Published 12 Dec 2024

How Do Small Stores Handle Product Detail Pages and Purchases?

A deep dive into buying process in independent US online stores

The product page and the checkout process are the heart and soul of any successful e-commerce business. They’re where your customer’s interest turns into action—choosing to buy or walk away. In the competitive world of online retail, a well-designed product page paired with a smooth checkout process can make all the difference between success and failure.

We analyzed the content of almost 300 small, independent US-based e-commerce websites. These stores spanned following industries:

Personal care and lifestyle (including fashion items, beauty supplies, and baby accessories)
Electronics
Home and Garden Improvement
Food stores
Hobby and entertainment stores
Sporting goods
Pet stores
Automotive and vehicle supply stores
Raw materials
Specialized stores

This wide variety of industries gave us valuable insights into how small e-commerce businesses structure their product pages and manage the customer journey from product discovery to purchase.

How do customers find products?

Before reaching the product page, customers need to find it. Some customers search for the store’s address, while others land on the product page from search results. However, once they’re in your store, it’s crucial to encourage them to explore as much of your offering as possible. This exploration is far more effective when your product catalog is well-organized. On the sites we analyzed, products were almost always categorized— the broader the selection, the more levels of categories there were. Within these categories, filters or sorting options are useful tools for product discovery— 84.5% of the e-commerce sites we reviewed offered this functionality.

Filters and/or sorting on e-commerce websites

Why do some e-commerce stores choose not to use filtering or sorting? The lowest percentage of stores offering these features was found among firewood sellers— only 40%. Low percentages were also found in music instrument stores and online florists, as well as surprisingly, clothing stores. This was often due to the smaller scale of these businesses— in certain product categories, there were only a few items, all visible on a single page, so additional filters or sorting weren’t necessary.

E-commerce with the lowest percentage of filtering and/or sorting options on their websites

Most e-commerce sites also had a search function. However, according to our research, it was often a poorly performing feature and seemed to be included more for show than utility. Categories and filters were far more effective tools for helping customers find what they were looking for.

What’s included on a product page?

A product page is the cornerstone of any e-commerce store. It’s not just a place to showcase your goods—it's where customers decide whether or not to make a purchase. A well-crafted product page should provide all the necessary details while offering an intuitive and enjoyable browsing experience. The essential elements include clear product images, detailed descriptions, pricing, available variants, and the option to add items to the cart. A smooth, informative product page builds trust, engages customers, and ultimately drives conversions.

Product details

It’s no secret that people buy with their eyes. Product photos are practically a must— 98.9% of the e-commerce sites we analyzed featured product images. Only three of the stores we looked at did not include photos— one sold firewood, and the other two sold auto parts. In these cases, customers generally know what to expect, though adding images could still enhance trust in the seller and make the page more attractive.

Product photo and product description on product detail pages

Product descriptions were present on 95.7% of the sites. Although this number is high, we believe it should be even higher. Product descriptions not only provide customers with essential information, but they also play a critical role in SEO— thanks to the keywords included, products have a better chance of being found through search engines. Therefore, it’s a good practice to include not just dry facts about materials or dimensions, but also keyword-rich descriptions.

Product variants refer to options such as color or size. 45.7% of the e-commerce sites we analyzed offered product variants, while 54.3% did not.

Variants on product page

Whether a store needed to include variants largely depended on the type of products sold.

Industries where every store had product variants:

Clothing stores
Shoe stores
Baby accessories stores

Industries where no store had product variants:

Music stores
Musical instrument stores
Office supply stores

The pattern is clear— fashion products, like clothing, almost always come in multiple sizes and colors, while specialized products like tires or musical instruments typically do not.

Product reviews

Just as testimonials build credibility for service businesses, product reviews do the same for e-commerce stores. Allowing customers to share their opinions comes with the potential for great benefits, but also the risk of negative feedback. Perhaps due to this risk, only 36% of the stores we analyzed offered customer reviews on their product detail pages. Overall, product reviews are much more common on marketplaces than on individual online store websites.

Reviews on product page

Stores that choose to display product reviews do so for a few key reasons:

Building trust and reputation— with reviews highlighting material quality, ease of use, etc. (e.g., 90% of luggage stores, 70% of tool stores)
Providing additional information to customers— (e.g., 80% of beauty supply stores)
Boosting sales and search engine visibility— (e.g., 70% of bookstores)

However, it's important to keep in mind the potential risks:

Disproportionately negative reactions, as dissatisfied customers are more likely to leave ratings and reviews than satisfied ones
Fake reviews from competitors trying to undermine your business
Negative impact on sales caused by negative reviews

Weigh the pros and cons, and if you're confident in the quality of your products, including customer reviews may be a big win for your business.

