Digital Shelf – presentation of products in an online shop

Manufacturers have long been concerned about the proper presentation of products in traditional shops. They monitor the location of the goods on the shelves, their arrangement, special offers, advertisements, etc.., because they recognize a distinct impact of these factors on the sale of products. Such principles include:

• The location of articles at “eye level”
• Sweets at the checkout
• Grouping of goods most often purchased together
• and many others.

As trade is shifting online on an increasing scale, the concept of the “Digital shelf” has been developed in marketing, which in short denotes the presentation of a brand in an online shop.When making purchases in an online shop, the customer must (even in the shortest version) go through several pages featuring various products or special offers presented to the shopper, to get him or her to buy more items.For example, suppose a customer wants to buy a 4k 55-inch TV in a zzz.com store, let’s follow the purchasing process and look at areas where information can be displayed for the selection of a specific product or brand.

1. The customer enters the site zzz.com and on the home page of the shop they see: advertisements, banners, special offers, highlighted products and many more.
2. The customer types “TV 4k 55 inches” in the search engine: the search engine already displays a list of specific proposed products as they are typed.
3. The search result directs them to the TV category page with a filter set to size and resolution. Probably many TVs meet the criteria, so the list is long but arranged in the order set up by the shop (promoted products). Additionally, the category page shows: special offers, banners, advertisements and recommended products.
4. After choosing a TV set, the customer goes to the product page. Here they will find a description of the product, which is one of the key elements driving the customer’s purchase decision. Also, information about recommended accessories (cross-sell) and products and services that the store wants to promote (upsell) appears.
5. The customer moves on to the shopping cart. Often then the shopper is also offered to quickly add an additional product or service to the purchases.

It is worth noting that even in such a simple process there are many places where the customer comes into contact with messages or advertisements that are intended to induce them to a make specific purchase decision. The “Digital shelf” encompasses all the places in the online store where products or information about them are presented.

The aim of manufacturers is to ensure the best possible visibility of their products by:

• Ensuring product availability
• Presenting given products in top positions in category lists and search results
• Promoting products on banners
• Participating in special offers promoted by the shop
• Increasing the participation in cross-sell and upsell recommendations
• Ensuring proper implementation of product descriptions