How You Can Use the Product Detail Page as a Conversion Lever

This content awaits you in this blog article:

Why the product detail page is so important

The product detail page in the customer journey
Many paths lead to the product detail page
Every shop visitor behaves differently

Basics that should be fulfilled on every product detail page
Presentation of the product
Attribution
Call-to-action button
Unique selling points
Convincing elements
Payment methods
Trust elements

Optimal layout and arrangement of the elements

Conversion-enhancing additional elements

Create further incentives through a recommendation engine
Strategies for setting buying impulses
Presentation options

Conclusion: Use the product detail page as an effective conversion lever

Why the product detail page is so important

The product detail page is the central page for providing customers in the online shop with all the important information about a product and positively influencing the purchase decision. Once a customer is on the product detail page, he or she is only a few clicks away from completing the purchase. In addition, customers usually spend the longest time on the product detail page. It is therefore important to offer customers a transparent buying experience at this touchpoint. It is particularly important to note that products cannot be touched or felt online. The product detail page can create substitute functions at this point, which you should definitely use as a shop operator.

The product detail page in the customer journey

In order to be able to use the product detail page as a conversion lever, there is no way around first thinking about the potential customer and his intentions. How did he get to the product detail page? What information has he already received about the product and what does he still needs to complete the purchase? A look at the digital customer journey is very helpful here.

Many paths lead to the product detail page

There are many different ways a customer can enter a product detail page. Customers can enter via the product detail page, e.g. by going directly to a product detail page via Google Ads or similar. However, it is also possible that they are already in the shop and navigate from there to a product detail page via search, categories, product recommendations, etc. What all paths have in common: There is an interest in the product clicked on. Otherwise, the online shopper would not take a closer look at exactly that product.

Every shop visitor behaves differently

The user behaviour of the customer can also be very different. For example, it could be an indecisive customer who is browsing the online shop. He comes across a product that he likes at first sight, so that he now wants to get more information about it. On the other hand, there are also customers who know exactly what product they want and compare online shops to decide who to order from.

On the product detail page, the user is not far away from completing the purchase. Ideally, the intention of the page visit is always to complete the purchase, which can only be achieved directly by a short checkout process takes place. Therefore, it is important on the product detail page to provide the user with all relevant information that convinces him to buy the product. For the undecided, these are first and foremost arguments in favour of the product. For the expert, it is also important information and advantages for ordering in the specific online shop. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that the selected information is placed in the right places on the product detail page.

Basics that should be fulfilled on every product detail page

Even though every customer is different and has different intentions, there are some basic elements that every good product detail page should contain because your customers expect them. Due to the large number of online shops, a rough structure of product detail pages has proven itself in the meantime, which users are also used to. Therefore, you should not reinvent the wheel, but use the tried and tested methods sensibly. You should not do without the following basic elements on your product detail page:

Presentation of the product

The big disadvantage of online shopping compared to stationary shopping is the lack of haptics of the product. Therefore, a presentation through high-quality product photos from several perspectives is important. A neutral background and attention to exposure, especially with shiny products, for example, also play an important role. The pictures shown should give the customer as good an impression as possible of the colour or material of the product in order to make the decision easier. Ideally, there should also be a video, zoom functions or a 360° view.

Example: In the fashion sector, a light dress with flowing fabric is difficult to represent with a rigid product photo. Model pictures or videos in which the model moves and shows the “product in use”, on the other hand, can give a very good impression of how the fabric falls or how the dress looks when put on.

In addition to the photos, you should also summarise all the important information, such as the material, the price and the functions with bullet points. Here you should again put yourself in the user’s shoes: What information and arguments are important for the user to dispel possible concerns or doubts about the product? In addition, the text should be easily accessible and easy to understand. Icons or graphical representations can also help to illustrate complex text information. You should also consider technical jargon and explain terms appropriately for the target group.

Attribution

The attribution of the products is also very important. They not only help the shop operator, but also the customer. They receive better filters, highlight texts and other information. Clean data is also essential when it comes to the topic of the personalisation, e.g. in the form of recommendations.

