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2021.2: New Frontiers in E-Commerce

WebSite X5
Published by Incomedia in WebSite X5 News · Tuesday 30 Mar 2021
You know that satisfying feeling you get when you can finally check off a difficult task? That's exactly the type of satisfaction and excitement we're feeling today. Because after introducing updates in recent versions like the product search page, personalized filters, and the PayPal Commerce Platform integration, we are now ready to share another, very useful tool with you: Product Sheets.

This latest addition gives you everything you need to take your online store to the next level.

But let's be clear: the Product Sheets aren't the end phase. They're just an important step in a journey which we believe still has many surprises in store.

Product Sheets: a key for success   

No matter their size, online stores are generally built on a rather simple structure: there's a home page to welcome customers, category pages that “direct traffic", then a series of pages with product sheets - one for each item in the catalog - which describe the articles for sale.  

These Product Sheets are often underestimated, and yet they are one of the most important keys for a successful online store. In fact, the product sheets are where your potential clients makes their decision. You've convinced them to visit your website and shared information with them, but this is where you turn them from visitors into clients, and they make the purchase.


The best approach is to consider Product Sheets as landing pages in their own right. Every detail counts towards reaching the goal: making sales.


But if I have a lot of products, how do I create Product Sheets for each one?

That would take so much time and effort... Which is exactly the problem the WebSite X5 update addresses by automatically generating Product Sheets for each item in your catalog. You insert the information, and the program creates the pages for you: it's quick and easy!

All of the Product Sheets are developed based on a structure designed to promote conversions. In other words, it sells.



The following information is displayed at the top of the page (which is known as above the fold): the name of the product, which becomes the page's title, accompanied by the category it belongs to, its ratings, and a brief description along with the price, any discounts, and its availability. And of course, the Buy now button The Hero Image is given ample room to shine, along with a gallery where you can insert all of the images and videos needed to best present every detail of your product.

When visitors scroll down, they'll see all the additional information that helps them make up their minds and complete the purchase. First, there’s room for an extended description, including the option to add tabs. This is where you can display all the technical details, warranty information, FAQs, etc.

Then, there's the reviews section. Customers tend to trust what other customers say more than the company: that's why encouraging users to leave reviews and ratings is always a good idea.


A visitor is 270% more likely to purchase a product when it has at least 5 reviews.


Finally, there is also the option to suggest related products from the same category. After all, once you have a customer's attention, why not take the opportunity to let them know about other products that may interest them?

We've also added social media buttons, because word of mouth is a simple and effective form of advertisement.      


To learn more, read our guide: How to build a Product Sheet


Once the layout is perfect, how do I connect Product Sheets in my project?

Product Sheets are automatically linked within the cards generated by the Product Catalog Object or the online store's Search page.



Alternatively, we've also introduced a new link that you can use to connect a specific Product Sheet to a hyperlink, a button, or a menu option.

Overall, this is a truly comprehensive range of options for best presenting your products and maximizing sales opportunities.      


For a complete overview, read our guide: How to present products from the catalog


We mentioned product reviews: how are they managed?

It's easy: using the online Control Panel or the WebSite X5 Manager App you're already familiar with. Reviews and ratings for the products in your store are managed the same way as they were already handled for Blog posts or through the Reviews and Ratings Object.

We also improved this part: viewing and managing comments is now easier than ever.

What about mobile?

As we all know, mobile commerce is growing fast, especially among younger generations.


By 2021, 72.9% of all retail e-commerce is predicted to take place via mobiles.


M-commerce, or mobile commerce, is different from other e-commerce only in the sense that transactions are made using smartphones or tablets rather than desktops. This might seem like a small difference, but think about it: smartphones are personal devices that are always available, always on, and that respond perfectly to the impulse to make a purchase, anywhere, any time. It makes strategic sense to take advantage of that!

That's why we made sure that our Product Sheets are responsive, so that they can display correctly on smartphones without compromising the purchasing experience.

Last but not least: improving SEO for Google and search engines.

We did our homework on this aspect, too.

In the 2020.2 version, we introduced structured data, which is metadata that is inserted within the code that Google uses to better understand a page's content in order to display rich snippets in the SERP instead of plain text. We took the opportunity to implement structured data in our new Product Sheets, too.

In fact, no matter what kind of store you run, Google can be a great source of new customers, especially if it displays rich snippets with reviews, prices, and availability on its results page.





Questions about structured data and its importance? We explain everything you need to know in this article; Structured data: what it is and how to use it for SEO  


This concludes our overview of the new Product Sheets. To see all the new features included in the 2021.2 update - as well as all the features released in previous updates - visit the News page.

If you have an active WebSite X5 license, you can install the new version right away: launch the program and you'll find the instructions for doing so in just a few clicks.

If you no longer have an active WebSite X5 license, you can renew now to receive the new version 2021.2.

Finally, if you haven't yet purchased WebSite X5, take this opportunity to buy it now. The usage license includes the guarantee of receiving all the updates and new releases we'll release for the next 12 months, in addition to access to our Priority Assistance service.




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