You may now think that personal sales are crucial for selling products that require explanation. Digitalization has changed this, even if sales are still important. The fact is that today we search for information on the web in advance more than ever before. The decision as to whether we stay longer on a website is influenced by various factors. These include loading times, an appealing and responsive design, good navigation and the variety of information on the products. This is particularly the case in B2B, as several people are often involved in the purchasing decision process. However, optimization for search engines, especially technical optimization, is no less important in order to be found by potential customers in the first place. The site must then perform well. This means that visitors should reach their destination quickly.
The following list is intended to give you an overview of the features that, in our experience, are very important for the success of websites with products that require explanation. This will give you a solid foundation and further improve the user experience for your users.
Features specifically for products requiring explanation?
The following features are of course also suitable for providers of services or other products. However, as products that require explanation often involve a longer purchasing process, the examples are particularly suitable for these products.
Product configurator - the customer must be able to easily find the right product for them
Finding the right product is not always easy. This is particularly the case when the product range of a manufacturer is very large, but the products only differ in nuances, such as CNC milling machines, household appliances such as washing machines, smartphones or similar products. It is therefore important to provide potential customers with something that either makes comparison easy or facilitates selection. This can be done via the navigation, for example, where categories reveal something about the intended use, industry, material, benefits, etc. of the product. Tables with product features or technical data sheets also help. These are particularly helpful when a comparison with several products is possible. And it's much easier to do this digitally than poring over printed data sheets or brochures.
Alternatively, it is possible to implement a product configurator, even if the initial costs are usually somewhat higher than for the pure presentation of information. The advantage of a configurator is that the customer can see at a glance which options are available. This allows them to quickly select the specifications they need. This is comparable to a hotel search. Filters are used to narrow down the product range and only the results that meet the selected criteria are displayed at the end. In addition, a configurator, if implemented correctly, is usually much more user-friendly because you can "click together" the desired product and do not have to laboriously search for information via the navigation or categories.
Search - when potential customers find content quickly, they are happy
It is clear that your own site should be found by the user first, and in most cases Google is simply better than any internal search. But if a user comes to your website to search for relevant information or products, then either the navigation or the search should lead the user quickly and easily to their destination. And let's be honest, if you have a lot of content, you probably don't want to cram it all into the navigation. That's why a search function is highly advisable.
Factors that make a good search function, apart from obvious things such as the findability of the search, are the relevance of the search results for the user, the ability to narrow down the search results using filters, the ability to also find synonyms, auto-completion of words and auto-corrections as well as the output of alternative search suggestions. Furthermore, the indexing of file content such as text from PDFs can also be part of the standard search. And if you want to really shine with your search, then in addition to a clear display of results, the following ideas can be tailored to your products and deliver added value to the customer:
- Make categories or page path visible
- show the document type
- make the publication date of the file available
- display the available languages of the content and make it easy to select them
The implementation of such a search is not the most trivial thing in the world. This is because the technical implementation and the entry of search terms, synonyms, auto-correction, etc. takes time. However, the output for you as an entrepreneur can be all the greater if customers receive the desired information quickly and conveniently.
Contact - give your customers the chance to find the right contact quickly
There are few things more frustrating than searching forever for the right contact for a product when questions remain unanswered. In large companies in particular, a general number rarely gets you to your destination quickly.
It would be much nicer if you could reach the right person straight away when you make contact, wouldn't it? That is possible! This means that the website itself dynamically searches for the right contact person: by product category, federal state or country in which your potential customer is currently located or according to other criteria you specify. As a provider, you receive additional added value if you have an interface from your web application to your CRM. This is because the relevant data such as name, company and product for which interest has been expressed can already flow into your data memory. And don't make it so difficult for your potential customers and don't hide your telephone number!
But don't forget: your content is one of the most important factors
Features or not, the most important thing is still the content and the products you offer. If you have boring or no content for your potential customers, then even the best search in the world won't help.
Depending on the industry, the most relevant content for customers includes: details about the products, case studies, references, current news, but also things like instructions (e.g. as videos) or technical data sheets. Above all, however, it should be clear to the customer how they can benefit from which product. Some of the points mentioned are also very important for the marketing of services, as it is not possible to present a product. Therefore, the competencies of the company or its employees must be presented, e.g. through certificates. Images and graphics also help to present complex issues simply. And since your website is one or the first point of contactpunkt der the entire customer journey, don't miss the chance to make a good (first) impression.
And what do you think are the most important features that a website offering products that require explanation must have? I look forward to hearing your experiences!
