Writing great product descriptions can make or break the success of an ecommerce website. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons not to overlook this vital component of selling products online:

Customers Value Information

Buying and selling items online is ultimately an exercise in building customer trust. Without the ability to take physical cues from being in the room with a product, customers are forced to build their purchasing decisions based on information sellers provide, including (in best-practice-scenarios) plenty of high quality images and a detailed product description. Of course, impulse purchases are still rife on the web, but they are still ultimately the result of a customer feeling they know enough about an item to make that purchase.

Focusing on Function & Value

Depending on the product for sale, potential customers will of course want to know about the technical specifications of what they’re buying, but they also want to gain a clearer understanding of what value this product is going to bring into their lives. We all make purchases hoping to gain something from what we’re buying, whether this goal is utilitarian or more decorative in nature – and we want to understand what problem will be solved or experience will be gained through buying an item.

Avoiding Poorly Written Product Descriptions

A badly written product description will have a detrimental effect upon a customer’s purchasing decision, so it’s important to carefully adapt the description to the product or service being sold. Potential customers bring with them their own interpretations of any text included alongside a product, and so it’s crucial to avoid hyperbole or product claims which will simply not add up when that customer receives the item.

Writing Great Product Descriptions

In order to ensure your product descriptions are in the best possible shape, remember to:

  • Speak directly to the needs of your target audience, in the tone of voice they know and understand.
  • Keep sentences brief and readable, and break up text with plenty of white space to further enhance readability.
  • Be engaging and paint a picture of what this product will provide – what problem will it solve for the customer? How will their life be enhanced by making this purchase?
  • Focus on selling your product – and don’t forget to outline any technical specifications which are necessary to help inform the purchase.