In the ever-changing world of digital retail, new concepts, terms, and technologies are popping up seemingly every week. In this new content series, Profitero will introduce key eCommerce terms or concepts, explain why they matter, and explain what you can do with them.
Whether you’re a seasoned eCommerce director or a new account manager representing your brand to online retailers, keeping up with the industry lexicon is a challenge.
This new series from Profitero will feature a balance of eCommerce fundamentals – perfect for those new to eCommerce – as well as emerging ideas.
In this kickoff piece, we focus on product content.
Key terms:
- Above the fold
- Below the fold
- A+ product content
- Enhanced manufacturer content
Above the fold product content
What Is It?
“Above the fold” is borrowed from a strictly analog industry: newspapers. In its original sense, “above the fold” referred to a story on the top half of the front page of a print newspaper. Important stories were often placed here, above the physical fold in the paper.
“Above the fold” stories were often so placed because of their broad-based appeal or intriguing headlines. The hope was to sell more papers and draw readers deeper into the paper, where they would see more ads.
Of course, in online retail, there is no physical “fold.” But the idea of high-value “real estate” on a page definitely translates from the physical world to the digital.
In eCommerce, “above the fold” content refers to the content a shopper sees on a product page (or, more broadly, search result or category pages) before having to scroll.
Practically speaking, this usually includes:
- The product title
- A primary product image
- Bulleted features (if available)
- Product description (though this often requires scrolling to see)
Anatomy of a Product Page
Though the specifications for “above the fold” product content vary from retailer-to-retailer, these fields are generally required for all products, and retailers do not charge additional fees for manufacturers that provide their own above the fold content.
Why Does It Matter?
Above the fold product content is fundamental to a product’s discoverability and conversion rates.
- Keywords in a product title or description can impact search ranking within retailers’ search results
- Compelling product titles and primary product images help attract shoppers from category and search result pages to product pages
Above the Fold Product Content Impacts Discoverability and Conversion Rate
How Can You Use It?
- Be sure that product titles contain key information like brand name, variant, unit or total pack size, pack type, and search keywords
- Select a primary product image that catches shoppers’ eyes an draws them to product pages
- Benchmark the characteristics of best-selling products’ product content (like product title, description, and image count) using Profitero’s Amazon FastMovers reports
- Perform content audits to validate that the product information displayed on retailers’ sites matches the approved content you’ve submitted or syndicate through 3rd parties like Kwikee, Salsify, or Gladson. Profitero automates this process, allowing you to audit product content compliance versus styleguides or approved content.
Below the fold, “A+”, and “Enhanced Manufacturer” Product Content
What Is It?
“Below the fold” content, in its most general and technical sense, refers to everything a shopper has to scroll down the page to see. This could include:
- Detailed product specifications
- Alternative or related product suggestions
- Ratings and reviews and Q&A modules
More commonly, “below the fold” content refers to special content provided by manufacturers to supplement the basic content retailers require. (At some retailers, this content is clearly denoted “From the manufacturer” indicators.)
This content can include:
- Product comparison tables
- Detailed feature/benefit “romance copy”
- Videos
Product Comparison Matrix: An Example of A+ Content
Source: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Sonicare-HX5610-30-Rechargeable/dp/B007ZN5ATQ
This “premium” content is called “Enhanced Manufacturer Content” by some retailers. Amazon calls it “A+ content.”
There are some important distinctions between this type of content and others:
- Not all retailers allow manufacturers to provide enhanced content
- Those that do often charge a premium fee, which is often (though not always) a per-product fee
- Some enhanced manufacturer content can be syndicated across multiple products – for example, by brand
Why Does It Matter?
Enhanced content carries less search weight at some retailers, and it does typically carry a fee. But it can have key benefits:
Brands get much more control over the structure and tone of enhanced content, helping them overcome some of the limitations of a retailer’s basic content architecture and allowing for equity-building tactics like lifestyle imagery or educational content.
And well-executed enhanced content can lift conversion rates
Enhanced Manufacturer Content (Walmart.com)
How Can You Use It?
Enhanced manufacturer content can be a great tool to inspire, educate, or persuade shoppers at a critical moment along their path to purchase—when they’re at the digital point of sale.
Among the strategies to consider:
- In a complex category like hair care or cosmetics, use enhanced content to help shoppers select the right products and establish a regimen
- Syndicate product videos using a service like Web Collage
- Familiarize yourself with the nuances of retailer-specific programs like Amazon’s A+ content using guides like this one from content26
What Do You Want to See?
Is there a topic, term, or concept you’d like to see defined? Let us know at insights@profitero.com.