Do you want to present your products on the web in a way that evokes emotions, creates a strong connection with people and becomes an object of desire rather than a need? That's something that global love-brands like Apple, Tesla and Bose have done.
Fulfilling such an ambition on the web is the goal of any company that sells products. But only a fraction of them succeed. So what are the world's top brands doing differently? How do they communicate? And what separates the great from the good and the mediocre? This article will give you plenty of answers and guidance. But I must warn you, it's a challenging and the only possible path. The bar is high and if you're heading for the top, it's time to go.
We have broken down the websites of the best companies into individual elements. Take a look at them under the microscope.
It's not just Apple that excels at masterfully presenting its portfolio. Let's go through a few examples worthy of emulation to start. We've broken down the market leaders' websites into individual sections from which you can reconstruct the detail of your product later.
Ministry of supply
Is a fashion brand with its own e-shop that can communicate perfectly through text and visuals:
- It prioritises benefits over features
- Makes extensive use of "social proof"
- Prepares photographs and documents not only the product, but also the materials and features
- Publishes client reviews
- Works with related products
- Uses a modular approach to product introduction
Pulsar
Pulsar is a leader among night vision and thermal imaging manufacturers. The website is used as an online product catalogue without the possibility to buy products directly. When introducing products on the site:
- It uses the power of professional product photography and typography
- Produces a range of complementary photography and computer visualizations
- Focuses more on technical details than benefits
- Prioritizes visual communication
- Uses anchor navigation on product detail
- Allows individual model lines to be compared
- Works with PDF manuals and downloadable printouts
- Lists related products at the bottom of the page
TIP: Browse the websites of the world's best companies in your industry and subject their website to the same scrutiny we outlined above. This will help you better understand what the basic building blocks and principles are that have brought them to the top. You can also continue with this list. Always open the detail of a specific product:
Follow the principles that will lead you to a great result
Be concise
People don't read much on the web, there's no point in overwhelming them with irrelevant stuff. Get straight to the point, say the important stuff in the headline. Avoid descriptive headlines like "Product Features". Read paragraphs of text several times and remove any words or phrases that don't detract from the power or meaning of your message. If there's nothing left to take away, you're done.
Communicate visually
Seeing is believing. We all know this - you need to start doing it. Don't allow yourself justifications like "we'll add quality photos later" or "it's hard or expensive to get quality photos". Unfortunately, if you don't have quality photos and videos of your product, you have nothing. Great documents and photos are not just a competitive advantage, but a prerequisite for aiming for the elite of your industry.
High-quality photos and video do a mammoth amount of work for you
Harness the power of "social proof"
Customers don't trust you a priori. Show your clients' comments, let them rate your product, post photos from your clients' Instagram. Whatever your client says on your behalf has multiples more credibility. Don't make up testimonials, it goes nowhere.
Move from features to benefits
Life is emotions, not facts. Apple understood this long ago, which is why they started emphasizing benefits (what the client gets out of it) instead of features (what qualities the product has) in their communications. Benefits are closer to people and emotions, features are closer to technology.
Feature: the 16GB disc in the MP3 player
Benefit: Enough music for an all-night party in your pocket.
Benefit communication backed by the power of numbers and facts
Use these type sections
Being aware that each product detail is made up of individual sections will make it much easier to create a great product presentation. Plus, you'll be able to test different variations and gradually refine your "sales-pitch" on the site to complete "perfection".
We have prepared this list of all the sections that a product detail can consist of. Of course, some can be used multiple times on the same page or in different variations and variations. Conversely, there is no need to use all of them for a great product presentation.
- 01 - Imagery including conversion
- 02 - Product benefits
- 03 - Uses
- 04 - Materials, production methods
- 05 - Specifications
- 06 - Photo gallery
- 07 - Highlights
- 08 - Testimonial / Case studies / Reference
- 09 - Emotional / mood sections / fullscreen video
- 10 - Awards and Certifications
- 11 - FAQ
- 12 - Downloadable documents
- 13 - Related / featured products
01 - Imagery including conversion
Introduce your product and its strongest points. Answer the question "What do customers appreciate most about my product" and highlight 1-3 of the strongest benefits to tell more about later.
