Table of Contents
Introduction
In the current development of e-commerce in Russia and CIS countries, the quality of product content is a key factor affecting conversion and customer loyalty. However, many online stores face a systemic problem: manufacturers often fail to provide comprehensive, high-quality information about their products. This creates significant obstacles for effective online sales and forces e-commerce businesses to independently seek solutions for creating quality content.
This article examines the main reasons why manufacturers don’t ensure proper quality of product information and analyzes the methods Russian online stores use to address this problem.
Why manufacturers don’t provide quality content
1. Underestimating the importance of digital product presentation
Many Russian manufacturers, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, remain focused on traditional sales channels and don’t fully recognize the importance of quality digital representation of their products. They often believe basic technical specifications are sufficient for selling products, without considering online shopper behavior patterns.
2. Lack of necessary expertise
Many manufacturing companies lack specialists with e-commerce content creation skills. Developing quality product descriptions, photos, videos and other content requires specific knowledge and experience that manufacturers’ marketing departments often don’t possess.
3. Limited resources
Creating quality content requires significant resources – time, finances, special equipment and software. For many manufacturers, especially smaller ones, allocating such resources seems economically impractical.
This primarily relates to insufficient attention to product quality and excessive pressure on manufacturers to reduce costs.
Leonov Consulting
4. Focus on B2B segment
Many manufacturers primarily work with business clients rather than end consumers. In B2B, marketing content may be less important than in B2C, so manufacturers don’t pay enough attention to creating quality materials for retail sales.
5. Inconsistent product information
Content wars between manufacturers and distributors often lead to fragmented and contradictory product information.
Similarly strict requirements apply to product descriptions: texts should target specific audiences and avoid inappropriate language.
Cossa
6. Limited language localization
For international manufacturers operating in Russia and CIS markets, an additional challenge is quality content localization. They often settle for simple translation of product descriptions without considering cultural and linguistic specifics of the target audience.
How online stores solve the problem of poor quality content
1. Creating in-house content departments
Major Russian online stores establish specialized departments focused on content development and optimization. These typically include copywriters, photographers, designers, SEO specialists and content managers working to create unique, sales-driving product descriptions.
Creating quality texts and descriptions impacts the automation of online store processes.
Elbuz
2. Using PIM systems
Product Information Management (PIM) systems are becoming increasingly popular among Russian online stores. These systems enable centralized management of all product information, ensuring consistency and relevance across all sales platforms.
PIM accelerates product content work by 30x, reduces errors and operational costs of manual data entry and corrections…
Agora
PIM systems also help:
- Improve content quality by eliminating human error
- Ensure information consistency across all sales channels
- Automate content update and distribution processes
- Enhance SEO optimization of product descriptions
3. Developing content strategies
Russian online stores are increasingly developing comprehensive content strategies that include:
- Creating product databases with unified structures
- Developing accurate, complete product page descriptions
- Regular content updates considering seasonality and market trends
- Content optimization for search engines and marketplaces
For online stores, content strategy involves stages where you consider nuances and begin combining them into a cohesive strategy for each page.
InSales
4. Outsourcing content production
Many online stores delegate content creation to specialized agencies offering full-spectrum services from copywriting to photo/video production. This approach provides professional content without maintaining large in-house teams.
5. Utilizing UGC (user-generated content)
Russian online stores actively integrate user-generated content into their strategies. Reviews, ratings, photos and videos from real customers not only build trust but supplement official product information with practical usage experiences.
6. Collaborating with manufacturers
Some online stores build partnerships with manufacturers, offering ready-made content solutions including:
- Templates for structured information presentation
- Guidelines for photo/video content creation
- Joint marketing initiatives
- Sales data and consumer behavior insights sharing
Economic aspects
Content creation costs
Online stores must invest significantly in quality content creation. According to Russian e-commerce market research, content development may account for 5% to 15% of an online store’s total marketing budget.
Return on investment
Despite high costs, investments in quality content typically prove worthwhile with:
- 15-30% conversion rate increases
- 10-20% reduction in returns
- 5-15% higher average order values
- Improved search engine rankings
Technological solutions
1. Content creation automation
Modern technologies enable automation of many content creation aspects:
- Generating basic product descriptions from technical specifications
- Automated image processing (cropping, optimization, watermarking)
- Content translation and localization for different regions
2. Artificial intelligence
AI is becoming increasingly important for Russian online stores:
- Neural networks for product description generation
- Computer vision for image analysis and categorization
- Machine learning algorithms for content personalization
3. Unified data exchange standards
Developing and implementing unified product data exchange standards between manufacturers and retailers improves content quality while reducing creation costs.
Recommendations for online stores
1. Invest in PIM systems
Implementing product information management systems centralizes and structures all product data, significantly simplifying content creation and management.
2. Develop unified content standards
Establish clear content requirements for all product categories including:
- Description structures
- Image and video requirements
- Necessary technical specifications
- SEO optimization rules
3. Automate routine processes
Use technological solutions to automate content creation and processing, reducing required time and resources.
4. Collaborate with manufacturers
Build partnerships with manufacturers by providing tools and guidelines for quality content creation. Share sales data and consumer insights to improve content.
5. Leverage user-generated content
Integrate reviews, ratings and other UGC into product pages to complement official information with practical usage experiences.
6. Train your team
Invest in training content managers, copywriters and other specialists. Current trends and technologies constantly evolve, making ongoing education essential.
Conclusion
The problem of poor quality manufacturer-provided content remains relevant for Russian online stores, but modern technologies and approaches enable effective solutions. Creating quality content requires significant investment, but pays off through higher conversions, fewer returns and improved user experience.
Online stores that develop comprehensive content management strategies, implement PIM systems and leverage modern technologies gain significant competitive advantages in Russia and CIS e-commerce markets.
Quality content isn’t just a marketing tool but a strategic asset impacting all aspects of online store operations from customer acquisition to logistics and service. Content creation and management investments should be viewed as long-term business development commitments.
