What is a Product Description?
A product description is a text that provides basic information about the product or service being sold online. It typically includes details such as features, benefits, specifications, and usage instructions.
The purpose of a product description is to inform potential customers about the product, persuade them to purchase it, and enhance their overall shopping experience.
A well-written product description can significantly impact sales, customer satisfaction, and brand reputation.
How to Write Product Descriptions that Sell
Online store merchants often make the mistake of leaking product features when writing product descriptions. This likely leads to a lower conversion rate because people do not understand how the product helps them.
Let’s take a look at how to create the ideal product descriptions that sell for you:
1. Focus on the Ideal Buyer
Understanding how to write product descriptions requires putting yourself in the shoes of your target audience. When writing a product description with a large audience of buyers in mind, your descriptions become vague and end up not addressing anyone at all.
The best product descriptions directly and personally address your target audience. You ask and answer questions as if you are having a conversation with them. You choose the words that your ideal buyer uses. You use the word “you.”
This is how retailer The Oodie starts the product description for the I Love Plants Oodie in one example of a product description:
? Can’t stop buying plants? Unbelievable. Don’t worry – we are too! Wrap yourself in your favorite obsession with our new I Love Plants Oodie! For every I Love Plants Oodie sold, a tree is planted across Australia.
When writing product descriptions for your online business, start by imagining your ideal buyer. What kind of humor do they appreciate (if any)? What words do they use? Are there certain words they dislike? Can they use words like “bad” and “poor”? What questions do they ask that you should answer?
Think about how you would talk to your ideal buyer if you were selling your product in-store face-to-face. Then try to incorporate that language into your e-commerce site so you can have a similar conversation online that resonates with people more deeply.
2. Tempt with Benefits
When we sell our products, we get excited about individual product features and specifications. We live and breathe our company, website, and products.
The problem is that potential buyers are not equally interested in boring features and specifications. They want to know what the product will provide for them and how it will address their major problems. Successfully writing a product description requires focusing on the benefits of each feature and overcoming cognitive biases.
A great example of a product description comes from Dr. Squatch:
? Made from real pine extract, this star bar is as strong as freshly cut lumber. A true shower champion, this killer washes away dirt with its rugged formula and strong woodsy scent. Add in the soothing oatmeal and shea butter, and you have a blend of natural ingredients that will tackle any unpleasant odor.
Dr. Squatch suggests that the benefit of his soap is not just that it will clean you in the shower, but that the soap is powerful enough to eliminate any nasty smell, no matter how tough your day is. It also guarantees some product benefits including “natural ingredients” and “exfoliating oatmeal” to attract his ideal buyer.
Assess the benefit of each feature you have. How does your product make customers feel happier, healthier, or more productive? What problems, flaws, and troubles does your product help solve?
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You are not just selling a product, but selling an experience.
3. Avoid “Yes, Yes” Phrases
When we find ourselves at a loss for words and don’t know what to add to the product description, we often resort to something dull like “Product quality is excellent.”
This is a “yes, yes” phrase. As soon as a potential buyer reads “Product quality is excellent,” they think to themselves, “Yes, yes, of course. That’s what everyone says.” Have you ever heard someone describe their product quality as mediocre, not very good, or even bad?
It becomes less convincing when the potential buyer reads your product description and starts saying “yes, yes” to themselves. To avoid this response, be as specific as possible.
In a recent study, shoppers were unable to find the information they needed in the product description, so they left the site to search Google for more information about the product. During their search, they found another site with the same product, a more complete description, and a lower price. NN/g
For example, Beardbrand doesn’t describe the quality of its product as excellent. Instead, it describes every detail along with its benefit.
? Whatever your style, Beardbrand Styling Balm can handle it. Designed to work with all hair types, it provides enough hold to keep thick, curly hair in check, prevents finer hair from drooping, and keeps the most unruly beard in line – all while maintaining your hair’s flexibility and touchability (no stiff, hard, or brittle hair here). This product works well to keep your look consistent all day long. Whatever your style, wear it with confidence with Beardbrand Styling Balm.
Product details add credibility. Product details sell your product. You can never include too many technical details in your product descriptions. Be specific.
4. Justify Using Superiority
Superlative qualities sound insincere in a product description unless you clearly demonstrate why your product is the best, easiest, or most advanced.
Amazon explains why the Kindle Paperwhite is the thinnest and lightest e-reader in the world.
The word “signature” gives the reader the impression that this is something special. Amazon continues to cite pixel density (300 pixels per inch) and how the reader features a glare-free screen and much less storage compared to previous generations.
If your product is truly the best in its class, provide specific evidence that this is the case. Otherwise, tone down your product text or quote a customer saying that your product is the coolest thing they’ve ever used.
5. Engage Readers’ Imagination
Research has shown that if people can hold a product in their hands, their desire to own it increases.
You are selling things online, so your website visitors cannot physically hold your products. Large, clear images or videos can help, but there’s also a trick to writing e-commerce copy to increase desire: Let the reader imagine how they would feel owning and using your product.
This is how Firebox engages your imagination with their description of the Fizzics DraftPour product. It explains how the product solves common problems with going to the pub for a pint of beer.
? There’s nothing like a fresh pint of beer at your favorite pub – except maybe a fresh pint of beer in your very own home.
