Why High-Quality, Relevant Product Pages Are More Important Than Ever
By Lavender Nguyen (originally published on Salsify)
MARCH 3, 2022 | 7 mins read
A product page (or product detail page) displays information about a product that helps consumers understand what it is and why they should buy it.
The information you display on these pages should be accurate, consistent, up to date, and relevant to shoppers, or you’ll lose their attention.
In an effort to uncover the latest shopper insights and consumer trends, Salsify surveyed more than 4,000 consumers in the U.S., Great Britain, France, and Germany for the “Consumer Research 2022” report.
Here are three key takeaways about the impact of high-quality product pages on omnichannel customer experiences.
How Product Content Impacts Consumers’ Shopping Behaviours
1. Consumers Rank “Quality of Images and Product Descriptions” as a Top-Three Reason for Choosing Where to Shop Online
Salsify found that high-quality product content is a critical factor driving consumers’ online purchasing decisions.
In fact, shoppers across the four markets ranked content quality above product selection, search relevance, loyalty programs, and online Q&A features.
Respondents from each market (54% of shoppers in Great Britain, 50% in Germany, 47% in France, and 41% in the U.S.) selected “quality of images and product descriptions” as a top-three reason for choosing where to shop online.
2. Shoppers Won’t Buy From Bad Product Pages
If your product page lacks the detailed information consumers want, they’ll turn to one of your competitors instead.
Salsify’s research revealed that 46% of consumers in Great Britain, 46% in the U.S., 45% in France, and 44% in Germany will choose not to purchase a product online if there’s not enough information or details provided.
Modern consumers have zero tolerance for low-quality product pages, and brands can’t afford to ignore these content experiences.
3. Consumers Are More Likely To Buy and Will Pay More for Products When Information Is Relevant to Their Concerns
When considering a potential purchase, today’s consumers seek product information that is specific to their lifestyle, sustainability concerns, health requirements, and more.
Salsify found that 73% of shoppers in Great Britain, 70% in the U.S., 50% in France, and 48% in Germany are more likely to make a purchase when there are personally relevant images, videos, text, and reviews on a product page.
Improve Your Product Content To Drive Purchases and Attract Loyal Customers
So, how can brands adapt to meet the product page expectations of today’s consumers? Here are two tips on how to get started.
1. Create a Single Source of Truth for Product Content
To create a better omnichannel customer experience, ensure your product content is aligned and consistent across all your channels and retailer partners.
How can you do so? The best practice is to adopt a product experience management platform that helps centralise all of your product data into one place.
Once you implement this type of system, you can create a single source of truth for your product content, making it easier for teams across your organisation to view and manage this data.
Armed with this type of solution, you can streamline processes involved in creating content, managing assets, reusing content, distributing content across channels, and measuring performance.
No more data silos or inaccurate information; the workflow becomes seamless, allowing your teams to work in sync.
By unifying your product data, you can more easily provide up-to-date information and quality content at every touch point, empowering consumers to get the information they need, wherever they are.
To ensure consumers can quickly recognise your brand, aim to deliver a consistent message across platforms.
2. Provide Relevant, Rich Product Content on Product Pages
Basic product content like product names, prices, and dimensions help shoppers understand what they’re viewing. Rich product content goes further than that.
Rich product content refers to product information and visuals that are more relevant, engaging, and evocative — which can include high-quality images, videos, 360 spins, and comparison charts.
Creative language and detailed usage instructions can also be considered rich product content.
This type of content allows shoppers to visualise not just how a product works but also what it would be like to own that item — and how it could potentially make their lives better.
When consumers understand the actual benefits of the product, they’re more likely to convert, which means you’ll drive more sales and have a larger market share.
For a little inspiration, consider conducting a competitive analysis of other brands in your category. Monitor your competitors’ product pages to stay up-to-date with new content and feature ideas.
It’s also valuable to assess any questions your customers may have submitted through various channels, as this allows you to make sure you are covering any gaps or content requests they may have.
Califia Farms is a notable example of a brand growing its direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales with engaging product content. At first, its website focused more on providing branded content than driving online purchases.
The brand soon realised the impact of optimised product content, so they revamped their site with a consumer-centric approach. This transformation helped Califia Farms grow their DTC sales by 400%.
Unlock Your Full Potential
High-quality product pages are a critical component of a successful omnichannel customer experience.
By adapting your product content to meet the latest consumer expectations, you can boost conversions while increasing customer loyalty.
Explore Salsify’s “Consumer Research 2022” report to discover more insights into the latest consumer shopping behaviours — and how to adjust your omnichannel strategy accordingly.
