Products: From Paper to Pixels

A customer’s online and print product experiences can be summed up as the difference between two words, according to Bridget Fahrland, executive creative director at e-business consultancy Fry Multimedia.

“The Web provides proactive shopping, while a print catalog provides reactive shopping,” she explains. “On a Web site, you’re allowed to play more with what you see.”

But make sure to play by the rules; a balance of romantic (read: promotional) copy and helpful product information is key to keeping a user’s interest, and consequently, business.

Petra Schindler Carter, director of consulting services at Fry, points out that consumers don’t have to make cognizant decisions when looking at catalogs; they just flip through. But on the Web, they must choose which pages to click on. Once users make their selections about which products to view, it’s up to you to keep them on your site. While strategies for product presentation vary according to company size and type of merchandise, a few general guidelines apply.

What to Keep in Mind

Fahrland and other industry experts say keeping all pertinent product photography and copy “above the fold”—viewable on one standard-sized computer screen—is becoming a common practice. Only cross-sell items should appear below the fold, advises Ken Burke, founder and CEO of consultancy Multimedia Live. And they should not compete with the item being viewed.

Also, when designing your product pages, consider the navigation capabilities of your target market. Miriam Frawley, president of consultancy e-Diner Design and Marketing, points out that while most newer computers employ an 800 x 600 pixel default screen, some people prefer an 800 x 640. If your site is designed for the former, those using a 640 screen will have to scroll sideways.

Additionally, she continues, test on different Internet browsers. She cites the example of a marketer whose site has a shopping area that can be viewed through Microsoft Explorer but not Netscape 4.7.

Photography Considerations

Most experts advise coordinating your online product shots with your offline shots to preserve brand and product familiarity. Burke suggests connecting your online shots to the catalog, and then extending some others. He proposes testing this with the top 10 percent of your products to see how it fares.

“Propping” your photos, or offering them in a context along with flat shots, builds on this idea. Fahrland uses the example of Crate and Barrel, which offers users the chance to view its furniture either alone or in a room. Propping can be shown either through a thumbnail or a daughter window.

Optimizing photos—compressing their file sizes for online use—brings with it several challenges. According to Amy Africa, president of direct marketing consultancy Creative Results, there are only 216 safe colors to use on the Web—meaning that everyone sees these colors the same way, regardless of computer or screen type. She warns that many designers use colors not included in this palette. The result can be dark and sometimes unviewable product images when not viewed on a color-calibrated screen.

Load times present another consideration. Burke advises e-commerce merchants to shoot for sub-one-second page returns, and recommends a file size of 2K to 4K for each thumbnail, and a maximum of 25K for the product shot itself. He uses a feature of Adobe Photoshop called Imageready to help compress files.

Optimizing properly is especially important if a significant portion of your customer base uses America Online (AOL) as its Internet browser, warns Africa. She says AOL often automatically optimizes the photos on frequently requested sites, resulting in a different appearance from how the site originally was designed. She recommends that e-commerce companies keep AOL accounts to check on how their sites look in this format.

Copy

Don’t rely only on propped and optimized photos to do all the work; buoy them with strong product copy.

Perspectives on ideal copy length vary, and most experts agree that the copy itself primarily should provide information to the buyer. Fahrland recommends that each product description have two lines of marketing copy and five to seven bulleted feature points. She suggests a total of 75 words per product, with eight to 10 words per line. Copy should go to the right of each product shot.

“It’s like left side for the heart and right for the brain,” Fahrland reasons.

Pack copy with keywords (especially if you use a database) and hyperlinks to other places on your site, Africa advises. Also include a call to action at the end of each product description. While this would seem overwhelming on a catalog spread, it won’t online because ideally, each product will have its own Web page. User testimonials and “quick fact” sheets are two more ways to provide useful product information.

Streaming Media: If, When and How

Experts note that the cost of streaming media, combined with its long load time and most users’ lack of sufficient bandwidth to view it, generally rule it out as a necessary showcasing tool.

“If you’re selling to techno-weenies, Nintendo lovers and upscale Web designers, there may be a chance it’ll work” says Africa. “But it’s not there for the average consumer—not even close.”

But Fry’s Fahrland and Schindler Carter contend that if your customer demographic is up for it and your products are appropriate enough, you may want to give streaming media a shot, albeit carefully. Because of its expense, Fahrland recommends mainly using the technology for high-ticket items. She says Brookstone showcases its Shiatsu Massage Lounger (price: $3,195) with a choice of low- or high-bandwidth videos.

But, she points out, you also might consider using streaming media to emphasize a product you’re specifically known for, even if it’s not high-priced. Schindler Carter seconds this for products whose interior views or overall details (such as compartments for luggage) are important considerations.

As an alternative for smaller catalogers with more budgetary restraints, Burke suggests enhancing certain items with audio annotations, video or even alternate product views.

Whatever your restraints, don’t hesitate to play with the Web’s ample opportunities for enhancing your product presentation.