There are so many elements to a successful e-commerce website. Calls to action, smooth navigation and engaging visuals are critical to user experience and the customer decision journey. However, copywriting is also key. How product descriptions are written can influence purchasing decisions.
Product descriptions explain what a product is and why it’s worth purchasing. When done correctly, they can provide all of the important information about the features and benefits of the product in a way that encourages users to make purchases.
Product descriptions should not simply describe your products! They must read as if they are written by a real person, for a real person. We have put together a list of 8 easy ways to improve your copywriting skills and write product descriptions that sell.
1. Always have your customer in mind as you write
Instead of thinking about a huge number of customers when you write product descriptions, it makes sense to instead focus on an ideal buyer and target that buyer as you write. Think about how that person would talk and answer the questions you think they would have about your product. Think about the words they use, what they might find funny or engaging or useful, what they really want to know. It’s good to address the buyer personally too. Just keep focused on those important points and your product descriptions should become more informative, more engaging and more effective.
2. …And always include the value propositions!
Sell an experience, not just a product. As much as product features and specs seem sooo important to you as a proud business, customers don’t necessarily value that information as highly. Whilst it still must be included, it can seem mundane and customers might lose interest if they feel that is all you need to tell them about the product.
Show your excitement for you product by telling them all it will add real value to their lives. How will it answer their problems? Make their lives easier or better? How is your product everything they’ve been searching for? Tell your customers the product benefits in a way that engages them, don’t just list the features. And don’t be boastful! Whilst benefits are important, you want to do write them into the description in a way that does not exaggerate using superlatives – this can come across as ‘too good to be true’. Instead, personalise your message to the customer so that they can relate to what you are saying, leaving them no choice but to admit that your product actually would be of real benefit to them.
3. Get descriptive, get imaginative
When selling online, customers do not have the luxury of picking up a product and examining it like they do in a physical shop. So, you need to get creative with your product descriptions. What you write must coincide with the visual representation of the product. But it must also be imaginative.
This is the art of copywriting – using descriptive language will help your customer visualise owning that product. You should also consider emotive language that taps into how your customer will feel once they have your product for themselves.
4. Stay well away from ‘same old, same old’ clichés
Keep your descriptions fresh. This means not simply stating ‘amazing quality product’ or ‘guaranteed customer satisfaction’ and leaving it there. We are well used to seeing this. Of course we want products to be of a high quality! What we want to know is, how does it stand out from the rest?
This is where the benefits come in. Consider those so that you can justify using any buzzwords like ‘high quality’. Product specs and features are still valid, but they are not the persuasive points that encourage the sale, the product detail and benefits are.
5. Tell a story
We all love to be told a story! We don’t really want to feel like we are being sold to, we want to feel like businesses care and value us, and want to engage with us. Then we might think about buying from them.
So, when you write your product descriptions, think about the story behind that product. Consider how it came to be – the inspiration behind it, the creation and making of it, any challenges you faced and the values of your business and how your product stands for those values.
6. Use those customer testimonials!
This remains a tried and tested way of enticing potential customers to buy. What do we do when we want to find out if a product is worth buying? We read reviews. However, testimonials are a great way to insert social proof into your descriptions and encourage that sale when a customer is on the fence.
Think about adding quotes from previous happy customers. It’s good to incorporate this real human voice into your descriptions so that they are more engaging and personable.
7. Appeal to the senses
You know those food ads on TV that use sensory adjectives like ‘smooth’ or ‘sweet’? They are super effective because they appeal to our senses. We don’t want to simply say something ‘tastes great’ and hope customers are persuaded to buy, we want them to read words like ‘fluffy’ or ‘zesty’ and be able to imagine touching or tasting your product.
If appealing to the senses is relevant to your product, then why not include some sensory adjectives so that you can sell an experience?
8. Don’t forget about readability and design
Your website design is really important for product descriptions.
The display should be easy to read and should not overwhelm users. We like to read things that are clear and scannable, written in snippets and not in big long chunks. This is why headlines, bullet points, white space and font size should be taken into account when writing your descriptions.
A well-written and engaging product description is so worthwhile. Remember, you aren’t simply listing features and selling a product, you are selling the experience, the benefits and the story. Write with excitement, and your customer will feel that same excitement when they click to buy your product!
If your company requires a professional online presence please Contact Us to discuss how we can help you, on Dungannon 028 3754 9025 or Belfast 028 9002 5050.
