2015/2016
The Shotfarm Product
Information Report

Executive Summary
Quality and completeness of product presentation in online retail has a quantifiable and direct impact on
product sales. But often, data is inaccurate, inconsistent, incomplete, and even outdated, leading to increased
returns, serious brand erosion, and lost sales—all of which have significant financial ramifications for both retailers
and manufacturers.
To better gauge the impact of product information on online retail sales, Shotfarm surveyed more than
1,500 consumers about their online shopping habits and the importance they place on content in making
purchase decisions.
The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report shows that consumers place a significant value on
high-quality product content, regardless of product type, price, or purchasing channel. Retail trading partners can
maximize sales, minimize returns, optimize speed to market, and enhance their brands by improving the quality of
product information they provide to digital shoppers. To achieve this goal, retailers and manufacturers will need to
more efficiently develop, manage, and share this data—a decades-long problem that has proved difficult to solve.

3
Key Findings
Product information quality
is an important factor in the
success of online sales.
Seventy-eight percent of consumers say the
quality of product content is very important
when making purchase decisions.
Product information impacts
brand equity and future
purchase decisions.
Eighty-seven percent of consumers say they
would be unlikely to consider a retailer again
if they provided incorrect information for a
purchased product.
Product information can play
a significant role in reducing
shopping cart abandonment.
One in four consumers say they have
abandoned a purchase because of poor
product information.
Consumer electronics offer the
highest quality, most complete
product content.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents
rank consumer electronics as the industry
offering the best and most complete
product information.
1
2
3
4

4
Source: The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report
Importance of Product Information to Online Sales
Product information plays a key role in online sales, according to the 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information
Report. Ninety-five percent of those surveyed say product information is important when making a purchase
decision, with nearly four in five indicating that it is very important.
78%
Very important
17%
Important
3%
Slightly important Not at all important
2%
The Importance of Product Information in Online Purchasing Decisions

5
Source: Shotfarm
In particular, product descriptions and images are critical, with the vast majority of consumers saying they are
important (30 percent) or very important (63 percent). While product reviews are also important in the sales process,
only 39 percent of consumers say they are very important, highlighting the value of information that comes directly
from the seller or manufacturer.
Product Information Quality and Completeness Impacts Product Sales
Overall the type of product information that matters most to consumers varies, as does the path shoppers take
in finding and consuming product content. In the end, products are purchased from retailers and brands whose
product information makes shoppers feel confident in doing so.
Item number
and price
-80%
Base
+35%
Conversion Rate
Content Completeness and Quality
+ + + + + +Product
description
Product specs 360° image VideoLow res image
High res
image

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The Challenge for Manufacturers
While manufacturers may want to provide the highest quality and most complete content possible, they still face
significant challenges in doing so.
Historically, separate departments have dealt with product data, often resulting in discrepancies between in-store
and online inventories. In addition, many of these organizations did not have the right tools and processes in place
to ensure that data integrity and consistency were maintained.
Fast forward to today. Manufacturing organizations of all sizes and across industries have worked hard to weed
out inefficiencies, eliminate departmental siloes, and streamline processes. Yet within the realm of product content
development, management, and exchange, they remain saddled with meeting ever-increasing and significantly
varied retail partner requirements. Because of this, product content often remains inconsistent and incomplete,
negatively impacting every facet of brands’ online sales efforts, the survey demonstrates.

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Product Information Impacts Return Levels
Forty-two percent of consumers have returned an online purchase in the past year specifically because of poor
product content. The clothing and apparel category sees the most returns as one in four consumers has returned an
item due to inaccurate product information. The costs associated with each return can be significant.
In addition to the hard costs of the actual returns, companies are also forced to overcome lower conversion rates
and sales numbers. The returns can also hamper productivity because resources are diverted from fulfilling new,
revenue-producing orders to processing revenue-killing returns for unhappy customers.
59%
N/A
4%
Office supplies
3%
Pet supplies
3%
Other
4%
Consumer
packaged goods
3%
Sporting goods
9%
Consumer
electronics
4%
Tools and home
improvement
7%
Household goods
25%
Clothing and
apparel
3%
Luxury goods
2%
Food/groceries
“I have returned something in the past year I purchased online in this category
because the product information did not match the product I received.”
Source: The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report

