What persuades you to buy a product? If you’re shopping at a brick-and-mortar store, it might be the quality of the material or (if you’re being honest) really cool packaging.
But what about online shopping?
Things are different for an online business, where shoppers can’t physically interact, feel, or see your product in person. Instead, they look for compelling product descriptions to make sure your wares fit their needs.
The downside is that most eCommerce suppliers won’t give you complete or high-quality product descriptions, which can reduce sales and hurt your chances of converting website visitors into loyal customers.
Your supplier can fill in some of the gaps, but as the online store owner, it’s up to you to master the art of effective product description writing.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll provide countless product description examples and a product description template to help you write your own product descriptions.
What Are Product Descriptions and Why Should I Optimize Them?
Product descriptions are detailed explanations of a product's features, benefits, and uses.
These descriptions are an incredibly important feature of any website because customers rely on creative product descriptions to understand what they're buying.
A product description is usually a short paragraph that lives on product pages to inform potential customers about what you’re selling.
After all, you can’t just upload a picture to a website and expect people to buy something without more information.
Effective product descriptions do more than just list technical details. They tell a story that resonates with your ideal customer, addressing their pain points while highlighting the product’s benefits and encouraging customers to shop.
Sure, you could use the readymade product descriptions provided by your supplier, but you would miss out on the benefits of writing unique, higher-quality descriptions.
It takes a little extra time, but writing compelling product descriptions will:
- Increase conversions: Well-crafted product descriptions can persuade customers to make a purchase by clearly conveying the product's features and benefits.
- Improve search engine optimization (SEO): Optimizing your product descriptions with relevant keywords helps your eCommerce store rank higher in search, driving more website visitors to your site.
- Improve the user experience: Detailed and engaging product descriptions improve the overall user experience by providing all the relevant information that potential buyers need to make an informed purchase decision.
- Build brand trust: Consistent and high-quality product descriptions reflect your brand's voice and establish trust with your customers.
You don’t have to write everything yourself, either. Later in the guide, we’ll show you how to effectively use AI writing tools like ChatGPT to speed up the description writing process.
How To Write Compelling Product Descriptions—With Examples
The quality of your product descriptions can make or break your business.
By gathering detailed data and understanding the needs of your target customer, you can craft persuasive product descriptions that highlight the features and benefits.
Follow these tips—along with real-life product description examples—to reenergize your product's story.
Gather Factual Data First
eCommerce suppliers are in business to provide you with products—not to write cool stories about spatulas or sneakers.
As the dropshipper, it’s your job to write great product descriptions that seal the deal with a potential customer.
Suppliers’ details might cover the basics, but they leave a lot of gaps you’ll need to fill in to create a more detailed product description.
A little creative Googling will fill in some of the blanks, but you can also use a service like Etilize to gather more technical details and features.
It’s a paid service, but it speeds up sourcing titles, images, technical specs, and other digital assets in just a few clicks. We’d say it’s well worth the money, especially if it means you don’t have to spend hours Googling for each product in your store.
Mattress company Hyphen does a great job of highlighting their product’s specs.
They use a bold red font to clarify any differences between products and use short, bulleted text to put their product features front and center.
Remember Your Audience
Every online store caters to a different type of shopper. When you write product descriptions, keep your target customers in mind.
Understand who they are, what they care about, and how your product fits into their lives. A well-crafted product description speaks directly to your ideal customer, addressing their needs and showcasing how your product can solve their problems.
iRobot excels at writing for its target audience. It leans heavily into time- and hassle-saving features like hands-free operation, automation, and auto-fill docks.
Understanding the biggest pain points of your buyer persona makes it much easier to write a product description that leads with the product benefits customers most want to see.
Jazz up Your Formatting and Tone
Some eCommerce stores go overboard and write incredibly long, dry descriptions that nobody wants to read. This won’t get you any bonus points for SEO, especially if shoppers skip right over your text and bounce from your website.
Good product descriptions balance product feature information with fun, interesting content that’s an experience all by itself.
There’s no need to be stuffy or formal here. Follow these tips to write elevated descriptions shoppers actually want to read:
- Use bold text to emphasize important features and benefits to help draw the reader's attention to what really matters
- List product features in bullet points for scannability
- Write in a casual tone—a little humor is great, too! If you have trouble writing casually, use voice-to-text to write how you speak
Incorporating persuasive language and sensory language also makes your product descriptions informative and engaging.
For example, this description is okay, but it doesn’t make you want to buy the product: “This high-performance blender has a 1200-watt motor, stainless steel blades, and a self-cleaning function."
But this version, which uses a few well-placed power words, will definitely turn more heads: "Ready to elevate your kitchen game? Our high-performance blender is here to help! With a powerful 1200-watt motor and razor-sharp stainless steel blades, you can blend anything from smoothies to soups with ease. It also has a self-cleaning function—because who has time for extra dishes?"
See the difference? This approach not only captures the attention of your target audience but also keeps them interested, ultimately leading to more sales.
