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2. Creating The Perfect Product Description
Here is how you can create the perfect product descriptions to charm visitors, buyers and search engines alike.
Define your target:
The first step to creating effective Shopify product descriptions that sell is to understand who your buyer is, how she has come to your website and what is she interested in. Design your copy in a way such that you are speaking face-to-face to your customer. While every product is multi-faceted, you should be able to define the priorities for your target audience – whether it is fashion, beauty, aesthetics, safety or any other specific functionality.
Create your own copy:
Either you write it yourself or hire a copy-writer to do it for you, avoid using the manufacturer’s standard product descriptions. They only put off your customer who may have read the same description on lots of other sites. There is nothing to differentiate your offering from similar offerings either by the manufacturer or other authorized distributors of the same manufacturer. Simultaneously, you also run the risk of being penalized by Google for copyright violations or plagiarizing.
Product descriptions need to be genuine, but….:
Exaggerated benefits run the risk of increasing the expectations of the customer – so he may become under-whelmed when the actual product reaches him, thereby increasing the chances of returns and refunds. Genuine product descriptions build trust with the customer and also encourage repeat visits. Repeat visitors are over twice as likely to buy a product as compared to a new visitor. However, this does not mean you skimp on the use to superlatives to describe your product – on the contrary, it is perfectly fine to go over-board with the use of superlatives provided you can justify them and do not just sprinkle your product descriptions with phrases without substance.
Substitute images and videos with the readers’ imagination:
Customers ideally want to hold the product in their hands, get a feel of it, before buying it. Since yours is an online platform, they do not get to do this. You can fulfil this desire with the use of high quality images and videos. But the use of superior graphics is a trade-off between image quality and loading speeds. Higher quality images and videos may take longer to load, which may result in customers moving on to other sites. Your product descriptions can perform this role instead. Get the reader to imagine as if he or she already owns the product, and then describe its features in their language as they would look at it, feel it, use it.
Even a glance should educate the customer:
Most people read only about 16% of what is written. Hence the distinctive features of your product and your offer should be suitably high-lighted to grab the attention of viewers.
Offer all options to the customer:
The product descriptions on your Shopify website should make your range of offerings very clear to the customer. The product page does have buttons for selection of the size, color, models, etc. This same should also form part of your product copy.
The use of “power words” to seduce customers:
According to https://smartblogger.com/power-words/, Power words are a “cheat code” for boosting conversion rates. The website lists the use of 800+ power words which compel readers to make the buying decision. The power words are further classified into 7 categories ranging from fear to encouragement, and greed to safety. These power words can be used in conjunction with influential words such as “Now”, “Quick”, “Hurry” to induce the FOMO factor and compel immediate action.
Call to immediate action:
Studies show that over half of the visitors with an intention to purchase who leave an online store without completing their purchase, do not return to complete the purchase. They either have second thoughts about making the purchase, or convince themselves that they have found a better or more suitable substitute elsewhere. Hence, your product descriptions should be replete with the promotions, offers, discounts, benefits being offered. Further, all such incentives can be time-bound or valid for immediate purchase.
Product page layout:
Ensure that all your product pages are consistently designed with the same designated place for product descriptions in all product pages. This saves the customer’s time in searching for the product description on each page. Further, even among product descriptions, pay special attention to the font and background color to enhance their readability. Care should be taken for proper high-lighting of the features which you wish to emphasize on.
Last but not the least – incorrect spellings and improper grammar are a big turn-off:
It pays to run your product description copy through a spell-check and a grammar-check.
Conclusion
Boring run-of-the-mill product descriptions are a turn-off and can repel customers. Make your product copy exciting and enticing for the customer. If your product description can convince your customer, it would have done its job and improved your sales.
