Digital Experience

The most significant adoption trends on the product listing page (PLP) center around helping shoppers more easily find what they are looking for. Most have adopted table stakes functionality on the PLP such as faceted navigation and multiple sort options, but, although more retailers have implemented more sophisticated filtering capabilities that include store inventory synchronization, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Beyond the usual suspects such as including ratings on the product listing page (still only adopted by just over half), the index also reveals new(ish) initiatives to help shoppers discover products such as guided selling tools and social proof messaging to further elevate the shopping experience and boost conversions.

Many product detail page (PDP) best practice capabilities including product recommendations and multiple product images have been adopted by the majority of companies in the index. However, features that can significantly improve the user experience and boost conversions such as product videos, “complete the outfit” and threshold messaging have yet to gain traction and wide adoption.

Good content is critical for strong shopper engagement - to inspire and drive conversions. Although most retailers and recognize the power of content, the index reveals that many struggle with finding the right balance between content and commerce. As a result, the content strategy is rarely optimized, and few have implemented shoppable content to weave relevant and inspirational content throughout the shopping journey.

Increasing in popularity, guided selling tools are often used to recreate the in-store experience by asking a shopper questions to identify needs and wants. Based on the answers, the shopper is guided to recommended products. Guided selling is not only about narrowing down the shopper’s choice. It can also be a helpful tool to reduce return rates, by helping shoppers find the right fit or sizing. Some companies use a quiz format to gather information about a shopper’s likes to create the ultimate wish or gift list. When done right, guided selling is a powerful tool to engage shoppers and drive conversions.

The power of social influence is undeniable, however many organizations have yet to go beyond traditional features such as ratings and reviews. Retailers and brands can leverage social influence tools such as the injection of customer photos, user-generated FAQs, and real-time social proof messaging throughout the customer journey to guide product discovery, provide inspiration, and enable customers to shop with confidence.​

Today’s shoppers expect seamless shopping experiences regardless of what channel, touchpoint or device they are interacting with. For the most part, retailers and brands have taken notice and responded to customer demands. ORI criteria for the mobile channel consistently get higher adoption scores compared to web, in-store and cross-channel criteria.