Product Description Best Practices 2023: Writing Product Content that Drives Sales

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In the world of eCommerce, product descriptions are critical to the success of any business. They are the first impression that a potential customer has of your product and can make or break a sale. 

A great description can help a customer understand the unique features and benefits of your product, while a poorly written description can leave them confused and uninterested. It’s a way to communicate the brand’s unique value proposition, tone, and personality to quickly capture shoppers’ attention. 

In this article, we will discuss the best practices for writing product descriptions that scale growth for your eCommerce business. From using the right language to optimizing for search engines, these tips will help you create descriptions that convert browsers into buyers.

Keep it simple and straightforward

The first rule of thumb is to keep everything simple and straightforward. Customers don’t have time to read long, complex descriptions that don’t provide the information they need. The goal is to communicate the product’s features and benefits in a clear and concise way. 

By focusing on the core aspects of your product, key product features are delivered while providing clarity and credibility. 

In addition to reducing clutter and confusion, this approach allows businesses to focus on the key qualities of their product. By distilling the essentials down to what truly matters for the customer, businesses are able to ensure that each key element of their product is conveyed, which can capture potential buyers’ attention quickly and effectively. This approach to writing product listings has been adopted by many major companies. For example, hop over to the Apple website and see how they are listing their products: iPhone 14; the longest battery life of any iPhone; tougher than any smartphone glass; water resistance; shaky shots, stable videos.” In a few phrases, they have highlighted all the elements that set their new smartphone apart, and captured all the features that matter to shoppers. 

This approach also allows companies to be creative with how they market their offerings. Rather than putting out complicated descriptions or long, drawn-out paragraphs about their products, businesses can focus on creating concise messages that highlight the key features in an engaging way. Generally speaking, a description of around 50-100 words can be sufficient for straightforward products; while more complex and expensive products, especially those with technical details may require a longer description of 200-500 words. Keeping your product descriptions within a suitable length helps customers understand quickly why your product or service is the right choice for them.

Use descriptive language

Descriptive language helps to create a vivid and compelling image of the product in the customer’s mind and brings the product to life. By using descriptive adjectives and sensory language, you can help the customer visualize the product and imagine how it will feel or work in their life. For example, instead of saying “soft T-shirt” say “T-shirt as soft as a cloud.” This kind of language makes the product more tangible and helps connect to the shopper’s senses, which is more likely to trigger a purchase decision.

Highlighting unique features, benefits, and advantages will make your product stand out and appeal to customers who are looking for something specific. It helps to persuade customers to make a purchase by building credibility and trust. Using descriptive language can also improve your product listing’s SEO. By including specific keywords and phrases in your descriptions, you can increase the chances of your product appearing in relevant search results as well as the likelihood of a successful sale.

Focus on benefits and solutions for the user

When writing product descriptions, it’s important to remember that your product’s key selling points lie not just in the features, but in the benefits it can bring to users. Customers want to know how the product will solve their problems or make their lives easier. By highlighting the unique advantages that a product offers, potential customers can see what sets you apart from competitors and why your product is worth investing in. 

For example, instead of just listing the features of a blender, talk about how it can make smoothies in seconds and save time in your morning routine. Or if you’re selling a laptop, focus on how it has an ultra-fast processor to make multitasking easier, long battery life for those who need to work on the go, or security features like encryption to protect sensitive data. These are all important benefits that may not be conveyed by just listing out features. Simply stating how your product can make a difference to the buyer could be the deciding factor for their purchase decision.

Utilizing bullet points and subheadings

Most customers don’t read product descriptions word-for-word. Instead, they scan them for key information. To quickly convey your product information and engage customers, make sure to use bullet points, subheadings, and short paragraphs. This makes it easier for customers to find the information they need instantly.

Bullet points are an incredibly effective way to break up text and draw attention to important information. They help readers quickly find the information they are looking for and improve their overall understanding of your product by making your product features easier to digest, which allows businesses to quickly engage shoppers with the right information and drive sales.

If you need help coming up with the right bullet points to appeal to your customers, Copysmith has a Product Feature Bullets use case that quickly generates a set of bullet points that highlight the most important features of your product, making it easier for customers to understand why your product is the best choice for them. Sign up for a free trial and experience AI writing for all your content needs!

Be specific

Always provide necessary details to provide customers with the information they need to make an informed decision about whether to purchase the product.

