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Part 2: Come up with meaningful product descriptions for withdrawing potential customers

In this case study, we will show you how an online food shop in Rakuten Ichiba improved sales. This is part two of a three part series in which we discuss 3 key points:

• A method for increasing conversion rate
• Improving product descriptions that prevent customers from leaving
• How to conduct interviews and discover selling points through keyword research

If you haven’t read part 1, you can read it here – Part 1: Increasing Conversion Rates

Identifying the Problem

In order to identify areas to improve, we examined the average visit duration time and abandonment rate in the access analysis data. We found that the average visit duration time was too short and abandonment rate was too high.

Generally, this occurs because details of the product are differ from what the users have in mind. Since it is unavoidable if it is a common keyword, taking visit duration time and abandonment rate into account won’t be necessary in those situations.

But in this case, there’s so much the store wants to say about the product, and not enough information about what the visitor wants to know. So naturally, users would leave even before they have become customers.

For example, if it’s a store dealing with food products, the following are things that customers may want to know.

• How does it taste like, and what kind of texture?
• Can it be also consumed by children and the elderly?
• Is it suitable for daily consumption, for parties and for any occasion?
• How is it prepared?
• What ingredients are used?
• What’s the size / weight (capacity)?
• What’s the expiration date?
• What kind of package / type of packing / inner packaging does it arrive in? Or is it individually wrapped?
• Is it chilled or frozen, and in portions? Can it be placed in the refrigerator?
• When will it arrive?

When attempting to purchase for the first time, a customer won’t go as far as to purchase if there’s any doubt, no matter how little, about the ingredients. In addition, there aren’t many people who purchase without knowing any information about the product they’re buying. Most people would leave when they arrive at a page that they searched for but contains no explanation about the product.

Analysis / Task: Not just describing information with text, but also using images and icons

In order to describe and/or conduct a review of the details that customers want to know, I tried experiencing it in sequence, from buying the popular product to consuming it.

So I put the ordered product in the refrigerator, prepared it and examined the scent, and ate it. By understanding the experience of the customers who purchased the product, I made a list about the things that are lacking from the product description, the things that I wanted to know and questions about the product.

Using the already written reviews as reference, I analyzed the current product information about the things that surprised the customers, as well as their positive and negative feedbacks. In order to make a product differentiation, I also took a survey of third-party products.

But with a high proportion of informational text, there’s a chance that it could never be read. Hence, I devised a way to understand the product intuitively and that is to place images of the ingredients, the cutting process and size, and also the way of preparation.

And by using icons, information in the site gradually integrates, and comparing products is easier.

 

Cutting and serving guide

Preparation guide

Using icons

 

Results: 4.81 points increase by adding information that users want to know

A set of 9 kinds of Chinese tea is one of the leading products of Jyukeihanten. It is a perfect gift item with free shipping, easy to prepare, for all ages, and also for parties and everyday meals.

Aside from being a popular product among other products, it boasts high sales because of its effective advertising.

As a result of adding product description focused on what the visitor wants to know and using images and icons to convey easy-to-understand description for this product, I succeeded in increasing the conversion rate to 4.81 points over the same month last year.

 

Conversion rate comparison of “a set of 9 kinds of Chinese tea”

By comparing 2014 to last year, being able to increase conversion rate despite reduced product advertising expenses of 26% by conveying information customers want to know was a highly effective improvement measure.

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…to be continued in our final “Part 3: Conducting Interviews & Keyword Research”

1. Part 1: Increasing the Conversion Rate
2. Part 2: Improving Product Descriptions
3. Part 3: Conducting Interviews & Keyword Research

 

Author of the original article:

Akiko Gotoh

Webmo Co., Ltd. Director

I’m from Mie Prefecture and graduated from Nippon University with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental science. I founded my own company while still in college. Through the apparel industry in May 2008, I found my way to web system development and established Webmo Co., Ltd.

Based on my experiences, I’m competent at system design taking into account the client’s specifications; I’m focused on not just building a system, but also building an online shop that sells, building an attractive online shop and building an e-commerce site that operates efficiently.