startup landing logo
Try Storeplum for free

How to write product descriptions that sell?

By Pritesh B

Posted | 17 min read

Woman working on a laptop

Introduction

Good quality images will not work as well as they would with compelling product descriptions.

These descriptions have the ability to convert customer attention into sales. In fact, that description can make or break a sale.

Since customers cannot physically touch or inspect a product before buying, so it's up to the description to fill that gap and provide all the necessary information.

This means that it should be informative, accurate, and compelling.

So, whether you're a small business owner or a large corporation, it's essential to invest time and effort into creating product descriptions that accurately represent your products and help potential customers make informed purchase decisions.

A well-written description will not only educate the customer but also persuade them to make a purchase.

It can help to answer any questions the customer may have about the product, and also address any concerns they may have.

Also, when it comes to SEO, a well-optimized product descriptions with relevant keywords can help improve a product's visibility in search engine results, which can increase the chances of a customer finding and purchasing the product.

storeplum-ad-ai-product-descriptions

Understanding your target audience

Knowing your ideal customer is one of the most important steps in creating effective product descriptions.

Your ideal customer is the person who is most likely to purchase your product, and understanding their needs, wants, and pain points is crucial for crafting descriptions that speak to them.

To identify your ideal customer, start by considering your product and what problem it solves -

  • Who would benefit the most from this solution?
  • What demographics do they belong to?
  • Are they young or old, male or female, urban or rural, etc.?
  • What motivates them to make a purchase?
  • What are their priorities and goals?

Catering to your customers’ preferences and needs will help you increase your conversion rates immensely.

You can also associate a language and tone that resonates with your audience.

This will help you to craft product descriptions that speak directly to your target audience.

By doing so, you can create a more engaging and effective shopping experience.

This can lead to increased customer satisfaction, higher conversion rates, and ultimately, greater success for your e-commerce business.

MeUndies did a great job at studying their user persona.

Their product description reflects the problems faced by men like- odor, non-strechable material and most importantly, quick dry briefs.

Product description page of MeUndies

This makes it very easy for a buyer to make a purchase decision. If you notice, the brand have also optimized their product page, offering multiple choices in colors, sizes and even with payments and shipping.

These optimizations with product pages help tremendously in increasing the probability of conversions.

You can also use audience insights and feedback of your website, especially product pages to determine the language, tone, and writing style that your audience responds best to.

Don't forget to put yourself in your customers' shoes and create product descriptions that speak directly to them.

Writing clear and concise headlines

Just having an informative product page is never enough, you need to make sure that it is attention-grabbing.

You can do so by curating catchy headlines for your products.

Your main motive is to pique the interest of the reader and make them curious about your product.

One approach is to highlight the unique selling proposition of your product. What makes it stand out from the competition?

Is it the quality, the design, the functionality, or something else?

Make sure to include this with some power words in the headline to set your product apart.

Keep in mind that your headline should also align with your brand voice and messaging.

It should accurately reflect the product's features and benefits while staying true to your brand's identity.

In just three words, Soludos, a footwear brand for women make it very clear about their offerings.

Soludos website headline

Emphasizing the most important features or benefits

For any shopper, a good product description is the one with a good balance of information and benefits.  

This helps customers quickly understand what the product does and how it can benefit them.

Start by identifying what sets your product apart from others in the market, and focus on those unique selling points.

Remember that customers are looking for solutions to their problems, not just a list of features.

So, be sure to emphasize the benefits of the product and how it can make their life easier or better in some way.

This will help customers feel more confident in their purchase decision and increase the likelihood of a sale.

Maintaining consistency in headline formatting and style

Product descriptions shouldn’t just be about a catchy product title and informative content, you need to write descriptions with consistency. 

Consistency in headline formatting and style can also help reinforce your brand's identity and values.

By using consistent language and tone, you can build trust with your customers let it be if they’re buying or just supporting and establish a sense of reliability and authenticity.

Take time to carefully craft your product headlines and maintain consistency across your entire catalog –

it could make all the difference in boosting your sales and building your brand.

