The 2022 holiday season is around the corner, and many individuals have already started shopping. Brands should prepare now for the rush of e-commerce shopping that will come in the next few months, and that includes optimizing product content. 

This article provides helpful information to ensure your product content is ready for 2022 holiday e-commerce. 

Product Content and Holiday E-Commerce 

Content drives site traffic and compels consumers to buy. We can’t overemphasize the importance of content for any brand or business, especially those focused on e-commerce. 

As the 2022 holiday season approaches, it’s more important than any other time of the year for brands to prioritize product content to win their market in the coming months. 

Product content includes various aspects of information and data regarding a product. E-commerce product content can consist of:

• Product descriptions and feature bullets
• Images and video 
• Rich content spreads (often displayed inline or “below the fold”)
• Product dimensions and specs 
• How-to guides for product use

You can (and should) publish product content wherever you have an online presence: your site, socials, YouTube, etc. But the product content on your product detail pages will often determine whether a consumer purchases your product or moves on to your competitor. 

As you strategize your product content strategy for holiday e-commerce, you must continue content best practices while optimizing to target 2022 holiday shoppers. 

Below we explore what consumers expect from your brand’s product content and how you can ensure your product content is ready for holiday e-commerce. 

Consumer Holiday Shopping Desires: Frictionless Perfection 

As you’re creating and optimizing product content, you must understand today’s consumer demands. Specifically, what do they want and what do they need? Then create content that shows how your product delivers the solutions they’re after.

When it comes to online shoppers, especially during the holiday shopping season, all consumers want one thing: a perfect, easy, frictionless experience. 

And while perfection is a lofty goal, you can build product content to create seamless consumer experiences wherever shoppers interact with your brand. 

A 2021 1WorldSync report found that 84 percent of consumers expect product content to translate across platforms in an easily consumable format. 

Quality, informative product data answers questions before consumers ask them. Your product content should provide reason after reason why your brand is the best choice. Creating seamless product content experiences reduces friction in the shopping process. 

Informative product content within streamlined shopping experiences caters to today’s omnichannel shopper, improving brand perception, showing up on the channels they shop, and compelling them to buy. 

Reduce friction with your product content and get ready to take on the 2022 holiday e-commerce market. 

Preparing Online Product Content for the 2022 Holiday Season 

In addition to knowing what the consumer expects from your product content, you must know your product to create content that drives holiday sales. 

Knowing your products requires more than understanding specs and uses. You must articulate to the consumer why your product is superior and how purchasing your product will meet their needs or improve their life –– or the life of someone they’re giving gifts to! 

Product content should proactively answer questions the consumer might ask, then go a step further and show the consumer why they need to click “add to cart” at that moment. You know your product better than anyone. Use product content to show the rest of the world why your goods stand far above the rest. 

We list our 2022 holiday e-commerce product content best practices below. 

1. Provide Abundant Information 

The advent and widespread use of the digital shelf means consumers have data on endless products at their fingertips. A simple search provides shoppers with many products that might meet their search queries. Bottom line: holiday shoppers have options, and they know it. 

When crafting your product detail pages, include abundant product information. Your content should answer every possible question a consumer might have regarding your product, and it should do so in an appealing, engaging way. 

Shoppers should not have to search for product information. By providing product content that preemptively answers their questions, you instill confidence in your brand and product, and the shopper can determine if your item is right for them. 

Additionally, an abundance of product information reduces the likelihood of returns, which benefits both you and your shoppers. 

2. Informative Product Imagery

A photograph will capture a shopper’s attention faster and more effectively than a paragraph of product information (though written content is also essential to winning your digital shelf this holiday season!).

Accurate representation of your products enhances your branding and increases your sales. 1WorldSync research found that 45 percent of shoppers said quality product photos move them toward purchase. In comparison, 73 percent said poor quality imagery or too few images cause them to leave the site altogether. 

Many, if not most, holiday shoppers want to avoid walking into a store when possible. Giving consumers high-quality, informative product imagery inspires confidence in your brand and their purchasing decisions. Spin imagery allows shoppers to see every angle of your products. When buyers can’t hold an item in their hands, they trust brands to provide photographs and images that give them the information they need to proceed with a purchase. 

3. Streamline Product Content Publishing and Editing 

As the holiday shopping frenzy draws near, you’ll want to list strategically on more retailer sites. And the more retailers you partner with, the more regulations and retailer requirements you must manage. Add to that the constant need to update or edit your product information, and you can see the need for streamlined product content management. 

Publishing your product content from a single source of truth allows you to send and edit product content instantly. Content syndication across channels promotes product data accuracy and consistency. A centralized data source simplifies product content when you sell your goods through multiple retailers.  

Not only is it crucial to syndicate your content to your e-commerce partners, you can also streamline product content publishing and editing through rich content spreads. Embedding rich content spreads directly to your retailer PDPs allows you to extend your branding efficiently and effectively. Rich content spreads can include multimedia content that differentiates your brand against competitors and drives conversion.

4. Tailor Your Content for the Holiday Season 

By now, it’s clear that product content is invaluable for e-commerce success, especially during the holiday shopping season. Because this time of year is crucial for e-commerce brands, you want to take every step to ensure your content is optimized for the holiday shopper. That includes tailoring your content for the season. 

Customize your content to target e-commerce holiday buyers. Many consumers seek gifts, buy in line with trends, and conduct season-specific research. Tailor your product content accordingly. 

From your socials to product description pages to your site, create holiday-themed and holiday-targeted product content. Investing your resources in this way can boost your brand visibility, increase your position on the digital shelf, and make more sales in the 2022 holiday shopping season. 

We list a few types of product content you can make with holiday e-commerce traffic in mind: 

• Gift guides 
• Themed product photography
• Augmented reality modules  
• Product comparisons 
• How-to videos, including your product used in a holiday-themed setting

Holiday E-Commerce Prep Starts Now 

Holiday shopping doesn’t start the day after Thanksgiving. In fact, shoppers begin buying earlier every year. Prep for the 2022 holiday e-commerce season starts now. 

1WorldSync provides tools, resources, and software to ensure your product content is ready for holiday shoppers. Reach out to our team today to learn how we equip you to prepare for the influx of e-commerce customers you’ll see this holiday season.