E-Commerce Product Descriptions Writing: A Complete Guide

Crafting strategic, branded product descriptions can significantly impact the likelihood of a conversion versus an abandoned cart. Although it may be tempting to simply copy and paste generic product descriptions onto your pages, choosing the easiest route could ultimately hurt your profits.

Product descriptions may be time-consuming to craft, especially when aiming for quality, but they are an indispensable component of effectively showcasing and selling your merchandise. Writing clear and compelling product descriptions is a crucial aspect of operating a thriving online store.

Let's walk you through the process of crafting effective product descriptions with a detailed step-by-step guide. In this article, we will explain the significance of product descriptions and provide guidance on how to create compelling ones. Additionally, we will showcase some exceptional product descriptions from real-life examples.

Product Descriptions: What are They?

Product descriptions are essentially the verbal or written expressions used to depict the features and attributes of your merchandise. These are the short descriptive passages on product pages in ecommerce that inform customers about your product. An effective product description should provide a comprehensive overview of your product's attributes and advantages, recognize the issue it resolves, and establish its superiority over other products in its category.

Are those really matter?

Yes, they are. Most importantly, customers need them vividly.

Products that lack descriptions are likely to have lower sales compared to those with detailed descriptions. Can you promote a jacket that keeps you dry without actually mentioning its waterproof capabilities? Or market a pair of shoes that are eco-friendly without highlighting the fact that they are made of recycled materials? Good luck with that.

Physical retail stores have staff members who are present to offer customers with fundamental details about the products. Moreover, as a consumer, you have the opportunity to physically engage with a product and gather additional information before making a purchasing decision.

But in online, it's very very different. Online stores attempt to replicate the physical shopping experience by providing detailed product descriptions that aim to substitute for the ability to browse and interact with products in a brick-and-mortar store. If executed proficiently, they eliminate the need for speculation and guarantee that consumers are not left with uncertainty regarding the true nature of a product.

Why are product descriptions important?

It can be considered a safe assumption that every thriving online store showcases images of their merchandise. It is a valid statement to assert that the majority of consumers are attracted to products primarily due to the associated photographs.

Although your product photography looks excellent, having product descriptions is still essential. Product descriptions provide valuable information about the features, benefits, and specifications of the product, which can help potential customers make informed purchasing decisions. Additionally, product descriptions can improve search engine optimization (SEO) and increase the chances of your products appearing in search results.

Therefore, even if your product photography is outstanding, it's still important to include high-quality product descriptions to enhance the overall shopping experience for your customers. Small descriptions are necessary because they provide details that cannot be conveyed through photographs alone. Their role is to assist customers in making informed decisions regarding the suitability of a product for their needs.

Crafting high-quality product descriptions can ultimately lead to time savings. By providing answers to possible questions, customers can avoid the need to send emails asking for assistance. Moreover, Reducing the likelihood of customers becoming irritated due to insufficient details and leaving their shopping cart is more probable.

Crafting product descriptions with a strategic approach can provide an additional advantage of enhancing your SEO performance. This implies that a larger audience will have access to your products, thereby increasing the potential customer base.

How do I write one (or 50) of these things?

The task of writing descriptions for an entire store's worth of products can be overwhelming. The following steps have been broken down to help simplify things.

Identify your target audience

Begin by asking yourself: Who will be the purchaser of this product? Tailoring your product description to match the lifestyle, interests, and needs of your target customer is essential. Once you have identified who your ideal customer is, you can create a description that resonates with them and effectively communicates how your product can meet their unique requirements. To effectively market baby toys, it's important to craft product descriptions that are appealing to new parents rather than individuals who do not have children and are still in college. Determining customer profiles can also help with marketing, product development, and store design. Identifying customer profiles can assist in various aspects such as advertising, creating new products, and designing store layouts.

Gather basic information

What are the basic pieces of information you want to convey in your product description? When selling clothes, it's important to provide relevant details such as information on the materials used, the manufacturing process, and the place of origin. Does a garment fit small? Does it use natural dyes? Product descriptions should provide essential details that are not evident from the photographs.

Consider FAQs

What are your customers' most frequently asked questions?

  • Can this go in the dishwasher?
  • What will happen if I forget this in the trunk of my car for a month?
  • Is this a good present for my mom?
  • Was this sustainably made?

Creating a comprehensive FAQ list that incorporates responses within your descriptions can simplify the experience for both you and your clients. By providing accurate and comprehensive descriptions of your products, you can anticipate a reduction in customer support inquiries. Develop the routine of regularly reviewing your FAQs and identifying any relevant information that can be incorporated into your product descriptions over time.

Choose a format

Product descriptions can be formatted in a variety of ways. Regardless of the format you select, it is essential to incorporate both the benefits and details of the product in your description.

Consider making your product descriptions easily scannable to enable quick reading. Large blocks of text can be overwhelming for most shoppers and may cause them to lose interest. While there may be some exceptions, ultimately you are the one who knows what is best for your customers.

One of the most popular formats goes as follows:

First, write a short paragraph. This communicates the advantages of the product to the customer. With this product description, you can infuse your unique brand voice and create a scenario that helps your customers imagine using your product while having fun. In this section, it aims to demonstrate to the customer why the product is the optimal choice for their needs.

  • Then there are some bulleted points.
  • These points include additional product details.
  • When providing information, it's important to include details such as the material used, the size, and answers to frequently asked questions.
  • Make these bullet points the most important information because bullet points are the most scannable part of your product description.

Some product descriptions convey information in sentence form rather than using a bulleted list. This isn't as scannable—but perhaps your target demographic is a little more prosaic? Many online bookstores provide a longer paragraph for the book description, which includes a synopsis of the book.

