What is a good product sheet?
How to create a product sheet that sells?
Creating a product sheet that converts does not only consist of respecting a certain number of “good practices” read here and there on the internet. Putting together a list of items without thinking through a strategy first is the best way to not get the results you want. You must therefore define a strategy, which will allow you to create a relevant structure and align the planets to obtain very good results. This is why we have defined in this article the three main steps to create the perfect product sheet:
Define a strategy
It is necessary to ask all the right questions upstream, in order to know which direction to take to create an optimized product sheet, which will generate more sales. Indeed, most optimizations are relative: if some work for a sector, a product, a type of catalog, they will have no effect or even counterproductive for others.
The brand's universe
This point concerns the elements that constitute the visual universe of your brand, but also the tone used to communicate. It is essential to align the universe of your store with that of your brand.
The UX and UI of the site
User experience and user interface are two key elements to creating a product page that converts. Particular attention will be paid to cognitive overload. Indeed, the arrangement of too many elements (texts, CTA, images, videos, etc.) risks confusing the message, and scaring away the visitor (if they do not quickly find what they are looking for, it is likely that he leaves the page, or even the store).
Important note: if you follow all our tips, you should be able to create a good product sheet. However, the optimization process does not stop there: we could in fact add a fourth step: A/B testing (this will be the subject of a separate article). A/B Testing consists of making subtle modifications to the product sheet and analyzing the results obtained by comparing them with those of the unmodified version.
1) Define a strategy to optimize your product sheet by asking yourself the right questions.
The structure, functionalities and content of an optimized product sheet depend on the sector in which you operate, the nature of your products and the size of your catalog . Each market has its specificities, its target audience and the latter's particular expectations. Here is a list of questions that should help you define a relevant strategy based on your sector and your products.
What products do you offer? What is the sector in which you operate? What is your target?
There is a lot that could be said on this point since there is an endless amount of different products on the market. The advice we give you is to think about what the customer, or your target more generally, is looking for and wanting. Put yourself in his place: what does he need? What will make him want to buy? What questions are they likely to ask, knowing that there is no salesperson present directly to answer them?
Also study your sector: what are your competitors offering? At what price ? How do they do it? How can you stand out? What are the trends ?
Here are some examples to illustrate the need to adapt your sheet according to your product or sector.
How does this impact your product sheet?
- If you sell clothing, the structure can highlight things like size, fit, material, available colors, care instructions, and information on current trends. High-quality images, showing the clothing worn by a model, are also crucial.
- If you sell electronics, products are going to require detailed specifications such as power, capacity, technical specifications, compatibility, connectivity options, etc. Images of ports and interfaces can be important in helping customers understand the product.
- If you sell luxury or high-end products, highlight the products' exclusive features, premium materials, unique design or exceptional craftsmanship. High-end products are likely to require a storytelling approach to create an emotional connection with customers. Luxury brands often have a background story, philosophy or values that can be highlighted.
- If you sell furniture, product sheets can highlight dimensions, materials, assembly and maintenance methods, as well as images showing the product in a home environment.
- Regarding food products, they must include information on ingredients, nutritional values, certifications (such as organic labels), possible allergies, preparation methods, etc.
- For sports equipment, it is advisable to focus on features that improve performance, construction materials, available sizes, and information on how the product can be used in different sports activities.
- Etc…
Are these products that involve a considered, impulsive or recurring purchase?
- Recurring purchases are often a daily necessity, but it is also sometimes simply a question of a consumption habit. It can make sense, in both cases, to offer subscription-based operation: the customer automatically receives their products at a defined frequency. The challenge therefore consists of creating a simple, fluid purchasing journey and convincing the visitor to opt for this solution.
- In the context of an impulsive purchase, it will probably be necessary to play on psychological factors (urgency or scarcity for example), on emotions, on promotions, on personalization to meet everyone's desires, on the possibility of return the product easily and get an exchange or refund.
- The considered purchase is normally rarer and as the name suggests, it is the result of study before making the purchase. In this case, it will be necessary to further highlight the characteristics and benefits of the product, possibly compare it with other products on the market, offer customization, highlight an FAQ and customer service (chat, telephone line, etc.) , etc…
Is it the same product for everyone, or on the contrary is it available in a large number of variations (size, color, patterns, etc.)?
The structure of the product sheet will be radically different if you offer many variables (see bundles, that is to say packs of products), because you will have to highlight these clearly and visibly. You will also need to have all the necessary photos so that changes can be made automatically when you click on a variable: it is necessary that you can have an immediate idea of how the product will look with the selected variable.
Is this a product that requires advice?
