Having the real deciding information about products up front is important to me.
I think the big ones usually do. Some of the smaller companies, like the startups, I think they spend more time on branding, and that is their focus. There is a lack of actual details about what I am trying to buy. It’s a deterrent for me.
And usually I just want it in text or pictures. I’m not liable to want to watch a video, as cool as the music and scenery usually are is in those.
Nick, California
The devil is in the lack of details for Nick. And this made sense. I had just watched him painstakingly read the label of cat food he was shopping for (Made by Nacho, if you were wondering).
He wanted to know everything about the product he is shopping for.
I’m sure you’ve heard others say that people don’t read product descriptions, which is partly true...
People don’t read carefully when window shopping or comparing prices. Because they are not there with the intention of buying.
But the ones who are actually looking to make a purchase… they definitely read everything.
According to OneSpace:
98% of shoppers have been dissuaded from completing a purchase because of incomplete or incorrect content.
50% of shoppers have returned an item that they bought online because it didn’t match the product description.
Copy is supposed to persuade. If it is poorly executed, copy is an even better dissuader. And even after they order, too. People send things back if they feel like the website misled them.
The problem with product content is that it’s usually produced by someone who is too close to the product or business. They know the products backwards and forwards, but not from the customer’s side of things. So things often get included or emphasized that customers don’t understand or care about.
A shopper once told me that they didn’t feel included while viewing a product page… That is what I call dissuaded. It wasn’t a knock on the product or the features or brand. They just didn’t feel like they belonged there. There was no connection.
Customers want to know what’s in it for them. They want to be able to imagine themselves using it. They want you to sell it to them, not explain it to them.
When optimizing your product page, remember what Nick said - the real deciding information about products up front is important to me - because your real customers feel the same way.
Here is a simple way to help your optimization efforts:
Talk to you past customers and find out:
what about your products they like the most
what made them decide to choose yours.
Take that info, and make it loud and clear in your product descriptions, in bullet points, in the specs, and anywhere else they are looking.
If someone is on the fence about buying or not, they are looking for you to sell it to them. Be active in your approach, not passive. Active wins, passive loses.