Building Richer User Content to Drive Online Retail Sales. A Landscape Overview.

geekspeak[commerce] 2014

Building Richer Content to Drive Online Retail Sales. A Landscape Overview.

WWW.THINKGEEKSPEAK.COM [email protected]

Contents §  About us § Intro § The Landscape: an examinaJon of the marketplace

§  Design & Layout §  Tone

§  Guide Types: Buying, How-‐to, Fashion, Seasonal §  MulJ-‐Media (video, images) §  AddiJonal Content & Tools

§  UGC §  Social Media §  AdverJsing OpportuniJes

WWW.THINKGEEKSPEAK.COM [email protected] 2

geekspeak is an ecommerce services company focused on helping our clients engage their customers online and drive sales. We believe that:

“Smart content drives commerce”

About us


Intro: Building Richer Content

§  This analysis is based on a review of the knowledge-‐based content of online retailers.

§  The review considered leading online retailers such as Ikea, Khols, Bass Pro, Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy, Future Shop, Canadian Tire and others.

§  The review considered the following key areas: buying guides, how-‐to guides, fashion guides, seasonal guides, visuals, video, other content and SEO.

§  The analysis is intended to highlight industry trends, content types and their implementaJon.


The Landscape: An examinaJon of the marketplace § As consumers spend more Jme online, retailers are increasing recognizing the importance of providing informaJon and content resources.

§ Content has evolved beyond wri]en content to include rich media resources, tools and more.

§ Consumers expect more engagement with the content, and a greater degree of social interacJon with the brand. The “buying guide” concept itself has also evolved to include other types of knowledge-‐based content, tools and resources.


Landscape: Design & Layout  Change has come so quickly that we see a wide variety of design formats and layouts. Some are hybrids of several formats. When developed from scratch they can be very effecJve; less so when they’re the result of piecemeal addiJon over Jme. The raJo of visuals and mulJ-‐media to copy has also increased, and copy has become more engaging.

 

 

Key findings: Format 1.  Led navigaJon format affords scalability for addiJon of new content 2.  InteracJve display window format maximizes user engagement 3.  Long-‐scroll guides sJll exist but appear dated and incongruous with

other content Visuals 1.  Prominent and oden interacJve 2.  Oden work as anchor with copy playing a supporJng role

Tone 1.  More friendly and fun 2.  ConversaJonal vs. instrucJonal 3.  Shorter paragraphs vs. long and expansive


NOTES: • Rigid, uniform appearance •  High copy-‐to-‐image raJo

•  Small, crowded images • Absence of copy links • Images are staJc with no interacJvity

•  No social media funcJonality

Landscape: Design & Layout



NOTES: §  Use of tables and charts to simplify

informaJon presentaJon


NOTES: §  Non-‐intuiJve

§  The guide needs a guide

§  Categories delineated by random colour

§  Confusing header bar expansion & contracJon

§  Small images and even smaller type



NOTES:

§  By Content Type §  Top Jer is by content

type §  Second Jer is category

type



NOTES:

§  Content types in top nav are repeated at led with paragraph

§  ExecuJon types displayed together (video, text guide etc.)



NOTES:

§  By Product Category

§  Top Jer is product category

§  Second Jer is knowledge-‐based content



NOTES: §  First Tier Hybrid

§  Hybrid of content type and product category

§  Layout is content vs. structure-‐driven



NOTES:

§  Guides arranged by product category §  Simple image for easy idenJficaJon

§  Key guides listed under image §  Link to all guides within category



NOTES: §  By AcJvity §  Branded as a “Library”

§  Top Jer is “acJvity” based vs content type or product category



NOTES: §  First choose your

acJvity

§  Then choose a type of content



Landscape: On-‐Site LocaJon

NOTES:

§  Hidden at bo]om of home page §  Grouped in with general customer service

headings §  No visual callout


NOTES:

•  Top NavigaJon

•  Larger, more prominent

•  Aligned with search field and sign-‐in for even greater exposure •  Includes menu for deeper access

Landscape: On-‐Site LocaJon


Online buying guides first took their style cues from the closest print equivalent-‐-‐the instrucJon manual. The emergence of mulJmedia media and social media has driven a change from one-‐way to two-‐way communicaJon. As a result, the interacJon between brand and consumer is lighter and more conversaJonal.

