Writing Magnetic Product Descriptions for e-Commerce Websites

Writing Magnetic Product Descriptions for e-Commerce Websites

Want to sell more products on your eCommerce website? Pay attention to how you write your product descriptions. Writing Magentic Product Descriptions for eCommerce Websites is a must.

According to Salsify’s 2017 “Cracking the Consumer Code” report, “87 percent of consumers rate product content extremely or very important when deciding to buy.” How you write your product descriptions can make – or break – your sales.

Here are 5 copywriting tips to help you write magnetic product descriptions for your e-commerce website:

Product Description Copywriting Tip #1: Focus on Benefits. 

People buy products because they want a result. They either want to get rid of pain (e.g., solve a problem) and/or they want to create a certain type of “pleasure.” 

Think about what type of transformation your customers want to experience, and then use those benefits to describe your product. For example, if you’re selling an air purifier, benefits may include that you’ll be able to sleep with the air purifier on, because the machine is quiet and has a dimmable night-time display. 

Many e-commerce websites make the mistake of focusing on features over benefits. Although features are important (see tip #2), benefits are what attract and maintain buyers’ attention. The more your product falls into the “want to have” category vs. “must-have” category, the more important your benefits. We buy based on emotion (which is elicited by benefits), then justify with logic (which is satisfied with features).

Product Description Copywriting Tip #2:  Include Pertinent Features.

Features describe what a product is, while benefits describe why someone should want to buy the product.

Features are the details about a product that consumers check before making their final purchase decision. They often answer questions and address buying objections.

Going back to our air purifier example, features would include the availability of two display modes, how big of a room the purifier can clean, or whether it oscillates.

Product Description Copywriting Tip #3: Know Your Audience

How do you know which features and benefits to include in your e-commerce product description? Simple: Know your audience.

More than 7.5 billion people inhabit the planet. Not all of them are your ideal customer.

To pick the right words to craft a magnetic product description, you need to know what matters to your ideal customers. What pains and problems are they dealing with? Which features are “must-have” to them and which are “nice to have”? What type of result or transformation do they want to experience as a result of using your product?

Different avatars will be looking for different things. Someone with extreme allergies may be more interested in the level of filtration your air purifier provides, as well as how big of a room it can clean. Parents of a new baby may be more interested in how quiet your machine is and the ability to dim the display.

Product Description Copywriting Tip #4: Choose an Appropriate Length

Some e-commerce website owners think that product descriptions should be short. “No one reads long copy,” they claim.

Or do they?

The answer from professional copywriters is clear: Write as much copy as you need to adequately sell your product (within the limits of your platform, of course).

The more complicated a product is, the more copy you need to explain how it will help customers achieve the result they want.

Likewise, the more expensive it is, generally the more copy you’ll want to use. There is much greater risk in buying a $500 exercise bike online vs. a $5 bottle of soap. Take the space you need to paint a full picture of how wonderful your product is.

That said…

Product Description Copywriting Tip #5: Use Formatting for Easy Reading

Reading large blocks of text on a screen – particularly on a phone – is challenging. Making your product descriptions easy to read will keep your customers engaged.

Use formatting tips such as:

Bulleted lists

CAPITALIZED Words (sparingly, to accent the words you want to jump out most)

Bold, underline and even italicize to provide emphasis

The longer your product descriptions are, the more you need to use formatting to make the text appealing to the eye.

Product Descriptions Are Your Virtual “Salespeople”

Copywriting is known as “salesmanship in print.” Choose your words strategically when writing product descriptions to ensure that your inventory sells briskly 24/7.

If you’re looking for an e-commerce provider near you who can help you increase your product sales, give us a call. At NCN Technology, we evaluate and monitor our clients’ eCommerce sites for more than 100 unique UX factors – including product descriptions.

About the Author:
Sharon Muniz is the president of NCN Technology, an IT consulting firm that specializes in helping eCommerce businesses increase sales and revenue with user-friendly, responsive websites. She is passionate about using software technology to diagnose weaknesses and improve processes and profitability. To request a complimentary E-Commerce Website UX Audit, call 703-757-2209 or contact us here.