Webcollage recently announced a number of new features that will make the service more customizable and provide added visibility on retail pages.
What is Webcollage?
Webcollage is a content syndication service owned by Answers.com that distributes product-detail content to hundreds of top online retailers, including Walmart, Costco, and Target. Content26 has worked closely with Webcollage for years to provide our clients with content solutions for virtually every major retail channel non-Amazon.
Webcollage’s online content creation platform, Content Publisher, allows the use of built-in templates to create customized product detail pages with flexible design potential, rich media integration, and dynamic product matrices. The content is syndicated to whichever online retailer the client chooses, offering consistent messaging across multiple channels. If the content needs to be revised, it only needs to be changed inside Content Publisher once, and then it will be adjusted across all retail channels simultaneously.
Several shiny new modules and tools are available at this easy-to-use syndicate. As your trusted insider source on all things ecommerce and enhanced content, we’re delivering the scoop on the highlights.
Unique Content per Retailer
When content is syndicated to multiple channels, it means that the same content appears on every retailer it is sent to, with only the layouts differing from site to site based on each retailer’s unique requirements. Though this method offers ideal consistency for messaging and ease of editing across channels, it does not allow for unique content to be sent to different channels for the same product.
With Content Publisher’s new features, users can create and deliver unique content for the same product to different retail sites, making it possible to tailor product descriptions and page layouts for specific retail channels. Being able to assign specific channels within the Content Publisher workflow allows users to tailor their content to different audiences. It also means users can respond to particular retailer requests to provide unique content for their sites.
Interactive Product Tour and Brand Showcases
One of Webcollage’s new features, which has already been approved by Costco and Newegg, allows users to create interactive thumbnails that appear on the main image of a product page. This ensures enhanced content displays above the fold, which, according to a recent study, accounts for 80% of page user views.
The new Webcollage product tour with instructions at the bottom of the feature links.
Clicking on these icons displays a popup window in line with the main product page that features product descriptions, videos, and documents. This content can be built and managed with the Interactive Tour template, and can re-use existing content already stored in Content Publisher.
Note the different screens on the TV for the same product.
Another new feature slated for later this year is a Brand Showcase tool, offering more control for clients to create their own Showcases for multiple related products. New Optimized Brand Showcase templates will feature Product Selector integration, with question-based filtering varying the products shown in the showcase, so customers can find exactly what they’re looking for.
Amazon A+ Content Output
There is now an easier way to download content from Webcollage’s Content Publisher for use on Amazon. This new content output feature is ideal for companies simultaneously creating enhanced content for Webcollage and Amazon Vendor Central. Though Webcollage still does not syndicate to Amazon, they have created Content Publisher templates very similar to Amazon’s new A+ templates. It’s not clear at this early stage how well this translates to Amazon, but it’s certainly worth a go. Particularly because if it does work like a charm, users can identify specific content as Amazon-only and integrate Amazon-specific tasks into their Webcollage workflow.
Closed Captioning Video Support
Several online retailers, including Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Walgreens, will now reject product videos if they are not ADA compliant and include closed captioning. Videos in all Content Publisher template types now support adding the web standard WebVTT file format including closed captioning. Videos with no speaking must now be marked “No Sound”, and Webcollage will also help set that up.
The Takeaway
These new features in Webcollage’s Content Publisher should give clients more flexibility with their messaging and workflow across channels, as well as more visibility on the page.
Looking to take advantage of the new Webcollage features? Contact us today.
