Product Descriptions

Product descriptions are marketing copies used to provide details and information about a product being sold. The writing should encourage shoppers to add the item to their cart. The descriptions are typically on product detail pages. They can be one to two sentences long, or be in the form of bullets. Product information is also consistent with company branding and tailored for the target market.

Why are Product Descriptions Essential?

Well-written product descriptions can make or break a purchase. The written information can help customers decide whether an item fits their preferences or not. Even the tiniest details can be important. The lack of essential information and benefits can lead to an item not selling.

Product copies are important sales tools. It helps target the customers you have in mind. Descriptions free of errors can build credibility and increase the trust customers have in the brand.

Besides influencing customers to convert and increasing sales, effective product descriptions can also lead to increased visibility for your products. Like product tags, they can affect results ranking on search engines. Search engines can read the descriptions and include them in the results, which can then help browsers decide if they should go for your brand.

A product description of a rug on the Kaibab website.

Product Description Best Practices

Here are some tips to help brands and retailers optimize product details:

  • Cater to your target buyer persona. You should know the audience you are writing for; you do not have to write the copy for everyone. What are the details most important to your target audience? What are the benefits of your products? Which tone do they respond to the most? What are your company’s values? Customers will go to you for a reason, you should reflect the personality of your brand that they’re after.
  • Use vivid language. Do not be afraid to be descriptive so you can help your customers’ imagination. A mere summary of the specifications of a product is bland. Let your descriptions encourage shoppers to imagine what it would be like to use your product.
  • Be strategic about the design of your product detail pages and the formatting of your descriptions. You can make product details easy to read with bullet points, have certain words in bold, include white space, and increase the font size, and even add images to supplement your copy.
  • Don’t be shy about social proof. Customers today will inevitably seek out reviews from friends and other online shoppers. Displaying online reviews to augment product descriptions can be the push shoppers need to make the purchase. It will give you more credibility. You can also add a sense of urgency by emphasizing stocks, wish lists, and the number of views of the product.

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