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Product Information Impacts Brand Trust
The most significant impact to manufacturers and retailers of poor product content is arguably the resulting brand
erosion. According to the survey, nothing directly impacts the experience of the individual customer like a product
that doesn’t meet expectations.
A single negative experience may not only result in a return, but it can cause long-term damage to the relationship
between the brand and the customer. Eighty-seven percent of consumers say they would be unlikely or very unlikely
to make a repeat purchase with a retailer that provided inaccurate product information, leaving just 13 percent who
would likely shop with that same company again.
Trust and loyalty are not built overnight, so this damage can take a long time to repair—if it can be
repaired at all. Whether the customer’s negative perception of a retailer or brand is temporary or permanent, it is
always costly. In many instances, say consumers, a less than optimal retail experience can be traced to poor
quality, inaccurate, or incomplete product information.
Very unlikely
53% 34%
Slightly unlikely
10%
Likely
4%
Very likely
“I would shop with a brand again after an experience with inaccurate
product information.”
Source: The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report

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Product Information Impacts Online Shopping
Cart Abandonment
Ninety percent of online shoppers report leaving a purchase behind at one time or another. And while consumers
list cost and delivery time as the top two reasons for not completing a purchase, poor product descriptions and
low-quality images follow close behind, with more than 25 percent citing them as reasons for abandoning carts.
In addition, a lack of quality content has a greater impact on whether a sale is made than a lack of product reviews.
61%
Cost
26%
Poor-quality
images/too few
images
30%
Poor product
description
25%
Lack of overall
trust of the
seller (brand or
retailer)
15%
Lack of overall
trust of the
seller (third-
party website)
33%
Delivery time
25%
Lack of reviews
Reasons Consumers Have Abandoned Shopping Carts
Source: The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report

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Product Information Expectations Vary
Consumers have different content expectations depending on the type of product being considered. The following
chart compares each industry for information quality, customer expectations, current sales, and percentage
of returns.
Percentage of
consumers who
have shopped
in this category
online
Product Category
57% 7 2 4 7%Household goods
18% 4 6 3 3%Luxury goods
22% 8 7 8 4%Consumer packaged goods
28% 3 5 5 4%Tools & home improvement
29% 6 10 7 3%Pet supplies
73% 10 3 1 26%Clothing & apparel
23% 9 4 10 2%Food/groceries
27% 2 9 6 3%Sporting goods
32% 5 8 9 4%Office supplies
49% 1 1 2 9%Consumer electronics
Product
content quality
rank
Importance
of product
content quality
rank
Importance
of images with
multiple angles
rank
Percentage of
returns in this
category due to
poor content
Source: The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report
The Importance of Product Content by Industry

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In no industry is the desire for quality product information greater than in consumer electronics. Not only did
respondents rank consumer electronics as the category where product information is most important, but they
also ranked the quality of product content as the highest of any industry. Clothing and apparel, on the other hand,
ranked last in the quality of information provided, which is especially noteworthy since these products are the items
consumers say they purchase online most often. Overall, the survey results indicate that manufacturers that improve
the quality and breadth of their product assets, regardless of industry, are likely to realize significant digital
business gains.
76% 24%
Yes No
87% 13%
Yes No
Percentage of Consumers Who Have
Noticed Inconsistent Product Content
for the Same Product Across Channels
(i.e. brand retailer or third-party websites such as
Amazon.com)
Percentage of Consumers’ Purchasing
Decisions Impacted by Inaccurate
Product Information Across Channels
Source: The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report

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In addition to differences in content from industry to industry, consumers also see disparities in the quality, accuracy,
and completeness of product information across retail channels. More than three in four consumers say they have
noticed inconsistent information for the same product across channels (e.g., brand retailers such as Target versus
third-party sellers such as Amazon). Eighty-seven percent of these consumers indicate that such discrepancies, at a
minimum, delayed their purchase. In some cases, it kept them from buying a product altogether.
47%
Manufacturer’s
website
51%
Manufacturer’s
website
7.07%
In-store sales
person
9%
In-store product
box
9%
Retailer’s
website
17%
Third-party
retailer’s website
8%
In-store sales
person
11%
Retailer’s
website
10%
In-store product
box
17%
Third-party
retailer’s website
5%
Other
3%
Marketing, ads
and commercials
3%
Marketing, ads
and commercials
5%
Other
Channels Offering the Most Complete Product Content, According to Consumers
Channels Offering the Most Accurate Product Content, According to Consumers
Source: The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report

