Shopify Tips: Best Practices in Product Description Writing

You’ve started your very own Shopify business and already have products in mind that you’re confident would sell but there’s this next challenge that you need to deal with. It’s an enormous challenge especially if you’re struggling to write even a single paragraph about yourself and what’s that? It’s product description writing.

Not all people have that awesome gift that Shakespeare and Longfellow had and even years of training just won’t make one an expert playwright that can create great verses from scratch. Thankfully, it is possible to hire excellent writers that can create great product descriptions but let’s say you’re just starting with your brand and you’re working on a meager budget?

In this instance, the task of writing product descriptions will simply default back to you. So how exactly can you write product descriptions even if you’re not a gifted writer? What details should you include and what’s the best approach in creating descriptions that sell. We are going to answer these crucial questions and give you some tips on what you should avoid when working on your product descriptions.

But before we get to that, let’s first learn about the overall structure of an excellent product description and see what it is really made of:

Excellent Product Description Form and Structure

Not all product descriptions are equal. There will always be those that excel in converting leads into successful sales and others that fail to do so. As a startup business, you’ll need to ensure that your product descriptions are written well so your customers would have a good first impression and prefer to purchase from you because you informed them very well about the particular product that you are selling.

But what composes an excellent product description and how can you arrange every detail that’s there is about your product so that your website visitors and prospective buyers will read it towards the end and eventually make that purchase? Here’s an example of a well-written product description for you to study and learn from.

Make It Short But Sweet

Here’s a non-traditional approach to writing a product description. It may look very short but it bears some of the great qualities and features that the product has which are written in a way that expresses what customers will get or experience when using the product.

In the example that you see above, you’ll notice how the product is described using benefits. What more can entice customers to make that final purchase decision than learning about all the positive things that they can enjoy when using a particular product.

Best Practices:

- Do your best to convert every product feature into benefits that customers will enjoy while using your product

- Be creative and connect those benefits into mundane tasks that customers do where your product can be most useful for

- Describe some unique qualities that make your product standout against your tight competitors

- Make it short but sweet just like the example we’ve given above. Most customers won’t have much time reading through a very long and boring product description

- Emphasize other things that your product can be used for like being given as a gift or protecting them from covid-19 etc.

Don’t fall for the traditional product descriptions that mainly focus on telling what the product is, what the company or brand stand for then offering a bullet list of the ingredients, features, uses, etc. This kind only works for products that are feature-rich or something that is technical by nature. If you’re selling soaps and other hygiene essentials, you will do better by making product descriptions that are short but sweet and have it written in paragraph form.

Bullets Still Work

Traditional bullet point product descriptions are not necessarily obsolete. They still work provided, you write every item well and include ingredients that are appealing to your customer’s primary senses. Definitely avoid the common “excellent quality” phrase because all your customers already know that and it no longer does the trick. Everyone says that and you’ll only make customers abandon your product. Here’s a good example for you to learn from.

As you can see, the old bullet style product description still works but instead of just putting “excellent quality” then following up with the other details like materials used etc., you need to be more creative and include every technical detail then add some description of the benefits that your customers can enjoy while using your product

Best Practices:

- Try to break down that old “excellent quality” description into the features and materials used in creating your product then attach the individual benefits that each material can offer to your customers

- Don’t use terms that are too technical for your customers to understand. Try to reduce everything into simple layman’s terms

- Include trademarked features along with the benefits that they can offer. This is your main selling point that can set you apart from your top competitors

- End it with exact product specifications like the details you see above indicating Heel Height and Weight

Don’t Hesitate to Exaggerate

When writing product descriptions, it isn’t a sin to use some exaggerated terms or use the superlative level descriptors as long as you are able to explain and justify them. Remember that you’re trying to sell your product and defeat the competition at the same time so definitely use every ounce of superlative details that’s there is about your product. In the bulleted list of features below, the writer is able to justify why their product is the best.

Notice the first bullet description bearing the world “Patented”. That is something which other products under the same category or line of use don’t have and it gives customers the impression that the product is something special.

Best Practices:

- Point out special features that your product has and describe it in such a way that emphasizes the benefits which customers can get

- Follow up with well-described superlative features and justify them with technical specifications that are true

- Describe how each feature and specifications differ or are more superior than what competitors have

- Be accurate and objective in each of your justifications and always include the benefits at the end

Other Methods of Writing Product Descriptions

Aside from the above mentioned ways in writing excellent product descriptions, there are some other non-traditional approaches that are designed to entice customers into making that purchase. As you already know, customers no longer want to know about those boring specs that you itemize through bullets alone. They want to know what’s in your product that will be beneficial to them.

