Compare-Surface Reassurance & Disclosure Microcopy

Overview

This document provides microcopy for all compare-surface states where users need clarity on data freshness, ranking logic, and affiliate context. Tone is honest, specific, and trust-forward — never defensive or vague.

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1. Compare State Microcopy

1.1 Loading State

Banner: (none — skeleton is self-explanatory)

Skeleton labels:

• "Loading prices..."
• "Checking availability..."
• "Fetching retailer data..."

Tone guidance: Neutral, brief. No reassurance needed — loading states are expected.

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1.2 Empty State (No Matches Found)

Heading: "No retailers found"

Body: "We couldn't find this product at other retailers right now. This product may be exclusive to [retailer name], or it could be new to the market."

Actions:

• "Get Price Alert" — primary
• "Suggest a Retailer" — secondary
• "Back to Search" — tertiary

Tone guidance: Acknowledge exclusivity possibility without discouraging. Avoid "error" language.

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1.3 Partial State (Fewer Retailers Than Expected)

Banner heading: "Showing available retailers only"

Banner body: "Only [X] retailer(s) have this product in our catalog. We're continuously adding new sources."

Pill controls: Dim 3rd/4th options with aria-disabled="true" and tooltip: "Not enough data for [N]-way comparison"

Tone guidance: Frame limitation as catalog growth story, not a failure. Be specific with the count.

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1.4 Stale Data State

Banner heading: "Price data may be outdated"

Banner body (single retailer stale): "Price from [retailer] was last checked [X] days ago. [Refresh prices]"

Banner body (multiple stale): "Some prices haven't been verified recently. Last checked [X] days ago for [retailer A], [Y] days ago for [retailer B]. [Refresh all prices]"

Per-retailer freshness badge: Subtle amber ⚠️ Xd next to stale prices

Refresh button: "Refresh Prices" or "Update Prices"

Tone guidance: Be honest about age. Specific days build trust more than vague "outdated" labels. Always offer a path forward (refresh).

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1.5 Error State

Heading: "Couldn't load comparison"

Body: "Something went wrong while fetching prices. This is usually temporary — please try again."

Actions:

• "Try Again" — primary
• "Contact Support" — secondary (links to /feedback)

Tone guidance: Normalize the error. Don't use "failed" or "error" as nouns in the heading.

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2. Freshness Disclosure Microcopy

2.1 Fresh Data (< 24 hours)

Badge: (none — implicit default)

Timestamp line (optional): "Prices verified today"

2.2 Recent Data (24h – 7 days)

Badge: (none — subtle treatment acceptable)

Timestamp line (optional): "Prices verified within the last week"

2.3 Stale Data (7 – 30 days)

Badge: ⚠️ Xd (amber)

Footer disclosure: "Price verified [X] days ago. [Refresh for current price]"

2.4 Very Stale Data (> 30 days)

Badge: ⚠️ Xd (red)

Footer disclosure: "This price was last checked [X] days ago. [Refresh for current price]"

Tone guidance: For very stale, consider showing original price vs. current market range if available, to set expectations.

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3. Ranking Disclosure Microcopy

3.1 Price Ranking

Default label on sorted column: "Price: Low to High" / "Price: High to Low"

Rank badge on product: "#1 cheapest" or "Cheapest" — avoid ordinal abuse (don't say "#1" unless truly #1)

Savings callout (when applicable): "Save S$[X] vs. average price" or "S$[X] below market average"

3.2 "Best Deal" Designation

Criteria callout (hover/tooltip): "Based on price, availability, and seller rating"

Empty state for no deal: (don't show "best deal" widget if < 2 products or all unavailable)

3.3 Affiliate Disclosure

Surface placement: Footer of compare table, below all products

Disclosure text (SG): "BuyWhere uses affiliate links. We may earn a commission when you purchase through retailer links, at no extra cost to you. This helps support our free price-comparison service."

Short form (tooltip on affiliate indicator): "Affiliate link — we may earn a commission"

Placement in compare card: Small commissions or 💰 indicator near buy_url button, with hover disclosure

Tone guidance: Be explicit about affiliate relationship. "At no extra cost to you" reduces friction. Frame it as supporting a free service, not a warning.

