In 2017, more brands took control of their product content to drive better customer experience. For our new trend analysis report, Salsify commissioned Echo Cove Research to survey 200 ecommerce, sales, and marketing leaders at brand manufacturers. The results uncover substantial, increasing pressure on brands.

With 77% of shopping journeys starting in a search bar, brands must invest in the people, processes, and technology to orchestrate the product experience for the digital consumer. Online product content impacts consumers’ purchase decisions online and offline. To succeed in 2018, leading active brands must adopt an insights-driven mindset, supported by a closed-loop system (data to insights to action), which eventually turns learning into behaviors that create better customer experiences. In addition, active brands need a cohesive business technology strategy aimed at enabling a company to keep up with customer wants and needs. Finally, success will require a culture that prioritizes digital’s impact on the consumer journey.

52% of brands eliminated the use of spreadsheets for managing product content internally 

59% of brands selling direct-to-consumer (D2C) regionalized their product content efforts

37% of brands say a top goal for their online retail channels is to build brand awareness

With traditional forms of mass media losing reach and effectiveness, consumers discover brands when they search for or filter by the product attributes they want on a retailer’s site. Get the full set of data to better prepare your strategy for 2018 and beyond.