The Power of Auditing the Digital Shelf: How Regular Audits Reveal and Resolve Product Pitfalls
Viktor Jagar
Product & Engineering Leader | CPG & Grocery Industry | Focused on Delivering Results
Leveraging Digital Shelf Audits to Identify and Resolve Product Issues
In today's highly digital retail environment, customers extensively research and evaluate products online before making purchasing decisions. A product's digital shelf presence is critical for visibility, engagement, and conversion. Conducting regular digital shelf audits provides e-commerce sites with data-driven insights that can reveal a wide range of product issues impacting the customer experience.
Through detailed analysis of the product pages and surrounding digital shelf components, retailers can gain invaluable visibility into areas of underperformance. Audits help you proactively identify product issues instead of waiting for problems to surface through angry customer feedback. Developing a regular cadence of digital shelf auditing and follow-up enables companies to monitor products for accuracy, presentation, technical problems, and more.
Here are 5 key ways digital shelf audits can reveal vital product issues:
Review Product Images
One element that makes or breaks a product page is the quality of the images presented. Are the images high-resolution and appealing? Do they accurately represent the product? Are multiple angles, details, and views provided? Images are often the first interaction a customer has with a product.
By auditing product images, companies can catch issues like low-resolution photos, inaccurate colors, missing critical angles or views of the product, inconsistency across product lines, or images that do not comply with standards. For example, Nike may require images featuring their swoosh logo a certain way. Without high-quality, compelling images, customer conversion will suffer.
An audit involves looking at things like:
Addressing identified image issues through new photography, image editing, standardized guidelines, and processes improves the customer experience and product representation.
Check Product Information
Another vital area to audit is the textual content presented on product pages. Is all the product information and details displayed accurate, complete, and compliant? Key product details like titles, descriptions, specifications, care instructions, and warnings require diligence to keep updated and error-free.
Auditing product info involves verifying the following:
Many issues like missing information, inaccurate specifications, dated descriptions, and non-compliant warnings, can creep in over time. Regular audits help address problems through content updates, expanded details, better categorization, and flagging compliance needs. Keeping product information complete, compelling and compliant is essential for customer experience.
Assess Digital Shelf Organization
The way products are organized and presented digitally on category and search pages significantly impacts discoverability and purchase decisions. Are products shelved under proper categories and facets to make it easy for customers to find what they need? Are products and variants surfacing correctly in search results?
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By auditing shelf organization, companies can detect issues like:
Problems with product organization lead to frustration when customers cannot quickly locate products or the appropriate version they need. Auditing and realigning site taxonomy, search indexing, site navigation, and product relationships ensure a shoppable shelf experience.
Analyze Product Availability
One of the biggest deal breakers is when customers find a product, but it is incorrectly showing as out of stock or unavailable to purchase. Are inventory levels and product availability displaying accurately?
When auditing product availability, key factors to evaluate include:
By identifying and addressing problems with integrations between product data systems, discrepancies in inventory counts or delays in updating availability, companies can resolve common customer experience-killing issues. Accurate availability keeps customers informed and engaged.
Monitor Ratings and Reviews
User-generated ratings and reviews provide unfiltered feedback on customer experience with products. By regularly auditing and analyzing this data, companies gain real-time insights into where products could be better for customers.
Key aspects to review in ratings and reviews include:
Uncovering recurring pain points, defects, sizing inconsistencies, and quality problems helps drive targeted product improvements. Auditing review trends can also reveal where expanded details, measurement guides, or better content is needed to aid purchase decisions. Proactively embracing ratings and reviews helps improve both products and digital experiences.
Regular Digital Audits Drive Continuous Improvement
Conducting regular digital shelf audits provides ongoing visibility into the complete end-to-end product experience customers encounter. Instead of a reactive approach, audits enable companies to identify pain points and spark product enhancements proactively.
While audits require diligence and resources, the payoff is happier customers, lower returns and exchanges, and improved conversion through compelling, accurate product representations. As a best practice, companies should audit at least quarterly, as well as conduct spot checks after major site changes, product launches or during peak seasons.
Automated tools can assist with monitoring and flagging issues as they arise. However, human analysis is critical for interpreting nuances and prioritizing opportunities. By making digital shelf audits a regular business process, e-commerce companies can stay ahead of product issues, maintain standards, and create a differentiated shopping experience. Delivering exceptional digital products drives business growth and customer loyalty.