Many products require advice from a specialist to be able to make your choice. Integrating a chat and an FAQ, highlighting a telephone line and an email, are essential elements in order not to lose opportunities. Setting up a configurator or diagnostics can also make a lot of sense.
Does the visitor need to be reassured in order to make the purchase?
Generally speaking, it is possible to answer this question in the affirmative, but once again, you will have to adapt to your type of product, your sector and your positioning.
- Reminder essential information regarding payment, return and refund policy, delivery.
- Insist on social proof, by highlighting reviews and comments. Maximize transparency.
Please note: if it is a premium or luxury product, it is unlikely that you will highlight customer reviews or comments from them. Indeed, a luxury brand should not prove its reputation or that of its products. In addition, it maintains this situation where it is the buyer who finds himself waiting, dreaming of being able to afford the product. Finally, it would be very bad for the brand to obtain an average rating for a product whose price is particularly high, and which is made by hand with noble materials. - Implement “nudge marketing”. For example: “9 out of 10 customers recommend us”.
- If you have a serious study or expert opinion, put the spotlight on them.
- Once again, take the time to write a FAQ, whether it is directly present in the product sheet or whether it is a dedicated page.
How to distinguish yourself from your competitors?
- If there are many competitors in your market, you will need to stand out as much as possible by communicating the elements that differentiate you (your brand universe and image, your values, the benefits of your product, good illustrations and photos, etc.) and perhaps by carrying out promotions or attractive offers. Create a community.
- If the product is absolutely identical to that of your competitors, in this case focus on the quality of your service and in particular on your return and refund policy. Remember that the success of many brands comes from the fact that the consumer is not just buying a product: they are buying a service. Example: you sell office furniture, and offer free delivery and installation.
Is the product unknown to the public and your audience? Is it innovative?
- An evangelization strategy must be developed: precisely define the benefits of your product and communicate them in the simplest way possible. You can then detail them below, in illustrated content blocks.
- Compare your product with what it replaces or improves, in table or diagram form.
- Focus once again on social proof: visitors will need to be reassured before making a purchase.
How big is your catalog?
This question is absolutely essential, because it will define the structure of your product sheets. Indeed, if you have 2000 products in your catalog, it is unlikely that you will be able to create sheets like Asphalte with an explanatory video and around ten blocks of content (text and photos) per product. Rather, it will be necessary to define a structure allowing the essential elements to be integrated and thus everything to be imported on a massive scale. That's what Ralph Lauren probably does.
Here are the main questions you will have to answer: this is the first brick allowing you to define a real strategy and then develop an optimized product sheet. There are probably many other questions you can ask yourself, so don't stop there.
Even if most of the things mentioned may seem obvious, remember that defining a good strategy means prioritizing the important elements and limiting or even excluding the others: this is what will ensure you do not have a “Christmas tree” product sheet. Christmas”, the main effect of which will be cognitive overload – that is to say for the visitor the inability to find the information they are looking for or which will convince them to buy. We will detail this point later in this article.
2) The design of an optimized product sheet.
Once the sector and the nature of your product have been defined, we advise you to look at the universe of your brand . Too often we see sites whose design is very far from the brand identity manual, or more generally from the visual elements of the brand (content distributed on social networks, packaging, photos and videos, etc.). Aligning the image of your site with that of the brand is important: it generates the trust and desirability necessary for your products to sell optimally.
Brand identification and consistency
Web design should be an extension of your brand’s unique and memorable visual identity. The visitor or customer who is on your site must be able to identify you immediately, and the omnichannel experience (if this is the case) must be consistent (brand image, tone used, etc.).
- We note that many players, whose stores are sometimes well established, do not have a brand identity manual, or even a graphic charter. If this is your case, we advise you to start by at least creating a graphic charter.
- A consistent design across the entire e-commerce site helps reinforce the positive perception of the brand. Consistency in colors, typography, icons and other visual elements gives the impression of professionalism and trustworthiness.
Competitive differentiation
In a saturated market, a web design aligned with the brand's universe can help stand out from the competition. A unique and distinctive design attracts the attention of visitors and makes them choose that brand over another.
- To do this, it is best to start by studying your competitors' stores so that you can stand out from them, and be sure that you are not reproducing something that already exists.
- Also, the quality of your web design allows you to position yourself as a leader (if applicable) or as if you were much more important than you really are. While it is often difficult to have a physical store on the best shopping street in your city, it is much simpler and less expensive to have a premium design and experience online.
Credibility
A neat web design inspires confidence in users. Many visitors remain suspicious and do not wish to provide their banking details if the platform does not seem secure to them. Sloppy web design can easily create this feeling. Even if the objective is not to have the best design on the web, you must at least succeed in reassuring your visitors.
