them go away from the wrong page. Thus, there are many options you could use for your 404 page:

  • search box;
  • popular/bestselling items;
  • a coupon code or special offers;
  • the right piece of text explaining what happened;
  • category list;
  • featured/last posts/items;
  • key links;
  • or any combination of these elements.

However, there's another side of the story: as always, you have to stand out of the crowd. Beyond the techy and marketing tasks this pages solve, you could use it for bigger ideas:

404 error pages are still ignored by shops

Doing research for the article, I looked through hundreds of top Alexa sites on Shopping, choosing the funniest or the most beautiful or creative 404 error page examples. And that's what I've found:

  • lots and lots of shops use the default 404 page - which isn't a deadly sin, but is definitely an opportunity to do a little bit more here;
  • lots of shops redirect from non-existent pages to category/previous/home pages, which is also okay, but still may be rather confusing, especially for inexperienced Internet users. It's good to show a small notification that the page a visitor requested does not exist and he was redirected.
  • lots of shops do not have a proper 404 page at all. In this case you see an empty page, or a page showing a standard 404 error message returned by the server, no design, no links whatsoever. I would estimate the number of shops without a proper (at least default) CMS 404 page around 40%, which is a surprisingly big amount for the top Alexa list!
  • other small issues like showing the 404 error text in a wrong language.
  • creative, funny or at least remarkable 404 pages are not more than 3% - in fact, I spend much more time I though it might need me to compose a decent list of 404 page examples.

Finally: best 404 error page examples for 2014 in e-commerce

But still I was lucky to meet interesting, amusing, funny and beautiful 404 error pages from e-commerce sites; they're worth a mention and a couple of your minutes. Who knows, maybe you'll find inspiration from this list.

If you need to have a look at the details of the screenshots, just click to enlarge the pictures.

1. underarmour.com

Nothing complicated - but the powerful image and coloring make this 404 page stand out.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 1

2. nespresso.com

Brand everything! Just one powerful image with a perfect cup of coffee turns unpleasant experience of visiting a deleted or moved page into something better.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 2

3. futureshop.ca

A nice example: Future Shop made a 404 page which really adds to the website's design and uses a nice idea of the gadget showing the custom 404 error text.

Best 303 error page examples for e-commerce 3

4. modcloth.com

A dog in pants and a funny call to action; good mood guaranteed.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 4

5. lego.com

A perfect 404 page branding example from Lego:

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 5

6. backcountry.com

This is one of my fav 404 e-commerce pages; here we can see a full sized powerful picture strongly connected with the brand.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 6

7. bedbathandbeyond.com

Nice example of combining great wording and a custom picture. A very bright and emotional 404 error page.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 7

8. ikea.com

A very simple but keen page!

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 8

9. etsy.com

Things happen, says 404 page for Etsy.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 9

10. munchkin.com

Somebody looks very upset because of the page missing.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 10

11. shop.lululemon.com

At first sight this page looks rather ordinary: a header, some text and a stock image. But if you take a closer look...

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 11

12. dish.com

Another nice example of using a photo of high contrast and powerful colors.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 12

13. mlb.mlb.com

This 404 error page shows random oof-y GIFs. Some folks might even need will power not to get stuck.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 13

14. bluenile.com

A simple and elegant 404 page example; also it's a very mild call to action, as from our nature we don't like empty boxes and tend to fill them.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 14

15. karmaloop.com

Even a man without pants can be okay if it suits your audience.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 15

16. duluthtrading.com

Well... Don't know who was the first to catch up with the idea.

 Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 16

17. otterbox.com

Another nice idea from Otterbox: unicorns and creative wording. 'If you are feeling optimistic' is definitely a hit.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 17

18. converse.com

An excellent example of a minimalistic 404 error page: black and white, no pics, just color and a couple of words plus a link to the main page.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 18

19. opticsplanet.com

And again a decent example of using products you actually sell on the 404 page.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 19

20. stevemadden.com

Here's a lovely design that suits the overall website layout perfectly and uses its powerful sides: wise typography and soulful pics.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce

21. patagonia.com

Thumbs up for a page that joined a heavy metal band.

Best 404 error page examples for e-commerce 21

Conclusion

So, what makes an outstanding 404 page if we look at these examples? (Excluding the standard blocks like search, links and so on)

  • branding: using your brand, products or services pics or mentions;
  • powerful pictures that catch the eye; use high contrast or rich color and try to combine it with your website's design;
  • wise wording: a tweak or two will do;
  • humor, jokes and funny things that your audience will love.

Did you like some particular ones? Or can you share other 404 page examples you've recently met?

 

January 12, 2015
February 9, 2015
December 18, 2014
Comments
Damir
January 15, 2015
I wish you could only add our website 404. I think it's really nice :) ifab.ru/404
Reply
Ksenia Dobreva
January 26, 2015
Thanks for sharing! It's funny =) I think I won't add your page right now, as this post is really lengthy, but I've started to collect a new bunch of good 404 pages and I've added your page to the list. As soon as I get a decent number of pages I'll make a second post!
Joe
January 22, 2015
Awesome! Love the modcloth and lego examples- goes to show that a little extra time and effort will have an impact i mean just viewing these here makes me think these brands really do care that much more and want to hold on to that audience
Reply
Ksenia Dobreva
January 26, 2015
Agree, Joe. Good that you pointed these exact words out (because I didn't): they do care about their visitors.
Kate
March 13, 2015
Hi! nice article with very funny and inspiring examples! well...maybe our 404 page will interests you: softwaremill.com/404 If I'm going to be honest this page reminds me my childhood;)
Reply
Ksenia Dobreva
March 13, 2015
Thanks, Kate! Wow... This one is really cool. Great you shared it with us! I added a link to your comment so other visitors could click on it and have some nice time ;)
Kate
April 1, 2015
Thank you Ksenia! :)
qq shorts
July 20, 2015
very nice !
Reply
Brian Jamesson
September 2, 2015
Our funny 404 page: xpressmovers.com
Reply
Ksenia Dobreva
September 4, 2015
Hey Brian, thanks for sharing! It's a fun one, indeed.
Martin
July 19, 2016
Take a look @ this 404 page: theuselesswebindex.com/404
Reply
Iliya
November 19, 2016
I’m always smiling when get to the airbnb error page airbnb.com/404. It’s a well-trodden path, if you want to calm down the customer, just make him laugh.
Reply
Alexandra Zhos
November 20, 2016
Thanks, Ilya!
Jon
November 30, 2016
funny examples :) this one is also very nice
Reply
Alexandra Zhos
December 3, 2016
Quite nice, thank you, Jon!
vincent
December 22, 2016
“Unicorns, that doesn’t exist” page is an extremely funny case! You, guys, inspired me.
Reply
Alexandra Zhos
February 14, 2017
Glad to hear that:) As you see, smart pun is everything when it comes to creativity
Daria X
March 16, 2017
I like this one thedirtfloor.com/404
Reply
Ksenia Dobreva
March 27, 2017
That's a funny one! Thanks for sharing!
Safal Pillai
April 21, 2017
kosamattam.com/error
Reply
Safal Pillai
April 21, 2017
How about this?
Reply
sneha
January 24, 2018
Really very interesting information and examples are also very good.
Reply
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