Online shoppers rely on product content to make their purchase decisions. In fact, 70 percent abandon their carts due to low-quality product content or a lack of content entirely. The key to decreasing abandonment rates and closing sales? Compelling product detail pages (PDPs).
A PDP houses all product content on an e-commerce site and gives consumers a thorough look at a brand’s product. Optimizing this pivotal page allows you to engage and educate your customers, stand out among competitors, strengthen brand loyalty, and achieve maximum return on investment from your marketing efforts.
Quality PDPs Are Essential to Brand Loyalty
More than 263 million Americans shop online — roughly 80 percent of the population — and that number is projected to climb to over 291 million by 2025. Convenience, competitive prices and a wide selection of goods contribute to the growing popularity of online shopping.
Online shoppers expect to have access to the same amount of information on their screens as they would if they were holding a product in a physical store. In fact, over 80 percent of consumers believe quality product content is more important than brand recognition in purchase decisions. Consumers may be inclined to click on a food item from a recognizable brand. However, if that brand doesn’t provide enough product information, like nutrition facts and serving size, brand loyalty diminishes and consumers may switch to a competitor.
You can foster brand loyalty through quality PDPs. Brand loyalty matters more than ever as it has become more integral to profitability. Existing customers purchase 90 percent more frequently than new customers, likely because they’re familiar with your products and processes and experience less friction during the purchase journey. New customers may feel like they’re taking a gamble when purchasing a product from a brand they don’t know.
Building the Perfect PDP
To meet the needs of current customers and cultivate relationships with first-timers, focus efforts on building perfect PDPs. High-quality, accurate product content reduces the likelihood of negative surprises for shoppers. A PDP will stand out among competitors with these four components:
1. Product Descriptions and Compelling Copy
Inaccurate or misleading product descriptions lead to nearly 35 percent of online returns. To win sales — and avoid returns — a PDP needs to include creative, concise, conversion-driving e-commerce copy. Marketing copy provides additional information about your brand’s background and products, connects with customers, and propels your products toward a new audience.
PDP copy should highlight a product’s unique specs and features. Break up long paragraphs by swapping longer sentences out for a bulleted list. Also, use straightforward language instead of excessive jargon or fanciful sentences. When consumers clearly understand your product and its features, they can more easily make an informed purchase decision.
2. Photography
Digital sales rely on realistic product representation. If a PDP lacks photos, online shoppers are less likely to purchase that product. A product’s image gallery should feature different types of photos, including:
- Hero imagery: Highlights important product attributes like size, quantity and differentiation points
- Scale shots: Gives customers an idea of the size of your product
- Lifestyle photos: Helps potential customers visualize themselves using your product
You can leverage a professional studio to capture your product imagery. High-quality photo content is likely to decrease online returns and increase sales. Nearly 60 percent of online shoppers who have made product returns blamed imagery that didn’t match the product they received, while over 55 percent of consumers say high-quality images persuaded them to buy something they didn’t need.
3. Rich Content
Beyond above-the-fold imagery, a PDP allows you to showcase your product with rich content below the fold. Rich content includes:
- Video: Showcases product assembly or use, giving consumers a fuller understanding of a product
- Hot spot imagery: Highlights product features within one interactive image
- 360-degree spin photography: Displays every angle of a product in a dynamic format
- Augmented reality: Provides an immersive experience for shoppers to visualize how they might use a product in their homes or with their own hands
These media types give your brand a competitive edge, increasing consumer trust and sales. Brands adding rich content to their PDPs see a nearly 95 percent increase in conversions compared to brands that don’t.
4. Customer Reviews
PDPs need customer reviews. Research shows that 95 percent of consumers read online reviews before purchasing, and nearly 60 percent would pay more for products of a brand with good reviews. Allow customers to leave reviews on your PDPs so that new and returning customers can read about their experiences. Not only will reviews drive sales, they’ll humanize the people behind your products.
You should also respond to customer reviews because customers want to be heard. Replying to complaints and compliments cultivates customer relationships and elevates your brand. Three out of four customers recommend a brand to a friend after one positive experience.
Along with these four components, ensure your PDPs across multiple e-commerce websites are consistent. When you fail to deliver consistency, you also fail to meet consumer expectations. Eight in 10 shoppers expect a similar product content experience wherever they interact with a brand. Technology, like a product information management (PIM) system, can help you maintain product descriptions and data across channels. For example, if you make product information changes, the PIM system updates your entire trading partner list at once.
Attracting Shoppers to PDPs
Once you’ve established a standout PDP, you want to attract online shoppers. Organic search provides a vital traffic source. However, less than 40 percent of e-commerce marketers optimize their PDPs for search. You can improve your brand’s organic ranking by investing in search engine optimization, which:
- maximizes PDPs through long- and short-tail product descriptions;
- improves website quality by boosting its position in search results;
- increases website authority with search engines; and
- helps consumers find what they need by showing them the most relevant results.
Brands seeking to maximize their visibility and steer customers in the right direction must pay attention to SEO. It’s advisable to regularly update product descriptions to improve search results and increase customer engagement.
Social media also plays an important role in captivating consumers. Create posts that share ratings and reviews of your best selling products. Uncertain consumers often find comfort in a greater collective, so when you show that many people enjoy your products, there’s a strong likelihood you’ll induce a fear of missing out that drives customers to your PDPs and results in purchases.
Your product content impacts every aspect of your brand’s success. Take advantage of all PDP features to bring your products to life, build brand loyalty, and meet your sales goals — now and in the future.
TJ Waldorf is the chief marketing officer at 1WorldSync, a product content orchestration platform.
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