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The vast majority (94 percent) of would-be buyers would abandon an e-commerce site if product content is deficient and they are unable to find the information they need, according to a recent survey by Salsify.
The study of more than 1,000 online shoppers also revealed Millennials are 60 percent more likely than other adult age groups to click over to a product based on a friend’s social post, and are 72 percent more likely to purchase based on photos of others who have used it.
Tellingly, Millennials also are 50 percent more likely to rank ratings and reviews as the most important factor when deciding which site to buy from.
A whopping 88 percent demand accurate, rich, and complete product content to buy something on a particular ecommerce site.
“Because product information is so important to shoppers’ buying decisions, retailers are putting increasing pressure on brand manufacturers to deliver accurate, detailed product content,” Josh Mendelsohn, director of Product Marketing at Salsify, told eWEEK. “The only way to deliver on those demands is to have a single source of truth that the entire go-to-market organization can rely on. Product, sales, marketing, legal, ecommerce—creating, approving and syndicating product content is a cross-functional process that requires a single source of truth.”
Mendelsohn noted that having a process for creating high-quality images of products continues to be a challenge because many manufacturers are not thinking digital-first.
“We’ve talked to many customers who even have to resort to opening boxes and just snapping pictures in their warehouses to get clean images of a product from every angle,” he said. “The most innovative customers are switching to an all-CGI, pixel-perfect approach to imagery, meaning the images can be ready across platforms even before the products are manufactured, speeding time to market by several weeks.”
Findings highlighted the significant opportunity for retailers to up their online game: Surprisingly, price ranked third with regards to impact on a consumer’s decision to make a purchase, after detailed product descriptions (first) and ratings and reviews (second).
“There are a number of brands and retailers looking to create more immersive and personalized experiences for the shopper,” Mendelsohn said. “They are experimenting with virtual reality and using machine learning and artificial intelligence to understand where shoppers are on the buyer’s journey, and respond with the right information at the right time.”
However, he noted these experiences have to be delivered how and when the consumer wants them, whether it’s mobile, desktop or in-store.
“The consumer is now in charge, and any experience that forgets that is doomed to fail,” Mendelsohn said.