Why read this? : We explore different ways to improve your product page content. Learn from the examples we review in different online channels. Read this to learn more about what makes for successful product page content.
Our how to get more sales online guide covers the 3 basics you need for product page content – the product name, product information and product images.
You tell customers your name so they can find you, and know they’ve got the right product.
You share product information, so you can answer any questions they have.
And you show images, because in most cases, customers want to buy products that look good.
But you usually need more than these basics to drive sales. That’s why this week we look at example pages which go beyond the basics to see what we can learn. To see what other product page content helps drive sales in different online retailers.
Let’s have a Coke … online
To help us compare product page content in different channels, we wanted a product that’d be widely available and well-known. We picked Coca-Cola because it has a reputation as an e-Commerce and digital marketing leader. It’s also an interesting brand from an e-Commerce planning point of view.
First, because it’s a low value per purchase, a relatively heavy item and widely available. That mix of factors means they focus more on selling through online retailers than direct-to-Consumer (D2C). (though you can find some wholesale options to buy Coke direct online). The delivery cost for a single can or bottle of Coke via D2C would be prohibitively high.
Then, we also know they employ dedicated e-Commerce teams who manage their presence with online retailers. They invest in the online channel. Not every brand does this.
And finally, because it’s often an impulse purchase. Impulse is a hard need to satisfy online with physical products. You need the product to be stored in many places so it’s never far from the delivery location. And you need an order to delivery system which can quickly deliver the product.
Impulse shopping online
Coca-Cola has to use a food delivery service like Uber Eats, or more local specialised delivery companies to be able to meet the impulse need.
On Uber Eats, you can only satisfy an impulse need for Coca-Cola by ordering it from restaurants. You have to order food with your Coke.
So you get your Coke from places like Pizza Hut, Subway or Hungry Jacks.
But if you want Coke without food, then you need to try somewhere else.
In Sydney, we’d use a delivery specialist service like Jimmy Brings. (See our e-Commerce competitive strategies article for more on how Jimmy Brings works).
They mainly focus on alcohol, but will also deliver mixers like Coca-Cola and others.
But their range is small. They only offer 2 Coke products. And both are bottles. No cans.
In fact you could say, they no can do Coke cans. (sorry, couldn’t resist!).
We’re sure Jimmy Brings only includes Coca-Cola as a convenience for their customers. With only 2 listings, it’s clearly not a big part of their business. In both cases, the products are only listed with the bare minimum of information. They don’t have their own product page content on any of these impulse sites. For that, we need to shop elsewhere.
Grocery shopping online
Which brings us to a more likely scenario for buying Coca-Cola online. And that’s as part of your grocery shop. This is about regular purchases, and keeping a stock in the fridge. Let’s look at the 3 main options if you want to buy Coke online, with a focus on what the product page content looks like and says.
Coca-Cola on Woolworths
Well, the first good news with Coke on the Woolworths site is you get the product name, information and imagery right up front.
In fact, there are 5 images to choose from.
The first 3 are simple pack shots of the front, side and top of the pack. Then, there’s an image of the nutrient label and a single lifestyle image of a customer holding the can. Note, here you can order cans.
But what else have they included?
Click on the link and scroll down the page. There, you’ll find ingredients, allergens, nutritional information and product warnings. Plus a big disclaimer and a selection of Also Viewed / Also Bought products.
And that’s about it.
Coca-Cola on Coles
If we look at the same pack in Coles, the first thing which jumps out is the price difference. There’s a whopping $14.60 saving as the product was on special when we visited the site.
But get over that, and what you find is a solitary image of the box with a can.
You’ll find pretty much the same product information as the Woolworths site. (This is because they most likely pull from the same product information system in the background).
And there’s a little bit of nutritional information and again another disclaimer. (It seems like retailers like disclaimers, but it’s actually because they’re scared of complaints and legal actions. They’re forced to put these disclaimers in to protect themselves).
But that’s pretty much all you get out of Coles.
Coca-Cola on Amazon
And then finally, let’s look at Coke on Amazon Australia.
Here we get 6 images, including a quality image of the nutritional label and 3 more lifestyle-looking shots. Pretty nice visually.
But what’s this?
Here we also have product ratings. We get a FREE delivery order.
There’s the same(ish) product information but also a subscription delivery option. This option even asks how often you want the delivery.
Clever stuff. All very clear calls to action for the shopper.
On that same page, you also find more product details, frequently bought and viewed items, another disclaimer (!), more images and a video, a Q and A section, more details on the reviews, plus a load of links back to our Amazon browsing history.
There’s a lot of good product page content going on here. (See also our e-Commerce content ideas article for more about Coke on Amazon, as well as ideas from other product page examples).
What e-Commerce learning do you take from this?
Obviously, we don’t have access to the sales numbers each of these pages delivers. Only the retailers and Coke have that.
But what you can take from it, is there are really 2 different approaches online retailers use. Make it as simple as possible. Or make it as interesting as possible.
Make the purchase simple
Retailers like Woolworths and Coles focus on making the purchase simple. It’s a less is more approach to your product page content. The idea is removing things which get in the way of a purchase improves the customer experience. Simplicity reduces drop-out rates. This makes sense in the case of familiar products like Coca-Cola.
However, most businesses are NOT as familiar as Coke. And this less is more approach doesn’t work so well for unfamiliar products. So, if you’re selling less well-known products, there’s only a limited opportunity to ‘sell’ your product with some online retailers. The templates Woolworths and Coles use for their product pages apply to ALL their products. Even the more obscure and unusual ones.
Their systems are set up to be easily managed and maintained by limiting the amount of information attached to each product. It focuses on operational efficiency rather than shopper experience. And while this makes it more reliable, it feels like an IT rather than a marketing-led way to think about the customer.
Make the purchase interesting
Compare that with Amazon. On their page, you can directly buy the product and ignore all the ‘fluff’ around it. But for some customers, that extra fluff encourages sales.
It attracts attention and adds to the customer experience. The extra content brings in more customers and that drives more sales.
On a page-for-page comparison with the other 2, Amazon’s conversion rates are likely higher.
Put the customer first
You can see how Amazon puts the online customer first. There are convenient options to save time (subscribe and save). Reviews of the delivery service. Read these and you feel reassured. The product will be delivered on time and in a decent state.
It just all makes sense as an online shopping experience. It shows why Amazon is one of the world’s leading online retailers. And Woolworths and Coles, hmm, not so much.
Now, we know Woolworths and Coles do well online. But they do that because of the habitual buying pattern of Aussie shoppers. Not because their online shopping experience adds extra value.
If we were looking at how to create a successful product page, Amazon would be our benchmark.
Conclusion - product page content
Phew, this article writing is thirsty work, we’re off to have a Pepsi now.
But in future weeks, we plan to go through the same process in other categories. Let us know if there are any channels or products you’d like us to cover.
Check out our e-Commerce 2020 lessons article and how to sell more online guide for more on this. Or email us if you need more help or advice on product page content.
Photo credits
Amazon on phone : Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
