Zoovu, a provider of AI-powered product discovery platform has published the Ultimate Guide to Product Detail Pages (PDPs). The report examines how some of the biggest B2C eCommerce brands sell their goods online. The research is based on in-depth analysis of more than 2,000 data points across 125 product detail pages. In the report, Zoovu analysed product pages from US and Canadian eCommerce brands in fashion and apparel, consumer electronics, health and beauty, furniture and home appliances, and tools and recreation.
Three key findings from the Zoovu report
Overstuffed PDPs create friction between buyers and sellers: The average PDP contains more than 59 pieces of information about the product. This included specifications, images, related products, product variations, and more. Brands are combating this trend by steering away from overly technical language and toward more benefit-driven or needs-focused content. In addition to elements that guide customers in their product evaluation.
Shoppers increasingly rely on what others think of the product and the brand selling it. Over 90% of the product pages analysed featured customer reviews. 56.8 included at least two types of social proof such as customer photos, ‘best’ tags, and certification badges. Across the 125 product pages assessed in the report, there were 13 different types of social proof.
Customers want personalisation, but brands are finding it difficult to meet expectations. While more than 70% of people not only want, but expect personalised experiences when shopping online. 16% of the product pages analysed offered personalised experiences. The report exposes a huge gap in the last mile of the shopping journey that could turn into a massive opportunity for brands that figure out how to personalise PDPs at scale.
“It’s no secret consumers, with instant access to unlimited information, are feeling increasingly overwhelmed, lost, and frustrated when shopping online. This is why optimising product pages, the last mile of the buying process, is more important than ever,” said Ken Yanhs, CMO at Zoovu. “Driving personalisation with generative AI is the biggest opportunity for eCommerce brands. To give customers the guidance they are seeking at the scale they need to drive real, sustainable growth,” Yanhs added.
Enterprise Times: What this means for businesses
This is an interesting report which suggests consumers must sift through a lot of information when shopping online. This is the main finding from an analysis of over 6,800 descriptions, images, videos, and more on leading eCommerce product pages. The average PDP has over 59 pieces of information about the product, including product specifications, images, videos and related products, product variations, and more.
The report suggests brands are engaged in an information arms race on PDPs in hopes that more is better. But this approach is likely to backfire. Shoppers are undoubtedly looking at more than one product when they shop online. While more information might seem like a good thing when convincing consumers to choose your product over another, data overload often leads to choice paralysis.
Shoppers don’t trust brands. They trust other shoppers—and eCommerce companies know that. More than 90% of PDPs have customer reviews, and over half have two or more types of social proof. As a result, brands are fighting hard against the rising wave of returns by experimenting with tactics to get shoppers to buy more. Product recommendations, on-page promos and bundling recommendations are some of the techniques used to generate additional revenue. A whopping 95.3% of PDPs had at least one of these elements.