Brand Storytelling
Your web design should help you tell the story of your brand, its values and its mission. Don't forget that too few texts are read on the internet; you just need to study the average time spent on the different pages of your platform to realize that it is impossible to read everything you want to say. The design is there to convey your messages without words, or almost: an icon or an image can often replace a paragraph of text.
Customer loyalty
A web design aligned with the brand's universe finally strengthens the emotional connection between the brand and customers. This can lead to greater long-term loyalty and positive word-of-mouth spread. Make your design convey emotions
In summary, a web design aligned with the brand's universe is an essential investment to strengthen the brand's image, optimize the user experience and achieve your commercial objectives.
3) The UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) of an optimized product sheet.
They are the extension of all the elements that you have just defined. Again, check that each of the following points makes sense in relation to your strategy. In this study, we will focus on the most recurring elements, so that they can make sense for the vast majority of e-commerce stores. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have a project and would like us to study your site specifically.
Cognitive overload
If we start with this point, it is not for nothing! This is what you absolutely must avoid and yet this is what we see most often: the stores have applied the lists of recommendations to the letter to have a good product sheet and as a result there are absolutely useless elements. everywhere, which confuses the message and scares away potential buyers. Here are our recommendations to avoid this.
- Make wireframes (models) of your product page, before going through the design and development boxes. Remember: a good strategy consists of limiting the number of elements and therefore defining which ones have priority.
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Limit your texts: a good title is short (5 words), as is a good description. If you think you're going to move up in search results with blocks of text everywhere, you just risk getting no results, either in terms of SEO or in terms of conversion. Optionally set up accordions for your SEO texts further down the page, if this is to be part of your strategy.
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Graphic elements (photos, visuals, icons, etc.) allow you to say a lot of things without words, but don't exaggerate: the result must be airy.
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There's no point repeating the same things multiple times : if you do, you probably didn't manage to communicate them well the first time (or they weren't in the right place).
- Reduce the number of options presented to the visitor: everything must correspond to what is expected in the sales funnel at a specific time.
UX Design
Here are some points to emphasize.
- Divide different types of information into separate blocks. Understanding must be immediate: we must understand what each block corresponds to without having to read or think. To do this, play with colors, shapes, elements allowing division (lines, frames, white spaces, images, etc.).
- Don't forget to balance the structure of the page with different content: photos, texts, icons, images...
- Only use graphic elements that everyone knows (icons, shapes, layout, location, etc.)
- In general, don't use visually overloaded images. Prefer refined content.
- Your CTA should be – generally speaking – visible above the fold.
- If you set up two CTAs, differentiate them in an obvious way (different color, bold text for one of the two, possibly underlined text, possibly framed text).
Cross-platform adaptability
With the rise of mobile devices, a good responsive experience is essential to provide consistency across all devices (computers, smartphones, tablets).
- All elements must be designed to be used by thumbs on mobile (menus, CTAs, product cards, etc.)
- The limitation of the number of words and texts is even more to be taken into account for mobile
- Limit the number of fields in forms
- Consider optimizing the size of your photos and videos for faster page loading time. Obviously, if you can improve the quality of your code, that's a big plus. Finally, remove any unnecessary plugins, as they are probably also weighing down your performance.
Optimize your product page photos
- Preferably use a neutral background for the main photo: white, black or beige.
- The main photo must be of high quality and make you want to possibly see others or go to checkout
- Supplement the main photo with images showing the product in context.
- Play on the size contrasts between the product and the background context.
- In some cases, it may make sense to blur the background context.
- Show the product from many angles.
- Set up a zoom so that you can see the product more closely.
Make navigation between product sheets easier
- It is likely that the visitor would like to see other products on your site: suggest that they see similar and/or complementary products.
- Incorporating a breadcrumb at the top of the page will allow for smoother navigation, without necessarily having to go through the menu again.
Here is the illustration of an optimized product sheet
This is just a suggestion. We invite you to adapt it based on everything we have seen in this article and that you have defined in your strategy.
The potential “pluses” to put in place depending on your strategy
- Indicate the amount above which delivery costs are offered, for example in the top bar. Emphasize the term “Free”.
- Indicate the cost and delivery time.
- Use a secondary photo to also present the benefits of the product (give example)
- Indicate sizes and their international equivalents (if applicable) if for clothing or shoes.
- Sticky add to cart (desktop and mobile).
- Cross-sell / upsell in “checkbox” mode
- Content sections highlighting the benefits of the product, its manufacturing or the world of the brand.
- Testimonials
