You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology – not the other way around.” Steve Jobs said that! Customers expect a sophisticated, quick, and engaging experience from e-commerce platforms as well. The customers expect product pages to be information-rich with images, videos, detailed specifications, and user guides. Customers are also known to prefer having the ability to search and find products quickly based on multiple attributes like size, weight, color, and material.
A Forrester report found that nearly one in five (18%) of surveyed US online adults returned an item bought online because the description was inaccurate.
A Product Information Management (PIM) System is the key to unlocking customer satisfaction with information that is easily available, accurate, up-to-date, and consistent across all sales channels. Several companies have achieved higher purchase rates and reduced returns by implementing PIM systems. Let us understand how a PIM System helps create a great customer experience;
#1 Makes products discovery easier
39% of purchasers are influenced by a relevant search. Customers discover your brand via a search engine, social media, or marketplace listing. Relevant product information is the top reason aiding discovery in all these cases.
With search engines and marketplaces, in particular, PIM integrates with your search engine optimization (SEO) and product listing optimization (PLO) capabilities. With a PIM Tool, discovery can be made easier by:
- Optimizing product content by adding high-volume keywords and phrases into product titles, descriptions, meta descriptions, tags, “alt-text” for images, and URLs.
- Use clear, user-friendly taxonomies by tweaking your product information through computed attributes.
- Instituting a structured approach to filtering that will help rank higher
#2 Enriches available product information
Once customers have discovered and shown interest in a product, it’s important that they keep exploring and browsing the product through the product listing and product pages. Again, a good PIM system can help provide product information that is engaging and relevant, while answering frequently asked questions like;
- What colors and sizes do this product come in?
- What does it look like in a real-life situation?
- How can I use this product?
- What features does it have?
Providing the above information across devices, channels, and multiple touchpoints without a PIM system is nearly impossible.
#3 Drives purchase decisions
This is the most important stage as the customer has already discovered the product and is considering a purchase. But what turns a discovery into a purchase? It would be information like;
- Detailed product specifications
- Retailer and manufacturer information
- Product availability and shipping
- Warranty information
“Per a Salsify report, 45% of shoppers said “high-quality images and detailed product descriptions” are among the leading reasons customers trust a product online.”
A Product Information Management (PIM) System is the key to unlocking customer satisfaction with information that is easily available, accurate, up-to-date, and consistent across all sales channels. Several companies have achieved higher purchase rates and reduced returns by implementing PIM systems.
Let us understand how a PIM System helps create a great customer experience;
#4 Strengthens post-purchase experience
Retaining a customer and achieving repeat purchases is a dream come true for any business. However, this requires nurturing. A PIM system can also be very effective in building customer loyalty by providing customers with information on how to care for their newly purchased product.
Keeping customers interested by sending them relevant information is also a viable strategy. This information can be related to their previous purchase, a new variation of the same product, or unrelated best-selling products.
Iksula, as part of its product content and merchandising solution, has helped brands and retailers across the globe achieve a great product and customer experience. We have helped customers implement PIM systems, integrate them with their existing system, set up workflows, and enrich & publish their content.
