E-commerce Tips & Tricks 5 min read
05 Jul 2020

How To Write Product Descriptions That Sell

How To Write Product Descriptions That Sell

So, you've led your target customers to your eCommerce site after all the promotions...

They're finally gliding the sales funnel.

They're now browsing your products, looking for the products they want to buy.

But here's the thing...

You're losing some of them.

They're leaving your eCommerce store without purchasing something.

You're probably thinking, why is that?

You have a functional website. Your checkout process isn't complicated.

It's probably this...

Your product descriptions!

It's because your product descriptions need some spice. 😉

Writing descriptions for your eCommerce store is integral to your website strategy.

And sales copy in the product descriptions can be a bit challenging, especially if you have an extensive catalog.

So, that's what you'll learn today...

  • What are product descriptions?
  • Why do you need to write them correctly?
  • How to write persuasive product descriptions?
  • 3 product description examples

Before we start, let's discuss...

 

What Are Product Descriptions?

Product descriptions are sales or marketing copy that describe a product.

The purposes of product descriptions are to inform and persuade your customers.

Product pages aren't complete without a product description.

That's why you need to give a lot of thought to writing your product descriptions.

So, you're probably wondering...

 

Why Do You Need To Write Compelling Product Descriptions?

Why Do You Need To Write Compelling Product Descriptions

There are many reasons why. As I said, it's an integral part of your eCommerce website.

You should write a great product description to...

 

1. Inform Customers

Your product descriptions should answer your customers' questions, such as:

  • How will this product benefit me?
  • What are the specifications or features of this product?
  • What are the measurements of this product?

Before going to your customer service... your potential customers want to know all the necessary information as soon as possible.

This also speeds up their purchasing process.

A compelling product description can also...

 

2. Showcase Product Benefits

This is your chance to showcase your product benefits!

When browsing for products to buy, customers want to see how a particular product will make their lives easier.

That's why it's important to write great product descriptions to showcase the benefits of your products. And for them to choose you over your competitors.

Another benefit is it helps you...

 

3. Be More Discoverable

Well-crafted product descriptions will not only entice customers to buy an item.

But they also draw in more traffic to your Shopify store if they are properly optimized for search engines and show up in the top results.

Given these advantages, writing compelling descriptions for your products is essential.

Here are 7 ways to write an excellent product description and help you achieve your business goals!

 

How Can You Write Effective Product Descriptions?

Even with a wonderful theme and excellent product photos, you must master product description writing.

That will help you generate more conversions!

So, here are some ways to ramp up your product descriptions!

 

1. Write An Original Description

You might find product description writing quite challenging when you have a long list of items.

So... there might be a time when you feel tempted just to use a product description template from the internet. Or even use the exact copy from your supplier/manufacturer.

But that's a no-no!

Since product descriptions can affect your SEO or search engine optimization game, Google might penalize you for it.

That's not good for your eCommerce site.

This means you need to write your own product descriptions.

But if you have the budget, you can hire a copywriter to do it for you. Or you can also spend some time creating a product description template that you can edit based on certain products.

When writing product descriptions...

 

2. Identify And Write For Your Target Audience

Don't just try to encourage random customers to buy from you. You need to persuade those who will have an interest in your product and need a solution to their problem.

So, what you need to do is to write for your audience.

This includes:

  • Writing based on your customer persona
  • Setting a tone of voice
  • Incorporating the technical details without sounding hard

The last one might work if your target customers are tech-savvy, though!

But these are some things you should consider when crafting a product description.

If you put these into practice, your product descriptions wouldn't sound too sales-y.

And you also need to...

 

3. Zero In On The Benefits Of Your Products

Do you think your product is the greatest thing in the market? Your customers have to believe the same, too.

Before buying a product, they want to know the product's benefits.

Answer these questions:

  • What are the product features?
  • How can these products help my customers?
  • Am I writing too many technical details?

Don't focus on being too technical. Again, unless you're targeting a tech-savvy demographic.

It is much better if you can write technical details and incorporate them with the benefits.

The point is... Focus on informing them about the benefits of your product. Include all the relevant details that will answer their question: So what?

In doing so, your potential customers will know you can solve their problems.

Buyers will add a product to their cart if they believe it solves a specific problem. 

