Buying furniture online is a very high involvement process for customers.
Sellers who provide useful information, in an easy to find and consume format, that enables quick buy-decisions, will be more successful in gaining shopper trust leading to conversions.
Click on the following headings to know more about each of them in detail.
Does your product details page have all of these types of images for your products ?
Hero Image
This image (either in the product search list page or in the product details page) makes the first impression on shoppers and it is often their first point of decision making in terms of relevance.
Product Videos
“Text is for bots, videos are for humans”
Short and precise videos that demonstrate the features and benefits of the product enable better decision making for shoppers.
Perspective Images
These images show the products in different views – eg. top , left side, right side etc. for the shopper to get a holistic view of the product. In many ecommerce sites, the perspective image views are replaced by a 360 degree rotational view.
Variant Images
These show the products in their different variants e.g. different shades of wood types and/or patterns for wardrobes, different colors of seating in chairs, different sizes for the same pattern of tables.
Use-Case Images
The use-case images show the product in different usage settings, e.g. showing a task chair in different types of workstation settings or showing a sofa in different type of living room layouts. Most use-case images also show a human interaction with the product for a better connect with the shopper.
Attributes Images
Customers do NOT have time to read through extensive product documentation to identify the product features and benefits. In many cases, important attributes are lost in the sea of content of superfluous adjectives and verbiage.
Attribute images, cut through the content clutter and accelerate the shopper’s ability to absorb the products’ key features and benefits thereby enabling faster decision making.
Searching for the right products on an ecommerce store is one of the biggest hassles for shoppers who increasingly demand faster and accurate search results.
#1: List products under the right category and sub-categories. This enables better search results and therefore contributes to positive shopper experience.
#2: Publish breadcrumbs or links to the (sub)categories on individual product detail pages. This makes it easier for the shopper to find more products in the same category or sub-category.
A good title could comprise a suitable combination of the following elements:
- Unique Product Name
- Sub-Category Name
- 1 or 2 top product attributes (could be material, color, design feature etc.)
- 1 or 2 top benefits (comfort, lumbar support, stress free long use, etc.)
Reviews
One of the reasons why Amazon and Walmart draw traffic is reviews. Shoppers can read feedback from other customers, ask questions, get answers and more, which builds trust on the platform.
Many e-stores do not publish reviews on their product pages. Actively seek out reviews from your customers at different stages of their post purchase journey. Ask for specific reviews and testimonials e.g.
Immediately after product delivery:
- If the product was delivered to their satisfaction
- If the product packaging met/exceeded expectations
- If the first impressions of the product met/exceeded expectations
- If the product met/exceeded expectations in terms of regular use
- Feedback on the quality of support on any issues raised during this period
- If they would recommend your product/brand to their social network (Net Promoter Score)
- Encourage customers to upload photos and videos of their products and their reviews/feedback.
Specifications
- Unique Identifier: A unique identifier for later reference and verification for the shopper at different stages of the shopping journey. Unique identifiers are also helpful while connecting with customer support on product related issues.
- Dimensions (in metrics appropriate for the target market)
- Specifications related to product use and functionality : Mention the top specs which influence decision making and the other specifications can be compressed in an accordion or hyperlinked to a different section in the page.
Features / Attributes
Related to quality and durability
- Materials used for primary furniture and accessories (e.g. Mahogany Wood, Rose Wood, Stainless Steel etc.)
- Type of fittings and joints
- Design features
Related to primary purpose
- Design features (e.g. lumbar design of back rest for office chairs for extended use.)
- Dimensions (in metrics appropriate for the target market)
Related to ease of use, comfort and movement
- Weight
- Castors with locks
- Adjustable shelves sizes in a wardrobe (design)
- Adjustable arm rests and neck rests
Related to ease of installation and assembly
- Collapsible / removable components
- Designed for assembly in-situ
- Flexible locking mechanisms
Related to standards, regulations and certifications
- conforms to certain standards such as ANSI/BIFMA and/or
- complies with any regulations such as responsible sourcing and/or
- certified by any reputable third party agencies
Product Benefits
Communicate benefits (if possible through a “product demo” video with a human element) and substantiate the benefit claim by linking it to a specific feature or attribute of the product.
Guides
Publish product guides (e.g. a guide that talks about the characteristics of engineered wood and the process of making them or guides to basics of BIFMA testing etc.) that empowers shoppers to make a buy decision confidently from your store. Shoppers tend to gravitate towards brands that shares knowledge with them.
Pricing:
Shoppers seek net value and evaluate total cost of ownership when buying furniture. Transparency in pricing helps them identify the net value and therefore enables the store to secure shopper trust. Our article on transparent pricing below, gives you more details on this.
https://prontocommerce.com/transparent-pricing/
Offers:
Providing flexibility to your shoppers with different innovative marketing offers and buying options could accelerate conversions. Cross-selling and bundling help you deliver more value to your shoppers while increasing the ticket size.
Buying options:
- select online, buy from store
- payment mode options (net banking, reward/loyalty points, credit card, gift cards etc.)
- pay in installments
- pay on delivery
Shipping parameters that affect shopper experience:
- Accurate shipping fee calculation without any hidden fees or charges
- Reliable shipping delivery date
- Fast delivery (depending on product type)
- Special packaging and handling for white glove deliveries
Brand Communication
Ecommerce shoppers do NOT spend time reading copious text. Poor content, unfriendly layout and unimpressive visual e-merchandizing are recipes for shopping disasters even when the product is of good quality. Shoppers are very likely to skip over such products leading to diminished brand recognition and recall.
Brand communication in an ecommerce setting is challenging. If you are successful in communicating brand relevance, personality and values before they come to your e-store, the potential for shopper conversion increases manifold. If you have both e-stores and brick-n-mortar stores, ensuring consistency in communication across channels is very important.
Negative shopper experience in one channel can adversely affect your brand in other channels as well.
In third party e-stores or e-marketplaces, you have limited space for custom HTMLs in each product page, most often in the bottom sections of the page to communicate your brand story. In your own e-store, your ability to impress your shopper with your brand story and relevance within a few minutes of visiting your store, is critical.
Your e-store’s ability to build lasting relationships with customers is squarely dependent on their post purchase experience.
Some of the things that you should proactively communicate to customers on a product details page related to post purchase
- Returns and Refunds Policy
- How to contact you for maintenance and repairs
- Installation support
- Warranties information
- AMC information
