Have you ever wondered how product descriptions impact your sales? Whether they do at all, and if they do, how you can maximize them so that you can sell more products to your target market?

The simple fact is that product descriptions do impact your sales. Product descriptions are a vital aspect to your shop because it is something that online shoppers look for when they are viewing your merchandise. Shoppers love to know all of the relevant details of a product before they make a purchase, and the quality of your product description has the power to determine whether they decide to buy something from you or may very well cause them to abandon your site and never look back.

It’s important that, as an online seller, you recognize that your product descriptions aren’t just words that simply describe your products. If you think that, then you underestimate the power that words have to influence and direct your buyers. Your product descriptions help your buyers make decisions and seal the deal, making product descriptions one of your greatest assets for you to hone and make the most of.

Below we have compiled a list of what makes a great product description for you to follow and to incorporate into your shop. Our list will help you craft product descriptions that entice your readers to click on that buy button.

 

1. Speak to your buyer

Before you begin writing your product descriptions, make sure that you have a clear picture in mind of who your buyers are. What is your target demographic? Are they men, women or both? How old are they? What kind of person will typically buy your sort of product?

Being familiar with the persona of the people who visit your online store will help you speak directly to them. Remember, when you are writing a product description you are not writing to yourself or writing solely product-centric descriptions. Take this as an opportunity to speak directly to your buyer and to capture their interest. You wouldn’t use the same words to sell camping gear to outdoor enthusiasts as you would a sequined jacket to a teenage girl, would you? We certainly hope not.

Keep your potential customers in mind if you want to write great product descriptions and make sure to address them appropriately. Ask yourself:

  • Who are my buyers?
  • What are they here for?
  • What are their interests?
  • How would they describe this product to a friend?

Being closely familiar with who your target market is will help you create more persuasive, more personal, and more appropriate product descriptions.

 

2. Don't trick customers with false promises

It’s important that when you are writing product descriptions and trying to sell your products that you are not tricking your customers into making a purchase with false promises that your product will not be able to deliver. Trust is the foundation that leads to deeper engagement with your customers; it is what builds a strong business and a brand’s reputation.

Consumers tend to buy from brands that they trust. Not being able to deliver what you promised in your product description will give customers valid reasons not to trust you. Make sure that all your product descriptions are truthful and that it describes exactly what your product delivers, no more and no less.

 

3. Use the power of words

Take note that words hold varying degrees of power. If you use the right words in your product descriptions, you will be able to persuade your online store visitors to buy your products more effectively.

Address your customers directly by using the words “You” and “Your” to make your message more personal and about them. Use sensory words and adjectives to seduce your buyers. Focus on words that elicit emotions, like:

  • Results
  • Guarantee
  • Love
  • Save
  • Free
  • Best
  • One of a kind
  • Unique

The more you know your audience, the more you’ll know what kind of words will hit the target mark and what words will sell.

 

4. Let them in on the benefits

Writing a product description is not all about listing down a comprehensive list of specs. Most of the time, these lists are technical and not all that interesting to your buyers. What you want to do is translate these specs into benefits and results.

When people buy your products, they are buying the benefits that your product has to offer. When you are writing your product descriptions, try to envision what problems your product might be solving, and how your product can benefit and improve the quality of life for your buyer. Once you have identified how your product will help your buyer in the pertinent areas of life, make sure to bring special focus to them.

 

5. Sell an experience, not a product

Your customers are there to buy the experiences that they get from your products, and are not just buying them based on price or the product alone. Maybe your brand is selling and promoting a certain kind of lifestyle, for instance, the backpacking and trekking lifestyle. In this case, you want your products to sell adventure, travel, and excitement, along with the products actual features.

Similarly, if you were selling them coffee beans, then you want to sell them the great sensory experience of deep aromas, warmth, and flavor. Your products are so much more than just an item, it’s a gateway for people to have new and exciting experiences, and to have new stories to share.

 

6. Use a tone that matches your brand

Right, so we already mentioned in number 1 that you should speak directly to your buyers, now you have to also figure out what kind of tone and attitude you want to address your buyers in. Ideally, your tone should match your brand’s persona and the persona of the people who are buying from your brand.

Do you want to sound like a soulless robot listing downs spec, or would you like to engage your reader? Now if you are a brand catering to the minimalist man’s clothing essentials and toiletries, then you want to appeal to your audience by using direct to the point, non-fussy language. If you are selling clothing specifically for nights out to young women, then you want to use specifically targeted language that is dynamic, livelier, and full of descriptive imagery to capture the imagination of your buyer.

Just make sure to adjust your language, choice of words, and tone to your buyers, and you’ll be doing something right.

 

7. Keep it short but relevant

It seems as though attention spans are getting shorter and shorter as the years go by, so you want to make your descriptions scannable and effective. In this case, creating product descriptions with a mix of expertly crafted prose followed by bullet points can be your dearest friend.

Most products can be described in a couple of sentences or a paragraph, followed by bullet points where you can include all of the relevant specifications of your products that your buyers can scan through quickly. Make sure that when your buyers read your descriptions that they know exactly what they are buying.

 

8. Create urgency

Okay, so you have been writing the perfect product description, now you need to inject a subtle hint of urgency. When you attempt to create urgency, don’t be pushy and obnoxious, instead think of it as a gentle nudge you are giving your buyers in the right direction. Help them decide by offering them more value for their purchase if they buy now.

Your objective is to generate sales and get your clients to complete an action by pressing that buy button. There are many ways that you can do this. One way is to create scarcity by saying how many more products are left, or by showcasing how long ago someone made a purchase of the same product that they are viewing. You can offer them more savings if they purchase within the day or the week. You can even offer them free shipping over a limited time.

 

9. Improve your SEO

Having SEO friendly product descriptions will be great for your store because it’s what helps customers find you. You can optimize your product descriptions by adding the right keywords to your texts. This will help you improve your ranking on search engines like Google. All you need to do is to perform some keyword searches to know exactly what people are searching for in your niche and to incorporate them into your product descriptions. This should help you show up on search engines and reach more consumers who want to buy your products.

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