Product information is a brand's 'digital front door'

Online shoppers are increasingly likely to start their product research on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay (44%) rather than search, according to a new report which highlights the importance of good product information when consumers find what they are looking for. 

Why it matters

Findability and availability are crucial factors in online retail, but are not enough by themselves: almost half of shoppers (45%) feel frustrated when faced with bad product information. Brands need to be consistent across all channels and platforms.

Key findings 

• Most shoppers (82%) look at multiple locations for information on products.
• More than two-thirds (69%) have decided against buying products generally due to poor descriptions.
• Written description is seen as the most important detail (39%), ahead of images (24%), customer reviews and ratings (19%), and video (12%).
• More than half (58%) said they would immediately switch to a competitive product if the original product is out of stock.

Inriver’s Inside the mind of an online shopper is based on a survey of 6,000 consumers across the US, UK and Germany. Inriver sells a product information management system. 

Sourced from inriver