Don’t struggle with crowds or fight for a seat or have to stand outside on the sidewalk just to enjoy your favorite beer again! The Fizzics DraftPour gives you nitro-fresh beer from any can or bottle. It can turn even the cheapest, budget beer into a premium pint with just one pull of the lever.
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DraftPour is a sleek piece of equipment, but it houses high-tech technology under the hood, using sound waves to transform the natural carbonation of beer into a soft microfoam. These tiny gentle bubbles create the optimal density to enhance aroma, flavor, and a smooth, silky texture.
Get a fruit game machine and some piggy banks and you will have perfectly replicated your local watering hole. It doesn’t include the sticky bar and the old, suspiciously stained carpet.
To practice this technique in writing commercial text, start the sentence with the word “Imagine,” and end the sentence (or paragraph) by explaining how the reader will feel when owning and using your product.
6. Break Mental Barriers with Short Stories
Adding short stories in your product descriptions reduces mental barriers against persuasive techniques. In other words, we forget we are being sold to.
For example, wine sellers like Laithwaites include short stories about the winemakers.
When it comes to employing your product description to tell a story about your products, ask yourself: Who makes the product? What motivated you to create the product? What obstacles did you have to overcome to develop the product? How was the product tested?
7. Tempt with Sensory Words
Restaurants have known this for a long time: sensory words increase sales because they engage more of the brain’s processing power. Here’s a great example of a product description from chocolate maker Green & Blacks.
The adjectives refer not only to taste but also to sound and touch: “Crispy” and “Smooth.”
Adjectives are tricky words. Often they add no meaning to your sentences, and it’s best to omit them. However, sensory adjectives are powerful words because they make the reader feel the product text while reading.
Engage readers with vibrant product descriptions. Think of words like “Soft,” “Silky,” “Crispy,” and “Bright” if you are selling food products.
8. Tempt with Social Proof
When visitors to your website are unsure of which product to buy, they look for suggestions on what to purchase. They are often influenced by buying a product with the highest number of positive reviews and testimonials.
Fitness apparel retailer Gymshark includes customer reviews on every product page. They also feature a rating system so shoppers can quickly and easily get product information.
Try to include a customer picture to add credibility to the offer. It also makes your business website more relatable and empathetic. You can even incorporate a social media feed full of user-generated content showcasing real people sharing success stories about using your products.
9. Make the Product Description Scannable
Does your website design encourage site visitors to read your product descriptions?
Here’s a great example of a product description from Kettle & Fire. The brand uses bullet points to quickly and easily communicate the product benefits. It also replaces the standard header “Benefits” with “Why You’ll Love It,” making the experience personal for shoppers on the product page.
Making your product descriptions’ layout clear and easy to read makes them more appealing to potential customers. Leaving unanswered questions for shoppers can hinder sales or, worse, lead them to abandon the purchase altogether, even the site too. NN/g
Here are some areas to focus on when designing your product descriptions: Attract your website visitors with catchy headlines. Use easy-to-read bullet points. Include enough white space. Increase font size to enhance readability. Use high-quality product images.
10. Set Goals and Key Performance Indicators
The purpose of the product description is to move the shopper toward a purchase. But how do you know if your descriptions are working or not?
You will want…
In defining a set of metrics to track on your product pages. Identifying these metrics will help you understand which product descriptions perform best and improve those that are underperforming.
Among the key performance indicators to monitor are: conversion rate, cart abandonment rate, return rate, support inquiries, and organic search ranking.
You can then run various A/B tests using a tool like Trident AB, leading to increased conversion rates and more sales for your e-commerce site.
Creating a Product Description Template
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all template that can write product descriptions for you. Each product and audience is different and has unique purchasing influences. This is a good thing, as you want your product descriptions to be unique to your brand.
If you’re struggling to write a product description, here are some suggestions that can help you create a product description template that works for your products and business.
First, answer the following questions:
Who is the ideal customer? Knowing who your product is being sold to is essential for writing a good description. What are the key features of your products? Write down any dimensions, materials, functions, care instructions, and size details (if you’re selling clothing). When is the product best used? Is your cozy blanket perfect for cold winter nights with a hot cocoa by the fireplace? Or is it more suitable for cool fall evenings when the sun sets? Provide ideal scenarios for when the customer should use your product. What makes your product special? Think about the unique benefits of your product and why it is better than your competitors.
Once you have this information in a document, use the following template to write your product description:
Write a specific title that grabs the attention of your target customers. Keep your ideas simple with an immediate benefit of the product. For example, if you’re selling a patterned yoga shirt, call it the Fleck Studio Shirt. Write a short paragraph based on the key features and usage information mentioned above. Look at the examples above for inspiration for writing an engaging description. Add a bullet point list of product features and benefits. Include any necessary technical details. Add social proof. You can use a customer review app to capture product reviews on your website and combine them with reviews from third-party sites like search engines or Facebook.
Now you are ready to add a product (or edit an existing product) in your online store!
A Compelling Product Description Will Always Pay Off
As you prepare to write compelling product descriptions for your online store, remember: share your knowledge about your product. Tell stories and explain even the smallest details. Make an effort not to be boring and instead delight your website visitors with enticing descriptions. And above all, write with enthusiasm, as your passion for your products is contagious.
Source: https://shopify.com/blog/product-descriptions-with-fewer-words
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