According to the latest Salsify Consumer Research Report 2021, nearly half of shoppers compared prices online across brands before buying something in the last three months. But an even greater amount–86 percent–are willing to pay more for a product online from a brand they trust.
With 43 percent expecting to shop online more than previously, Salsify set out to uncover what it takes for digital brands to earn consumer trust, which came down to one factor: the quality of a brand’s product detail page.
The qualities consumers care most about when buying from a brand include high-quality ingredients, materials and craftsmanship (40 percent), corporate social responsibility (27 percent), good customer service (16 percent) and a brand’s support for charitable causes that the consumer cares about (12 percent).
In addition, 42 percent of shoppers said that high-quality images and detailed product descriptions were one of the top three reasons they trust a product online. An additional 31 percent said that a lack of information was the top reason they didn’t buy a product online.
When asked what elements help them decide whether to buy from a brand online, consumers cited customer reviews (62 percent), product images (40 percent), product ratings (38 percent), product size and material information (36 percent) and 360-degree or roll-over images (25 percent).
Other factors that influenced their decision include user-generated photos and real-life examples, videos, information about the brand values and company history and assembly instructions.
Brands can improve their product pages by providing the maximum number of allowable images, including details about their product materials or ingredients in feature bullets and description copy and regularly reviewing questions asked on the page then updating their product copy accordingly.
Despite the events of 2020, eMarketer estimates that worldwide retail ecommerce sales increased nearly 28 percent, or $4.280 trillion—a substantial uptick from the firm’s mid-pandemic forecast of 16.5 percent growth. Nevertheless, worldwide retail sales declined by three percent, to $23.839 trillion, reports eMarketer.
Salsify’s findings are based on an online survey conducted in December 2020 among 1,800 consumers who shopped online between June and December.
