Ecommerce has given the consumer more choices than ever before. Whether shopping for a single accent lamp or furnishing an entire room, selection is virtually infinite when browsing online.
The concept of an “endless aisle” is both a blessing and a curse for brands today. While it certainly serves as an opportunity to reach a broader audience, it also creates challenges to stand out in a vast sea of product. Though there are many vehicles that can enhance a brand’s presence and bring awareness to its products, one way is through the use of enhanced content.
Here we take a deeper dive into what enhanced content is, and why it matters.
The 101 of Enhanced Content
A typical product page shows price, product features, and a suite of imagery. Generally speaking, this information lives “above the fold” (the top half of the page).
Enhanced content, available only through certain ecommerce channels that have the functionality, is located “below the fold” (when you scroll down). Enhanced content fuses imagery, video and written copy to convey a product’s form and function. It allows for detailed, close up shots, with accompanying written descriptions that explain what makes a product special.
Well-designed enhanced content both inspires and educates the consumer by quickly answering the two most important questions they’re asking themselves as they’re browsing:
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Does this product meet my needs?
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Am I willing to pay this price for it?
What’s more, is that brands usually have complete creative control over what’s depicted. This makes sense, because generally the brand is the party who knows their products best.
Enhanced Content Efficacy
Enhanced content can be a significant sales driver. Data shows that Amazon’s A+ vehicle can increase a product’s conversion rate between 3% and 10%. Wayfair’s WayMore Content vehicle can boost conversions between 8% and 12% and up the Add-to-Cart rate 15%-20%.
Enhanced content can reduce returns and improve customer reviews by helping the consumer better understand every aspect of a product before it’s purchased.
And for customers who use ecommerce for research purposes only, enhanced content will help the customer gain a better understanding of a product before heading to a brick-and-mortar store, increasing the possibility that the consumer asks for that item.
Components of Enhanced Content
Best-in-class imagery is a must. A great suite of images is a crucial component to a successful online strategy, and for enhanced content, it’s the key driver. This should include close-ups, alternate angles, and lifestyle shots to convey special features, functionality, and scale.
But even the best images can’t do all the work. Great copy that supports search engine optimization (SEO) and provides additional detail and context is also important. Although writing about each module is labor intensive – and takes a certain skill set – it’s worth the effort to get it right. Essentially, you’re creating the in-person experience, online, by describing and showing exactly why a customer should buy a product.
The good news is that scaling your content across your assortment is not impossible, because not every “module” has to be unique to each product. You can replicate modules across multiple SKUs by starting at the brand level. Think about one or two things that apply to every SKU in your line, create those, and apply them to all of your assortment. From there, think of your line in terms of category and create one or two unique modules for each one.
Creating modules on the product level is the heaviest lift but keep the 80/20 rule in mind. Focusing first on your best sellers and most feature-rich items will pay off in the long run. After all, it’s much easier to turn an A item into an A+ item than it is to turn a C item into a B item.
A Deeper Look at Content Modules
Retailers vary in both strategy and capability to support enhanced content, so it’s important to keep their individual needs and formats in mind. Some recommend 5-7 modules, some actually have a cap on the number of modules, but as a general rule, most, if not all require copy to describe the accompanying image. Here are some of the most common types of enhanced content modules:
Brand: Do you have a compelling brand story? Is country of origin – such as “made proudly in America” or “handcrafted in Italy” – an important feature? Do you have a sustainable story to tell for eco-conscious consumers?
Category: Consider the unique attributes for each category you sell. Are there certain materials used that are worth mentioning that better the quality or comfort? Even specific cleaning and care instructions could be worth describing.
Collection: Do any of your collections have common attributes that can be associated across the entire collection? For example, is there a unique feature on a side table that can also be associated to the matching credenza?
Product: At the product level, there are endless modules that can convey specific information.
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Features: Are there specific features to highlight that will help the customer get a better understanding of the product’s functionality?
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Texture: Will a close-up image help demonstrate how a product feels or its visual details?
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Size/Scale: Can you show line drawings with dimensions or place it alongside common objects to give a sense of scale?
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Construction/Materials: How does the construction of the product make the product stand out?
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Assembly/Installation: Will the consumer need to assemble an item? What is the level of difficulty?
Though developing enhanced content can feel overwhelming, by following the guide above, you’ll be able to work smarter, not harder, and undoubtedly the benefits will outweigh the time and cost that goes into it. The key is to start broad, and over time go deeper, as resources allow.
