Most retail businesses have transitioned online to stay competitive in their markets as the world continues its shift towards the digital space. Considering the opportunities that social media, online marketplaces, and other digital channels provide, a strong online presence has become a must have.
As business owners continue to grow their brands, they’ll need to find new ways to market themselves and make their products stand out. In addition to an optimized website and beautiful product photos, writing great product descriptions is an excellent way to influence leads towards conversion!
What is a Product Description? Why is it Important?
A product description is a short block of text that explains your product is all about and what makes it worth buying. Since your customers may be gathering options or have looming concerns over your products, sharing vital information about its benefits can convince them to transact with you.
Ultimately, any product has a better chance of being sold if it goes with an awesome product description. But apart from showcasing your product’s features and benefits, your product descriptions can also mirror your brand’s image. If the copy is concise, unique, and enticing, you can improve brand recall and scale up your business in no time.
7 Tips on Writing a Product Description
The beauty of creating product descriptions is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. You have the creative liberty of positioning products from multiple angles, which helps maximize their appeal factor. Here are some tips for writing compelling product descriptions.
- Visualize your ideal customer
It always pays to know your target audience. Who are you trying to reach? What are their interests? Treat your writing approach as if you’re conversing with your customers face to face. Take this description from Gillette as an example.
This product description may be a bit short, but it’s great since it mentions a unique selling point of the product and a characteristic of the brand's target persona.
Gillette knows that its target market is primarily men with facial hair. Once the interchangeable combs have been emphasized, they end the description well by highlighting how their product can deal with different beard types.
- Showcase benefits and unique features
The more perks offered by a product, the more value for money customers get. With this point in mind, the best way to emphasize your product’s importance would be to mention its advantages. Let’s review how Lysol showcases its fresheners.
While it’s best to keep things short and sweet, Lysol makes up for it by describing how effectively their spray disinfects. Compared to the previous example, this description is a bit longer. Because Lysol protects from germs, bacteria, and viruses, customers are provided a sense of relief and are driven to purchase. - Stroke your reader's imagination
When creating product descriptions, you can make your audience imagine what it would be like to have your product. Selling your products online means that your readers won’t be able to test out your items so tickling their imaginations is the best way to overcome this challenge! For a better picture, let’s view this example from Philips.
This description urges the customer to imagine the taste and aroma of coffee and then hammers its points home by showcasing the product’s capabilities.
If you plan to follow this tactic, your description should start with action words such as “enjoy,” “imagine,” or “experience,” and then follow up with an imaginary scenario. It’ll allow you to play around with your customers’ minds and condition them to feel a certain way once they use your product.
- Seduce through sensory words
Following the previous point, using sensory adjectives can enhance your audience’s imagination. By tapping into their senses, you can make them visualize what it would be like to try out your products.
This tidbit works especially well for food brands and Shakey’s perfectly demonstrates how sensory words can make your mouth water. They used the phrase “irresistibly rich and creamy” to absolute perfection, making their customers crave for their special Truffle Four Cheese Pizza Americana!
- Keep things concise and snappy
Studies show that the attention spans of humans have decreased, from 12 seconds in 2002 to 8.25 seconds in 2022. It’s precisely why short-form content such as TikToks and Reels have skyrocketed in popularity. A good rule of thumb would be to keep your descriptions concise and snappy.
Getting straight to the point will make your descriptions clear and easy to scan. Too much text will dissuade readers from reading your product descriptions, so always remember that less is more. You can also use bullet points, white space, and visual aid similar to Beyond The Box’s product page for their iPhones.
- Keep things concise and snappy
- Stay consistent with your brand’s tone
As stated in the introduction, it’s important to remember that your product descriptions can mirror your brand’s image. Apart from telling your customers what your product is about, your descriptions also have the power to influence the customer’s experience. Take this ThermoFlask product description as an example.
Once the product’s capabilities have been showcased, the description does two great things. First, it provides imaginary scenarios (outdoor activities, hot days, etc.) where their product will be very useful. To put the cherry on top, the brand tries to convey a friendly and approachable image through their last statements: “Chug or straw? Your choice. You get both!”
A Win-Win Situation for Everyone
Putting up your own business is an achievement, but the work doesn’t stop there. As you manage your daily operations, you’ll need to find ways to stay ahead of your competition constantly. Fortunately, creating excellent product descriptions is a proven way to entice leads into a sale.
If you’re planning to shift online, partnering with a credible eCommerce service provider such as Rush will be your best choice! With the help of our eStore Suite, you’ll be able to sell your products online and scale up your business in no time.
