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Product Differentiation by Functional Attributes

Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 7:15 am
by Bappy12
More than 90% of e-commerce sites fail before they reach their first year of existence. This negative statistic is not necessarily related to the website design or a failed marketing campaign. Something as basic as a product page is enough to make a customer reject buying from your online store.

When creating a product page , you must take into account how the customer will react when they see it. If our products are optimally created, we will be able to attract their attention; if, on the other hand, we have not dedicated enough time to creating the product page, we will not be able to convince the customer to buy it. Therefore, it is preferable to have few, but very well-defined, products than many that are poorly designed.

One of the many options when designing a product sheet is its differentiation by attributes . Many online store owners are unaware of the important use of this tool, so in this post we are going to do a brief review of how to differentiate product characteristics and their application in an e-commerce.



What is attribute differentiation in e-commerce?
We call attributes the different characteristics of a product , whether tangible or intangible, that are essential for its marketing. Each product has its own attributes, so we cannot generalize them, since each one will have its own characteristics and complements. Product differentiation is necessary so that the customer can choose from a range of possibilities and facilitate the sale of the product.

person working on product differentiation in an e-commerce

Within the tangible attributes , we are going to differentiate them into two types:

Product Differentiation by Physical Attributes
They are the physical and material characteristics of the product, composition, etc., those that can be perceptible by the senses, such as color, smell, texture, sound, shape, etc.

Organoleptic qualities, composition, colour, smell, size, flavour, quantity, design, packaging, labelling, etc. and any other attributes that can be perceived by the senses are usually considered physical attributes.

It is often said that when a consumer decides to buy a product, he or she actually takes physical attributes, such as colour or smell, into account more. In addition, there are attributes that allow the same type of product to reach different market segments. This is the case of size or quantity.



These are the characteristics of the product that are related to the satisfaction of the need for which it was acquired, that is, the utilities or benefits of the product.

Functional attributes include assortment, range, cost, usability, etc. And generally any other attributes mentioned when discussing physical attributes can also be functional attributes, depending on the case. Design is increasingly considered to be a silent seller.

Functional attributes can also be considered those services that are offered together with the product, such as after-sales services, whether it be repair, maintenance, warranty, etc.

Intangible attributes , also called psychological attributes , are those related to kuwait phone number list the consumer's perception of the product.

Brand and quality are considered psychological attributes . The brand of a product is the name under which it is marketed, and may or may not coexist with a logo, which is of a graphic nature.

Ultimately, the attributes of a product, whatever their classification, form essential aspects of it. However, their differentiation will determine whether we are dealing with a different product.



Using attributes in product differentiation in an online store
Taking into account the classification of attributes already mentioned, proceed to create a list of attributes according to your product catalog. Before setting it up, establish which characteristics will differentiate your products, through which elements to filter each product to buy one or the other, and, once the list is made, it is time to create the attributes in the catalog.

These created attributes will help you filter products by their specific characteristics and will make it easier for the customer to find what they are looking for faster, without having to do a more exhaustive search and run the risk of losing it. According to the Statista website , the most determining factor that makes Internet users decide to buy online instead of in a physical store was convenience , with 44% of the total responses. For this reason, it is advisable to never underestimate the patience of the customer.

Variations in attributes can have a direct impact on price . If we sell the same product that can be made from different materials, it will not cost the same to use cheaper materials as to use better quality and more expensive ones. Therefore, it is advisable to apply different prices to certain attributes to differentiate that, de facto , they are other products and that they have a different price.

When changing the attributes of a product and seeing its variations, the user will experience two effects most of the time: a change in the image and another in the price (already mentioned above). Not all changes in attribute variations result in a necessary change in image or price, but there are mandatory changes so that the customer can view the change in the product file.

For example, if we sell a container and one of the attributes is size, by setting it to XL size, it will have a different appearance than the one sold by default in the product sheet. This variation should bring with it a change of image to offer the new container, as well as its corresponding change in price (if any).



Selling more costs very little
The need to increase sales is the top priority for any business. An e-commerce business not only needs to be maintained, but also increasingly promoted. Currently, the world of e-commerce and digital marketing is full of courses to expand knowledge about product differentiation, which is increasingly specialized by professionals in the sector.

It's up to you to make the qualitative leap, break the barriers and become a successful online entrepreneur.

Because, as Henry Ford said: “ There are men who think they can and men who think they can’t. Both are right. Which one are you? ”