The Art of Writing Product Descriptions
Every eCommerce business has product descriptions, but are they making the most of this valuable real estate?
A well-written product description serves multiple purposes without feeling disjointed.
Each bitesize piece of copy needs to communicate information clearly, attract attention, intrigue the reader, reflect your overall brand identity, and ultimately, inspire conversions.
Aim to inspire and inform
The best product descriptions hit the sweet spot between delivering technical details and using persuasive language to achieve that add to basket moment. It’s a delicate balance and requires seamless interweaving of factual information and inspirational text to form a concise and easy-to-digest piece of copy.
Consider keywords
While you should always write for the customer first, don’t forget the search engines and AI algorithms. Materials, manufacturing techniques, micro trends, and common styling queries are all keywords and phrases to consider when crafting your product descriptions.
It’s tempting to use proprietary brand language to describe new products, particularly when you have a distinctive tone of voice, but naming your new jeans cut “drum” when the rest of the world know it as “barrel” immediately limits their discoverability.
Format for scanning
When customers are scrolling quickly through multiple listings and switching between tabs, they don’t want to wade through a mini essay to find out if your product fits the bill.
Consider the structure of each description; limit your storytelling and overall description to just one or two sentences and break key information like composition down into scannable bullet points.
Don’t be afraid to introduce recognisable icons that communicate important details at a glance, using symbols to illustrate fit notes, care instructions, and capsule collections.
Align with your tone of voice
Product descriptions must cover the basics but that doesn’t mean they need to be boring. Ensuring your tone of voice extends into every listing helps your descriptions stand out from the sea of similar options available.
There are so many ways you can make a plain white T-shirt sound unique to your brand if your copy only focuses on the essential. Depending on your brand guidelines, you could weave in humour, emotive phrasing, character storytelling, or snappy USPs.
Check out Reformation, Method, Pip & Nut, Sostrene Grene, and Lush for inspiration.
Don’t drown in the details
When looking to satisfy shoppers and search engines, it’s hard to resist throwing everything – including the kitchen sink – at your product descriptions in the hope that something sticks.
Never skimp on detail, especially if you don’t have a bricks and mortar business, but overwhelming your audience instantly takes your descriptions from engaging to endless.
Keep your dream customer in mind and always reflect your brand ethos in your product descriptions. Sustainable brands, for example, will want to dig deeper into supply chain transparency to prove their eco-friendly credentials, while online-only boutiques should highlight the model’s measurements and any sizing quirks to avoid excessive returns.
Share styling tips
Styling inspiration is the ingredient that instantly elevates any product description. Customers want to imagine how an item will work with their existing wardrobe and lifestyle.
Answer the most common questions and demonstrate your expertise. Does it project polish for the office or easy elegance for date night? Will it pair easily with your favourite denim or is its silhouette better suited to a wide leg trouser?
Of course, shoppers will have their own styling preferences but giving informed advice enhances trusts, reassures less confident customers, and proves you understand your audience.
A brand pitched at elder millennials suggesting that a top will make you feel like you’re ready for your close-up while waiting for your 2am chips is an immediate red flag. Trade that night out for a noon Pilates class or early morning school run and you’ll be much more closely aligned.