Tech gear company Skullcandy is a pro at writing engaging, eye-catching product descriptions that compel you to keep reading.
Their written descriptions are short and sweet and packed with plenty of personality. Instead of bullet points, the brand uses icons to call out product features, which are definitely more eye-catching.
Lead With the Benefits
Every time a shopper visits your website, they’re thinking, “What’s in it for me?”
Rattling off a list of product features might work for dedicated shoppers who already know what they want, but you’re in the business of persuading shoppers with great product descriptions.
Lean into how the product improves the customer’s life. For example, “This water bottle is made from BPA-free plastic and has a 32-ounce capacity,” doesn’t really imply what the buyer gets from buying a BPA-free product.
This product description emphasizes the benefits, making it clear how the customer wins when they buy from you: "Stay hydrated all day with our eco-friendly, BPA-free water bottle! With its generous 32-ounce capacity, you’ll have plenty of water to keep you refreshed and energized, whether you’re at the gym, office, or on the go. Plus, the durable design means it’s built to last, no matter where your adventures take you."
Perfect Keto's website is a great example of leading with the benefits. The health-conscious brand writes a description that starts with "Get the protein your body needs," which gets directly to the product's benefits.
The entire product description leans heavily on the benefits, ranging from mental clarity to gut health, so customers don't have to wonder what they'll get from buying this product.
Add Multimedia
Product descriptions are incredibly important, but they can’t work alone.
Every product description needs its sidekick: images and video. Multimedia clarifies product descriptions and says what text alone just can’t convey.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and in the case of online stores, product images and videos can significantly boost engagement and sales.
High-quality photos, 360-degree views, and demo videos help potential customers better understand your product and visualize how it fits into their lives.
Instead of just describing your product, show it in action. Use a mix of high-quality product images and videos to provide a comprehensive view. Highlight different angles, close-ups of important features, and the product being used in real-life situations.
The Cocofloss site does multimedia right. The product pages use plenty of bright colors and fun photos to get shoppers excited about something as mundane as floss—which isn’t easy!
Cocofloss also includes macro images of their floss and uses images with larger text to highlight why their product is superior to anything else on the market.
Build Trust
Online shoppers can’t touch your product and experience its quality firsthand.
Quality product descriptions and multimedia will build a lot of trust, but in some cases, that might not be enough to bridge the gap and persuade potential customers to convert.
Every product description needs some kind of trust-builder. This includes:
- Certifications or awards
- Social proof like testimonials and reviews
- Trust badges
A little extra proof of quality goes a long way, so include these trust signals in both the product description and, if relevant, your product page multimedia.
For example, Solo Stove’s eCommerce site is full of trust-builders. Every product page includes customer reviews, plus icons highlighting the brand’s lifetime warranty, free shipping, and free returns.
Don’t Forget About Search Engines
Product descriptions should cater to your customers first. But you can’t just write copy for human readers.
Search engine crawlers will read this content and use it to determine your eCommerce site visibility, so writing for Google is a must.
eCommerce SEO writing is a complex discipline, but these rules of thumb will help you go far.
Integrate Keywords
Use keywords naturally in your product descriptions. These are the search terms your potential customers use when looking for products similar to yours.
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs can help you find the best keywords to target.
Optimize Your Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Ensure your product titles and meta descriptions include relevant keywords. This optimization helps improve your search engine rankings and increases the likelihood of users clicking through to your site.
Highlight Features and Benefits
Search engines favor detailed, informative, and concise content. Focus on features and benefits to quickly show search crawlers why your site should be the go-to choice for their users.
Include High-Quality Product Images
Search engines also index images, so use high-quality product images with descriptive alt text that includes relevant keywords.
Cat litter company PrettyLitter is a great example of combining shopper-focused copy with an SEO-optimized product description. The subscription page includes relevant, helpful frequently asked questions (FAQ) that real shoppers would want to know.
It doesn’t hurt that search engines love pulling content from FAQ sections for Featured Snippets, making PrettyLitter much more likely to rank highly in search for these terms.
Our Four Favorite Product Description Templates
You’ll learn a lot about writing product descriptions from checking out other eCommerce sites, but even then, a template will save you a lot of time. Try these templates to speed up the writing process.
For Electronics
Experience the future of [Product Category] with our cutting-edge [Product Name]. This innovative device features a powerful [Key Feature 1] and an advanced [Key Feature 2], ensuring you get the best performance every time. Designed with your convenience in mind, it includes [Additional Features] that make it perfect for both personal and professional use. Plus, its sleek design and [Key Benefit] guarantee it will seamlessly fit into your lifestyle.
Key Features:
- [List all features]
Why You'll Love It:
- [List benefits]
Specifications:
- [Put less interesting technical information here]
[Insert customer reviews]
For Clothing or Apparel
Elevate your wardrobe with the [Product Name], the perfect blend of style and comfort. Crafted from [Material], this [Type of Clothing] offers a soft, luxurious feel against your skin. Its [Key Feature] and [Design Element] ensure a flattering fit for any occasion, whether you're dressing up for a night out or keeping it casual.
