So you have a great online store with amazing new products. Maybe your site was even built on an open source enterprise ecommerce platform by HotWax Media. Even better. So now that you’re up and running what are you doing to attract new customers and increase conversion? Advancing your relevant keywords campaign, streamlining your shopping cart, performing A/B page testing? Probably all of the above, but are you also improving the quality of your product copy?
An interesting ecommerce study conducted across the pond indicates that 47 percent of [UK] consumers feel as though detailed product descriptions are a critical and influential factor when it comes to making an online purchase. Data from the same continent we’re on, no. A similar mindset when it comes to online consumer behavior, you bet.
Online
Most enterprise ecommerce sites supply product information in one form or another, but does it offer what the customer wants and needs, and does it prompt them to buy. When paired with powerful product images, product information is a means to offer a little tangibility to a product that consumers might not be able to get into their hands before making the decision to buy it online. If the checkout page is considered the appropriate Exit, then powerful, informative and relevant product information is the ‘Usher’ that can help guide a customer in the right direction.
Depending on your audience you may choose to include technical information, industry jargon, or demographic slang, but the amount of useful information you provide and the tone you use to say it may be the force that generates some additional traction. Many buyers know that if a site doesn’t provide descriptive product information aimed at helping them make an informed buying decision, chances are good there probably is another site that does. All that work you’ve done to enhance your ‘Exit’ doesn’t pay off if a customer leaves through the same door they came in.
Mobile
People now have the ability to shop anytime and anywhere, and the mobile end of ecommerce almost demands to be included in a conversation like this. But 37 percent of those who own a smartphone in the same UK study say that inconsistent information or a lack of product details through a phone app has caused them to pass on making a purchase using their device. The mobile market is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years, and this is certainly valuable insight for any company working to introduce a mobile strategy into their marketing efforts.
Whether we’re talking about ecommerce online or via a handheld device, in the day and age of consumer driven enhancements and demands, we give the people what they want or run the risk of watching traffic fade and conversion slip. And in today’s global marketplace, keeping a monitor on trends and capitalizing on data is vital, even if it comes from the other side of the world.
—Jared—
Jared Matkin is a staff writer for HotWax Media with a background in PR, Branding and Marketing. He’s also a light-hearted and an opinionated character who will join other HotWax Media employees and advisers in periodically posting his thoughts on topics ranging from enterprise eCommerce to business and technology.
