If your main motivation for investing in content marketing is to boost your SEO and reach new customers, you’re on the right path. But the thing is, that’s not all that content is good for. For one, it makes for a killer branding tool. By producing the right type of content, you can support and finetune the associations consumers have with your brand. Secondly, it can be an excellent way to present your products and demonstrate their potential, automatically improving the e-commerce customer experience. But the thing is, for content to be effective at doing these things, it needs to be well-made. And not just that, but it also needs to be visually attractive, original, and well-organized. If it does all that, it’s bound to help you convert web traffic into paying customers. But if it doesn’t, it’s a waste of precious resources. So how can you use content to boost customer experience on your e-commerce website? Read on to find out.

Streamline the Pre-Sale Experience

Consumer behavior is rapidly changing in 2021. For example, the PwC’s June 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey shows that more people seek out eco-conscious and price-oriented purchasing options, which is a new trend But, that isn’t to say that everything’s changing. The main things that consumers want from brands are actually consistent with previous years’ tendencies:

• 46% want reliability
• 31% are looking for wide availability
• 28% want exceptional customer service
• 20% want a fun experience
• 14% are looking for engaging content
• 12% prioritize a seamless digital experience.

With these statistics in mind, it’s only logical that brands need to start looking into ways they can use content marketing to help consumers gain a better shopping experience. One great way to do this is to invest in content that makes product research more fun and accessible. Whether you put together a guide on how to choose the best product type – as GILI Sports did here – or break down the pros and cons of a particular product category is entirely up to you. What’s essential is that you give valuable advice that will prove to your readers they can trust your brand. One great way to do this is to invest in content that makes product research more fun and accessible. Whether you put together a guide on how to choose the best product type – as GILI Sports did here – or break down the pros and cons of a particular product category is entirely up to you. What’s essential is that you give valuable advice that will prove to your readers they can trust your brand.

Provide Value Post-Sale

Successful e-commerce stores rarely rely on selling exclusively to new customers. And that’s because, generally, customer acquisition can cost considerably more than customer retention.  With this in mind, it’s essential for eCommerce brands to continually prove the value of their products to their existing customers. That’s why creating helpful content that shows new ways to use products or gives instructions on how users can get more out of their purchases is an excellent idea. Vitamix, for example, continuously publishes new recipes on its Recipes page, presenting customers with attractive meals they can easily whip up using the appliances they already own. What’s even better about this brand’s approach is that it makes use of a handy “container size” feature, allowing readers to automatically adjust ingredient requirements to the type of blender they own.

Create Expert Content

One great way to use your content to improve your customers’ experience is to answer their questions with content that’s been written by experts. By targeting highly specific consumer needs that your competitors may not have in-depth solutions for, you’re setting yourself up for success. The reason your customers are on this page is to be educated by someone who knows more than them.  So don’t hold back on the details. Look at the customer’s needs from every possible angle. Ask yourself what your readers want to know and deliver every answer they may be looking for. And don’t hesitate to flaunt your expert credentials, either. If your content’s been written by a Ph.D. candidate or an industry thought-leader, let the world know! A great example of a brand doing just this comes from Transparent Labs. Knowing that losing weight and getting into shape is a complicated process that many people don’t fully understand, the brand created an in-depth 8 week body recomposition guide. The article does a great job of:

• Providing high-quality, expert-level information on a complex topic.
• Generating trust in the content by publishing the author’s credentials.
• Providing additional credibility by referencing the site’s advisory board.
• Referencing the brand’s flagship products.

By answering so many of potential customer’s concerns, the site does a great job of improving their overall shopping experience.

Use Content to Boost Product Page UX

One of the biggest misconceptions about content marketing is that it’s exclusively reserved for blogs and multimedia distribution channels.  But here’s the thing. Well-made content can serve you just as well on the product pages of your e-commerce website, whether it’s visual, written, or in the form of an embedded video. To really help improve customer experience on your site, look for ways you can make your product pages more exciting with content:

• Could you compose better product descriptions that would go further than the basics?
• Would a FAQ section make it easier for people to decide if an item is the best choice for them?
• Could you step up your product photography to provide as close of a browsing experience as buyers would get at a retail location? (82% of people want to view and touch a product before committing to a purchase).
• Would a how-to video explain product use better than standard text?
• Can you embed user-generated content for a touch of social proof?

These are just some of the ways high-quality content helps create a pleasant online shopping experience even for people who prefer retail.  For inspiration on implementing these solutions, check out the Mannequin Mall page for their invisible mannequins. The brand provides a helpful description, precise measurements, and a handy video that shows how photographers and clothing manufacturers can use it to drive their business forward.

Make It New & Exciting

When deciding to produce content that will improve the e-commerce customer experience, your first instinct should always be to go with value. Essentially, if you can write an article, create a video, or even snap a photo that will make your target audience’s buyer journey a more pleasant ordeal, then go for it. But, once you know you’ve provided that value and have an idea for something that could take your product pages, landing page, or even homepage to the next level – that’s where you want to go. You see, most people only think of content as articles or visuals, but it can be so much more than that. It can be the one thing that offers an immersive experience that simply hooks your potential clients onto the idea of becoming your paying customers. It’s what subscription developers do with free trials, clothing brands with virtual try-on features, and it’s what Rain or Shine Golf does with its SkyTrak demo feature. Instead of trying to do the impossible by describing what the golf simulator does, this brand chose to create a short demo. By clicking on it, potential buyers can explore three of the product’s main features and can see, in detail, exactly what they can expect to get with their purchase. It’s a great solution, especially considering the fact that the price tag on the stimulator exceeds most people’s idea of a “risk-free purchase.”

But Remember to Keep Your Priorities Straight

Before we send you out on a quest to create the most exciting and innovative piece of content for your website, it’s important that we give you one final piece of e-commerce content wisdom. And that is: never make sacrifices to your website’s usability for the sake of offering something pretty or innovative. Yes, consumers love immersive online experiences. But not at the cost of usability. Slow page load times, for example, lead to high site abandonment rates and a loss in conversions. Similarly, not offering a uniform experience on desktop and mobile devices puts you at risk of losing a significant portion of your potential buyers. And let’s not get into the consequences of sacrificing product page readability for the sake of SEO optimization. To avoid these common mistakes, try to ask yourself these two questions: is this piece of content really benefiting my customers? Or is it a nuisance they would prefer to have out of the way? If you’re not sure, it may be time to do some split testing and let your website visitors’ behavior be the judge. That way, you’ll be 100% certain that what you’ve done is helpful and not just a gimmick nobody cares about.

Final Thoughts

The thing about offering an excellent customer experience on your e-commerce website isn’t just that it helps your conversion rates. Satisfied customers will also be more likely to buy from you again, to spend more money in your store, and to recommend you to their friends and family. It definitely pays to do everything in your power to ensure they’re happy while shopping with you. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be a challenging thing. Yes, it requires a well-made website, great products, and a winning customer service team, but you can also achieve a lot with the content you include on your pages. So, if you’re ready to take your business to the next level, consider whether there are things you can do with content that will make your customer happier. Whether it’s creating a collection of recipes they can make with your blender, an embedded how-to video on your product pages, or an interactive demo of your award-winning software, rest assured that it will be worth the investment.