One of the most important keys to succeeding in online retail is to know your audience. Today’s buyers – mainly Millennials and Gen Zs – have a pretty short attention span. If they can’t find the product they are seeking on your website within seconds, they will quickly move on to a different website. You need to capture your browser’s attention immediately and lead them to the exact product they are seeking as quickly as possible.

How can you enhance your product catalog data?

1. Study your audiences and their locations

Your catalog’s data should be suitable for all your sales channels and worded attractively to engage your target audiences. Start by defining your potential customers. Once you have done so, adjust your content, style and graphic presentation to suit their tastes. Where do they spend their time? On the Internet or perhaps on a form of social media? Attract their interest wherever they are located with marketing campaigns and Facebook ads.   

2. Provide detailed and consistent data

Most online purchasing is based on comparisons. Buyers compare products and prices before deciding where to make their purchase. Potential customers dislike comparing “apples to oranges”. In order to make accurate comparisons of the same products, buyers need to be able to view easily available, consistent and detailed product data.

3. Use product tagging

Make searches simple on your website by using product tagging. When you assign keywords to products, the system automatically brings up viable associated options that can help facilitate sales. By making all your products easily findable, you provide a productive and smooth customer journey.

4. Keep SEO and customer logic in mind

Your catalog’s structure must be adapted to your target audience’s search habits. In other words, think like your customer. Go from the broadest level to the narrowest one, but keep your main potential buyer in mind. For example, if you sell running shoes for athletes, you might start at “shoes”, move on to “athletic or sports shoes” and then narrow down to “running shoes.” The structure and related keywords should reflect the way your customers go about their search.

5. Automate inventory and product updates

Consider the following scenario: A potential buyer has conducted a search on your website and found the product he or she is seeking, only to discover that it is no longer available. The consumer will leave your website, most probably never to return. In order to offer an updated online catalog, you must dynamically refresh product data and inventory modifications. An automated AI-based catalog system prevents human error and updates data constantly.

6. Use creative design to snag buyers

While engaging copy and updated data are crucial, product presentation is no less important. Exciting design can greatly enhance your catalog’s data. Videos, product demos, interactive lookbooks and 3D simulations are likely to leave a memorable impression, and bring customers back for more.

Interested in learning more about how you can enhance your product catalog data? Click here.