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4. Trust-Sensitive Tone Guidance

Do:

• Be specific: "Last checked 8 days ago" > "outdated"
• Be honest: Never hide stale data — show freshness badges prominently
• Offer action: Always pair a problem statement with a solution ("Refresh", "Get Alert", "Suggest")
• Use plain language: "We couldn't find prices" > "No results returned"
• Normalize variability: "Prices change often" is better than implying static data

Don't:

• Don't use alarm language for stale data — "⚠️ Xd" is sufficient
• Don't promise accuracy you can't guarantee — always include refresh/action paths
• Don't bury affiliate disclosures — visible placement builds trust
• Don't use technical jargon in user-facing copy ("data_freshness", "cache_hit", "stale_count")
• Don't say "error" as a noun in headings — use "Couldn't" or "Something went wrong"

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5. Reuse Notes for Frontend & Design

Component Mapping

i18n Keys to Create

compare.loading = "Loading prices..."
compare.empty.heading = "No retailers found"
compare.empty.body = "We couldn't find this product at other retailers right now."
compare.partial.banner = "Showing available retailers only"
compare.stale.banner = "Price data may be outdated"
compare.error.heading = "Couldn't load comparison"
compare.error.body = "Something went wrong while fetching prices."
compare.freshness.verified_today = "Prices verified today"
compare.freshness.verified_recent = "Prices verified within the last week"
compare.affiliate.disclosure = "BuyWhere uses affiliate links."
compare.affiliate.tooltip = "Affiliate link — we may earn a commission"
compare.action.refresh = "Refresh Prices"
compare.action.get_alert = "Get Price Alert"
compare.action.suggest_retailer = "Suggest a Retailer"

Accessibility Notes

• All banners: role="alert" and aria-live="polite"
• Stale badges: aria-label="Price verified X days ago"
• Affiliate indicator: aria-label="Affiliate link" with tooltip description
• Refresh buttons: aria-describedby linking to timestamp of last refresh

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6. Quick Reference: All Compare Surface Strings

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7. Trust-State Microcopy

7.1 Trust Score Badges

Highly Confident badge (95–100%):

"Highly Confident" — no additional label needed; match quality is implicit

Likely Match badge (80–94%):

"Likely Match" or "Strong Match"

Possible Match badge (60–79%):

"Possible Match" with amber indicator

Uncertain badge (Below 60%):

"Verify Before Buying" with red indicator

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7.2 Trust Score Legend (Accessible Table)

Header: "What do the match labels mean?"

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7.3 Low Trust Warning Banner

Heading: "Low confidence match detected"

Body (single product uncertain): "We're not certain this is the same product. [Retailer]'s listing may differ from your search. Verify details before buying."

Body (mixed trust in comparison): "Some products in this comparison have lower match confidence. Look for the match label on each result."

Actions:

• "View Details" — primary
• "Report Mismatch" — secondary
• "Continue Anyway" — tertiary (only for 60-79% range)

Tone guidance: Be direct about uncertainty without being alarmist. Offer verification path. Never block users, just inform.

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7.4 Trust Score Breakdown (Detailed View)

Heading: "Trust Score Explained"

Body: "We evaluate three factors:"

Factor 1: "Title match — How closely the product name matches your search"

Factor 2: "Image similarity — AI comparison of product images"

Factor 3: "Price reasonability — Within expected range for this product"

Footer CTA: "Report incorrect match →"

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7.5 Trust State in Comparison Card

Inline badge (highly confident): (none — implicit default)

Inline badge (likely match): "✓ Strong match"

Inline badge (possible match): "⚠️ Verify match"

Inline badge (uncertain): "⚠️ Check carefully"

Tooltip for uncertain: "This listing may differ from your search. Confirm details (brand, model, specifications) before purchasing."

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7.6 Mixed Trust Comparison Banner

Heading: "Match confidence varies"

Body: "This comparison includes products with different confidence levels. Look for the match label on each card."

Pill control treatment: Dim uncertain options with aria-disabled="true" and tooltip: "Low confidence — verify before buying"

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7.7 Trust Alert in Price Comparison

Alert banner (when filtering by trust): "Showing products with [filter level] or higher match confidence. [Show all results]"

Filter tooltip: "Filter by how confident we are that the product matches your search"

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8. Quick Reference: Trust-State Strings

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Document version: 1.1 | Created for BUY-2661 | Extended for BUY-2674 (trust-state microcopy) | For questions, tag @copy in /PAP/issues/BUY-2674