Question

Topic: SEO/SEM

Consumer Behavior Online

Posted by lstevens on 3/13/2009 at 12:32 PM ET 125 Points
We've got a dilemma. My organization builds websites for independent furniture retailers who belong to the organization. Many of the products in our catalog are private labeled. We have had a policy of not displaying manufacturer SKUs, even though they are built into the database, as a strategy to combat price erosion. Now we are rethinking that approach. The fundamental question for me is how many consumers actually search for a SKU like 01-1742-33-01 instead of the phrase "traditional sofa"? We are one of the few organizations that doesn't display SKUs. Are we missing the boat? Or are we focusing too much on an issue that only 1% of consumers online search for?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by excellira on 3/13/2009 at 12:50 PM Accepted
    Users do search products by SKU when comparison shopping. The best approach would be to undertake some keyword research on the SKUs of the products to determine how much traffic your clients are missing and then test the results.
  • Posted by excellira on 3/13/2009 at 1:00 PM Accepted
    Another thought. If your client's competitors are listing mfgr. SKUs then consider providing a switch for your clients to enable or disable the display of them and let them make the decision.

    What I have found through my own years of ecommerce and client experience is that price isn't the single deciding factor when making a purchase online (or offline). There are a lot of other factors involved. So, while I agree with the notion that displaying the SKU could erode the price, what you are ultimately saying is that you don't wish your clients to be discovered as the best source by SKU searches and are limiting their potential.

    I'm sure arguments could be made for both sides of the position. Perhaps others will pipe in and provide further insight.
  • Posted by lstevens on 3/13/2009 at 4:12 PM Author
    Testing specific SKU searches is problematic - we have a product database of 13,000 items. We could easily incorporate a switch to allow our members to display the SKUs.
  • Posted by excellira on 3/13/2009 at 4:35 PM Accepted
    Take a selection of the top selling items and run some keyword queries to determine search volume.
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