2.14 billion people shopped online in 2021. That’s 27.6% of the global population who came across a product listing, liked what they saw, and hit “buy”.

Product listings are one of the few areas in your eCommerce funnel that all potential customers will see before spending and play a massive role in influencing what consumers purchase.

In this post, we’ll cover why investing in product listings is always time and money well spent. We’ll also explore what goes into a fantastic product listing and some tips to help you craft winning listings of your own.

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Why investing in product listings pays off

With 63% of shopping journeys beginning online, most consumers encounter product listings early in the customer journey. As a result, product listings carry a lot of weight in the buying process, making upgrading product listings enticing. Let’s examine some reasons why you can’t go wrong with making improvements to your product listings:

Show products in the best light

In a world where website visitors decide whether they’re staying or going within 0.05 seconds, first impressions count. A well-crafted listing allows your products to stand out in the sea of competing offers, especially on marketplaces like Amazon, which has 12 million products vying for shoppers’ attention. Put another way; your product listing quality is so critical it can be the difference between whether a shopper takes a chance on your brand or opts for a competitor.

Accelerate sales around the clock

Sometimes the product listing is the first encounter shoppers have with your items, so a rockstar product listing is essential to highlight the pros of buying the item to get more clicks and sales. Product listings act like your 24-7 sales team, pitching your wares, convincing shoppers, and closing deals.

Improve consumer confidence

Unlike shopping in-store, customers can’t experience your products physically. They rely on your images, videos, and descriptions to aid their purchase decisions to make educated guesses on what using your product will be like. But no one likes to be wrong when buying goods, and taking a chance on a brand can be scary (especially for high-priced items) so there can be friction in the online buying journey.

A great product listing addresses this problem by incorporating different elements to put shoppers’ minds at ease by giving shoppers a relevant, well-optimized spot to land on. You can also reduce ad bounce rate, improve time on page, and lower buyer’s remorse. In turn, you can look forward to increased sales velocity, reduced customer returns, and improved store ROI.

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8 Building blocks of a high-quality product listing

Now that we know the value of a killer product listing, the next question is what goes into one? To get up to speed, let’s breakdown the makeup of a top-performing product listing:

1) High-quality images and videos

First up on the list are high-quality images and videos. With shoppers’ lives busier than ever, crisp images and videos are essential to grab their attention and help them get the information quickly. When done correctly, your efforts are bound to pay off. Not only can videos increase conversion rates by up to 80%, but shoppers that watch a video are also 144% more likely to add an item to their cart than consumers that don’t. Also, 50% of shoppers say photos helped them make online buying decisions.

2) Benefit-driven product descriptions

A great product listing answers the question on every shopper’s mind, “what’s in it for me?”. They should highlight your products’ USP and what gives your items a competitive edge to help shoppers understand why your product is the best choice. For example, shoe brand TOMS lets its site visitors know they make their items from sustainable materials, and a portion of the profits goes to charity.

3) User-generated content (UGC)

Candid reviews, honest testimonials, and creative snaps from customers show off the results your products have given your customers. They also provide prospects with ideas on how to use your goods, breed trust, and humanize your brand. Encourage and incentivize your customers to share their experience with your brand and products for easy access to UGC at scale.

4) SEO

SEO is the backbone of every listing that succeeds long-term. Use relevant keywords and optimized placements to attract customers to your products organically. This strategy lowers your required ad spend over time and boosts your ROI. SEO works whether you have listings on a marketplace like Amazon or your website.

5) Great products

Never underestimate the power of a phenomenal product on a listing’s selling potential. Winning products add a spark to listings like no ad or social media post can. To increase your odds of closing sales, your products should:

• Be made using quality materials
• Have a differentiating characteristic to separate it from competing items
• Provide high perceived value

6) A compelling offer

In eCommerce, you’re only as good as your last offer. You should constantly be trialing new ways to give shoppers value for their money and enjoyment in the buying process. So, whether you ask shoppers what they want to see in your store, rejig past successful offers, or test different bundles, make your shopping experience exciting by keeping shoppers guessing about what’s next.

7) Trust boosting assets

A high-quality listing screams “you can count on us.” Using a mix of money-back guarantees, details on freebies, logos for reputable payment options (PayPal, Visa, Stripe), and information on any support services the customer will receive from your business will help to instill trust.

8) Recommendations for similar items

Make your listings more valuable to busy shoppers and boost average order value by adding suggestions for similar or complementary items. You can also highlight new and upcoming offers to gain more interest. Test different placements on the listing to find your optimal spot.

How to craft a show-stopping product listing

If you’re stuck on how to optimize your product listings for better results, don’t fret. Use the following tips to get started, put your work out into the market, reiterate, and before long; you’ll have a listing you can be proud of:

Conduct market research to find winning product listing elements

A great product listing starts with research. Investigate what’s on offer in your space and brainstorm creative spins on them to make your mark. Also, look for what images, messaging, colors, navigation, and layouts resonate with your target online audience. Don’t be afraid to search outside your niche at brands your target shopper frequents for ideas you can spin. This approach will help you build a strong foundation for a high-converting listing.

Implement conversion rate optimization techniques

Split test different page elements from the add-to-cart button color to the text placement to find the best fit for your brand. Also, use heatmaps to understand how shoppers navigate in your store and adjust based on your finding to upgrade listing conversions. You’ll improve user experience and improve conversions by finding optimal combinations. Some tools you can use are:

• SEO: Moz and OptinMonster
• Heatmaps: Hotjar and CrazyEgg
• CRO: AB Tasty and Google Optimize 360
• Keyword Research (marketplaces): Helium 10 and Jungle Scout

Upgrade your product description copy and imagery:

Want to have shoppers rushing to buy your items? Then it’s time to revamp your listing copy and visuals. Here are some areas to focus on:

• Craft a compelling title: Explain your product and how it works succinctly. Don’t forget to include 1-2 keywords towards the beginning of the title. For example, if you sell a utensil sharpener set, your listing title could look something like this:

3PCS Utensil Sharpener Set, Knife Sharpener, Perfect for Kitchen, Cutlery, and Tools.

• Use bullet points and short sentences: Keep the text snappy and focus on what the product does for the customers.
• Apply persuasive language techniques: Blend in terms the target customer uses or understands as well as urgency and scarcity-focused words to encourage shoppers to take action sooner.

Top tip: you can use plugins to assist with persuasive triggers like countdown timers and popups indicating how many units are left and what shoppers bought recently.

• Amp up your visual quality: Lifestyle images, video reels of the product in action, and close-ups are just some of the ways fantastic visuals bring the product to life. Avoid the stock content suppliers provide, making your brand appear amateur.
• Include essential details: Ensure shoppers don’t have to search for information by clarifying vital information on your listing. For example, you can:
  • Highlight shipping terms
  • Create an FAQ tab
  • Clarify any crucial terms and conditions

 The secret to listings that sell

With growing competition online, up-leveling your product listing quality has never been more critical. Product listings offer an effective way to establish reliability, trust, and authority with your target audience. As the landing page, all shoppers encounter before buying, product listings are essential to the effectiveness of every marketing strategy you launch. So, put your best foot forward. Create scrolling-stopping images and videos, implement SEO best practices, and answer shoppers burning questions. Soon you’ll have product listings that rank well, attracts buyers in droves, and rakes in cash.

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