They want to learn how every material used can contribute to the comfort and overall functionality that your product can bring to their daily life. Here are some other creative approaches that you can glean some inspiration from when writing product descriptions for your Shopify store.

1. Be More Imaginative

Research has revealed time and again that customers will take time before making that final decision to make a purchase of a particular product. Imagine having to engage with them 6 to 7 times telling them what your product is about and how it can be of great help to them before they finally purchase it. That’s a long time of waiting and you certainly want to make it shorter.

This is where you can try another approach which is aimed at appealing to your customer’s imagination. Since you are selling your products online, customers don’t have any way of holding, smelling, or physically testing it. So do your best to arouse their desire by activating their imagination and creatively describing your product so they can imaginatively think what owning it would feel like. Here’s an example for you to learn from.

Practice such writing technique by making a paragraph format product description and starting it with the word “Imagine” then follow it with clear descriptive sentences of how it feels to use or own your product.

2. Entice Customers With Words That Appeal to Their Senses

Restaurants and other shops that are selling food to customers try to describe particular food items or products in their shop in a very delicious way. Yes! The use of sensory words will actually help in engaging with your customer’s brain especially the areas that process senses. Here’s a written example for you to review.

“The Darker Side of Chocolate: Endulge in this dark bar of distinctions, something that your sweet tooth has ever had before! Enjoy the savory flavours from a combination of nutty and crunchy hazelnuts and the bitter sweet chocolate plus toffee mix coming from rich and authentic cacao beans. Sounds like its plain promotion right? Try it now to see how words turn to the best chocolatey taste you’ve ever had!”

Notice how the adjectives used don’t just describe taste as a sense but also appeal to the other senses like sight and touch. An effective product description of this type will let the readers experience taste as they go through your copy. Words like a bright, smooth, and other sense descriptive adjective all aim to dazzle readers and that’s how vivid product descriptions are made.

3. Showcase Some Social Proof

Bring in some authentic endorsement and have them shown on your product’s main page. This is just one other way of writing product descriptions that really convert. Whenever prospective customers have doubts about a particular product, they would start scouring the Internet for any suggestions and recommendations that other people might have. If your shop has already made several successful sales and got pretty good reviews and customer feedback, you can start showing those authentic testimonies to entice new comers to make that purchase.

You can even go as far as showing an image of a person beside every review so that its credibility will be confirmed further. The retail market now operates in what is known as the “Review Economy” and if your business is to thrive and grow, you’ll need to employ some effective methods of collecting such reviews from customers. Once you have it, don’t hesitate to get it shown on your top-selling product then add a sticker that says “Best-selling” or “Customer Favorite” to it.

4. Make it Skim-Friendly

No matter how good a product description is if it’s not arranged well so skimming is possible, your prospective customers still won’t notice it. Some will even feel lazy to read through it especially if it’s full of words or when it’s written in paragraph form. Invest on a good theme that highlights every important detail which customers are looking for in the type of product that you are selling. Arranging the entire product page and making sure that the details can be read through quickly will appeal to potential customers who are still in the process of choosing the best brand of choice. Here are some key points to remember:

- Use headlines to direct attention

- Take advantage of bullet points

- Don’t fall short on white spaces

- Increase readability by using bigger font size

Don’t cram everything into one paragraph space. If you’re using bullet points then be sure that every item is capable of being read through quickly. Use words that clearly describe a particular feature or functionality and avoid those vague terms.

Appealing Product Descriptions Always Brings Those Precious Conversions

Tell the story about your product in a clear and creative way and avoid being so technical on its functionalities. Tell your customers how it can be a helpful tool that can make their life safer, easier, and better all at the same time. This is how appealing product descriptions are written.

Start editing your product stories the way our examples above did and you’re sure to enjoy good conversion rates for each one. You don’t need to be a playwright to accomplish this feat; you just need some good examples and templates like the ones we have given above and a little bit of practice to get used to it. But if you have the budget then don’t hesitate to hire an excellent writer to do the dirty job for you. Product descriptions are your store’s way of selling the product. Use it in conjunction with other marketing strategies and voila! You’re on a sure way to growth and success!

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