eCOMMERCE
SECTION ONE
SECTION TWO
 |
Search: Trigger for a Shopper’s Online Moment of Truth
By Supriya Chaudhury
Much has been written about the need to optimize the shopper’s first Moment of Truth - the interaction between a shopper and a brand at a store shelf. However, today a consumer has had multiple interactions with the brand before stepping into a store. Most of these interactions are online and driven by Search. These moments of learning about a brand are what we’re calling the Online Moment of Truth (O-MOT).
The O-MOT occurs at the instant when a consumer views brand information most often on a brand’s product page online on a retailer’s website, or on a brand website. Influencing and moving potential consumers using search techniques to drive online brand interactions results in driving interest, building brand awareness and consideration, and ultimately sales success online and in store.
The O-MOT is where a brands’ online presence and impact can effectively influence shopper behavior and decision making. It is at these moments when a shopper can make a buying decision in a mere handful of seconds based on how well a product is presented and merchandised. This makes it critical to ensure that all of your brand information at online retailer sites moves beyond basic to accurate and from relevant to engaging. If you’ve made sure you have all the right product information, product details, visuals and pricing in place, the next question is how do you get the consumer to your brand page?
A disciplined search approach can help drive potential customers to the optimum place where they can have a positive product experience and the opportunity of making a buying decision.
Four Fast Search Fixes
Below are four search techniques brands can implement today to begin seeing noticeable results in months. These actions will help drive more customers to a product page and provide the brand with more opportunities to engage with the customer and generate sales.
- Make sure all product titles are correct. Surprisingly, this is the #1 most common mistake brands make in online stores. The full product name is listed first, followed by the variation and then the quantity and/or packaging.
- Embed key search terms into all content. Research the terms and keywords your customers use to search for a specific item and include them in the title and upper half of your product description copy.
- Focus on increasing ratings and reviews by engaging with customers online and being responsive to questions or comments. More positive ratings and reviews improve search scores and get more customers to O-MOT.
- Use variated pages where retailers support this option. More sales and ratings and reviews lead to higher search ranking scores. To variate a product page, combine all sizes and varieties of a product and all ratings and reviews on the same page. This will improve product search results. For example, instead of having separate pages for a 24 oz. bottle of shampoo and 6-pack bundle of 24 oz. bottles of the same shampoo, combine them to make the product easier to find and get a search ranking boost.
The O-MOT is an important influencer on consumer buying decisions. Search is the critical tool that needs to be kept sharp and used in a disciplined manner to get more shoppers to your brand pages, and doing so increases the likelihood of sales success.
Supriya Chaudhury is Chief Marketing Officer of Clavis Insight. For more information: www.clavisinsight.com
SECTION THREE