This leads us to our next tip...

 

4. Use A Natural, Free-Flowing Conversational Tone

Just because you're running an eCommerce store doesn't mean you have to sound like a robot. Be human!

Your potential buyer might be shopping online, but they want to feel like an actual human is telling them about your products.

Again, don't be too technical. You can use powerful words to build up your products, but avoid too much jargon if possible.

So, when writing product descriptions, you must have a conversational tone.

Another thing you need to keep in mind is...

 

5. Craft Scannable Descriptions

If you have long paragraphs of product descriptions, potential customers might not be able to read them thoroughly.

Their attention span is minimal, and they can't read all the product details.

What are you going to do?

First, you can create bullet points for each product benefit.

That will be easier to read than long paragraphs. That's a great way to showcase the features.

Next, include the dimensions, weight, and other measurements.

Some customers are looking for those details. And you need to make it easier for them to find what they're looking for. For these, you can also use bullet points.

This gives the buyer all the information necessary for them to have more than a passing interest in the item.

And, of course, you can also add social proof!

You can incorporate reviews within your product pages to convince potential customers to buy. This will also prove that your product quality is tip-top.

Because when they're scanning for the product descriptions, they should see what others say about your products.

Here are some tips to make scannable product descriptions:

  • Write short and concise sentences
  • Avoid grammatical errors and check even the tiniest details
  • Use bullet points

Now that you have a scannable product description, make it discoverable and...

 

6. Incorporate SEO In Your Product Descriptions

As I mentioned above... product descriptions are an excellent way to get your eCommerce store noticed on organic search rankings.

That means you should optimize your copy for search engines. 

How? Identify the keywords that you want your product page to rank for. Choose a word or phrase that doesn’t have a lot of competition.

Google’s Keyword Planner is an excellent tool to discover keywords you should rank for to get your name out there. 

You can also look for additional keywords your potential buyers are searching for.

And lastly...

 

7. Use A/B Testing

Making changes to your product descriptions doesn’t guarantee that you will have more conversions.

Even if you’ve followed all the steps above.. there’s always the chance that your sales won’t increase due to other reasons.

 One way to ensure that your changes are effective is by conducting split testing.

This involves changing different features of the descriptions to see their efficiency.

You can change the wording and fonts of the various areas of the product description. Then, compare the success rate of each change against the unchanged area.

This enables you to find the changes to the description that work and those that are ineffective. 

By split testing all the ways you can improve your copy, you settle on a format that works for your eCommerce store’s product descriptions.

 

3 Excellent Product Description Examples

I'm sure you want to see some product description examples to inspire you!

Let's start with...

 

1. Apple

Apple has a great product description example. Why? Because their product pages are creative and compelling.

As you can see, they're not the typical product descriptions that talk about their products in front of potential customers.

They include the benefits of their product and how easy it will be for them if they purchase a MacBook Air M2.

Another example is...

 

2. Ikea

You can see below that there are different sections under the product... which are product details, measurements, reviews, and related products.

If you remember what I said earlier, you can also include some customer reviews to strengthen your social proof. And this is exactly what they're doing.

The measurement section is also detailed.

Online shoppers can see the thread count, length, width, filling weight, and the product's total weight.

And last but not least...

 

3. Debutify

Debutify's product descriptions are also on-point.

It's categorized based on the type of feature. And under each of them are other informative details that potential customers are looking for.

The product descriptions are easy on the eye because they're in bullet points. The sentences are also short and concise.

So, what are you waiting for?

 

Step Up Your Product Descriptions With These Tips!

Creating compelling product descriptions is one thing. They might add your products to their cart if you persuade them.

But making them click that "Check Out" button is another.

And that's where Debutify comes into play.

It's a user-friendly eCommerce theme that will influence your customer's purchasing decisions.

It has 50+ Add-Ons that will also optimize your average order value, conversions, and profits!

 

Try Debutify Now For Free And Enhance Your Customers' Online Shopping Experience!

14-Day Trial.  1-Click Install. No Credit Card Required.

Trisha Ballesteros
Author

Trisha Ballesteros

Trisha Ballesteros is a content writer and digital creator who's skilled and passionate about marketing, social media, tech, and user experience.

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