Oct 26, 2023
5 min to read
While ghosts and goblins might give you a fright this Halloween, there's something even scarier lurking in the world of retail: bad product experiences. From missing product information to incorrect or inconsistent data, discover how these retail horrors can send shivers down your spine and what you can do to banish them, ensuring your product experience is more delightful than dreadful.
Halloween is right around the corner, and it’s not just goblins and ghouls that will be doing the scaring. While the traditional spirits of the season may bring a chill to the air, there’s something even more bone-chilling lurking in the world of retail: spooky product experiences. Every day, consumers venture into the digital aisles of online stores or the physical shelves of brick-and-mortar shops, only to encounter product experiences that send shivers down their spines.
These spine-tingling experiences can be more frightening than any ghostly apparition, and as the bustling holiday season follows closely on the heels of Halloween, there’s no better time to confront and vanquish these retail specters
Let’s take a look at just a few of the eerie and unsettling encounters that shoppers often face. But don’t worry, we’re not here to simply recount tales of retail horror. Instead, we aim to be your trusty guides through the labyrinth of these unsettling experiences, armed with our tried-and-true-methods to scare away lost sales and high return rates.
We’ve all been there; we search for a product, click on the first one that pops up, but then realize the product doesn’t provide the dimensions of the product, what the return window is, or what’s included in the purchase.
These details are the building blocks of a customer’s understanding of what they’re considering purchasing. When key information is omitted, it leaves potential customers in the dark, unsure about the product’s features, specifications, or benefits.
You’re shopping for a new laptop, and you stumble upon a product listing with a description that barely provides any useful information. There might be no mention of the processor type, RAM capacity, storage specifications, or any special features. All you’re left with is a vague title and maybe a price. In this scenario, it’s akin to trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces – frustrating and futile.
Misinformation can encompass various aspects, from erroneous specifications to false claims about a product’s features or benefits. Inaccurate information can mislead and disappoint customers, potentially leading to trust issues and, in the worst cases, returns and negative reviews.
Suppose you’re shopping for a winter coat from a popular fashion retailer. You find a coat that catches your eye due to its stylish design and a product description that promises it’s made of high-quality, warm materials suitable for extreme cold. The retailer’s website claims it’s perfect for harsh winters and even provides an image of the coat being worn in snowy conditions. But when the coat arrives, you discover that it’s not as warm as advertised; the materials used are thin, and the coat lacks proper insulation. This can result in a return, a negative review, an unsatisfied customer, and a lost of trust.
In our globalized world, retailers must cater to diverse audiences. When we talk about wrong units of measure, currency, or language being displayed, we’re referring to a situation where the product information is presented in a manner that doesn’t align with the customer’s preferences or expectations. This mismatch can create confusion, hinder international sales, and damage the overall customer experience.
Imagine you’re shopping for sports shoes on an e-commerce website, and you find a pair that looks perfect. However, the price is displayed in a different currency, such as Japanese Yen, and the product dimensions are listed in centimeters. If you’re in the United States, where you typically use US dollars and inches, this can make it challenging to understand the product’s cost and size, leading to frustration.
Today’s consumers often research products across various channels, including websites, mobile apps, and social media. Inconsistencies in product information between these channels can lead to confusion, mistrust, and hesitation. Ensure a seamless and coherent experience by maintaining consistency in product descriptions, prices, and availability.
Imagine you’re interested in buying a popular tablet from an electronics retailer. You first see it on their website, where it’s listed as available for immediate purchase with a certain price. However, when you visit the retailer’s physical store, you’re told that the tablet is out of stock. Furthermore, the price you were initially quoted online doesn’t match what’s displayed in-store, and the tablet is much smaller than it looks in the pictures online. This inconsistency between the online and offline shopping experience creates confusion and frustration for the customer.
The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” couldn’t be more accurate in the world of e-commerce. Visual elements, such as product images, videos, or diagrams, play a crucial role in helping customers understand what they are buying. When these elements are missing or deceptive, it can lead to confusion and dissatisfaction and can send potential customers fleeing.
You’re searching for a new dining table from a reputable furniture retailer’s website to match a few chairs you’ve already purchased. The product listing features a single image of the table, displayed from one angle, with no close-ups or alternative views. The product image is poorly lit, and the table appears in a plain, unappealing room setting that doesn’t provide any context for how it might fit into different home decor styles. The lack of detailed images makes it challenging to examine the table’s construction, finish, or the quality of the wood used, so you can’t tell if it will fit in the space you need it to, or match the chairs you already own.
As the holiday season approaches, retailers need to ensure that their product experiences are more delightful than dreadful. Spooky product experiences can haunt your business and drive potential customers away. By addressing these issues and learning from real-life examples of successful strategies, you can create an inviting and trustworthy product experience.
Remember, the key to success lies in offering exceptional product experiences. Eliminating the spookiness from your product experiences can lead to increased customer trust, higher conversion rates, and a strong brand reputation. So, this Halloween, make sure your customers are thrilled, not chilled, by their shopping experiences by providing reliable, consistent, and accurate product information wherever they’re shopping.
Discover how Akeneo can help you fend off the ghostly, ghoulish possibility of bad product experiences this holiday season.
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