You can look for some successful product description example to get a rough idea.

storeplum-ad-ai-product-descriptions

Highlighting features and benefits

When it comes to product descriptions, it's important to showcase the most important and relevant features of the product.

This helps customers quickly identify if the product meets their needs and encourages them to make a purchase.

Product description writing involves not only the product name but also some product copy by the means of copywriting.

Here you need to describe the product in a smart way with words and not just with images and videos.

You can also use available product description template to make your work a bit easy.

When listing the features, be sure to use bullet points or other formatting techniques to make the information easy to read and digest.

This helps customers quickly identify the key selling points of your product.

Transforming features into benefits that appeal to your target audience

The essence of a good description for any online store is when it shows the product details/features as product benefit according to the buyer persona.

Instead of going with really detailed product descriptions, you can create efficient descriptions that align with the potential buyer or the ideal buyer. 

To achieve this, you need to write persuasive descriptions and focus on the benefits that will have the most impact on your target audience.

Highlighting benefits can also help differentiate your product from competitors who may have similar features but don't communicate the benefits as effectively.

Balancing technical details with emotional appeal

To make a customer buy a product, let it be a digital product or physical product, you need to have an emotional appeal to it.

This means that instead of writing your product descriptions where there’s everything you need to know in terms of technical details, you can use a product description that has the information about the product with an emotional appeal.

Balancing technical details with emotional appeal is crucial for effective product descriptions.

If you only focus on technical details, you risk losing your audience's attention and not communicating the value of your product.

On the other hand, if you only focus on emotional appeal, you risk not providing enough information for your audience to make an informed purchase.

By finding a balance between these two elements, you can create product descriptions that resonate with your audience, showcase the unique benefits of your product, and ultimately drive sales.

Xbox does a great job describing technicalities of the product to its buyer personas, gamers - who care deeply about the technical specs of consoles, games etc.

xbox-technical-description

Using descriptive and persuasive language

When it comes to writing product descriptions, it's important to choose words that not only inform but also evoke emotions and create mental images in the reader's mind.

This is a good way for you to help your audience imagine and connect with your product on a more personal level.

You need to convert customers with important information like features and specs or instead of going with the basic quote a customer criteria

Using action-oriented words can help the reader better imagine themselves using the product.

These descriptions paint a picture in the reader's mind and help them better envision how the product fits into their lifestyle and help grow your business.

storeplum-ad-ai-product-descriptions

Incorporating sensory language to engage readers

Sensory language is the use of words and phrases that describe how a product looks, feels, smells, sounds, or tastes.

By using sensory language, you can paint a more vivid picture of your ecommerce business product and help your audience imagine using it.

Sensory language can also help you differentiate the way your customers see product in your page than your competitors.

It can create a more emotional connection with your audience and help them remember your product over others.

However, it is important to use sensory language in moderation and not overdo it which makes a great product description.

Be sure to stay true to your brand and product, and avoid making unrealistic or exaggerated claims.

Warby Parker uses sensory language to persuade users to try out their glasses before buying. This single feature has dramatically increased online sales for the company.

warby-parker-try-now-feature

Avoiding cliches and overused phrases

When writing product descriptions, it can be tempting to rely on familiar phrases and cliches that have worked in the past.

However, doing so can make your descriptions seem unoriginal and uninteresting to potential customers.

You want your product to be unique in every term let it be in information or phrases.  

One way to do this is to avoid overused phrases and cliches. Instead, focus on describing your product in a way that is specific to its unique features and benefits.

This will help you create a description that describes the specific features that make your product stand out from others on the market.

Incorporating storytelling and context

When you show how your product fits into your audience's lifestyle, you create a connection with them.

This emotional connection can be powerful and help to build brand loyalty and show what you’re selling well.

You need to make sure that your product description includes information that helps them make informed purchase decisions and imagine the product and brand well using your product description.

Remember that your product is not just a collection of features. It's a solution to a problem or a way to enhance your customer's life.

By highlighting how your product fits into their lifestyle, you can create compelling product descriptions that resonate with your target audience.

Look at Garmin's Marco collection watches. No matter if you are a golfer, mountaineer, athlete, there's a watch specifically for you.

garmin-marco-product-persona

Using storytelling techniques to make your product descriptions relatable and memorable

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can create an emotional connection between the customer and the product.

