✅ The product check: the first learnings and results

At Aiden, guided selling is our obsession. We believe that “helping people” is the future of e-commerce: not a feature, but the future.

This also means that we are constantly taking a critical look at whether things could not be even better. And when we see such an opportunity, we dive full of it.

At the end of January, for example, we launched the product check: a special type of product finder for your product detail page (PDP). Now, six months later, we are happy to share the first implementations, learnings and results of this innovation. Did you know, for example, that almost half of the products that are “checked” are apparently not a good match for the customer in question? And that a PDP with a products check converts 15% better?

But first, a step back. What was the reason for developing the product check again?

Generic search term, specific product page

With Aiden's guided selling solution, you help customers in the moment that matters: the moment when doubt sets in and they are afraid to make a purchase decision.

Logically, most online stores instantly think of their category page, also known as the product lister page (PLP). The question that customers ask themselves here is “Which product suits me?” In other words, which of the 872 backpacks, 379 laptops or 212 drills is best suited to my specific situation?

It is indeed super logical and effective to help customers on the category page with good advice. But when we zoom in on customer needs and e-commerce dynamics, we see a second question that we had actually only answered to a limited extent with our product finders.

That's because visitors spend exponentially more time elsewhere: onthe product pages (PDP). In addition, more and more direct traffic is landing on those pages, especially due to Google's Performance Max, where very generic search terms provide very specific results. Like in this example, where the generic search term “bbq” results in specific Google Shopping ads for barbecues:

Up to 70-80% of the advertising budget goes to these placements. But that generic search traffic via this route certainly does not (always) land directly on the specific product that actually best suits their needs.

And how are these browsing customers assisted on the PDP? Well, not at all! On the PDP, all arrows point to the checkout, because the assumption is that most customers are ready to buy in this place. That's not the case — many of those customers are still at the beginning of their search. So, many valuable visitors drop out and the ROAS of most stores is much lower than it should be.

From product finder to product check

In the past, our customers have already shared positive experiences with the placement of product finders on the PDP. Split-traffic A/B tests showed that offering “help” on the PDP increases the add-to-cart and conversion rate. Great! And it made us suspect that more was possible. Because what if we actually were you going to answer the customer's question on the PDP?

On the category page (PLP), the customer asks: “Which product is right for me?” This question is answered by a product finder.

On the product page (PDP), the question is correct: “Fits this product with me? ' To answer this question, we developed the product check.

Instead of a general advice, a product check provides a product specific advice. Not: “These 3 headphones best suit your needs,” but: “The headphones you're considering don't quite suit your needs. Check out this alternative!”

We had 2 hypotheses:

1. With the product check, we better assist customers because we focus more specifically on their question. We confirm or correct the customer's choice. This would improve the effect of the advice, as shown through the click-through rate and conversion rate.
2. With the product check, we also increase the exposure of the product finders. This is because of a better positioning: simply more customers use guided selling on the PDP when the promise is that they will get an answer to their most important question.

Increasing both effect and exposure should subsequently result in more impact.

So, now that we've been live for a few months, how can we answer these hypotheses?

The results of the product check

In our book - Customers who aren't sure, won't buy - we write that ”helping customers a little bit is better than not helping them at all”. But do you know what's better than “helping a little bit better”? Helping a lot better.

If you're going to better assist more customers, this also leads to better and more impact. And the data from the first live product checks confirms this.

1. Doubled exposure

First of all, we see that in the exposure. Without exception, the number of sessions went x2 (or more) at stores that started using the product check. Have a guess when this store did so:

2. Increased conversion compared to product finder

So with a product check on the PDP, you know how to find and help more uncertain customers. But, more importantly: a produt check has an even stronger impact on the PDP's performance than a product finder. This was already evident from the tests we did before launching the feature: we saw 11% to 65% more conversion for a product check compared to a classic product finder in the same spot on the PDP. In recent practice, we also see the same effect, as with this store:

3. Better performance for the PDP as a whole

Now that more and more stores are using the product check in practice (and A/B testing it), we know for sure: the PDP as a whole performs better when it has a product check on it. Just look at this A/B test where product pages with a product check yielded no less than 15% more add-to-carts compared to the same pages without a product check:

We also gained another valuable insight: almost half of the products that are 'checked' do not sufficiently meet the needs of the visitor. They get the message that it's better to buy an alternative (and do so more often).

We find that super interesting! Especially when you compare this to the ad spend, where, in e-commerce, you can spend (ten) thousands of euros per month and apparently land a large part of that traffic on a product that is not actually suitable for them. In a product check, these customers quickly find an alternative that does suit their needs.

By correcting the wrong choices, we therefore also expect the product check to have a great impact on return rates — another reason why guided selling is so essential for e-commerce organizations to embrace.

Conclusion: from product page to customer page

We often think: the PDP is where people buy. But actually, it's mostly where people don't buy. And when they do buy, they often buy the wrong product.

The data shows that a product check on the PDP works extremely well, especially in combination with a regular procut finder on the category page. We move from a page that only focuses on the product (and product specifications) to a page that also shows interest in the customer (and the customer's question). And that is a win-win for everyone.

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