By being clear and specific, customers can understand what the product is and what it does, which is essential in their decision-making process. This also prevents misunderstandings or misinterpretations that could lead to customer dissatisfaction or returns.

In today’s crowded markets where there are many similar products competing for shoppers’ attention, highlighting specific, unique features or benefits is what differentiates your product from competitors. 

Avoid vague terms like “high quality” or “luxurious.” Instead, use specific terms that describe the product’s features and benefits in an enticing way. For example, instead of saying “high-quality leather,” say “full-grain leather that is soft and durable.” Specific descriptions can also help customers build confidence in the product and the brand. When customers have detailed and accurate information, they are more likely to trust that the product will meet their needs and provide value for their money.

Optimize for SEO

Optimizing for search engines (SEO) is an important step in ensuring that your eCommerce website and products are found by the right audience and more importantly at the right time. SEO involves optimizing specific elements of your content to make it easier for search engines to understand and index. By doing so, you can ensure that your website shows up higher in the search engine results pages, which can result in more visitors and leads.

Adding an engaging title and meta description is crucial to ensure your product can be found by the right audience. Think in the shoes of potential shoppers looking for your product, what can you highlight about your product that would instantly draw them in? Focus on using catchy words and key phrases that quickly capture the reader’s attention. Be sure to include relevant keywords to further increase the chances of your products ranking higher in search engines. This will help to bring in customers who are specifically searching for what you have to offer, allowing you to create more targeted campaigns to reach niche audiences with greater precision and accuracy.

By taking the time to optimize for SEO, you can increase the visibility of your website, thus boosting sales and enabling you to scale your business.

Use social proof to build trust

Social proof, testimonials and user-generated content are powerful approaches that can help you build trust with potential customers. People are more likely to make a purchase when they see that others have already done so and had a positive experience. This type of validation gives people the confidence they need to take the next step, and it effectively uses other customers’ feedback to speak for your product and drive sales.

There are several ways to use social proof, such as displaying customer reviews, featuring user-generated content like review articles and reels, or showcasing influencer endorsements. By highlighting these elements on your website, you can give visitors the assurance that other people have found success with your products or services.

Another way to utilize social proof is by leveraging the power of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. These networks offer businesses an opportunity to interact directly with their target audiences and provide them with valuable feedback from real customers in real-time. Not only does this help build trust, but it also helps create meaningful relationships between companies and their customers.

Include a call to action

Now that a potential shopper has read your product description and has an understanding of your offerings. Then what? 

Always include a call to action (CTA) so shoppers are encouraged to follow through to the next step of the sales process. CTAs help convert visitors into customers by providing a clear and direct next step. Without a CTA, customers may be uncertain about what to do next or may abandon the purchase altogether. Encourage customers to buy the product by using phrases like “Buy now” or “Add to cart.” You can induce a sense of urgency by encouraging customers to take action immediately by using language such as “Limited-time Offer”.

There are also other ways to incorporate CTAs to build long-term connections with shoppers beyond just the initial purchase. For example, a CTA to sign up for a newsletter can help build a long-term relationship with the customer and increase the likelihood of repeat business. A CTA to speak with an expert on your team about which product is the right fit for them can help build credibility, which further reinforces a purchase decision. By providing a clear and direct next step, you can increase the likelihood of a successful sale and build long-term relationships.

Test and iterate

Finally, it’s important to test and iterate. By testing different aspects of your product listing and measuring their impact on sales, you can identify the most effective language, formatting, and structure that can sell your product, and optimize your description for maximum results. 

Regularly review and update your descriptions to ensure that they remain relevant and useful to customers while adapting to changes in the market, customer preferences, or product features. To simplify this process, leverage AI tools that can quickly create and rewrite a large variety of product description for you, so you only need to choose your favorite ones instead of writing from scratch. Experiment with A/B testing to see what works best and make changes based on how your customers respond. By tracking metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and customer feedback, you can determine which changes are most effective and make further improvements as needed.

Making sure you’re continuously innovating and improving can improve customer satisfaction, ensure your product stands out in a crowded market, and drive growth for your business.

 

Product descriptions are a key element to the success of any eCommerce business. Following the best practices we highlighted above can ensure your product appeals to your target market, captures their attention, and can evoke buying decisions. 

With the right descriptions, businesses can not only increase their conversion rates and revenue, but also foster stronger relationships with their customers. Sign up for a free trial with Copysmith today and start creating product descriptions at scale! Experience the efficiency and simplicity of our stack of eCommerce-focused tools to save you and your business time and effort.