The product page is the critical point in the Conversion Funnel (sequence of steps that transform a visitor into a customer and can be easily viewed using Google Analytics). This page influences the visitor’s decision to either add a product to the cart, or to quit the acquisition. The way the following essential elements are treated play a particularly important role in the process mentioned above:
Loading speed
This aspect has a major impact in the purchasing decision. A slow page especially influences the website’s dropout rate or bounce rate. According to gomez.com and akamai.com the delay of 1 second in page load generates a decreased by 7% in the conversion rate, therefore this aspect should not be neglected at all.
Product images and videos
Since our brain is built to process images much easier than other content, these elements represent the first detail the user notices when entering this page. Images and videos are therefore the easiest option to substitute the lack of interaction with the product that a shopper might experience in a physical store. The quality of the images/videos is particularly important, especially for products whose attributes are less known (e.g. a new brand of clothes; a product whose instructions of use is explained with photos and / or videos to clarify its attributes).
Product description
A complete description of the product can make the visitor understand the reasons for which the product fits his/her needs and also helps to understand the product attributes (eg description of the material used to manufacture clothes; description of how certain foods are produced etc). Along with product photos, descriptions have the ability to help the client imagine using the product.
Reviews, user generated content
These elements play a very important role because buyers seek social approval and evidence (“social proofs”) to receive confirmation that the product is used and there are many people happy with it. This way the value of the product is confirmed by customers, so decisions can be made based on the vote of confidence of other users.
Price and quality
The potential client should be clearly informed what is the total amount he/she will pay for a product. When it comes to products available in a variety of quantities / weights it is necessary to specify the exact amount for the quantity / grammage selected .
Delivery and costs, Return policy
Unexpected costs (located on the checkout page, after the buyer has set expectations in regard to the costs) influence the conversion rate by lowering it and driving users toward your competition, who clearly communicate ther policies in the first steps on their webiste.
Call to Action
It’s an element that must be compulsorily included in order to guide the visitor to the next step, the purchase of the product. In its absence or lack of visibility the user does not spend too much time to find the next steps and the chances of leaving the store will increase exponentially.
Contact information
Must be visible, so that the user knows he/she can contact you at any time and have the certainty that if he/she needs more information there is support from the store (both in the process of placing the order and later).
Trusted badges
Helps the user make purchasing decisions faster because they are given the certainty that the shop is one that has received confirmation from the authorities in the field. They increase the level of trust in the security of payment, if paying by card, and help users realize that the store has received a degree of testimonies over time. Among the most popular badges are: Norton, McAfee, BBB and in Romania the logo of Trusted.
Compare functionality
A user researches aprox.16 minute before making a purchasing decision and thus needs a simple way of reading the information about the desired products. Your shop can mimic this behaviour, that users have in physical stores of looking through the shelves and evaluating their options, by offering the option to compare 2-4 products at the same time.
In conclusion, respecting as many of these recommendations as possible will increase the chances of a larger number of visitors passing this point in the Conversion Funnel, therefore getting one step closer to finalizing a purchase.
Roxana Stan
