2011 Trends Shift for Product Related Information
Consumers increasingly demand more product information on sites.
Converse to the marketers’ hesitation mentioned above, there is a real shift in the consumer perspective with a rising trend observed in 2011 – a top usage for brand websites is to now find product information due to the emergence of Social Media strategies (Facebook, YouTube, mobile platforms, etc.), which are utilized for other objectives. Even though this is a growing inclination, it is not because the site can no longer multi-task, but instead because these other platforms are taking the relationship building reins and in return the website does not have to work as hard on all fronts as it did even a year ago. It is almost as if the website is shifting away from more of a ‘generalist’ role, lifted from the burden of communicating everything about the brand all in one place to more of a ‘specialist’ role, a hub where product information is best housed (for now).
Interestingly, even with this shift in focus for each platform, it does appear that new media relies on referrals back to the website to finalize the job of cementing consideration. Findings such as this one are of the utmost importance to understand, as expectations dictate that if a consumer decides to spend time with your brand online, then they DO want to get to know you better by researching your product or service. But what type(s) of content should be included within the product information provided?
Below are tips to abide by, which will help to smartly tout some of your greatest assets: Product information and benefits. Implementation of the strategies outlined in the suggested tip list will cull consumer curiosity and address the researching mindset in an intriguing way.
Tip #1: Get Down to the Nitty-Gritty
De-trivializing the content behind a strong product information portfolio are the “nitty gritty” details about the product itself, because these nuances help the consumer make an educated purchase decision. Upon investigating the greater need for product related information, several areas of content expansion are noted:
- Product history
- Manufacturing practices
- Product benefits/differentiation
- Ingredients list
- Nutritional facts
- Product specifications
- Innovative advancements
- Product discontinuations
- Recommendations for replacement products
- Retail locations
- Specialized needs the product fulfills
Tip #2: Facilitate an Interactive Setting
While many companies invest in tools and engagement platforms separate from product information, it is beneficial to think of the two strategies as a combo package. Placing the information within an engaging landscape maintains and extends the consumer’s attention to an optimal degree. Below are some formats that work well:
- Educational Online videos
- Ratings/reviews
- Quizzes leading to product recommendations
- Recipes
- 360 degree navigational view of the product
- Compare and contrast tool
Supporting Case Study: The Impact of Incomplete Product Information
With an unwavering outcome, sites who under-deliver on such information see visitors who create alternative plans to buy a competitive product. This is gleaned from a product receptivity study aimed to assess the level of product information anticipated when visiting today’s Digital experiences. To our surprise, results found that consumers were frustrated by the lack of information readily available, and claimed that this is something they expect, want and need when choosing to visit the website. Ultimately, lack of or sparse product information results in overall brand impressions that plummet by an average of 19 percentage points.
Likewise, we continually see that product information is the single most influential content for raising purchase intentions, but differentiation will always be part of this type of communication (so do make sure to feature the content in a way that will strongly position yourself within the market). In closing, implementation of the tips outlined above should remove the ballyhoo out of the type, breadth and depth of product information, giving attribution to the brand website experience. As a best practice, do not bury or avoid the information that can sell the proposition, but instead be prepared to feature this content as transparently as possible.
I like how you outlined and explained everything. There were a lot of Pearl's of wisdom in what you had to say.
I completely agree with Dr. Lisa. This is an outstanding article with sharp insights. I especially applaud your comments that a company’s main Web site becomes even more important in the era of social media. This is exactly right, yet runs counter to what many of the social media “experts” say.
“Product information is the single most influential content for raising purchase intentions.” Absolutely -- and the more channels a marketer uses, the more important that information becomes, and the more critical it is that the information be current, complete, consistent, and correct wherever it appears.
[...] the vital importance of product information for successful e-commerce in a compelling blog post, “Product Information: A Relationship Builder”: …sites who under-deliver on such information see visitors who create alternative plans to [...]
Kimberly, this is a good article! Product information has impact on Customer retention and some other KPIs like wallet Share, Conversion rate, margins etc. Did you Know that Research/ Survey about the ROI of PIM? http://www.pim-roi.com?
Hi Ben,
Thanks so much for the supporting stats to the blog post. As I mentioned, Product Information is top of mind for visitors to the brand websites these days and it is important to present PIM content in a clear and concise manner especially when it brings in such a great ROI. With that said, it is a shame that most companies do not seem to be prioritizing this as something to focus on this year in light of the Social Media and Mobile trends. Let's do our best to get companies listening to the stats and take action!
Hi Kimberly,
What you have written in the article is just fantastic and to the point. Your article gets to the root problem of product information issues faced by majority of the ecommerce sites.
Corporation who have implemented or who will implement your advice wil get huge ROI in no time.
I am in the business of Product Data enrichment. So I can vouch that what you said is very true. By providing accurate and rich product information the company enables the end client to make a decision to buy the product.
Thanks for writing the article. I will be quoting you in my discussions with prospects and clients.
Regards,
Yogesh Sharma
Director,
Strategic Information Management
NexStrategy Inc.
http://www.NexStrategy.com
emai: ysharma@nexstrategy.com
Cell: 734-674-6470
[...] information is a relationship builder and the single most influential content for raising purchase intentions. Due to the emergence of social media strategies, the primary job of a brand Web site is to [...]
I think that people are looking for better quality product information for most of the products they are buying now. With money getting tighter they what to make sure the products will perform in the application they intend to use them for.