You can try to include this so you can communicate how your product can solve a problem or make their lives better or improve their lives.

Another key aspect is to use vivid and descriptive language that engages the reader's senses.

Paint a mental picture of the product in action and how it would fit into the customer's life.

Also, be sure to keep your brand's voice and tone consistent throughout your product descriptions to build brand recognition and trust.

Highlighting unique selling points and brand values

By identifying what sets your brand apart from others and communicating that through your product descriptions, you can appeal to customers who share those values and preferences.

It can help you grow more than good quality images or videos.

This helps to create a sense of loyalty and connection between your brand and your customers so they’ll be interested in the mundane parts as well.

It's also important to incorporate your brand values into your product descriptions to make a sale online.

If your brand is focused on empowering women, for instance, make sure to use language that reflects that mission in your product descriptions.

Convince your customers who share those values and create a sense of community around your brand.

storeplum-ad-ai-product-descriptions

Optimizing product descriptions for SEO

Keyword research will help you understand how your target audience searches for your products and the terms they use, allowing you to optimize your descriptions for better visibility on search engines.

When conducting keyword research, start with general terms and phrases related to your product and then narrow down to more specific and long-tail keywords that are more likely to convert.

You can use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find relevant terms and their search volumes.

Once you have identified your keywords, incorporate them naturally into your product descriptions.

Don't stuff your descriptions with keywords, as this can negatively impact your SEO and make your content unreadable to potential customers.

Instead, use your keywords strategically in your headlines, subheadings, and product descriptions to improve your website's visibility and attract potential customers.

Remember to keep your product descriptions informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience.

Decathlon relies on keyword research and names their landing page titles, headlines exactly as the words users are searching for; giving them additional SEO boost.

google search of men's jacket

Integrating keywords naturally into your product descriptions

It's important to use keywords naturally in your descriptions rather than stuffing them in awkwardly.

This means incorporating them into sentences in a way that flows seamlessly and doesn't interrupt the reading experience.

To do this, try to use long-tail keywords, which are more specific and targeted phrases that naturally fit into sentences.

You can also use variations of your keywords throughout your descriptions to avoid being repetitive and ensure your content stays engaging and informative.

Remember, your primary goal is to provide valuable information about your products while also optimizing your descriptions for search engines.

You can use any tool which will help you write and add keywords in product descriptions to sell along with the crucial information to include.

Balancing SEO optimization with readability and user experience

When it comes to writing product descriptions for ecommerce, there's a delicate balance to strike between pleasing both search engines and human readers.

Yes, including relevant keywords in your descriptions is important for SEO purposes,

but it's equally important to ensure that your descriptions are readable and engaging for customers.

So, how can you achieve this balance?

First, conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant terms and phrases that your audience is searching for.

Then, weave these keywords into your descriptions naturally and in a way that flows with the rest of the text.

Avoid keyword stuffing, which can make your descriptions sound robotic and unnatural.

Formatting for readability

Structuring your product descriptions with paragraphs, headings, and bullet points can help to break up long blocks of text and make your content more easy to scan.

Start with a compelling headline that clearly conveys the most important benefit or feature of your product.

Use short paragraphs to discuss the different aspects of your product and make sure to include subheadings to break up your text into smaller sections.

Bullet points are another effective way to present information in a clear and concise manner.

Use them to highlight key features, benefits, or specifications of your product.

You can also use bullet points to showcase any special offers, promotions, or guarantees that may make your product more appealing to customers. Our favorite example here is Allbirds.

They make it really easy for anyone who's buying a shoe about the product details, variants, tech spec, shipping info and more in a structured way.

A user has all the needed information on their product landing page, making it very easy for users to make a buying decision.

All birds example of an optimized product landing page

Ensuring consistency in formatting across all product descriptions

Consistency is key when it comes to formatting your product descriptions.

Using the same formatting throughout your website helps create a cohesive brand image and improves the overall user experience.

It also makes it easier for customers to find and compare information across different products.

By structuring your product descriptions with clear formatting and consistent style, you can ensure that your customers can easily find the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.

