{"id":14563,"date":"2021-01-13T14:59:33","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T19:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/?p=14563"},"modified":"2024-05-06T12:47:29","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T12:47:29","slug":"the-counterintuitive-path-to-brag-worthy-product-page-optimization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/the-counterintuitive-path-to-brag-worthy-product-page-optimization\/","title":{"rendered":"The Counterintuitive Path to Brag-worthy Product Page Optimization"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 12<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Every day we make choices. Some of them are so automatic we don’t even realize we are making them. It\u2019s true in life. It\u2019s true in business.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every choice you make for your eCommerce site has an impact, the key is to choose in a way that has the most positive impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In over twelve years of studying and experimenting, I have time and again come to the conclusion that optimizing your product page is the number one way to boost your conversion rates<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The product page is where we ask shoppers to part with their hard-earned money in exchange for what we offer. It\u2019s where they make their decision to buy, or not to buy.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the moment of truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shoppers enter your site looking to buy <\/span>one item<\/b>. As far as they\u2019re concerned, your entire site is one product page.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what 12+ years, 80+ websites, and over 340 product pages have taught us about how you can best take advantage of that fact.<\/span><\/p>\n

When does a shopper turn into a buyer?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As far as your shopper is concerned, your entire site is pretty much one, single product page.<\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019re looking for one thing, and one thing only. The product page is where your shopper makes their buy\/no buy decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, they might end up buying more than one item (if they do, congrats on the great work you\u2019re doing), but when they started shopping, they had a single goal in mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It shows. When a shopper lands on the product page of the item they are interested in, it\u2019s as if time stands still. They freeze, trying to contemplate their next navigation.<\/span><\/p>\n

We see it over and over when we analyze buyer behavior on eCommerce websites. A shopper finds your site and then, as soon as they land, they start scrolling frantically.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shoppers think they’re in the right place, but they\u2019re not sure. They want to be sure. They are looking for clues that tell them \u201cyou\u2019re in the right place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They’ll often navigate to your homepage if they weren\u2019t already there and stop briefly as they enter your shop. <\/span>But when they find the product page they were looking for, your shopper comes to a dead stop.<\/b><\/p>\n

This is not a one-time thing. In my years of studying buyer psychology and buyer behavior, I have learned that this is when your shopper is giving you as much attention as you\u2019re ever going to get.<\/span><\/p>\n

You have to capitalize on that attention right away.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s your story?: why telling your product story is the most effective way to grow your conversion rates<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In all of our research, all of our testings, and in all of the results, we have seen, by far the best way you can take advantage of your shopper\u2019s attention is by telling them a story.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re thinking:\u00a0 \u201cI run an eCommerce site, not a library. I sell products. Why should I care about storytelling?\u201d I get it. For the longest time, I thought the same way. I like to think of myself as a logical, analytical guy. So I started where I always do: I looked at the data.<\/span><\/p>\n

As it turns out, there are well-researched, biological reasons why storytelling is so effective:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Stories are <\/span>22 times more memorable<\/span><\/a> than facts & figures alone.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Stories <\/span>activate visual cortex<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s impossible to hear the story about the fox and the sour grapes and not see a fox trying and failing to reach the grapes. The story is instantly converted into a visual narrative, and visual narratives embed more deeply in our brains.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Our brain waves start synchronizing with the storyteller<\/span><\/a> as we\u2019re digesting a story, says Uri Hasson, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University. We experience what the storyteller is experiencing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n
    \"Future
    Image: Future of Storytelling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

    Stories are powerful. Stories are how humans make sense of the world. At Frictionless Commerce, <\/span>we love telling our clients\u2019 stories<\/span>. Here\u2019s how you can capitalize on their power.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Stories are how we humans make sense of the world<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Humans are constantly taking in information. At rates, you would not believe. A <\/span>recent study<\/span><\/a> found that the average human consumes around 34 gigabytes of media alone. Nevermind the information we take in and process while walking outside, eating a meal, or talking to a friend.<\/span><\/p>\n

