This pandemic, as we know, has brought a major shift in the way people shop. While Amazon dominated the online retail market before the outbreak began, there’s good reason to believe it will emerge from the crisis even stronger. As people continue to practice social distancing, shoppers are using mobile to place orders more than ever. Since 45% of Amazon’s customers use its app solely and 35% use the mobile browser and app equally, it has become increasingly critical for sellers to optimize listings for mobile users.
In this week’s newsletter, we discuss best practices for mobile optimization and how you can have an edge over competitors with a mobile-first strategy:
Scannable titles improve user experience
When optimizing your titles, the key is to strike the right balance between covering relevant high traffic keywords and avoiding a structure that is confusing or feels unnatural. The character limit may differ for each category but as a thumb rule, the first 80 characters are important from a mobile point of view. We recommend adding crucial decision-making factors such as product type, key feature/benefit and variant (size/color/flavor/pack size) that people are generally looking for when searching for your product. A fashion accessories client that we worked with saw a 30% increase in sessions when the titles were optimized to include relevant keywords and match search intent.
High quality images with a reliable product story drive conversions
A study by MDG advertising suggests that 67% of online shoppers believe that the quality of the product images plays a vital role in product selection. Hence it is important to ensure your images are mobile-ready and stand out from the crowd. Hygiene checks include a white background for the primary image, a resolution of 1000×1000 so customers can zoom into minute details, and 80% of the space to be taken up by the product.
We have observed that images and visual impressions re-emphasize the need of the product in a subtle yet effective manner. For a better visual experience, make sure that images portray a product story that is relatable to the target audience. This can be done by highlighting top benefits, adding an aspirational image of the target audience and including product-specific information (ingredients, nutritional facts, instructions, etc). Credibility images that consist of certifications from well-known bodies or experts in the industry can go a long way in building consumer trust.
Benefit-driven bulletin features capture consumer sentiment
In the competitive Amazon ecosystem, there is an array of similar products that serve the needs of different consumers. As a result, most shoppers skim through the content and seek only relevant information in the listing. Digging into reviews can be a great way to understand what is most relevant to your target consumer. Even negative reviews provide an insight into expectations that can be addressed in the content itself. It is also recommended to prioritize the more important aspects in the first three pointers as those are the ones visible before users click on ‘read more’.
Each bullet must focus on a unique feature/benefit of the product. The bullet headers need to highlight the key selling points. The overall tonality of the product can depend on the category you operate in. For instance, sellers in the women’s hair care category might want to sound more casual and use phrases that are popular on social channels. Whereas, for brands in the kids food category, the focus should be more on the overall safety and nutritional value of the product.
A digestible product description can set you apart from competitors
Remember, online shoppers don’t read. They scan! If you don’t capture the customer’s interest right from the start, you might lose out on a potential purchase. This section is where you talk about more than just the USP of the product. It is reserved for storytelling about your product and brand.
A reasonably informed buyer already knows the features they are looking for in a product, so ensure you’re using this space to focus on what sets you apart from the competition. Steer clear of highly technical information and don’t overwhelm shoppers with lengthy paragraphs. To help them easily grasp what you intend to share, it is important to break the description into readable sections. For example, you can break down into points into a Q&A format that will make it easy for users to skim and read only the parts that they are confused about. Another way of doing this is to write a simple crisp heading for each point, so users can scan the takeaways and choose to read more if they wish. For better structuring, this section also allows the use of <br>, <ul>, <li> tags to format your content using line breaks and bullet points.
Effective A+ content can give an additional boost to sales
Amazon estimates that A+ content can boost your sales by 10%. Use this section to your advantage as the A+ Content is displayed exceptionally well on mobile. It offers merchants a competitive advantage over other sellers and helps trigger the “buy now” response. Both Seller Central and Vendor Central users have access to A+ Content. There is a variety of layouts that you can experiment with. Choose a layout that works best for your product. Make sure it is easy on the eyes, gets your product in the spotlight and gives your brand increased recognition. When designing your A+ content, it is imperative to reiterate core benefits, address common concerns, establish brand identity and instill trust. For one of our clients in the beauty space, the A+ Content was optimized for a product to ensure it covered detailed benefits and features in a visually pleasing format. This led to an instant 5% increase in conversions.
In conclusion, titles, bulletin features, product description and visual content are focus areas for mobile optimization. As Amazon continues to improve its interface for mobile shoppers, sellers can gain a competitive advantage by thinking mobile-first for better discoverability and visibility on the marketplace.
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