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A Significant Opportunity for Grocers
With gross sales reaching $600 billion, the grocery industry is by far the largest retail sector in the country. But only
one in four consumers (23 percent) currently shops for groceries online, and the industry ranks next to last for
quality of digital content. Additionally, nearly 40 percent of consumers say they are uncomfortable shopping online
for groceries.
19%
Comfortable—I have
done so in the past
21%
Would think about it
14%
Comfortable—but have
not yet done so
37%
Not comfortable
10%
Comfortable only with
consumer packaged
goods/products, not
fresh food
How Comfortable are Consumers with Online Grocery Shopping?
Source: The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report

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Companies such as Amazon and Google seek to
dominate this retail channel and are working to address
well-documented hurdles that have historically kept
grocery shoppers overwhelmingly inside traditional
stores. These challenges run the gamut, from
significant logistical and supply chain issues, to
product pricing and delivery fee structures, to concerns
about the delivery of perishable items, to creating value
for the customer who lives just up the street from a
grocery store.
What has largely been missing from this digital
distribution conversation, however, is another piece of
the supply chain puzzle. In addition to moving physical
products from the manufacturer into the hands of the
consumer, retailers are challenged with getting the
manufacturers’ product information in front of the
consumer so an online sale can be made.
According to survey respondents, product data
attributes play an important role in fostering the kind
of positive shopping experience that will help grocers
secure the revenue and margin levels necessary to
make this channel a winning proposition.
When asked specifically why they do not shop for
groceries online, 46 percent cite product content
availability or a lack of trust in the content provided.
First impressions mean a great deal, and nowhere is
this more true than in the manner in which grocery
products are presented and viewed, especially in the
online world of food commerce that consumers have
largely been reluctant to embrace to date.
20%
Price difference
34%
Delivery
17%
Lack of product
information
29%
Lack of trust for
product information
27%
Other
Consumer Barriers to Online Grocery Shopping
Source: The 2015/2016 Shotfarm Product Information Report

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Consist of a cloud-based content network that
allows any number of trade partners to begin
requesting, sending, and receiving original
product information and assets from a simple,
low-cost, and centralized platform.
Have the ability for all product information to
come directly from the manufacturer so that
trading partners always have access to data
that is accurate, complete, and consistent.
Provide a high adoption and participation
rate among all trading partners—retailers and
manufacturers, alike—that far exceeds the
success rates of in-house solutions.
Provide high data collection speeds that reduce
time to market and opportunity costs.
Have the ability for manufacturers, regardless
of industry, to automatically deliver a perfectly
formatted product feed directly to retailers.
For example, the solution would support a
CPG company that needs Universal Product
Code (UPC) barcodes, the Global Trade Item
Numbers (GTINs) and nutritional information a
grocer requires, as well as item sizes, colors,
and materials used in manufacturing that an
apparel retailer desires.
Offer a significant reduction in inefficiencies in
the collection, management, and distribution of
product information.
Summary
The quality of product data impacts all facets of the online retail business. In the eyes of the digital consumer, a
product is only as good as the information associated with it. If that information is incomplete in any way, purchases
are delayed, products are returned, and brand equity is lost. All are very costly propositions.
Manufacturers have made great strides in streamlining processes that had historically hindered their content
development and distribution efforts. Still, retailers’ desire for more and more product assets can offset gains made
with these improvements.
To meet the ever-growing requirements of their trading partners, to offer higher-quality content across channels, to
provide a better online shopping experience to consumers, and to realize more digital sales, manufacturers need
to address the shortcomings inherent in their current processes. One way is to employ a content management and
distribution solution that moves product information from Point A to Point B in the simplest, most efficient, and most
affordable way possible. Such a solution would:
1 5
2
63
4

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Methodology
In August 2015, Shotfarm surveyed 1,542 consumers about their online shopping habits and product information
preferences. The survey, which was conducted online, has a 2.5 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence
level. The audience breakdown is as follows:
Gender
Online Shopping Frequency
Age
47% 53%
Male Female
18% 36–45
6% 18–21
28% 46–60
25% 22–35
24% 61+
31%
Once or more
per month
9%
More than twice
per week
15%
Once or twice
per week
12%
1–3 times
per year
13%
4–6 times
per year
17%
7–12 times
per year

About Shotfarm
Shotfarm’s Product Content Network is the first end-to-end solution for the
management and exchange of product information that meets the demands of
the entire ecommerce industry. Free and simple core functionality, combined
with a suite of affordable and powerful upgrade options, makes Shotfarm
instantly useful and infinitely scalable. One system, any format, thousands
of retailers and manufacturers. Shotfarm just makes sense.