Product detail pages — what they are, why they’re important, and how to optimize yours
Ecommerce offers many benefits to buyers and consumers, but one drawback is that consumers can’t physically interact with items they’re buying. Overcoming this challenge is a primary concern for ecommerce business — and the solution is all in the details.
A good product detail page (PDP) does exactly that — it provides the particulars users need to bridge the gap created by online shopping.
In spite of the PDP’s huge impact on conversions, a Baymard Institute study revealed that many ecommerce brands struggle with effective product detail page design. It’s hard to create persuasive PDPs because large quantities of information must be highly detailed and meticulously accurate — without being awkward to navigate.
While there’s no set formula, this post offers best practices and strategies that can help you develop elegant product detail pages that compel higher conversion rates. It includes:
- What is a product detail page?
- Why are product detail pages important?
- The components of a product detail page
- Product detail page design best practices
What is a product detail page?
A product detail page (PDP) is a web page that outlines everything customers and buyers need to know about a particular product — including information about color, sizing, material, pricing, shipping options, and more.
The purpose of a product detail page is to give online audiences all the information necessary to make a purchase — and persuade the buyer to complete that purchase — by blending product data, features, benefits, and images into a succinct and user-friendly web page.
While all the page elements must work harmoniously to be effective, the most important component of a PDP is the “Add to cart” button. Despite its seemingly simple design, the call to action (CTA) has a huge impact on conversion rates. Its placement, color, copy, and functionality all require rigorous strategy to maximize potential. For example, a study byGrowth Rock showed that ecommerce sites using “sticky” CTA buttons experienced increased sales on both desktop and mobile devices.
Why are product detail pages important?
Product detail pages are important because users don’t buy when product information is either incomplete or incorrect. The quality of your PDP has a big influence on the outcome of a sale.
PDPs are where customers and buyers make their purchase decisions. The product detail page is your best chance to convince prospects to buy your product. Salsify’s 2021 Consumer Research Report revealed high-quality product pages are the primary reason that buyers trust brands. Well-optimized product detail pages balance images, text, and other user-experience elements to maximize sales and decrease bounce rates.
PDPs build trust and brand integrity. Product detail pages increase brand trust because your effort to help someone make an informed buying decision shows respect for your customer and confidence in your product. When data is accurate and the purchasing process is easy, you create pleasant customer experiences that can lead to more sales in the future.
PDPs can generate new customers. According to the 2022 State of Consumer Behavior report by Raydiant, over 56% of US consumers prefer to shop online. That means over half of your audience is already familiar with ecommerce experiences, and if your site can fill in the gaps that competitors’ sites don’t, you’re far more likely to earn new business.
They minimize returns, churn rates, and customer complaints. Well-executed product detail pages are one of the best ways to avoid returns, abandoned carts, and customer dissatisfaction. This is partially because purchasing errors are greatly reduced when every product detail is easy to find. However, this is only possible if you ensure all information, pricing, and product images are 100% accurate.
The components of a product detail page
Every component of an effective product detail page contributes to an informative and compelling buyer experience. Below are several elements great PDPs have in common, and why they matter.
- Menu. An intuitive navigation experience should be top priority because user-friendly web pages can help lower bounce rates. Including a navigation menu at the top of each product detail page lets customers quickly and easily travel around your site.
- Search bar. Usually situated inside the navigation menu, a search bar is pivotal because it helps visitors find what they’re looking for more easily and quickly. While a seemingly minor component, this added autonomy and convenience improves the user experience and can result in more sales.
- Product images. Since online buyers can’t physically interact with your product, images are crucial for helping them experience the product. Salsify’s 2022 Consumer Research Report revealed that website visitors expect five to eight professional-quality product images/videos, so there should be multiple shots of each product from different angles. Additionally, images should update based on the viewer’s color or material selection.
Nothing New product detail pages include images of the shoes from every angle, on and off a model. If the user selects a different color on the right, every image changes to match. - Product title. The product title is the biggest text on a product detail page and tells users exactly what they’re looking at. It should be one of the first attributes the customer notices besides a high-quality product image. Titles should be bold, concise, and clear.