Call-to-action button

The button that places the product in the shopping basket should also communicate this clearly. This means that it announces in text what will be done by clicking the button. It should also stand out from the other buttons in terms of colour. Tip: It is best to choose a complementary colour.

Unique selling points

In order to stand out from other retailers, unique selling propositions play an important role. In addition to the user experience and an appealing user interface, you should above all create a recognition value. This can start, for example, with the font, include the visual language and extend to the colour scheme. Important: Your shop customers should be able to recognise a common thread so that your shop stays in their minds. Services, offers or awards can also highlight the special features of your shop and its offer and generate trust among your customers. This gives customers the feeling that they are in good hands with you. At the same time, you create a certain expectation (e.g. delivery time of 1-2 working days) among your customers. By fulfilling these expectations, your customers will not be disappointed in the end.

Convincing elements

In addition to the unique selling points, there are other elements that convince your customers to buy a certain product from you. Convincing elements are especially important for visitors who make comparisons with other online shops. This includes information on shipping costs, including return shipping, shipping time and availability of goods.

Payment methods

To avoid disappointing the user later on, you should display the possible payment methods. Either you can place them on the product detail page near the shopping cart button or already from the homepage an in the header or footer. This way, the customer knows whether their preferred method is offered. With a large selection of popular payment methods, the possibility increases that there is something for everyone.

Trust elements

As already mentioned, your online shop must give the user a feeling of security. They want to be able to rely on the fact that the goods they want will arrive at home in perfect condition, that they can return them without any problems and that they will always have a contact person in case of questions or problems during the ordering process. A convincing aspect here are ratings by other customers. These can be incorporated through comments and rating systems on the product detail page. Trust elements are quickly visible to the customer with well-known seals, logos (e.g. of the respective payment methods) or stars for the rating.

How do you design your product detail page? Are there elements that go beyond the ones we mentioned that you place on your product detail page? Tell us all about it!

Optimal layout and arrangement of the elements

There is no mandatory template for an optimal layout of the product detail page. Depending on the branding and type of shop, a different arrangement of the basic elements may make sense. However, it is helpful to consider the habits of the users for the page layout. Furthermore, you should pay attention to the reading flow and prepare information in a structured way so that it can be found clearly. It is also important to use clear call-to-actions and to focus on the trust creators.

It is also advantageous for the addressed elements to be placed above the line of sight. Above all, the mobile view must not be forgotten, so that the customer receives all important information at a glance, even on a smartphone.

If you are not sure whether one or the other position works better, there is always the possibility to simply try it out. With the help of tests, for example, it is easy to find out whether a certain arrangement or similar has proved successful.

Conversion-enhancing additional elements

If the basics are right, you can go one step further and increase the conversion rate with the help of certain additional elements. You can set the following highlights, for example:

• Additional content: Content is a helpful tool to support the purchase decision. It can confirm the customer and create security. Another advantage: Good content also has a positive effect on the SEO ranking of your shop.
• Virtual elements: Virtual elements such as the possibility to try on products digitally or to position furniture virtually in real size in the living room increase attention, generate trust and offer interaction.
• Codes, discounts, goodies: Every customer is happy to save money when shopping. Especially with the same products, discounts or similar can be decisive when it comes to which shop a customer buys from.

Create further incentives through a recommendation engine

If you want to stand out from the competition, there are other levers you can pull on the product detail page.

Strategies for setting buying impulses

With relevant recommendations on the product detail page, different alternatives or additional items can be displayed to the customer. You can use different recommendation strategies, personalise the recommendations to different degrees and choose different display options.

Alternative products

One possible recommendation strategy is to offer alternatives on the product detail page. As described at the beginning, the goal is to lead the customer to the order process next on the product detail page. However, it can also be the case that the customer does not like the product displayed. In this case, suitable alternative suggestions can lead the customer directly to the next product. In this way, the customer is spared a further search and at the same time does not leave the online shop in search of alternatives.

