E-commerce enterprises have seen a tremendous increase in revenue and traffic over the last few months, in case you missed it. That’s because those who have been compelled to stay at home owing to COVID-19 have switched the majority, if not all, of their shopping online.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to concentrate your efforts on creating an unforgettable online purchasing experience. These can include everything from site speed improvements to security updates, as well as product photography and SEO optimizations.
Your product descriptions, on the other hand, are an equally crucial part to improve on.
It’s a lot of work, I know. It’s enough to give you a heart attack just thinking about writing unique descriptions for thousands of SKUs. But it’s the kind of improvement that you can make in stages, a few descriptions at a time, and see incredible effects.
Advantages of Good Product Descriptions
Attractive product images, discounts, special deals, and scarcity tactics are all enough to get people’s attention. A poorly written or absent product description, on the other hand, can turn customers away and drive them to leave the page. In other words, a compelling product description increases the likelihood that customers will complete their purchase. It offers them the boost they need to buy the thing they want.
Furthermore, excellent product descriptions can have a significant impact on your sales. One of the most common reasons customers return things is that the description is incorrect or does not correspond to the product they received.
Poorly worded product descriptions and insufficient information about the product have also been blamed for a large percentage of shopping cart abandonment. Customers who have experienced this experience are less inclined to shop with the retailer again, demonstrating the importance of product descriptions in establishing brand trust. It’s also general knowledge that properly optimised product descriptions can help your site rank higher in search results and attract more visitors. Furthermore, if you’re still using manufacturer’s descriptions in your product pages, Google will have already flagged them as duplicate content, reducing your chances of ranking in the SERPs.
Let’s go right to the “how” of writing product descriptions that drive sales, enhance SEO, and develop trust now that we’ve covered the “why.”
How to Write Effective Product Descriptions
There are a plethora of approaches to writing product descriptions, and your approach will mostly be determined by who your ideal consumer is, the things you sell, and how you want your company to be seen. However, some of the most successful online markets have tried and tested some of the following strategies.
Make a list of your important KPIs and objectives.
It’s a good idea to have defined, actionable, and quantifiable goals before you start creating your product descriptions. You’ll have concrete KPIs to compare your performance to and a foundation for how you’ll design your e-commerce text in the future if you do it this way. A/B split testing are one approach to see if your new text is effective. You may also see how the adjustments you’ll make affect organic traffic, conversions, and engagement. Keep in mind we should collect that metrics at every stage of the purchase process, from discovery through advocacy. For further information, see this comprehensive guide to e-commerce stats.
Determine who your intended audience is.
The first step in writing great product descriptions is to figure out who you’re writing for. You may need to build many buyer personas if your online store sells a large range of products. Focus on optimising that ideal customer if you’re offering a few niche products like boutique headphones or sustainable makeup. To do so, compile consumer data from your own website and social media pages, as well as data from competitors and industry research agencies. If you have the time, you can conduct surveys to get a better understanding of your clients. Avoid being overly precise when creating buyer profiles, since you may end up alienating other potential buyers. Apple excels at writing with a specific target audience in mind. The writer is clearly speaking to a young creative professional in the copy below. She’s a real digital native who simply wants the best computer to elevate her profession, so she doesn’t require an introduction to a trackpad or an iPad.
Make a design template.
Even if your product descriptions are short, they should still have some structure. It’s beneficial to use a product description template to ensure that your sales pages are well-organized and consistent. Please find the following questions:
- What is the purpose of the product?
- What is the mechanism behind it?
- Who is it intended for?
- What distinguishes you from the competition?
- Why should people buy something?
- Assign each product a psychological need.
Many marketers use Maslow’s hierarchy of requirements as a starting point for figuring out how customers make purchasing decisions. Knowing what ‘needs’ each product meets, whether functional or psychological, is a good method to put yourself in your customer’s position. Allow me to simplify things for you:
- Travel, education, hobbies, and experience all contribute to self-actualization.
- Credit cards, country clubs, furnishings, vehicles, wine, and other high-end stuff are all examples of self-esteem.
- Grooming and self-care items, social activities, and clubs are all examples of love/belonging.
- Alarm and security systems, insurance, savings, and retirement are all examples of safety.
- Physiological – food, water, medicine, and other basic necessities
Source: product features, product rule