Utilizing white space and visual elements for a user-friendly design

One important aspect of design is ensuring that there is enough white space around the text.

This not only makes the description easier to read, but it also helps to draw attention to the most important points.

Similarly, using headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs can break up large blocks of text and make the content more skim.

Visual elements, such as high-quality product images, can also enhance the user experience.

These images should be strategically placed throughout the description to illustrate the key features and benefits of the product.

The use of icons or other graphics can help to emphasize important points and make the content more visually appealing.

storeplum-ad-ai-product-descriptions

A/B testing and continuous improvement

You can gather data on how your target audience responds to different elements of your product descriptions, such as the tone, formatting, and wording with A/B tests.

You can then use this data to continuously improve and refine your descriptions over time.

It's important to keep in mind that A/B testing is an ongoing process, and what works for one product or audience may not work for another.

So, make sure to regularly test and iterate on your product descriptions to ensure they are resonating with your target audience and driving conversions.

Analyzing results and making data-driven decisions

When analyzing your data, it's important to look for patterns and trends.

Are certain marketing channels driving more traffic to your site? Is there a particular product or service that's selling particularly well?

By understanding these patterns, you can make adjustments to your strategy to capitalize on your strengths.

Once you've analyzed your data, it's time to make data-driven decisions.

This means creating persuasive product descriptions or write a product description with product information on basis of the analysis.

It's important to weigh the pros and cons of different options and choose the one that's most likely to lead to success.

Encouraging feedback from customers and incorporating insights

Encouraging customer reviews not only helps you to better understand their needs and desires, but it also demonstrates that you value their opinions and care about their experiences and provides social proof.

There are a number of ways to encourage feedback from customers.

One effective method is to use surveys or questionnaires to gather feedback on specific aspects of your business, such as product offerings or customer service.

You can also encourage customers to leave reviews or ratings on your website or social media pages.

Once you've gathered feedback from your customers, it's important to take that feedback seriously and use it to improve your business.

By actively seeking out and listening to customer feedback, you’ll be able to write product descriptions that sell your product. 

Legion athletics have built an entire new product line based on solid customer feedback and reviews.

As a user, it is perceived that the brand is actually listening to them and their suggestions are accounted for. This indirectly leads to more word of mouth and sales.

fomo example of legion athletics customer testimonials

Conclusion

To create truly compelling product descriptions, it's important to focus on the benefits of your products, not just the features.

Customers want to know how your products will make their lives easier or better, and focusing on the benefits can help to create an emotional connection with your audience.

It's also important to use language that resonates with your target audience.

Consider the tone and style of your product descriptions, and ensure that they align with your brand's values and voice.

In summary, applying best practices is essential to achieving success, but it can be easy to overlook the importance of taking action.

By setting specific goals, holding yourself accountable, seeking out support and guidance, and celebrating your successes, you can stay motivated and make meaningful progress towards your goals.

open icon

How important is writing a good product description?

Writing a good product description is extremely important as it can be a deciding factor in the purchase decision of a potential customer. The product description should be persuasive and tailored according to the target audience to increase the chances of a sale.

close icon

Can you provide an effective product description example?

Effective product description example- Introducing our new high-quality leather handbag with a classic style. Made from genuine Italian leather, this handbag is durable and fashionable. The spacious interior provides ample room for all your essentials. Perfect for the modern woman who values both style and practicality.

close icon

How can you make a product description persuasive?

A persuasive product description should include social proof such as reviews, product ratings, or testimonials from satisfied customers. It should also focus on the benefits of using the product, rather than just describing its features. Including a call-to-action and creating a sense of urgency can also make the product description more persuasive.

close icon

What is a product description template?

A product description template is a pre-designed structure that helps you to create a product description efficiently. It includes all the necessary elements such as product name, spec, features and benefits, target audience and call-to-action.

Try Storeplum for free
Pritesh B
Pritesh B

Ecommerce advocate and Co-founder at Storeplum. I like to write about current trends in ecommerce, best practices and innovative ways on improving online store conversions.

You may also like

Every journey needs a first step.

Get started with yours