Product data: What you need to know

Structuring your product information and capturing meaningful data about each product is essential when marketing and selling products online. But what is meaningful product information? Let’s take a closer look.

Each product sold online needs:

1. An item code: base stock keeping unit (SKU) data.
2. A unique title: think of what information Google would need to write a specific ad for the product.
3. A description: potentially with bullet points, giving further information.
4. A list of product variations: size, colour, design, etc.
5. An image: preferably more than one.
6. A product category.

For your products to be ready to sell online, you have to actually capture this list of information for each one. Luckily, with the right system integration, this is a task you’ll only have to do once.

More information = more helpful

When a customer is trying to make a decision between two options, more information is always a good thing. Think about how you can give them as thorough a view as possible of your product. Perhaps that means adding extra keywords, more photos, a more detailed description or a longer title. It’s helpful to think about how you shop online: do you just look for shoes, or do you look for Falke hiking socks, in size 9, for high performance?

The magic formula for apparel product descriptions is: Brand + Gender + Color + Size + Specific model + Material + Category Not every product will include all of these elements, but you should aim to have as many of them as possible.

Tailored descriptions to suit your market

Of course, selling socks is very different to selling toys, and one of the things to keep top of mind when compiling product data is what questions your customers will have, and how to answer them before they have to ask.

So if you’re selling a child’s toy, you may need to include things like:

1. The product size or dimensions.
2. What’s in the box: item numbers and descriptions.
3. What age it is suitable for.
4. What problem it solves, or what skill it develops.
5. What material it is made from, including washing instructions, if necessary.
6. Warranty or batteries information, and whether batteries are included.
7. A few highlights about the product.

Remember: it’s important to write original descriptions so that your listing gets the benefit of SEO – the descriptions don’t have to be complicated, but unique copy is always an advantage.

Different products need different data

It may seem obvious that different products need different data. On one level it is, as each product needs a different data set that describes it. But different kinds of products also need different data. If you’re selling a technical product to technical customers (like RAM, for example), it’s important to give all the technical information you have available – including all the specs you can find that will give them a better idea of what exactly you’re selling.

If you’re selling something ‘touchy feely’ (like a teddy bear, for example), it’s important to give the emotional benefits of buying the product – tell the story of how it will be their child’s favourite cuddly toy, and travel with them everywhere.

The question of whether better descriptions lead to more sales (and higher prices) was answered in a study where objects that were bought for $1 to $4 were given a meaningful story and resold on eBay. The result? The value of the objects went up by 2700%. The stories we attach to objects give them meaning. It is up to you to give your products meaning that will ring true for your customers, and make them more likely to buy.

Once you’ve gathered all this product data, it’s essential to store it in one central place so that if you make a change, it will be carried through to all your sales channels. That’s where Stock2Shop can help. We can also help you keep track of your stock from one simple, easy-to-use console.