The optimized online shop:
Tips for better performance
Today’s online shops have to meet many customer needs at once: They should be clearly laid out, yet still offer a wide range of products, all product information should be quickly comprehensible, the checkout should be as uncomplicated as possible, and a beautiful design is also welcome – after all, the eye is part of the order. Sounds complicated, but it’s not. With the following 5 tips, you can optimize your online store to the next level!
posted by Annika Böhm
#1 Complete product information
Online, customers do not have the opportunity to see the product in front of them, touch it, or ask the salesperson for advice. Therefore, a product description that is as accurate as possible is all the more important. All facts about the product such as size, weight or information about materials should be listed. The more accurately the product is described, the better. Poorly implemented product information can lead to unanswered questions, so that users bail out shortly before buying or are disappointed after receiving the goods because certain aspects about the product were not listed. In that case, the product might be quickly returned.
#2 Meaningful product images
Just like the texts for the articles, the images should also be appealing, leave no questions unanswered and, in the best case, lead to the purchase decision. Show the product from different perspectives and with the most accurate detail shots possible. Especially with technical products or furniture, size information on product photos can be relevant for customers. Do not forget a high resolution of the images, because a pixelated or blurred image is more likely to deter than contribute to a purchase decision. A zoom-in function has also become standard and allows customers to take a closer look at their desired product. If this is not technically possible, large and easily viewable product images are an alternative.
#3 Responsive design
Via desktop, tablet or smartphone – customers store via a wide variety of devices. That’s why a responsive design that optimizes the online store for all channels is mandatory. Texts, images and product detail pages should be just as recognizable and clear on the smartphone as they are on the desktop, because no one wants to have to scroll back and forth on the display to see the entire content of the website.
#4 Shopping cart and checkout
Once the product is in the shopping cart, the decision to buy is actually already made. All the more annoying when the product is deleted again because the purchasing process takes too long or is too complicated. Of course, customers should be able to delete things from the shopping cart if they change their minds. But it’s at least as important that they can still change the number of products they want in the shopping cart and find a summary of the most important information, such as the dress size or the delivery time.
And the checkout process should also be as simple and pleasant as possible for the customer. A quick overview of the products, good forwarding to the various payment methods and, of course, a purchase confirmation by e-mail. Customers can then be sure that their order has actually been received and that they can look forward to receiving their product.
#5 Rich content for higher conversions
Factual product information as described in the first tip is essential. But is it possible to do justice to features of, for example, technical products that require special explanation? Or can you convey a brand message in an emotional way? This is where rich content comes in: additional text, images, or even video material that is embedded on the product detail page. This gives customers a better idea of the product and its features.
In our experience, products with rich content are more frequently saved on the wish list and added to the shopping cart due to the high-quality article and brand presentation. Another advantage is the higher SEO visibility: Through uniqueness of rich content, positive SEO effects can be achieved, which enhance the online store, for example, in the Google ranking.
Compared to your own online store, which can be customized, rich content is a sensible measure for increasing your own visibility, especially on marketplaces, and your performance. After all, product data and images to be delivered are standardized, and the competition is high. Therefore, a competitive advantage can be generated through extended content as a kind of product advice.
Rich Content auf otto.de
Rich Content is a service that we offer our partners exclusively on otto.de. This new beta service expands your own item description and adds high-quality images and text to the product detail page. Rich Content is displayed below the standard article description and is thus an in-depth addition to the product. Products with rich content can achieve up to 5 percent higher conversion rates.
To learn more about rich content and your partnership with OTTO, click here.
