HOW PRODUCT CONTENTmovesthrough e-commerceFROM CONCEPT TO MARKETPLACE

Especially as companies grow, organizing detailed product content - including images and marketing copy - becomes increasingly

more difficult. The costs of this problem include inaccuracies in the

market, inconsistent brand image, slower time to market and higher cost of channel distribution. This infographic

illustrates how managing product content and minimizing these costs are inherently difficult given the

decentralized, collaborative nature of new product development and introduction.

CREATIVE MARKETING PRODUCTDEVELOPMENT

CREATIVE MARKETING SALES

It starts with an

idea...

...upon which teamsbegin to build the

footprint...

...which is eventually incorporated into

go-to-market packages...

Photos,packaging

design

Ad copy,descriptions,

features &benefits

Materials,ingredients,product specs

Sell sheets

COPY(for marketingcampaigns, web,Amazon, etc.)

Campaignimages

...and published to various

digital channels.

E-COMMERCE SITE

MICROSITE

DISTRIBUTOR PARTNERS

AMAZON

LAUNCHCAMPAIGN

CORPORATE SITE

GOOGLE

Some manufacturers and portfolio companies feature

certain brands and product lines on their own microsites. These

sites provide maximum room to create a mixed media showcase

for these products.

New product introduction generally begins with an idea - one that is backed by market research, consumer insight, and a brand’s signature flavor. As teams turn the idea into a physical product, product content is simultaneously created in various forms.

The product footprint consists of all the content - written material, images, video - about a particular product. As teams begin building both the product and the adjacent marketing copy, all of the generated information is stored in the footprint.

With the advent of e-commerce, a product’s physical packaging and hard copies of sell sheets no longer suffice as the extent of product content. Images, video, and marketing copy tailored for each digital channel must accompany go-to-market packages.

These days, even manufacturers that distribute through a number of external channels boast their own e-commerce site. In addition to providing compelling marketing copy and engaging visuals, these sites must effectively convey all the practical information necessary for making an informed purchase, including ingredients and usage tips.

If a manufacturer operates an Amazon

storefront, the company can directly populate its

Amazon product pages with content. If not,

resellers will take product content directly from the

product packaging or from another distributor’s

website to fill out their Amazon listings.

New product launches differ by company and indvidual product, but generally require engaging copy and high-res photos that are more sales-y than informative in tone. Thus, campaign content is usually slightly different than the content that goes to various distribution partners.

Manufacturers and portfolio companies may have their own

corporate sites that feature limited information about a

handful of products. This content often is heavy on visuals and light

on ingredients or usage tips.

As sites start filling up with content about a new product, Google begins to build up its own awareness of the product. SEO-optimization and originality of content begin to differentiate rankings among the different listings.

Most manufacturers create one-off copies of product content to fulfill the requirements of each of their distributor partners. But distributors must still further manipulate this content to better their search rankings and distinguish their online shopping experience from that of their competitors.

Copy

An INFOGRAPHIC BY SALSIFY

DESIGN OF THE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

A GO-TO-

MARKET PLAN

PRODUCTBRANDING

This process in particular is global; it happens many times in many places.

Managing this content is inherently decentralized, collaborative, and evolving - it is very difficult for traditional systems to manage this chaotic environment effectively. Companies therefore resort to any ad-hoc processes available. This leads to lots of errors in product content, slower time to market for new products, and higher costs of distribution to multiple channels.

As teams do their unique part to bring the product to life...

...early product content is simultaneously created in various forms.

While this infographic tracks product content from the manufacturer’s perspective, it’s important to remember that each distributor performs its ownversion of this process as well to futher customize this content.

Images

Unique content

Sell sheets