The alternatives should be chosen sensibly so that they represent an improvement for the individual user. Again, one should act from the customer’s point of view and suggest the products that are relevant to him. In this way, a good recommendation engine can recognise through previous click and purchase behaviour which product features are preferred by the customer and make relevant recommendations based on this.

Note: In a first step, it is important to offer “correct” alternatives and, for example, to recommend other blouses to a blouse that has been viewed. Based on this, it is possible to work with segments. If it is known that a customer group particularly likes products of a certain brand, you can recommend other blouses of the preferred brand to these shop customers on the product detail page of the clicked blouse. By taking into account the individual preferences of each customer and the favourite colour, the right size, etc. for the product recommendations, you achieve 1:1 personalisation.

Complementary articles

In addition to alternative suggestions, complementary or additional articles (cross-selling) can also be offered that fit the selected product and which the customer might not have discovered in the product range. This could be, for example, a luggage scale when buying a suitcase. In this way, useful additional products are recommended to the customer and the shopping basket value increases for the shop operator.

The decisive factor here is the relevance of the product recommendations. You can ensure the relevance by taking personal preferences into account, ensuring the availability of the products, only offering products of the right size and presenting articles with matching content (e.g. a matching style for an outfit, compatible accessories for technical articles).

It is also possible to offer customers a so-called like/dislike function on the product detail page. Shop customers can (dis)like recommended products. This information can then be used further down the line to recommend the liked products in the shopping basket or shopping basket layer.

Product sets

By offering entire product sets, customers can, for example, put together a complete outfit with just a few clicks. This outfit can be shopped directly or saved for later. This saves time for your customers and also fills your shopping cart. Product sets are also useful in other areas, outside of fashion. In the area of photography, for example, a shop operator can offer compatible camera equipment – consisting of a camera, lens, memory card, camera bag or similar. Here, too, of central importance: the customers’ preferences must be reflected in the recommendations and the compatibility of the products must be guaranteed.

Bundles

Bundles in the form of “often bought together” are about recognising and offering thematically matching products in the range. For example, an online bookseller can directly offer the second volume of a book series or the film accompanying the book as a Blu-Ray.

Do you make relevant recommendations to your customers on the product detail page to offer them alternatives or additional items? What experience have you had with this? Feel free to share them with us!

Shopping cart layer

By clicking on the “shopping cart button” you can inspire your customers even further by displaying a shopping cart layer with cross-selling items. Here you can offer shop customers the option of adding additional products directly to the shopping basket or viewing further items and thus directing them to another product detail page. You can find out how Ankerkraut has increased the average shopping basket value by up to 6% through the use of a shopping basket layer in the Case Study.

You can find out more about personalised product recommendations and where in the online shop they can be used in a meaningful way in the blog article Inspiration leicht gemacht: So setzt du Produktempfehlungen im E-Commerce sinnvoll ein.

Presentation options

There are various options for displaying product recommendations on the product detail page. A slider that dynamically displays products can help shop customers to discover more items. Recommendations can also be displayed “rigidly” in the form of a grid and displayed in blocks. With the help of a panel, recommendations can also be displayed on the side.

Conclusion: Use the product detail page as an effective conversion lever

The product detail page is of great importance and elementary to support the purchase decision. First of all, you should “fulfil your duty” and master all the basics. If you want to use your product detail page as a conversion lever, there are also other measures that you can use. Additional elements that match your industry, such as content or videos, and the use of personalisation can turn your product detail page into a conversion lever. For this, you should know your customers and their needs in order to specifically address them and optimise your product detail page accordingly. If the customer is not convinced by the product, you have the possibility, for example, to suggest suitable alternatives with relevant recommendations via a Reco Engine and to fill the shopping cart with useful additional items. The important thing here is to choose a sensible strategy and a suitable form of presentation. If your product detail page is optimally designed, it will definitely work as a conversion lever in e-commerce.

We wish you every success in optimising your product detail page! 🙂

More information about the Recommendation Engine>>

Do you have any questions or suggestions about this article? Feel free to use the comment function!