A+ content, as Amazon calls it, has now become the standard against which most online retail materials are measured. Through the integration of animated GIF’s, manufacturers and brand managers can better ensure an A+ internet presence that increases the chances of consumer visibility and purchase.
“According to Amazon, A+ Content can increase sales on average 3 to 10% by educating the consumer about your product and brand.” – Tara Johnson, CPC Strategy
What is A+ Content? The Basics
You may have heard of it, but what does it really mean? A+ content is a term coined by Amazon to encourage inclusive and attention-grabbing listings through components that meet today’s tech-savvy consumer expectations. For manufacturers, this means incorporating the following into your online materials:
- Smart copy that targets audience by channel, region and demographic
- Charts and graphs that demonstrate product effectiveness
- Quick videos to introduce a product and educate the audience on use
- High-definition imagery that gives a 360-degree viewpoint
Using GIFs to get a good grade!
Whether you are on Amazon or not, the company’s widely followed guidelines have proved useful on any site or channel that displays retail products and services. One tip includes the utilization of GIFs. In case you’re not sure, a GIF is simply a file format that allows for static and animated images and graphics.
Some shoppers are too busy for a video, while still imagery can come off as a bit boring on its own. Therefore, GIFs – which have been around for almost 30 years – are now considered by many as the perfect compromise to providing a catchy visual without any required action from the shopper. All things being equal, a smart GIF just might win a sale over competitors with subpar imagery and video.
“It has been observed that people only remember 20% of the text they read without visuals, which reminds us once again why visual power is more important than ever. GIFs are easy to consume, and this makes them very attractive to any brand trying to meet the audience’s content needs.”– Tereza Litsa, ClickZ
Something to Remember Before Adding GIFs
Whether you’re putting out GIFs, images, video or any other exciting online product content, it is important to ensure you are set up to target the right people, in the right regions, and be prepared to tweak accordingly. This is where PriceSpider’s lineup of retail monitoring software shines.
With our new product, Brand Monitor, for example, manufacturers and brand managers can now pull all their visual assets from retail sites around the globe onto one captivating dashboard and assess where they are succeeding and where improvement is necessary.
“The only limit to your growth is your ability to get your product in front of potential consumers and to convince them of its value… Working out what your customers want and need in this respect is a crucial aspect of choosing the right e-commerce and retail management software for your business.” – PC Mag
Overall, incorporating GIFs into your e-commerce platform is a relatively cheap, easily consumable option that hooks users with a story that “speaks the internet’s language.” GIFs are more interesting, more engaging and simply tell your product or service’s story in an eye-catching fashion. Also, there is an abundance of GIFs already available online, which brands can adopt or gather inspiration from. In the brave new world of online content, GIFs are an option for brands willing to capitalize on refreshingly unconventional techniques.
