Content is king in several different industries, especially in retail. If used strategically, content can drive customer engagement, shopper satisfaction, and increase profits.
As seen originally on Fierce Retail, "there's a delicate line between content and commerce," said Matt Wishnow, founder and CEO at Clearhead, at the Shop.org Digital Summit 2015.
As seen, content was the secret sauce to GoPro's success, according to Meghan Litchfield, head of global eCommerce for GoPro. The organization is constantly blending their product into their content by telling the product's story as it relates to their customer base. "We have to drive relevance in order to get people to identify with us and our brand," Litchfield said.
As a result, GoPro focuses on guided shopping and shopping by activity. For example, if a user self-indentifies as a skier, the website will show content, products and videos related to skiing. She also discussed the power of personal, user-generated content. "Every product has a fan. Find your fans and encourage them to share," Litchfield said. "UGC doesn't just happen, you have to make it happen."
For Lowe's, their content strategy has developed differently. Just a few years ago, product information on Lowe's website was the second most frequent customer complaint, according to Richard Chapman, Lowe's senior content development manager.
As indicated in Fierce Retail's original article, Lowe's was previously only using the information the vendor provided. Chapman said the first step in the content strategy was to get the copy right. "Focus on what the customer wants and needs to read about that product. Don't assume vendors are talking the language that your customers need to read," he said.
Graphics were the other big win for Lowe's content strategy. Chapman's team ditched single product photos with a white background for images that showed the product in real-life settings -- and saw huge increases in conversion rates. For example, swapping the image of a single piece of wood paneling with pictures of the wood floors in different real-life room settings increased conversion by 95%. In addition, conversion rates increased by 97% for the outdoor grill after including up-close shots of special features and burgers on the grill.
"Show what the customers want to see, when they want to see it," Chapman said. "It's not as easy as it looks."
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