Landscape: Tone


NOTES:

•  Engaging humorous headers and copy

•  Set against fun graphics and imagery

Landscape: Tone


The buying guide format has also expanded to include content that is more reflecJve of how consumers will use the products vs. the products themselves. Key findings: Main Types of Guides are: 1. Buying Guides 2. How-‐To Guides 3. Seasonal Guides 4. Style / Fashion Guides

Landscape: Types of Guides


NOTES:

§  Buying Guides §  Simple thumbnail and intro

drives users into guides



NOTES:

§  Buying Guide

§  The guide design reflects the brand i.e. modular, clean, straight lines



NOTES: §  Buying Guide §  Simple steps give an overview of

the how-‐to

§  Each step has a link that expands on that step with more content



NOTES:

§  How-‐to-‐guides §  Video medium can combine visual,

narraJve and text to great effect

§  Related videos displayed underneath




NOTES:

§  Style / Fashion Guides §  Casual Fashion §  Interior Design §  Sports Outdoors


§  NOTES: §  Seasonal Guides §  e.g. garden, special occasion, outdoor

vs. indoor, food etc.



MulJ-‐media is part of the new paradigm of knowledge-‐based environments. Video and interacJve tools and visuals all serve to engage consumers to a greater degree than ever before.

Key findings: 1.  Greater image-‐to-‐copy raJo 2.  Different types of mulJ-‐media leverage different types of content 3.  Video affords opportunity for branding and sponsorship

Landscape: MulJmedia


NOTES: §  Infographics §  show product relaJonships §  Simple to understand



§  NOTES: §  Show product components §  Illustrate hierarchy



NOTES:

• Virtual Environments • User interacts and proceeds through a virtual environment



NOTES:

§  Hot Spots §  Allows user to choose what they want

more content about



NOTES: §  Copy supports and enhances

image and does not detract from the presentaJon



NOTES: §  Video §  Video can be paired with supporJng

copy §  Copy provides support content and

links to related resources



NOTES:

§  Retailer Branded Video §  Retailer provides the product or

category expert

§  Leverages retailer’s experJse in the product category



NOTES:

§  Retailer Branded Video §  Expert wears branded ajre §  Can promote brand through

pushing to social media channels



NOTES:

§  Quick Look Video §  60 – 90 second clip §  Highlights the a]ributes of a new

product §  links to product lisJng and related

content §  AdverJsing potenJal



NOTES: §  3rd Party Video §  Retailer engages an expert 3rd party to

leverage their experJse in the marketplace



NOTES: §  Turnkey §  Manufacturer Branded Video §  No cost §  Sponsorship opportunity



Landscape: AddiJonal Content & Tools

Various tools and widgets have been enlisted to surround and support the primary content of knowledge-‐based environments. These serve to further enhance user engagement and communicaJon.

Key findings: 1.  Blogs are present within most major retailer’s knowledge-‐based content 2.  Blogs / Vlogs afford a good opportunity for branding, sponsorship, and extension to

social media 3.  Universal tools add value and funcJonality


NOTES:

§  3rd Party Blog

§  Leverage exisJng experJse of 3rd party §  Benefit from their exisJng equity in the

marketplace §  Exposure to their audience



NOTES:

§  Branded Blog

§  Author is posiJoned as retailer’s category expert

§  Promotes retailer’s experJse

§  Cost-‐effecJve




NOTES:

§  3rd Party Blog

§  Author is posiJoned as retailer’s category expert

§  Promotes retailer’s experJse

§  Cost-‐effecJve


NOTES: §  Bio serves to familiarize

user with blogger

§  Promotes user communicaJon with blogger who acts as brand ambassador



NOTES:

§  Measurement Guide §  Illustrates how the measurements in product

descripJons are taken

§  Opportunity for mulJ-‐media execuJon §  Allows customers to convert U.S. or European

sizes to Canadian sizes

§  OpJon: can be presented as fields that user inputs sizes vs read-‐only chart



User-‐generated content (UGC) funcJonality further promotes consumer engagement. It is not “expert” content, but other consumers may find it useful. As such, UGC has the potenJal to add value to an onsite resource centre.

Key findings: 1.  UGC promotes social media interacJon 2.  UGC provides a voice that is not “expert” but sJll

“trustworthy”

Landscape: UGC


NOTES:

§  Product reviews, anecdotes, product experiences etc

§  Add video opJon to customer reviews

Landscape: UGC


NOTES: §  Chat Rooms, Forums §  Promotes engagement with customers §  PosiJons retailer as expert source

Landscape: UGC


Landscape: UGC

NOTES: §  Chat Rooms, Forums §  Promotes engagement with

customers §  PosiJons retailer as expert

source


Contact:

 Need to learn more? Contact us.

 Studio: 1.416.619.5349 [email protected]  www.thinkgeekspeak.com


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Building Richer User Content to Drive Online Retail Sales. A Landscape Overview.

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