Ecommerce Product Description: Best Practices for a Great Copy

When it comes to achieving success in the field of eCommerce, it helps to have the basics in place. One of the most fundamental tools to creating a thriving online business is to have interesting, informative and innovative content. As the famous online marketing strategist David Meerman Scott says, “Web marketing is about delivering useful content at just the precise moment that a buyer needs it.”

This essentially brings us to the importance of product descriptions. Product descriptions need to be more than ‘descriptions of your products’. They need to entice the customer, to provide an image in the customer’s mind that urges them to like what they see and ultimately make a purchase. They also need to be innovative and interesting to read. Here are some excellent examples of simple product descriptions that are winners in every sense.
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Seller: Method Home Product: Holiday Gel Hand Wash

Sometimes the scent of seasonal hand wash is all we need to rouse our holiday spirits. Available in an array of festive fragrances, our naturally derived gel hand wash will leave your hands soft, clean and ready to be tucked into a pair of fair isle mittens. It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

This description shows that this hand wash, is more than just soap for clean hands; it is an experience that will lift your spirits and bring a smile on your face.
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Seller: Women At Wrangler Product: Aura Jeans

A revolution in sizing, fit and thinking.  Slimming side seams & subtle boot cut flatter your shape.  A reverse yoke lifts the seat. Vertical back pockets are proportioned to make the most of your assets and a contour waistband means these jeans won’t gap in the back. This jean is regular rise, rise front measures 9 7/8″. If this is too high for you, check out WU0371 for our short rise version of this style, where the rise front measures 9 1/2″.  99% cotton / 1% spandex in Mid Stone and Blue / Black Indigo finishes, 98% cotton / 2% spandex in Overdye Black finish.

This description focuses completely on the buyer, and talks about how buying these denims will accentuate their existing body structure for the better.
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Tips for Writing Winning Product Descriptions

Before you set out to create product descriptions, ensure that you stick to the following road map:

• Who is your target audience?
• What are your product’s best attributes?
• Where would your product most likely be used?
• Is your product seasonal, or can it be used all year round?
• Why is your product better than the rest?

If you have answers to all the above questions, it will be easy for you to emphasize each response in your product description.  The above-mentioned pointers are elaborated on below:

1. Identify your customer:

The foremost aspect of writing product descriptions is to know for whom you are writing them. This essentially means to write for that one ideal buyer, instead of a group of shoppers. This will help you personally address your buyer, be more conversational and establish a rapport through your product. To know your buyer better is to track their surfing habits, their previous purchases, their wish lists and even modes of payment. You can also use social networking sites to study trends in buying and which products are being liked most, for what reasons.

2. Set the Tone:

You need to set the tone of your product description depending upon your product, corporate values and how you want to be known to your customers. If you wish to be known as a fun, yet dependable organization, you can choose an easy-going tone for your product description. On the other hand, if you want to be known for your strict values, yet seem approachable and aim towards serious shoppers, keep your description precise and concise, using bullet points if necessary.

3. Know Your Product:

It is absolutely essential for you to know the product or service inside out. This allows you to first understand its functionality, before you explain its attributes. Many times, the person writing a product description does not know how to elaborate on a technical aspect of some products. Your description should be able to explain how a certain feature is beneficial to the buyer, and educate them about your product. The better you know your product features, the more likely will you be able to help differentiate it from competition.

4. Choose a Reader-Friendly Format:

It is believed that online shoppers have a short attention span and reading patterns are different online as compared to print. In fact, typically a reader will read only 60% of an average online article, making it even more essential to keep your descriptions concise and to-the-point. To tempt the customer to read what you have written, you need to write in an easy-to-scan/ read format – use subheadings, go for 20px sized font, list the attributes, use two colours and use white space between content wherever possible.

5. Edit Continuously:

A product description cannot be a winner right from the beginning; you need to perfect it as you go along. Create a first draft, study it thoroughly, swap the features in order of the ones that are most important, and make the copy grammatically correct. Edit as much as you can to make the description shorter, while covering all the key points. Also, clearly mention the product price, but emphasize the savings the customer will be able to get. Make your description as engaging and persuasive as possible.

6. Optimize Content for Search Engines:

Writing for your target customer will help you think like them as well, so you can use similar phrases and jargon in your description. This is the first step to optimization as these exact phrases will be used by the buyer on a search engine when they will be searching for your product. Also, try and use the key phrase in your heading or sub-heading, as well as image file names.

Product descriptions can be a breeze to write if the above aspects are kept in mind. As an online business, it is up to you, to make your descriptions as intriguing and convincing as possible. You should genuinely believe that your product can make a difference and can change the buyer’s life for the better.