Letter: Converting online researchers into online buyers …

Luan Goldie’s article, High street retailers should not dismiss value of web research (NMA 23/11/06), struck a chord just days after one of my colleagues showed me the results of an internal research project, highlighting one issue that could be losing Online retailers significant profits – their online product descriptions.

Logan Tod & Co recently assessed the product descriptions of 12 leading retailers for the “Doctor Who Cyberman Voice Changer Helmet”, a popular toy in the lead up to Christmas, and noticed huge differences when it came to word count. Amazon had a massive 256 words plus user reviews, while other retailers such as Tesco and Toys R Us were down around the 20 word mark, with the same manufacturer’s description wording. Some sites included detailed descriptions of the toy features, while others had the basic price, battery requirements and basic feature listings.

If a customer is Searching for this product, chances are this is the toy their kid has been nagging them about for the past month, and by searching for the toy specifically, they’re either looking for more information to inform an in store purchase or maybe, for a instant online purchase. So with 66% of eCircle respondents saying they would research their gift online prior to buying in-store, the online product description is critical to generating both online and Offline sales. Good copy helps to change consumers buying habits, and gets them to buy online rather than instore.

My bet is that the 256 word description with product reviews will beat the 20 word marketing spiel when it comes to the crunch this Christmas. So benchmark your copy against the competition, and work out how to make copy more relevant and engaging to boost your conversion rates.

Matthew Tod
CEO, Logan Tod & Co.