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5 ways to improve product descriptions for an E-shop

5 ways to improve product descriptions for an E-shop

A product description is the marketing copy that explains what a product is and why it’s worth purchasing. The purpose of a product description is to supply customers with important information about the features and benefits of the product so they’re compelled to buy.
Great product descriptions need to augment your product pages by selling your products to real people, not just acting as back-of-the-box dispensers of information for search engines (though search engine optimization can’t be an afterthought, of course).
There are a lot of opportunities for online stores to improve their offerings. That also means there’s a lot of room for forward-thinking online stores to conquer the market. Whatever you do, there’s always a chance to improve your product descriptions. Don’t rely on tedious and standard stuff! Let’s have a look at 5 ways to improve product descriptions for an E-shop.

1.Have your Readers in Mind

Start by understanding who you are writing for—your ideal customer. Keep in mind who is buying the product vs. who is going to wear or use the product. Step number one in almost everything SEO is doing keyword research. The same goes for improving product descriptions. You need to know the product, the customer, and how they write or talk about this particular product. You need to know how the customer comes from realizing a need to buying a product from you: the user journey.
This is also the case with products for teenagers. They are old enough to read and tech-savvy enough to find and compare products online. However, their parents may be the primary buyers most of the time. This means the copy has to be parent-friendly but still enticing enough to get teenagers to like the product.
Doing keyword research for products also gives you an idea about how to talk about products — not just about which words to use. Find out the real value of the product and use consumers’ way of talking to communicate that.

2.Entice with benefits

When we sell our own products, we get excited about individual product features and specifications. We live and breathe our company, our website, and our products.
The problem is our potential buyers are not as interested in mundane features and specs. They want to know what’s in it for them—how it will address their biggest pain points. That’s why you need to highlight the benefits of each feature.
It’s easy to list a selection of plusses that you think are a good fit for the product. Maybe add some specifications while you are at it. But, then you might end up with a product description written from your perspective and not the consumers. What are they gaining from using your product? What’s the solution? How do you plan to solve the user’s problem?
Focusing on benefits rather than features allows you to take advantage of the Visual Depiction Effect. A feature describes the product itself, whilst a benefit describes what it would offer the customer. Visual Depiction describes how people are more interested in a product when they are able to visualise themselves using it.

3.Tempt with social proof

When your web visitors are unsure about which product to purchase, they look for suggestions what to buy. They’re often swayed to buy a product with the highest number of positive reviews. But there are other ways to sneak social proof into your product descriptions
Including an image of a person adds credibility to a quote; it also makes an online company more personal and approachable encouraging customers to call to get answers to their queries.
Keep in mind that you are not simply selling a product to a person, but you are selling an experience. And, since you want that customer to return sometime in the future, it better be a good experience!
Most buyers are attracted to buying something that’s popular. When it comes to your ecommerce website, highlight the products that are customer favorites.

4.Tell a Story

The best way to describe your products is by telling a story. Copywriting is about persuasion and stories act on emotions far more effectively than facts or figures.
Stories have the added effect of making abstract ideas concrete. In this way, you can take advantage of the Metaphor Effect. The Metaphor Effect explains why abstract ideas are more persuasive when given a concrete form.
It shouldn’t always be you that tells the story of a product — the best seller of your product is someone who bought it already. Ask existing customers for input and use their insights to enhance your content. You might even incorporate their stories in your product descriptions.
Use visual and textual examples of your product in use by actual customers. By doing this, potential customers get a better feel for the product, its benefits, and usage.

5.Appeal to your readers’ imagination

Scientific research has proven that if people hold a product in their hands, their desire to own it increases.
You’re selling online, so your web visitors can’t hold your products. Large, crystal clear pictures or videos can help, but there’s also a copywriting trick to increase desire: let your reader imagine what it would be like to own your product.
Here’s how Think Geek stirs your imagination with an description of their grilling multi tool. To practice this copywriting technique start a sentence with the word imagine, and finish your sentence (or paragraph) by explaining how your reader will feel when owning and using your product.

Conclusion

As you can tell, there is a lot that goes into each product description. It needs to be both accurate and enticing, all while portraying the right brand voice. A truly great product description does not solely describe the product, rather it also gives a snapshot of that product used in the context of the brand and, more importantly, in the context of the everyday life of that individual customer. That’s why we presented you 5 ways to improve product descriptions for an E-shop.