    It\u2019s truly mind-boggling.<\/span><\/p>\n

    We need to be able to make sense of that information. We need to store the important parts, discard the rest, and sort it a way that we can retrieve the important information when we need it. Information like: upon seeing a lion across the sahara, turn the other way and run. Or that we should also turn and run upon seeing a 3-Card Monte hustler on a street corner.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Stories help humans do that. They also help shoppers make sense of the information they are taking in on your website. So if you can tell the right story in the right way it will be irresistible to your shoppers.<\/span><\/p>\n

    But\u2026 what\u2019s the right story? And how do you tell it in the right way?<\/span><\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s start here.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Tell the right story: the two essentials for creating irresistible product stories<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    So your shopper has landed on the product page they were looking for. Remember that, for them, that product page might as well be your entire website. It\u2019s the only thing they\u2019re focused on. They\u2019ve stopped scrolling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    You <\/span>finally<\/b> have their undivided attention, and they have questions. It is up to you and your product page to answer those questions, otherwise, that shopper might never turn into a buyer.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Think of your site as a hurdle race where the shopper has to overcome hurdles before they are ready to use their credit card.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
    \"Your
    Image: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

    The first and biggest hurdle to clear is: “who are you and why should I care?” We call this the <\/span>unfamiliarity barrier<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The single, most effective way to clear that hurdle is by telling your shopper your \u201cwhy we exist story.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The \u201cwhy we exist\u201d story<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    For your shopper to turn into a buyer they need to trust you. They need to believe what you say. They need to be convinced that, if they give you their money, <\/span>your product will do what you say it will do<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    So, you must build that trust. You must forge a bond \u2014 establish a connection. In a world filled with people clamoring for your shopper\u2019s attention, you need to break through the noise. You need to be able to reach out of their screen, grab them (metaphorically), and demand their attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Your \u201cwhy we exist\u201d story really matters. A KoMarketing survey asked the question, \u201cOnce you\u2019re on the homepage, what information do you want to see available?” 52% of people surveyed wanted to see About \/ Company Information. <\/span><\/i>(<\/span>Source<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

    You start by telling your \u201cwhy we exist\u201d story. That story answers their question: \u201cwho are you and why should I care?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    I\u2019m going to show you how you can figure out how to tell that story, but first we need to talk about the second essential element in creating an irresistible product story.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The \u201cwhy this product must exist\u201d story<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Now that your buyer has read your \u201cwhy we exist\u201d story, you are on the road to trust. You\u2019ve established a tentative connection \u2014 a bond. You might even say that they like you.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Of course, liking someone and handing over your hard-earned money are two completely different things. Your buyer has another important question. One that you must answer for them if they are ever going to complete that transaction:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cWhat makes your product the best possible solution to my problem?\u201d More simply, \u201cwhy should I buy your product?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    This is where you tell them your \u201cwhy this product <\/span>must<\/b> exist\u201d story. You need to show your shopper that once you understand the pain, your problem is removed, the problem is solved, and the need is filled; there was no choice. You simply had to create this product to fix things.<\/span><\/p>\n

    These 2 questions are the key to your product page optimization<\/a>. Get them right, and you too could experience a 20% increase in conversion rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

    How to extract your \u201cwhy we exist\u201d and \u201cwhy this product must exist\u201d stories<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    I\u2019ll let you in on a secret: every single one of my clients has a truly compelling story. Often they are unaware of it. Too shy. Too modest.<\/span><\/p>\n

    But your product page and your product story are not times for modesty. Now is the time to tease out all that hard work you have done that led you to this point. It\u2019s time to find your story.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I have found one of the best ways to overcome these perfectly natural tendencies is a role-playing exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Role-playing<\/div>\n

    Imagine that, at the end of a great week, you are taking a well-deserved night off. You are sitting at a bar and strike up a conversation with the person next to you. You hit it off and the conversation turns to business, so you tell them what it is that you do.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Turns out they\u2019ve been looking for a product like yours. They have questions:<\/span><\/p>\n