A new study# conducted by L2 in partnership with Demandware provides evidence that content and commerce can and should coexist in direct-to-consumer channels:
Historically, site investments by retailers have bifurcated into two camps: (a) optimizing commerce by providing a streamlined push-to-cart and checkout experience; or (b) organizing rich content to enhance engagement and build brand equity.
It is a well-know fact that before making a purchase people go online to browse options and research solutions. Sites that combine product information and, for instance, reviews, instructional videos, along with other branded content provide a richer, differentiated experience that helps sway decisions.
The four types of content that L2 believes have the highest impact on conversion are:
- Blogs and microsites
- Video and tutorials
- User Generated Content
- Guided selling tools
Blogs offer a suitable format on a company owned domain to weave lifestyle-type content based on the themes and topics that resonate the most with fans and followers in social networks along with links to new product information, retail location events, etc., and yet continue to be severely underutilized by brands.
The reasons why often include a lack of organizational vision and process, which then translates into gaps in experience across channels and little commitment to quality in content creation and a non existent or inconsistent approach to distribution.
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Valeria is an experienced listener. She designs service and product experiences to help businesses rediscover the value of promises and its effect on relationships and culture. She is also frequent speaker at conferences and companies on a variety of topics. Book her to speak here.