How CPG brands can optimize and measure their product detail pages online

Optimizing product detail pages (PDPs) and measuring their effectiveness, aligns closely with the goals of a digital shelf analytics tool, such as improving visibility, compliance, and accuracy across e-commerce platforms.

The product detail page is a huge driver of brand success on the digital shelf. With retailers constantly evolving their eCommerce sites, read what’s key to protecting your brand equity and online sales.

Ancient pack shots pulled from old retailer libraries. Product titles are riddled with spelling errors. Incorrect allergen information. Unapproved product features and benefits.

For something as seemingly straightforward as a product detail page, things can go wrong in a surprising number of ways.

With retailers constantly evolving their eCommerce sites to improve the customer experience, CPGs have their hands full keeping content up to date. As configurations change, it’s all too easy for elements of a product detail page to go missing, stop working, or become obsolete.

This can create serious brand safety problems and lead to lost sales.

The product detail page (PDP) is a brand’s calling card online. As such, it’s a huge driver of brand success on the digital shelf: It helps shoppers identify and select the right products, it drives searchability, and – crucially – it builds consumer trust.

Although online grocery sales have increased dramatically in recent years, many consumers remain skeptical of eCommerce. Because online buying feels less tangible than brick-and-mortar retail, shoppers are highly sensitive to content quality. If they don’t see a certain amount of content (for example, product descriptions or features) or if the content is of a low quality, they may become distrustful of a product and choose not to buy it.

A well-constructed product detail page is therefore essential. Pages that provide clear, relevant, and descriptive information can help brands overcome the skepticism of online buyers, improve visibility in search results, and ultimately grow sales.

How to optimize a product detail page for the digital shelf

The most critical elements of a product detail page for the digital shelf are the product image, product title, and product description. They have a big impact on shopper choices and search rankings but are low impact in terms of time and cost to brand teams, so they make for easy wins.

Different retailers have different requirements for images, titles, and descriptions, but the general principles are as follows:

Product images matter

A product image is often the first thing that catches your eye. In an online store where customers can’t touch and feel products, high-resolution images are key. These images should allow customers to see the product from multiple angles so they can make an informed buying decision. On mobile devices where screen real estate is limited, having a mobile-optimised product image is crucial. So mobile users can see the product details clearly without sacrificing the image quality.

Product images should be of the actual product being sold. Misleading images can lead to customer complaints and bad reviews which affects your overall social proof and star ratings. It’s also good to include images of the product in use so other customers can see how it works in real life. This kind of visual content builds trust, reduces bounce rates, and leads to more sales on your ecommerce site.

Retailers should also consider having multiple versions of the same product, eg different sizes, colors or variations all on the same product detail page. This reduces the confusion of multiple listings and helps the buying process, especially for mobile-first shoppers.

Product title that converts

The product title is a vital part of any product detail page as it’s often the first thing a potential buyer will see on a web page. A good product title is clear, short, and informative, usually including the brand name, sub-brand (if applicable), product attributes, and other important details like size, format, or flavor. These help customers see the product and understand its relevance to them quickly.

When creating a product title, use keywords that are relevant to the product and also help with search engine discoverability. This will help your ecommerce site rank higher in search results and ultimately lead to more visibility and higher conversions. For example, if you’re selling organic pet food, include keywords like “organic”, “gluten-free” and “pet-specific nutrition” in the product title and you’ll attract searchers looking for those specific features.

Finally, product titles should be mobile-optimized. Since many shoppers browse and buy on their phones, make sure titles are short and informative enough for quick readability. Don’t clutter the title with too much information that will overwhelm customers or disrupt their buying decisions.

Compelling product descriptions

Once a customer lands on the product detail page the product description is key to converting interest into a sale. A good product description provides all the information customers need to know how the product will benefit them. This is the space to highlight key features, product availability, and any unique selling points of the product that set it apart from the competition.

Product descriptions should be concise and to the point, often using bullet points to highlight important information like shipping info, product data, or product benefits. Shorter sentences are easier to scan, especially on mobile devices. Adding social proof like customer reviews or star ratings will help build trust and encourage the buyer to proceed to purchase.

Also include keywords in the product description. Including search terms in the copy will increase the chances of the product page appearing in search engines and make it easier for shoppers to find. Brands should also make sure other relevant information customers might be looking for like shipping options or warranty details is mentioned in the description. This will prevent any surprises at checkout and reduce cart abandonment and overall conversions.

Rich content and social proof

Once you’ve got the basics of high-quality product images, product titles, and product descriptions sorted, brands can take their product detail pages to the next level by adding rich content like product videos, customer testimonials or cross-sell recommendations. Product videos are especially powerful on ecommerce sites as they allow site visitors to see the product in action and make a more informed buying decision.

Another important aspect of ecommerce sites is social proof which includes customer reviews and star ratings. Showcasing real experiences from other customers adds credibility to the product details and encourages more sales. Don’t ignore negative feedback either, addressing customer complaints on your product pages shows you care about the customer experience.

Finally consider offering personalized recommendations based on the customer’s browsing history or items that other customers who bought the same product also bought. This will increase the chance of a sale and also an opportunity for cross-sell or upsell tactics to boost your ecommerce product performance.

How to measure the efficacy of a product detail page on the digital shelf

The ultimate metric is, of course, sales. Product detail pages are doing their job if they help brands sell more products. As a lead metric, however, CPGs should measure whether the content of their product detail pages is exactly as it should be.

Use a digital shelf analytics tool

These tools allow you to compare the product details and content on the detail page to the brand’s internal source of truth, which is usually housed in a Product Information Management (PIM) system.

One of the most important things to measure is product images. Digital shelf analytics tools compare product images pixel by pixel to find any deviations from the brand’s intended representation. This catches even small changes to packaging or branding so you don’t get misrepresentation. This is especially important for mobile users as high-quality product images on mobile devices can make a big difference in purchase decisions.

Set compliance thresholds to trigger actions

Once the digital shelf analytics tool has compared the product detail page content to the source of truth, brands can set compliance thresholds to monitor performance. These thresholds will tell you when a detail page needs attention and can be color-coded to make it simpler.

Brands can also use this system to see how well their product pages reflect the key features and product attributes that matter most to their target audience. For example, shipping details and cross-sell opportunities may need to be adjusted to improve the customer experience.

Store product data in a Product Information Management System

A crucial part of measuring product detail pages is storing all product data in one place, usually a Product Information Management (PIM) system. Having a PIM means brands can manage large amounts of product details across all ecommerce sites. Without a PIM many brands use disorganized spreadsheets and image files which means inconsistencies across online stores. This makes it harder to measure compliance and increases the risk of bad reviews from customers due to out-of-date or incorrect product information.

Connecting a PIM to a digital shelf analytics tool means you can monitor and update product pages seamlessly. This ensures product images, product descriptions, and shipping information are always up-to-date and consistent across different retailers. The result is a better buying experience for site visitors reduced cart abandonment and increased conversion rates.

Optimize your product detail page with CIQ

Our digital shelf analytics tool can tell brands, at a glance, if their content is correct, if anything is missing from their product detail pages, and if the content is relevant.

To do this, the digital shelf analytics tool essentially compares what it finds on a product detail page with the brand’s source of truth, for example, a product information management system (PIM). In the case of product images, this means comparing the pack shot pixel by pixel to ensure even minor changes to packaging and branding are picked up.

Given the importance of product detail pages in driving success on the digital shelf, CPG brands should embrace technology solutions that make optimization and compliance monitoring as easy and painless as possible.