In the early days of eCommerce, skeptics often pointed towards consumer packaged goods (CPGs) as an example of something that would never sell online.
Flash forward to 2016 and CPG makes up an increasingly large share of Amazon’s yearly sales.
Our research shows that product page content has kept pace with these changes. In many categories, we’ve found that a majority of best-selling products have eye-catching, informative content no matter the price point.
Yep, that’s right. These days, even a $3.77 toothbrush has compelling product content. Ignore your product pages and you risk getting left behind, by shoppers and search engines.
While I’m focusing this blog post on product page content, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that for impulse-buy items, you’ll need a digital advertising strategy that complements your content creation.
After all, advertising is what gives you the digital equivalent of eye-level placement at the checkout line.
But advertising alone isn’t enough. Once shoppers arrive on your product page, you need content that will compel them to press the “Buy” button.
For impulse purchase items, here are the types of product content that are necessary to succeed online:
While paid placement is important, basic content also figures high in retailer search algorithms. So if you’re selling impulse-buy items, make sure that your titles and bullets are optimized so that you can nudge your way to the top of search results. Also, make sure that your basic product description is succinct and keyword-optimized.
The biggest mistake I see brands with low price point items make is that they often rehash their package contents for their product pages. Digital product content is much more dynamic than its cardboard cousin. It should be refreshed and improved on a regular basis.
The digital space offers a lot more real estate for content than a toothbrush box, after all, and gives you more room to explore your brand’s identity and the particulars of the product. Some retailers also allow interactive features such as product comparison charts and video (which help with branding). Use these to tell your product story and cross-sell to related products.
Content should be kept up to date. We think of product page content as cyclical, not linear.
Recently, Amazon and other online retailers have made it easy for brands to update content. Regular updating keeps content consistent with current marketing initiatives and to allow brands to react quickly to market changes.
Once you have the basics down, use retailer and third-party analytics to constantly improve your content. Content is a critical, foundational piece of any eCommerce strategy, so making that content responsive is key. We use content analytics to make informed changes for our clients and use those results to guide content changes.
While creating strategic content is important for online sales, another reason to invest in content is that more consumers are researching products online before buying them offline.
Even if an online shopper doesn’t end up making the impulse buy on Amazon.com, a stellar product page gives brands an opportunity to make it onto a customer’s grocery list before they head to the store.
Better still, the trend goes both ways. Let your brand’s online content cross-pollinate with its on-shelf content, and you’ll likely see a sales spike in both areas.
Advice: Be Strategic About Content
Brands with low price point items need compelling product content to remain competitive. Brands that don’t invest in their product pages risk being left behind — by online shoppers and retailer search engines.
Trinity Hartman is Director of Content at content26, a global leader in enhanced eCommerce content development.
