Why is product discovery so important in eCommerce?

Product discovery is a fairly self-explanatory process. It’s what takes place when you visit an online store and find a product you wish to buy. Simple. So why the hype?

Many eCommerce businesses think having a vast range of products is all you need to ensure consumers visit your online store, but there’s more to it than that.

What are product attributes?

Think of the eCommerce behemoth that is Amazon. No longer just a bookseller, it has become the go-to destination for anything from fresh foods to fashion to electronics. It has an enormous offering that could become a little overwhelming, especially if you didn’t know exactly what it is you were looking for.

Too much choice can make people miserable. According to Psychology Today, there is a lot of research to suggest that if we’re given too many options, we end up less satisfied with our final choice.

Online stores need to get out of this paradox of being able to offer a variety while not overwhelming your customers. This is where faceted search comes in. Most eCommerce websites will apply categorisation and a simple selection of product attributes to help customers with their search – but is that enough?

Product attributes help customers narrow down their results. Size and colour are great starting points, but there really is more you can do. More product information and a more precise search will enable your customers’ needs to be met. A satisfied customer is a returning one.

Below is a brief overview of some attributes you could assign to your products:

• Weight
• Content
• Material
• Ingredients
• Price
• Packaging
• Safety
• Verification (waterproof etc.)

How to maximise sales through product discovery

With product discovery, it’s important to not assume that consumers know exactly what it is they want. Instead, you need to show them what they want. There are plenty of opportunities across your website to enhance the product discovery process and provide your customers with a great user experience.

Optimise Landing Pages
Product discovery doesn’t just start and end with on-site search. Make sure your product category pages are up to scratch and visible to search engines. Calling in SEO experts can ensure that your pages will rank for those category keywords.

Personalised Product Recommendations
Encourage your customers to purchase items they have ‘recently viewed’ or ‘currently trending’. Use their browsing history to show them products you think they will like. This is your chance to upsell.

Predictive Search
One of the things Amazon does particularly well, just like Google, is when you start typing what you are looking for, it will provide you with related suggestions and popular searches. Adding an autocomplete to your search bar can boost sales by up to 24%. It’s a no-brainer.

Social Commerce
Social Media has become your new product pages. The likes of Instagram and Pinterest are essentially catalogues of your inventory. So use them. Shoppable tags allow your followers to make purchases directly from your social accounts. Instead of redirecting users all over the place, making their purchase journey overly complex and off-putting, Social Commerce is a breath of fresh air. Purchasing is made easier and therefore users are more likely to convert.

Why is it so important?

If it hasn’t become obvious already, product discovery enhances user experience in order to boost your sales. As an eCommerce business, the last thing you want is for visitors to your website to scroll through your products, become frustrated and overwhelmed then leave and go elsewhere. They won’t be coming back. They’ll find a competitor who has enabled a simpler, more refined product discovery process. A business that understands their customers and guides them to make considered purchases.

It’s time to make a change and really put your products out there. Get in touch today by emailing success@5874commerce.com or give us a call on 0121 369 5874 to speak to one of our eCommerce experts.