The 5 key points of a successful product experience

The product experience has become an essential part of thecustomer experience. It encompasses all interactions between the customer and the product throughout the purchasing process. In particular, it contributes to the purchasing decision and plays a significant role in customer satisfaction. As the customer journey becomes less and less linear, both in space and time, brands need to ensure that the product experience they offer meets the needs of the user and is of the highest quality. It is therefore essential to adhere to a few principles in order to deliver a successful experience to customers and consumers. In this article, we'll take a look at the 5 key points that will make your product experience a successful one.

1. Availability of product information

Product information is at the heart of the product experience. It encompasses all content enabling customers to find out more about the product they are looking for: description, features, visuals, videos, 360°, customer reviews, materials, composition... Finding this information, whether online or in-store, is one of the key stages in your future customers' purchasing journey. So it's vital that they're easily and quickly accessible: from the Google search to the product page display, everything must be done to ensure that customers can navigate with ease and fluidity.

What's more, this product information must be relevant (by answering your customers' legitimate questions), adapted (in the language they speak, or at least in English), complete (to avoid leaving questions unanswered, but also to respond to increasingly sophisticated searches) and simple and optimized (to ensure that everyone can understand it). As you can see, the quality of a product experience starts right from the start, with the quality and availability of product-related data.

2. The omnichannel experience

The explosion of digital in consumer usage has led to the emergence of marketplaces. By 2024, e-commerce purchases will represent 6,388 billion dollars, compared with 4,280 billion dollars in 2020, and one of the reasons for this growth is marketplaces. The product experience, like the customer experience, must therefore be omnichannel. It is no longer the sole property of the product's creator: in addition to the brand's website, it can be found on marketplaces, in catalogs, with partners through various channels, or even on social networks... The PIM is an excellent way to get started in omnichannel marketing!

For the company, this means taking care of product information on every sales channel, and managing this product-related data. In addition to being available everywhere and all the time on all devices, it must be contextualized - depending on where it is, consistent and relevant. The product experience must therefore be uniform and homogeneous, despite omnichannelity. Product data must be consistent across all your brand's sales channels to guarantee a consolidated, seamless product experience.

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3. Consistency throughout the customer journey

The customer experience is the sum of the customer's experiences before, during and after the purchase of a product. As the product experience is one of its pillars, it must also be consistent at all stages of the user's journey.

Offering reliable product information from the beginning of the journey is the first brick of this product experience. It helps create the first positive emotions in the customer, allowing him to project and confirm his project. Quality information from the beginning of the relationship with your users and future consumers marks the innovation of your communication strategy, through your different channels. Then, throughout the interactions between the customer and the product, including after the purchase, the brand must ensure a certain consistency to create and maintain a bond of trust, thus generating a positive feeling towards the product and the brand.

4. Creating a positive emotion

It is this positive emotion that helps create a satisfying and innovative customer experience. Indeed, the sum of the emotions felt by the consumer throughout his experience defines his propensity to repurchase the product and to talk about it around him. In this sense, the product experience should be designed to satisfy the customer's needs and expectations - the interactions between the product and the customer must give satisfaction to generate a positive emotion - and even beyond: why settle for doing well when you can do better?

5. Differentiation

By applying this principle, a company can choose to differentiate itself : by offering a more accomplished design, experience, service or information than its competitors, it helps to create a richer product experience and content. And when customers come to assess their product experience, and their overall customer experience, all these "little extras" will make the difference and enhance the value of the product and its brand. In an ultra-competitive world, differentiation is a powerful lever for generating sales and customer loyalty.

Conclusion

A true pillar of the customer experience, the product experience is a strong issue but still not considered by merchants at its true value. However, it is an essential aspect of a company's product and marketing strategy. As a vector ofemotion andinnovation, but also of conversion and loyalty, the product experience must reassure and establish a bond of trust with the customer.

To ensure the consistency and relevance required for a positive product experience, PXM (Product eXperience Management) is now the solution of choice. A natural evolution of PIM (Product Information Management), it encompasses all aspects of the life and management of product information and brings together all the functional bricks that create the product experience.

Are you ready to work on your product experience with PXM? Request your free demo.