Key Features:
- [List all features]
Why You'll Love It:
- [List benefits]
Size and Fit:
- Model is wearing size [Size] and is [Height]/[Weight]
- Available in sizes [Size Range]
[Insert customer reviews]
For Beauty Products
Indulge in the ultimate self-care with [Product Name]. Formulated with [Key Ingredients], this [Type of Product] provides deep nourishment and rejuvenation for your [Skin/Hair Type]. Its unique blend of [Additional Ingredients] ensures long-lasting results, leaving you feeling refreshed and radiant.
Why You'll Love It:
- [List benefits]
How to Use:
- [List instructions]
[Insert customer reviews]
For Food and Beverage
Savor the delicious taste of [Product Name], crafted with the finest [Key Ingredients] to ensure every bite is a delight. This [Type of Food/Beverage] is perfect for [Occasion/Use], offering a burst of flavor that’s both satisfying and nutritious. Whether enjoyed on its own or paired with your favorite dishes, it’s sure to become a staple in your kitchen.
About:
- [List what makes this food item different]
Why You'll Love It:
- [List benefits]
[Insert nutritional information]
[Insert customer reviews]
Tips for Writing Product Descriptions With AI
Whether you’ve used it to write tactful emails or to generate business ideas, artificial intelligence (AI) is an incredible tool.
Plenty of eCommerce store owners rely on AI writing tools to generate product descriptions, but AI alone isn’t the answer.
You have to know how to prompt the AI to write product descriptions and double-check what it produces.
In the right hands, AI is an incredible time-saving tool, but it can’t replace humans. Follow these tips to enjoy the time-saving benefits of AI without hurting the quality of your product descriptions.
Choose the Right AI Tool
AI tools are everywhere right now, so you have your pick of the litter. Some popular options include ChatGPT, Jasper, Writesonic, and Copy.ai.
These tools use advanced natural language processing to generate human-like text based on the inputs you provide.
ChatGPT is arguably the most diverse and affordable option, but it isn’t perfect. Some eCommerce stores prefer solutions like Jasper because it gets used to your writing style and tone over time.
If you aren’t sure which option to choose, sign up for a few trials and see which AI tool generates the best product descriptions for your store.
Master Prompting
Remember, AI is a tool. It can’t read your mind and it certainly isn’t a replacement for higher level human thought.
It’s your responsibility to provide AI tools with prompts that generate the right results. If the result seems off, there’s likely an issue with your prompt.
Practice makes perfect, but these quick prompt examples are a great starting point:
- "Create a product description for a mid-century modern sofa. Highlight its stylish design, comfortable cushions, and durable fabric. Use a sophisticated and welcoming tone."
- "Create a product description for a gourmet dark chocolate bar. Mention its high cocoa content, rich flavor, and ethically sourced ingredients. Use a decadent and indulgent tone."
- "Create a product description for an anti-aging face serum. Emphasize its key ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, and its benefits such as reducing wrinkles and hydrating the skin. Use a luxurious and reassuring tone."
As you can see, these prompts still lack specific product details, like technical specs. If you don’t want AI to fill in these details (or make something up), give it as much information as possible.
You can also provide the chatbot with your supplier’s description and ask it to rewrite the copy. Ideally, you should ask it to bring in additional information to build on what your supplier provided.
Here’s an example: “I own an eCommerce store. My supplier gave me this product description, but it lacks detail. Please rewrite the copy to be in my brand voice and source relevant product details to expand on what the supplier provided.”
Don’t be afraid to tell the chatbot to rewrite something if it doesn't work out the first time. Once you figure out how to get what you want out of an AI, you’ll know exactly how to prompt it for future product descriptions, saving more time in the long run.
Proof Everything
You’re using AI to save time, but you can’t trust the robots to write everything for you. AI is notorious for making stuff up, which could have terrible consequences for your business.
Think of AI as your assistant. Ask it to write everything but you still need to read through the product description to ensure it makes sense, matches your brand tone, and is error-free.
It takes more time to double-check AI-written copy, but it’s still faster than writing from scratch—and safer than allowing the chatbot to say whatever it wants.
Jumpstart Your eCommerce Site With Spark Shipping
Writing product descriptions is an art that blends creativity, factual data, and optimization in one.
By understanding your ideal customer and highlighting the benefits, you can craft detailed product descriptions that not only inform but also engage and persuade your potential customers.
Check out a few product description examples before you start writing your own. AI tools are also helpful for quickly generating text, but remember that they can’t replace your own expertise.
Ultimately, well-crafted, high-converting product pages are crucial for the success of any eCommerce business.
Whether you’re writing descriptions yourself or leaning on AI to do the heavy lifting, this content is key to boosting sales in a competitive space.
You don’t have to manage your store alone, either. Spark Shipping’s automation solutions make it easy to manage supplier integrations, tracking information, pricing automation, and much more.
Request a demo now to see how Spark Shipping scales eCommerce stores into retail giants.