- Product description. This is a high-level overview of the product that usually sits beneath the product title and succinctly describes features and benefits. This section handles most of the “informative” heavy-lifting, telling customers exactly why they should invest in your product.
- Additional product details. This section provides more information to describe other product attributes that audiences want to know, such as item size, color options, availability, and more.
- Breadcrumbs. Breadcrumb navigation shows the customer exactly how they arrived at a current product detail page, as well as the category page that the product falls under. While minimal in design, breadcrumbs can improve user experiences by making navigation easier to interpret.
- Price. Product costs are often one of the most important details to the customer. Pricing must be easy to find to avoid user frustration, so it usually sits by the CTA. During a sale, pricing can be a conversion opportunity because you can persuade customers by showing the difference between the sale and original price.
- Call to action. CTA buttons are the PDP’s most important conversion component. Minimal by design — usually no more than a button with text — they’re crucial to removing friction from the buying process. CTAs should be impossible to miss, and brands often use a bold color and simple copy (like “Add to cart”) to grab the viewer’s attention.
- Shipping info. Customers want to know how and when their products will arrive once they buy, so shipping information should be easy to find on your product detail page. It’s also crucial that all estimated shipping costs and policies are clearly displayed because the number one reason for cart abandonment is unexpected shipping or tax prices, based on reports by Barilliance.
- Policies. All relevant business policies should be displayed on the product detail page to ensure customers understand every detail involved with making a purchase. The policy section should include product warranties, return policy, privacy policy, and terms of use.
Product detail page design best practices
Now that you have the components of a product detail page, let’s dive into some best practices for design. Implementing some or all of these strategies on your PDP can help dramatically increase conversion rates.
Share reviews and ratings
Customer reviews and product ratings are one of the most compelling tools ecommerce sites can use. While customers and buyers won’t just believe everything you say about your product, they are more likely to buy something if other customers have great things to say.
Reviews and ratings are a form of social proof that establish the popularity and quality of your product. A report by BrightLocal found that 79% percent of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Placement tip: Product ratings can be positioned near the product title while reviews usually sit towards the bottom of the page.
Make additional recommendations
AI-powered personalization helps ecommerce brands recommend products that are similar or in the same general category as the product the customer is currently viewing. This helps conversions because personalized recommendations can appeal directly to the customer’s unique buying trends. They can even help sell add-ons or upsell to a newer or more robust version of the product.
Placement tip: Recommendations can be anywhere on the product detail page depending on whether you’re making add-on or upsell recommendations. Most often, they’re displayed at the bottom of the page or on a sidebar.
Emphasize product scarcity
This tried-and-true marketing strategy is usually displayed as a marker or alert showing “only X left” or “X people have in their cart.” By tapping into people’s fear of missing out, you can help motivate customers to complete a purchase before the item sells out.
Placement tip: Scarcity elements are usually displayed near the additional product details section or CTA button to make it easy for visitors to take advantage of the deal.
Prioritize mobile optimization
Mobile optimization is critical to the success of a product detail page. According to Google Consumer Insights, being able to shop on mobile devices impacts 59% of consumers’ buying decisions. Make sure your product pages function as well on a mobile device as they do on a desktop computer to avoid bounce rates.
Getting started with product detail pages
Product detail pages are invaluable revenue-generating tools because they let customers evaluate a product and feel more confident in their buying decisions. By blending detailed product information and pleasant user experiences together, consumers are more likely to buy from you instead of your competitor.
The first step to a powerful product detail page is implementing a personalized ecommerce solution that supports your unique goals. Once you have that in place, focus on thorough A/B and multivariate testing to optimize your pages for peak performance.
When you’re ready to make your B2B and B2C ecommerce more efficient and effective, Adobe Commerce provides infinite scalability that lets you manage all your channels, brands, and sites from one user-friendly platform. Learn more by taking a free product tour or check out the overview video.