What makes a perfect product page?

A great product page should inspire, inform and reassure your customers. It should act as the ultimate online salesperson.

And all good salespeople know that customers have more information at their disposal than ever.

People are beyond just listening to celebrity spokespeople and paid endorsers, or getting the official brand spin. They want to hear a story when they consider a purchase, and they want to hear it from people they trust: friends, peers and people who’ve actually bought and used the product.

That’s why a good product page needs more than just a photo and a “Buy Now” button.

The rich product content publishing platform Webcollage says enhanced content – think images, videos, interactive tours, comparison charts, 360 views and stuff like that – has been measured to increase sales anywhere from 12-36%.

But it’s not just about the ingredients, it’s about how you combine them. The platform found that nearly 60% of viewers are more likely to interact with a video online if it’s featured next to or part of a block of text.

So in honour of Reevoo’s recent partnership with Webcollage, here’s our definitive guide to creating the perfect product page.

1. User-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is the best way to tell your brand’s story: by letting your customers tell it for you. A dynamic product page should feature multiple platforms for compelling UGC testimonials and interactions.

User reviews are the most compelling “proof” you can offer shoppers. 92% of consumers browse online reviews before making a purchasing decision. Peer-to-peer testimonials are an absolute no-brainer for any product page. Put them front and centre; you’ve got nothing to hide, and customers will know it! Reviews are also good for SEO and search.

User-generated photos and videos add an extra immersive element. A compelling emotional experience has a far more powerful effect on a consumer’s decisions about a brand than any statistic you can present.

This is also a good chance to include content from influencers, who are “celebrity endorsers” in their own rights. Don’t forget though that their appeal stems from the fact they are users themselves.

Ask-an-owner features are essential as well.

Give customers a chance to ask existing product owners any questions that may not be covered in the FAQ. It makes your brand more trustworthy and transparent. Even better, it takes some of the onus off your customer service department to respond to each and every inquiry.

2. Rich product experience

A great product page should use rich multimedia content to bring product stories to life. A good mix of user-generated (by them) and professional (by you) content is the key making it convincing.

Video and detailed product photos create a three-dimensional look at your product that makes it leap off the web page and into your customers’ imaginations. Videos give customers a chance to see your product in action and allow them to envision it in their own lives.

Similarly, detailed product photos take any mystery and opacity out of the product page, helping to eliminate customer confusion, misinformation, and, ultimately, costly returns.

Detailed product instructions also create a more fully realised product page experience. It means you can tell your customers exactly what they get and how they should use it. Information is power and builds trust with potential consumers. It’s also good for SEO.

Live stock levels and delivery and return information also help transform your product from a theoretical link on a website to something that other people want. Sell-outs and returns are a fact of life, and customers want to be educated about how your brand deals with them. Done right, it can even create urgency.

Online customer support chat can demonstrate your company’s real, responsive customer support. But where possible, keep communication public.

3. Easy navigation

The perfect product page should make the online shopping experience itself simple and intuitive, and add value to other products across your brand.

Product breadcrumb trails make navigating through your brand’s products simpler, and invite your customers to more thoroughly peruse your offerings. It makes the buying process feel more like a journey, and less like a trek through the wilderness without a map.

It is similarly wise to display product variants and cross-selling options along with the product in questions. Prompts like “This product is also available in/as…” and “If you like this, you’ll also like…” are simple and effective ways to not only increase the likelihood of the customer making a purchase (by providing more and richer options) but also to increase the chance of multiple purchases.

Mobile responsiveness should go without saying in 2017, but your product page should look and perform just as well on a smartphone or tablet as it does on a computer screen. This is especially important, considering that 40% of users will go to a competitor if a brand’s website has a bad mobile experience, and that 33% of all online retail sales now occur via a mobile device. Customers expect to be able to look at something on their mobile and buy in on their tablet without having to login again.

A clear call to action is like the trigger your customers finally get to pull. Make it obvious! Make it fun! Make it a big, red button that says “Here comes the happy!” if you like. The point is, make the purchasing step obvious, apparent, and attractive.

So, the perfect product page needs to persuade the prospective customer to take the plunge, load up their shopping cart, browse more online aisles and finally turn them into repeat visitors.

And it can and should be so much more than just a “Buy Now!” button. By following these tips, you can be sure yours stand out.

Rich, educational, and dynamic? Sounds like a perfect product page to us.