Well-designed product pages with thorough product information and high-quality images can help your brand convert more shoppers into return customers.
According to Salsify’s “Consumer Research 2022” report — a survey of more than 4,000 shoppers in the U.S., Great Britain, France, and Germany — consumers are more likely to buy (and will pay more for) products when information is relevant to their concerns.
In the U.S., 70% of respondents said they are more likely to buy if there are personally relevant images, videos, text, and reviews on a product page. In Great Britain, 73% said so, with 50% in France, and 48% in Germany.
And, more importantly, more than 40% of shoppers across the four markets said they won’t purchase a product online if not enough information or details are provided.
Unfortunately, many brands still don’t pay enough attention to their product pages. They make product page mistakes that go unnoticed — but are still significant enough to drive consumers away from their sites.
Below are some of the top mistakes (and tips on how to avoid them):
1. Providing Outdated or Inconsistent Product Information
Consumers view a product page as a source of truth for product information. When they land on a page, they expect to see the information they need to understand the value of the product and whether it suits their needs.
That’s why inaccurate product identifiers, incorrect product specifications, duplicate content, and outdated information can make customers frustrated — driving them to leave your product page immediately. These bad experiences can decrease consumer trust and harm your brand reputation, which will ultimately reduce your revenue.
Tips for Providing the Best Product Information
To avoid outdated or inconsistent product information, you should:
- Use a product information management (PIM) system to standardize and centralize your product content into one place. This will help create a single source of truth for your product data.
- Take the time to verify that all product listings, attributes, and specifications are accurate.
- Ensure your product descriptions are as detailed as possible.
- Regularly review product pages to confirm all the information is updated and consistent.
2. Not Using Enhanced Product Content
Many brands only include standard product images and descriptions on their product pages. But today, you need to do more than that to win the hearts and minds of modern consumers. One of the best ways to do this is by taking advantage of enhanced content.
Enhanced product content refers to eye-catching lifestyle images, videos, comparison charts, 360-degree spins, and more. This type of rich media helps your product page stand out and immediately grab shoppers’ attention. And these engaging shopping experiences ultimately lead to more purchases.
Tips for Using Enhanced Content on Product Pages
Here are some tips to help you make use of enhanced product content:
- Determine what type of enhanced content you should include on your product page. Think about your product’s features and its benefits. What do your customers want to see? How can you show this content in a unique way? Be creative.
- Include product shots and lifestyle photos on your product pages to help shoppers visualize what it’ll be like to use the item in question in real life.
3. Forgetting To Optimize for SEO Keywords
Search engine optimization (SEO) helps increase your site’s visibility on search engines like Google — ultimately driving more organic traffic. According to a study by Semrush, 38% percent of retailer traffic comes from organic search.
When you optimize your product page content with specific keywords your target customers use to search, you can boost your rankings on search results pages.
In other words, your product will appear as a top solution to a consumer’s search intent, encouraging them to browse your site. The more organic traffic you have, the less you’ll likely need to spend on paid advertising.
Tips for Optimizing Your Product Pages for SEO
When optimizing your product pages for SEO, you should:
- Implement an ecommerce SEO strategy in which you assess what your customers are searching for — and which specific keywords your competitors are including on their sites.
- Include target SEO keywords in your URLs, titles, meta descriptions, and other places throughout your product pages. Ideally, your designated keyword should be included at least three times throughout the page in question.
- Make your product pages more valuable to consumers by including content such as frequently asked questions (FAQs), tutorials, or recipes.
4. Not Showing Ratings and Reviews
Ratings and reviews are key to building trust with consumers, especially first-time shoppers. According to PowerReviews’ 2022 survey, 98% of consumers consider reviews an essential resource when making purchase decisions, and reviews drive a 120.3% lift in conversions.
Reviews play a huge role in whether shoppers feel that they can trust your brand. Today’s consumers leverage reviews to learn about others’ experiences with a particular product, find answers to frequently asked questions, and gain insights into important factors such as typical shipping times and customer service quality.
For brands, ratings and reviews are effective tools through which to interact with consumers, evaluate their levels of satisfaction, and understand their expectations. Brands can use these insights to improve marketing efforts and drive future product developments.
Tips for Using Ratings and Reviews on Product Pages
When using ratings and reviews on product pages, you should:
- Include filters and visual content to make your reviews more valuable to consumers.
- Embrace and respond to negative reviews. Doing so empowers you to demonstrate how you resolve issues — ultimately showing shoppers that you have nothing to hide. This transparency helps add a layer of authenticity to your brand.
5. Not Telling Customers Products Are Out of Stock
Imagine going to an online store and adding an item to your cart, only to find out it’s out of stock when you reach the checkout page. It’s frustrating, right?
The consequences can be much more serious than missed sales. Poor communication when it comes to stock levels can jeopardize customer relationships and brand loyalty.
Tips for Handling Out-of-Stock Products
To avoid issues with out-of-stock products, consider the following:
- If a product is out of stock, display a “sold out” or “out of stock” icon on the product page.
- Use back-in-stock tools to add buttons that invite shoppers to join a waitlist. You can set up the tool to have back-in-stock emails automatically sent to these shoppers when the specific product is restocked.
- Suggest similar products on product pages to give shoppers other relevant options. Doing so can keep consumers on your site for longer.
Take Control of Your Product Pages To Shine on the Digital Shelf
Product pages are the lifeblood of online brands. They’re where consumers learn about products and make purchasing decisions. Review your product pages to see if you’re making the above mistakes — then implement the tips and recommendations provided to address them. The sooner you do so, the sooner you’ll have more satisfied customers.
Looking for a more comprehensive guide to creating high-converting product pages? Check out Salsify’s “Complete Product Page Toolkit,” which provides product page best practices, SEO tips, and more.
