Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Tools to Improve Online Merchandising

Hi All,




Online Merchandising

In a nutshell, online merchandising is about how you present your products, both individually and collectively. It’s also about how you promote products and other offers. Some aspects of merchandising are about the products themselves. Much of merchandising is about how products are presented. In many cases, specific online tools and tactics are used to enhance presentation.

Here are some tools and tactics to improve online merchandising.
  • Individual product content
This includes primary and alternative images, descriptions, specifications, pricing details, availability, country of manufacture, manufacturer, and so forth. This is very basic information, but incredibility important for shoppers as well as search engine optimization.
  • Product categories
Most stores sell categories of similar products. How do you present them? Are they grouped together side by side in a grid view or presented down the page in a list view? How many products make up a category? Are there subcategories? Do you present an ensemble of related items for context?
  • Store pages
These are the shopping aisles of your online store. Key pages in your online store are the home page, product category pages, product list pages, search results pages, product detail pages, landing pages, shopping cart, registration, checkout, informational pages, and comparison pages. Each needs to be the best possible at what it does.
  • Related items
Do you present related items on a product detail page only, or add them to a category page or even the shopping cart? These are usually cross sells, but can also be complementary items.
  • Alternative items
Unlike related items, these are usually upsells.
  • Comparison features
Do you include features that allow shoppers to select products for comparison?
  • Ratings and reviews
This has become a staple of online merchandising. If you don’t have this feature and a shopper relies on other peoples’ opinions about a product, he is likely to shop elsewhere.
  • Promotional offers
As shopping becomes more personalized, stores are delivering pop-up offers that are generally related to the items you are shopping for. This may be a free shipping offer, a discount, a buy-one-get-one free or other types of incentives.
  • Page density
This is an ongoing debate in design circles. How much white space should you have in your product list or product detail pages. The answer is: It depends on your branding, products, customers, and the quality and types of content you have about your products.
  • Pricing
Do you go bold or subtle with your pricing. Do you present a “list price” and “our price” to show value? Do you highlight the savings? Again, it depends on your target market, your value proposition and your branding.
  • Search results
Do you present your default search based on “best sellers,” “price,” “most relevant,” or “brand”? Do you allow shoppers to choose their own preferences?
  • Promotional categories
These are used for seasonal sales, clearances, or simply related items. They are usually attached to promotions – such as email, social media, and advertising. They can be basic product list pages, or something much more focused on the products being featured.
  • Promotional banners
Most sites leverage a wide variety of promotional banners that appear based on behaviors or specific site locations. They may be promoting the weekly special, free shipping, loyalty programs, and so forth.
  • Social media
Leverage your likes, comments, and tweets on specific product categories or items. Millennials in particular are a group that likes to hear what their friends and peers think about products.




Courtesy: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/66443-20-Tools-Tactics-to-Improve-Online-Merchandising




To create your own online store visit www.ursify.com

Enquire for special offers and discounts.

No comments:

Post a Comment