Makeup and hygiene products are personal. Consumers must match skin tone, complexion, and skin type, which can be tricky while shopping on digital channels — if there aren't enough images and information.
According to the 2020 Salsify Consumer Research Report, 79% of shoppers cite problems with product content as a reason they didn't make a purchase. Additionally, 58% specifically referenced not enough product information and details on the product detail page (PDP) as the reason, and 45% pointed to too few images and videos.
Enhanced content, also known as rich media, A+ content, and below-the-fold content, helps create an immersive, colorful, and informative product experience.
Using image galleries, videos, comparison charts, and other enhanced content features, brands can best outline their product's unique features and expose brand positioning, building trust with shoppers.
3 Winning Personal Care and Beauty Brands
Here are three winning personal care and beauty brands with outstanding PDP examples that help shoppers understand how to apply and use their products. Their use of enhanced content helps them drive brand loyalty and grow sales on the digital shelf.
1. L’Oréal Paris
Within the beauty category, shoppers have high expectations for product content and expect PDPs to highlight not only the product ingredients, manufacturing information, and use cases, but they also want step-by-step instructions and answers to their questions. L’Oréal Paris highlights all of these essential features within its rich media on Walmart.
Feature Step-by-Step Instructions
Consumers' ability to see how to use products and apply them to the skin is essential when they can't feel the texture for themselves and try it out. Like L'Oréal Paris does with its "Rosy Tone Anti-Aging Eye Brightener" product, step-by-step, how-to image galleries are a simple but immensely valuable PDP feature.
- Better: Image galleries of product shots
- Best: Image galleries that instruct and guide consumers on how to use the product
Source: L’Oréal Paris Walmart
Answer Consumer Questions — Before They Ask
Preemptively answering frequently asked questions (FAQ) on technical or specialty products allows brands to get ahead of what consumers want to know. This helps keep shoppers on the page longer and ensures their experience isn’t disrupted by waiting for brand responses.
Your brand should gather questions frequently asked on search engines, social media comments, and other consumer feedback mechanisms and proactively display them within your product details.
- Better: Answer consumer questions quickly after receiving them
- Best: Anticipate and answer consumer questions before they're asked
Use Before and After Shots to Show Products in Action
Beauty shoppers love seeing how a product can transform their look, routine, or area of concern. Shots of the product before use and then after clearly manage consumer expectations — and may even give them new ideas on using the product differently.
- Better: Bullets that explain the benefits and intended outcomes of the product
- Best: Images or video that show and help consumers visualize the product in action
2. Johnson & Johnson
Shoppers searching for Johnson & Johnson on Walmart are greeted with a brand collection landing page. It’s simple, but the image and tagline banner along the top of the page let consumers know they’ve reached the right place.
Highlight Ingredients (and What’s Not Inside)
Consumers care about what they are putting on and in their bodies. Whether they have concerns due to allergies, environmental effects, or long-term health worries, assuage their fears and help them understand your product better by stating what’s not on your product ingredient list and how you’ve improved your product’s formula over time.
- Better: Clearly list out ingredients
- Best: Use consumer feedback to explain what worrisome ingredients are not in your products
Show How Your Products Can Fit Into Shoppers' Lives
When consumers understand how a product could fit into their lives and its benefits, this can help build brand loyalty. New parents are often looking for guidance and expert advice. Enhanced content is the perfect space to suggest ways to create a routine around your product and make it a staple in their lives.
- Better:Helpful tips on how the product is essential
- Best: Including the mention of an app, like Johnson & Johnson’s Bedtime App, that helps new parents formulate a schedule for their baby
Source: Johnson & Johnson Walmart
Reinforce Branded Messaging With Video Content
A brand must reinvent itself regularly and remind or update consumers on the brand’s identity and mission. Including a short, brand-promoting video that brings awareness to brand values will build consumer trust and awareness.
- Better: At least one video
- Best: Video and imagery about both the brand and the product
Source: Johnson & Johnson YouTube
3. Method
Along the top of Method’s collection landing page on Walmart are the colorful, bright formulas now iconic to the natural brand. Paired with the tagline, shoppers catch a glimpse of the brand’s identity instantly.
Cross-Sell Scents and Product Offerings
Method has only been around since 2001. They smartly use enhanced content to build product line familiarity and expose consumers to their breadth of scent assortment.
- Better: Listing out different scents and products
- Best: Painting a picture of the brand’s catalog by including other products in the image gallery
Source: Method Walmart
Talk About Brand Attributes the Consumer Can’t See
Shoppers may not know Method’s factory is Platinum LEED and Platinum True certified for zero waste. Such information benefits those looking for products that have little to no impact on the environment and local communities. Enhanced content is an ideal place to illustrate the full brand picture for consumers.
- Better: Introduce consumers to your brand
- Best: Educate consumers on company attributes that add value to your products
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
Consumers tend to skim when shopping. What they miss in the product description can catch their eye in the enhanced content. On this PDP for Method's "Pink Grapefruit Hand Soap," if the consumer didn't see the mention of it never being tested on animals in the description, the fact that it's cruelty-free is mentioned below. Important content can be repeated without being redundant.
- Better: Use plenty of bullets in the product description
- Best: Repeat key information in as many locations possible
Download the 2020 Salsify Consumer Research Report to learn more about what modern shoppers want from your PDPs.