- You can use iconography to introduce the benefits
- We recommend using full-screen photos and videos
- Don't forget to place the conversion right at the top of the page
- Get the emotion on the first screen
- If there's a lot of content on the page, work with anchors to navigate
- If you find creating a section difficult, do it at the end
02 - Show the main benefits of the product
Show your visitors what your product's strongest qualities are. They can be from different categories. Talk more about it:
- How people feel when they use the product
- What the product allows them to do differently from the rest of the market
- What position the product puts the customer in
- What problems the product will help solve
- What uncomfortable situations will no longer need to be experienced
- Communicate concisely and always show in a complementary image or infographic what cannot be conveyed in text. Graphics add an extra dimension to the text and shift or expand the textual message.
03 - Introduce all examples of use
Is your product used by several different target groups? Or is it suitable for multiple situations? Or can it withstand all climatic conditions? Or is it so versatile that it can do the job of three other products? Describe everything clearly and concisely, and most importantly, show it.
04 - Explain the unique manufacturing processes and materials
Give your visitors an insight into the kitchen. Show them the production areas, processes or methodology and always tell them what it means specifically for the client. You can give important numbers and facts about the production process. People are inquisitive by nature. Take advantage of this.
05 - Provide technical specifications and important data
Facts and accurate information are certainly not the most important thing in sales today, but they still have their place on the web. Especially if your product is for a technically educated target audience. Divide your specifications into categories and let visitors open only what they are really interested in. You can also let users compare each product in a clear listing.
06 - Offer enough high quality photos
You can never have enough photos and videos. Distinguish between a product photo gallery from the studio and a moody photo of the environment in which the product will be used. Similarly, try to capture people interacting with your product. A phone held in someone's hand in a desired situation will always be more powerful than a phone placed on a photo booth.
07 - Highlight the most important numbers
If there are any notable facts about your product or company, share them. And if you feel like those numbers are hard to find, try these:
- Number of current clients (people who have been helped by the product in ...)
- number of devices produced
- warranty period
- production / shipping time
- average product lifetime
- number of people involved in the development / frequency of the team
08 - Work with references - social proof
If you are in a position where you already have a customer base or a community that you can let speak for themselves, make sure you take advantage of it. Any content that clients say on your behalf has many times more credibility than content that comes from your own mouth. You can use the following types of testimonials:
- Text testimonials/client reviews
- Photos of publicly known people
- Case studies
- Company logos
- Video references
09 - Use emotional / mood sections
It is useful to intersperse structured content sensitively with sections based solely on fullscreen video or photos. The point of such a move is to "dilute" the facts and get just a certain kind of emotion/mood across to visitors instead of constant persuasion.
10 - Certifications, awards, written about us
Are you ISO certified or have other quality management set up? Show your potential customers what it means to be committed to making a quality product. Likewise, mention if you have been written about by a professional or credible media outlet, or if you have won a prestigious industry award. Include relevant articles, certificates, show logos. Seeing is believing.
11 - FAQ
Visitors and clients often ask the same set of questions. Give them answers before they even ask a question. They'll get the sense that you understand them like no one else in the market. That's why they'll buy from you, too. Not to mention, such a list of questions and answers will save you a lot of routine phone calls and inquiries.
12 - Documents to download
Your website doesn't just have to serve potential clients, but also existing ones. Product details can be a rich source of information, manuals and downloadable documents that your customers would otherwise struggle to access.
13 - Related products
Is there an accessory for your product? Or do you have two other options in the category where one is cheaper and the other is better quality? Show them to your visitors at the bottom of the page. If they haven't opted for this product, it doesn't mean they won't be your clients.
Fulfill the basic assumptions
All of the above ideas can catapult your product into the sky, but only if you have first met the following prerequisites:
- you are selling a truly quality product that delivers value
- you know very well who your target audience is
- you have set the tonality of your communication
- you have at least a basic CID manual/rules
- you have invested in the creation of quality documents