The discovery gap in online retail & how smart marketing can solve it

Have you ever come across a beautiful dress online, almost at the end of the clothing page category, and wondered why it is not on top?

It is because of the discovery gap in online retail. 

Brands spend millions of dollars on content, conversion rate optimisations, and advertising. However, there is always a problem lurking above the category page. 

Here, the main problem is that quality products don't get the desired discovery and thus underperform in product discovery in e-commerce. According to reports, around 44% of shoppers lose interest in purchasing products due to delays in search results and inappropriate suggestion pop-ups. 

As you move further into this article, we’ll take a closer look at the discovery gap in online retail and share the top five marketing strategies that can improve product visibility and help your offerings stand out and sell out on the digital shelf.

What is the discovery gap in online retail?

The discovery gap can be coined as one of the worst experiences for the customer, where they cannot find quality products. It often produces high bounce rates and lost sales for the online retailer. The discovery gap in online retail marketing essentially falls between the customers' desires and the retailers' poorly listed online product offerings. 

Today, product discovery in e-commerce is most crucial, as customers are exposed to all kinds of stores, from mid-range to high-end, and often people are seen to be leaning towards the e-commerce that offers a smooth and effective user experience. 

Why is a marketing solution important for the discovery gap? 

The marketing solution is the foundational pillar of an e-commerce business. It enhances sales, competitive advantage, and stronger brand loyalty. On the other hand, discovery gaps lead the retail business to low discoverability and sales generation in the long run. 

Why does a discovery gap occur in online retail? 

In the first day and age, consumers are used to easy-to-use and smooth user interfaces with quality products at an affordable price with a variety of options available. & the sudden gap in between the shopper and the seller's listing doesn't meet ends; it goes down the road to the discovery gap. 

Here are the major reasons for the discovery gap in retail: 

• A discovery gap often arises due to poor navigation and search, which can lead to generic search results, an irrelevant bundle of product listings, and endless pages appearing. It creates a sense of irritation among the customers while searching for the products. Generic search results don't match the expectations of the customer online based on the trendy style, sizing, and other personalisation, and it is nothing but the result of a lack of customisation in the assistance of the Discovery Gap. 
• Brands need to pivot more on the mode of operation, like online-offline discontinuity, digital interfaces' failure to mimic the engaging stores, leaving customers feeling invisible or overwhelmed, and the discovery of physical stores. Online retailers struggle to surface high-potential products from a vast list of inventory, burying deep down the bestsellers or new arrivals, and it is a result of data overloading.

The results of the discovery gap

Due to the unmarketability of the products for the customer's lock-up or a pile of valuable products remaining in stock, leading to a heavy loss and loss of opportunity to become a large e-commerce retailer, and even in revenue, as a loss of revenue. 

Shoppers get very agitated due to an uncomfortable or negative experience a customer leads to frustration among the consumer and drives them to competitors. Consumers sign off from e-commerce websites that don't drive the desired results and have a low ranking for abandonment and a high bounce rate. 

How can smart marketing strategies solve the discovery gap issue? 

The discovery gap is often the result of choice and information overload, poor data and information management, and ineffective onsite search functionality. The focus should be laid on specific search queries and casual browsers to ease the issue of the customers. 

In the world of technology, using AI can be optimal and help in personalisation with the relevant product search results based on behaviour. Predictive merchandising to allow the reshuffling of products for higher revenue generation and to eradicate the discovery gap in e-commerce marketing strategies. 

Now, let's discuss the top five strategies: 

Shoppers search with high search intent on the search bar, and therefore, the internal website is essential with an AI-powered search, using autocomplete and autosuggest, even with images and popular products, and finally, providing detailed facets and filters like price, colour, size, and brands to narrow down from the vast category for a better experience for the customer through onsite optimisation navigation and search.

As in online shopping, the customers can't directly inspect the materials; it is better to provide an enhanced and detailed version of the product with every little detail for the enhanced product content and information. Therefore, create product listings, high-quality visual media, and leverage UGC content. Invest in keyword-optimised descriptions and titles. 

Reports state that about 90% of consumers felt satisfied when they got personalised products of their desire and liking.  & this strategy can be significantly used through a recommendation engine and tailor content dynamically. Implementation of AI and personalised recommendations is something that can be really beneficial for the mitigation of the discovery gap. 

Creating content that has a dedicated offer, homepage, and product carousel based on the data and geographical area makes customers see and mitigate the discovery gap. Today, discoverability is not only restricted to a particular zone but also on social media and search engines. 

Expand external visibility with omnichannel marketing: various marketing of this product could be possible through PPC or paid advertising through Google, Amazon Ads, integrated social media shopping, content marketing, and an optimised search engine. 

Perform monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) and user behaviour to pinpoint bottlenecks in the discovery process and optimise your strategies accordingly. Analysing and iterating data is something that drives a data-driven approach, ensures ongoing improvement, and helps stay ahead of evolving customer expectations. 

Conclusion

The discovery gap is nothing but a challenge faced by people while finding better products, and it is important to have a well-designed website that is optimised and can have easier access for the customers, even without entering specific keywords.

This can often be deadly for the e-commerce retailer, even due to a lack of inventory being in stock and resulting in no revenue generation. Thus, it is essential to have a well-formulated marketing strategy handy to help with the discovery gap. 

(Lalit Sharma is the Founder of Ethane Web Technologies Pvt. Ltd., also known as Ranking By SEO, a premium digital marketing company in India, which has successfully helped leading brands such as Jakson Inns, Sarkari Result, and Capital Courier grow through its aggressive digital marketing strategies.)