5 questions with André Morys

Is there a connection between product information and conversion rate?

It is on the page where product information is displayed that a consumer actually makes the purchase decision. Therefore, this page usually has a considerable influence on the conversion rate. We have recently analysed hundreds of A/B tests and found that the greatest potential for optimization is on the product side.

What do retailers/brands need to consider in order to increase sales?

They need to understand their customers better. And by that I don't mean they need to collect more data - they need to understand the data. Very few retailers and shippers are truly customer-oriented. Most just pretend to be - I call this "Pseudo customer centricity". Typical questions I ask the retailers: How many employees are working full-time to analyse the customers’ reality? How many employees know the results? Are they easy to access? It quickly becomes clear that these are usually only perfunctory efforts.

What are the most common mistakes made by online shop owners?

Most online shops don’t actively sell. Their products are just thrown together haphazardly. Then, a few thousand users a day are funnelled through the shop to these products in the hope that someone will buy something. Usually, however, a potential customer must already be willing to buy - very few online shops really succeed in encouraging people to make a purchase.

Which problems may arise because of incorrect product information in an online shop?

Oh - where should I start? Customers who don't know exactly what to buy depend on the search functionality, filters and faceted navigation. Otherwise, customers will suddenly be faced with a choice of 800 washing machines or 300 blue jeans. Without accurate product data, it will not be possible to narrow down the selection and choose the right product - one of the biggest "conversion killers" in online shops.

In your opinion, what is the greatest potential for optimisation for German e-commerce companies?

To be honest, most retailers are still too well off. As long as online business continues to grow organically at double-digit rates per year, many mistakes will simply be ignored. A major online retailer has just announced a 7% growth rate in its press release and hailed it as a success. I firmly believe that the highest potential lies in the mindset of decision-makers and employees. Entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos have an insatiable thirst for growth; they are trying things out (over 2,000 A/B tests per year) while German retailers are still discussing whether they should even start. Amazon is constantly expanding - more decision-makers are needed who have a real "growth mindset".

André Morys will be speaker at our Digital Fashion BootCamp event on February 21. Find more infos here: Digital Fashion Bootcamp.