{"id":10831,"date":"2026-10-26T18:36:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T10:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.weswoo.com\/?p=10831"},"modified":"2026-10-26T18:36:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T10:36:04","slug":"brand-story-product-decisions-shopping-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.weswoo.com\/en\/brand-story-product-decisions-shopping-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond About Us: How Customers Get to Know a Brand While They Shop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine an apron store telling a compelling story about its founder\u2019s years in restaurant kitchens: fabrics that were difficult to care for, pockets that were never where they were needed, and a neck strap that became uncomfortable during a busy shift. The details make the story easy to follow.<\/p>\n

Then the customer returns to a product page and finds \u201cpremium fabric, excellent craftsmanship, available in multiple colors.\u201d They still have to guess which apron makes sense for two hours of cooking at home. The distinctive business they just met has become an ordinary product grid.<\/p>\n

What is missing is the connection between the story and the product. What problem did the brand encounter? What choices did it make in response? How do those choices affect this particular item? A customer should be able to discover those relationships as they shop.<\/p>\n

Our view is that brand storytelling works best when a meaningful decision from the story appears where a customer needs to understand it. About Us can carry the full history. Products, collections, and instructions give that history a practical role.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Process inspiration gallery for Matthew Fisher, from CUSP\u2019s 2021 Awwwards case study. It presents creative context and references, not manufacturing or material evidence for every object. \u00a9 2021 Matthew Fisher; design and artwork rights remain with their owners. Source on Awwwards<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Process gallery from CUSP\u2019s 2021 Matthew Fisher case study on Awwwards. The architecture, rock, and spatial imagery are inspiration material, not evidence that every image records product manufacture. Rights remain with the respective owners.<\/em><\/p>\n

Customers have different questions in different places<\/h2>\n

On arrival, a customer may wonder what kind of company this is. On a product page, they want to know why an item was made this way. Before buying, they need to understand whether it suits them and what living with it will involve.<\/p>\n

A single founder story cannot answer all those questions by itself. Repeating the entire company history at the bottom of every page may add reading without adding understanding.<\/p>\n

A useful starting point is to distinguish the jobs within the narrative. The origin explains the initial problem. Product principles explain what the team decided to prioritize. Specific evidence shows how the item in front of the customer reflects those principles. These layers belong together, but they do not need to appear together everywhere.<\/p>\n

Consider an illustrative brand making equipment for small kitchens. Its homepage might establish the problem through an everyday scene. A storage product page needs footprint dimensions, clearance requirements, and compatibility limits. The founder\u2019s own small kitchen can explain why these details matter to the company. It cannot stand in for the dimensions of the product.<\/p>\n

This is how a brand value becomes something a shopper can understand and question. Explaining where an item is unsuitable can be just as useful as explaining where it works well.<\/p>\n

Matthew Fisher: exploring an idea while keeping product information within reach<\/h2>\n

An artistic story can also emerge through objects and reference material. CUSP\u2019s 2021 Matthew Fisher case study on Awwwards brings a Process inspiration gallery and product-detail experiences into the same ecommerce site. The original team\u2019s case study<\/a><\/p>\n

The gallery image above contains architecture, rocks, and spaces. These can introduce a creative perspective. Inspiration and manufacturing evidence have different responsibilities, however: a photograph of stone or a building does not establish how a particular item was sourced, made, or inspected.<\/p>\n

The historical PLINTH 15 product view also provides a material name, dimensions, weight, and a purchase action. Our design lesson is that a story can open a way of looking while product information answers the questions that follow.<\/p>\n

This is a published historical version, not verification of the current site or commercial results. For another project, the useful question is whether someone who understands the brand\u2019s ideas can then find the information needed to understand its products.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The original 2021 Matthew Fisher product page arranges the object name, material, dimensions, weight and purchase entry around its image. Source: CUSP\u2019s Awwwards case study, \u00a9 2021 Matthew Fisher. This historical image is not current pricing or feature verification. Source on Awwwards<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The PLINTH 15 product page in CUSP\u2019s 2021 case study on Awwwards. It illustrates the arrangement of product, specification, and purchase information, not current prices, availability, website state, or a physical product test. Rights remain with the respective owners.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before putting a story on a product page, identify the decision it changed<\/h2>\n

Many businesses say they are passionate about quality. Customers cannot necessarily see where that commitment took effect, or what difference it makes to them.<\/p>\n

Three questions can help a team decide whether a piece of its story belongs in the shopping experience:<\/p>\n