In contrast, many product descriptions consist solely of bullet points, while others may not feature any description whatsoever (we certainly do not condone this). You’ll find a lot of these on Amazon.

Paper Birch employs a product description format that consists of a brief paragraph followed by a list of bullet points. Their products are characterized by a minimalistic and tidy design, which is reflected in their product descriptions as well. The short paragraph leads with how the art is made, and the accompanying bulleted list includes information on materials, origin, and shipping.

Establish your tone/voice

Establishing a tone involves communicating with your target audience in a manner consistent with the personality of your brand. Put yourself in your customers' shoes and try to see things from their perspective. What kind of communication style is going to put them at ease and make them feel most comfortable with your products?

TUSHY sells attachable bidets. To alleviate any possible unease around the topic of using the bathroom, the store employs a lighthearted approach to descriptions throughout its entire premises, acknowledging that not all individuals may be receptive to such discussions.

TUSHY's voice is fun and approachable. This fit their brand and have the potential to attract a diverse range of potential customers. Thanks to their unique voice, the product descriptions by TUSHY are a great example of effectively combining playfulness and information. They have transformed something potentially uncomfortable into an enjoyable experience.

Consider the distinctive and enjoyable aspects of your business and products. Crafting descriptions presents a chance to display your brand's unique character and establish a delightful shopping atmosphere. You don't want your product descriptions to come across as if they were generated by an automated tool for writing product descriptions.

Keep your language accessible and cohesive

It's important to ensure that product descriptions are comprehensible to all visitors to your store, regardless of their intended audience. Everything should flow in a logical order. If the language used by an expert is incomprehensible to them, it is highly likely that their customers will also struggle to understand their message.

Don't forget about SEO

Search Engine Optimization, commonly known as SEO, is a crucial aspect to consider. Crafting product descriptions with strategic use of keywords can enhance the discoverability of your products by search engines.

It is recommended to always begin by writing the product description. After it’s written, see if you can naturally work in some keywords. It can be frustrating to come across a description that is so overloaded with keywords that it becomes nearly incomprehensible and unappealing to read.

There are numerous online tools available to assist you in generating keyword ideas. We suggest both Google Keyword Planner and Answer the Public.

It’s time to get writing!

Having learned what information to incorporate in your product descriptions, you are now prepared to start crafting them.

Crafting product descriptions requires a significant investment of time. Ensure that everything is functioning properly. Preview the text in your online store. Does it make sense for your product and your brand? Write as many drafts as it takes until you feel comfortable with your content.

Get a friend to read it

If you're accustomed to handling all tasks on your own, this could prove extremely beneficial. After spending a significant amount of time working on a task, one may unconsciously rely on their existing knowledge to fill in any gaps or uncertainties.

One way to identify gaps in your product descriptions that you might have overlooked is by having a friend or someone unfamiliar with your products read them. Take their suggestions and adapt your descriptions accordingly.

Edit, proofread, and post

After ensuring the quality of your product descriptions, perform a final proofread before publishing them. Once you are satisfied with the result, go ahead and hit the publish button.

It's okay if not every description is effective, so don't feel discouraged. View this as a chance to gain insight into your customers' preferences and discover the strategies that are most effective for your products. One of the major advantages of running an online store is the convenience and simplicity of making updates and enhancements to your written content. Being open to testing different product descriptions can be more advantageous than being rigid and sticking to a single one.

By the end of the day, it is essential to ensure that your product descriptions effectively communicate how your product can improve the customer's life.

Take help from the experts

Sometime it's very time consuming. The ecommerce product description writing services from expert will ensure SEO optimized description that will be consistent. These description will help you to convert lead into sales.

Let’s check out some examples, shall we?

Take a look at Skinnydip London. We can analyze what a company is doing and why they are doing it by deconstructing one of their product descriptions:

The method being utilized is the well-known approach mentioned earlier in the article. According to Skinnydip, in addition to storing the essentials, this bag will help you stand out from the crowd. This resonates with their target audience of young women who, in a society where Instagram and crop tops are ubiquitous, simply desire to express themselves.

Below, they have specific details that customers might want to know. For example, Individuals who hold ethical objections to wearing fur are likely to ensure that their stylish new bag is not crafted from genuine animal materials. In anticipation of potential inquiries regarding the authenticity of the fur used in their product, Skinnydip took measures to address this by including a bullet point in their product details indicating that the fur is in fact, made of soft faux materials. Do you see what we’re getting at?

Next, Anorak is a homeware and lifestyle store. Although they offer different kinds of products, the product description of this particular sleeping bag stands out. Like Skinnydip, Anorak also uses a brief introductory paragraph and bullet points to present information concisely and clearly.

The description promotes the sleeping bag as being spacious and comfortable, which addresses a common customer worry. In addition, they have integrated their own voice into the content by adding some humor and using a more relaxed and informal language style.

They have included in the bulleted details that the sleeping bag can be washed in a washing machine. This is likely a frequently asked question and a significant advantage for busy shoppers who cannot spare the time to bring their sleeping bag to a professional dry cleaner.

Go browse some other online stores. What techniques are your favourite stores or competitors using? Emulate what you admire by working it into your own product descriptions.

Final thoughts

Each ecommerce store is unique and what works well for one entrepreneur may not necessarily be the optimal strategy for another, and vice versa.

Take the time to optimize your product descriptions and don't hesitate to conduct A/B testing to see what works best for your business. It can be challenging to invest your time and effort into a project or endeavor, only to have it not yield the desired results. However, it's important to recognize when something is not working and not to hold onto it unnecessarily. It's possible to experiment with diverse formats or tones to diversify your writing style. While it may require some effort, with practice, you'll be able to master it!

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Hey, I'm Abdul Hasib, a Digital Strategist determined to make businesses grow.
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