Stores most frequently displaying product reviews on their websites

Product stock and adding products to cart

Positive reviews aren’t the only thing that nudges customers to make a purchase— emphasizing product scarcity can also be effective. Displaying how many items are left in stock creates a sense of urgency, pushing customers to act before they miss out. Only 22% of the sites we analyzed used this tactic, showing the remaining stock quantity on the product page.

Product stock quantity on product page

In addition to the CTA (Call to Action) button for adding a product to the cart, 79.5% of sites allowed customers to choose how many items to add directly on the product page. The remaining 20.5% required quantity adjustments to be made in the cart. Interestingly, online florists were the least likely to offer a quantity selection— only 30% allowed customers to add multiple items to their cart from the product page.

Quantity to add to cart on product page

While still focusing on interactions with the product page, this is the perfect opportunity to showcase other products and increase the value of the customer's cart. A great approach is to suggest similar products, complementary items, or products the customer has viewed before. Cross-selling at this stage not only enhances the shopping experience but can also boost overall sales by encouraging customers to add more to their cart.

How are cart and checkout process designed?

Once the customer has finished browsing and moves to the cart, they enter the checkout flow, which is designed to guide them through the purchase process. The following steps are typically involved:

Adding order notes

Adding notes to an order or delivery is a common feature in e-commerce. Among the stores we studied, 53% offered the option to include order notes.

Order note option on store websites

Delivery choice

Delivery is essential in e-commerce. Starting with delivery minimums, only 2.2% of stores required customers to meet a minimum order value before checkout, while the remaining 97.8% allowed customers to proceed without any such requirement.

As for delivery costs, flat rates were the most popular choice, used by 37.9% of stores. This method is simple to implement and user-friendly. Variable delivery costs were based on distance (29%), region, or the total order value. Free shipping was offered by 18.3% of stores, typically those selling higher-value or bulk goods, such as 70% of firewood sellers, 60% of electronics stores, and 60% of jewelers. Some stores offered free shipping only after a minimum order value was met.

Delivery cost in e-commerce

Regarding delivery methods, 61% of stores did not specify a particular provider. The rest either indicated one or gave customers multiple options. USPS was offered by 22% of stores, followed by UPS (18.3%), and FedEx (7.3%). Additionally, 8.4% of stores offered in-store pickup, and 3.3% of local stores had their own delivery service.

Available delivery methods in e-commerce

Only 45.4% of stores displayed an estimated delivery time. One possible reason could be the lack of control over the supply chain due to dropshipping. Another reason could be the lack of a dedicated delivery provider, as we saw earlier that 61.5% of stores did not specify which provider would handle the delivery. Stores may also want to avoid customer dissatisfaction in case of delivery delays.

Estimated delivery time in e-commerce

Discount codes

Offering discount codes can be an excellent way to encourage purchases, and retailers know it— 78.8% of the stores we reviewed used this strategy. While there weren’t clear differences by industry, sellers of specialized products, such as medical supplies or firewood, were more likely to offer discount codes. Purchases of these products are driven by need, rather than impulse.

Discount codes in e-commerce

Payment

There were numerous payment methods offered by the stores. To simplify the data, we categorized them as follows:

Payment methods in e-commerce

The most popular method was traditional credit or debit cards, accepted by 89% of stores.

Next, digital wallets and payment platforms were offered by 61.2% of stores:

PayPal 49.1%
ShopPay 29.3%
Google Pay 24.2%
Amazon Pay 3.3%
Square Pay 3.3%
Venmo 2.9%
Cash App 2.2%
Apple Pay 1.8%
Meta Pay 1.1%
Buy with Prime 0.4%

Additionally, 13.2% of stores allowed deferred payments via Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services. What is BNPL? It's a payment option that allows customers to purchase products immediately but pay for them over time in installments, often without interest if paid within a certain period. The researched stores offered:

Afterpay 7.4%
Affirm 2.9%
Sezzle 1.8%
Klarna 1.1%
PayLater 9.4%

A small percentage of stores also accepted traditional bank payments:

Bank check 0.7%
Net 30 0.7%
Bank transfer 0.4%
Bank deposit 0.4%

In addition, one store also offered cryptocurrency payments via Coinbase Commerce.

Payment methods in e-commerce - details

Summary

After analyzing nearly 300 small e-commerce websites, we found:

Effective product detail pages and checkout flows are essential for sales conversions.
Many product pages could improve by adding reviews, product variants, or better descriptions for SEO purposes.
The way stores handle delivery and payment options can significantly impact customer satisfaction and completion rates.

If you're looking to build or improve your online store, our AI-powered website generator has everything you need to create engaging product pages and a seamless checkout process.

The data and statistics presented in this blog post come from a research study conducted by IKOL between 2023 and 2024. To learn more about IKOL research methodology and explore other findings, visit: ikol.com/research

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