
The Importance of Great Product Descriptions for E-Commerce Businesses
Since the advent of the internet, and especially smart phones, the e-Commerce landscape has undertaken a huge growth spurt! This means that the majority of people have either seen the joys of online trade or have at least heard about them. But what most of these people are unaware of is the fact that technological prowess and content management have played a huge part in its success.
It might not seem like it at first glance but product descriptions, followed by high-quality images of products are incredibly imperative to a good online business.
As online shopping can’t provide the option of physically seeing and touching a product, product descriptions have become even more important. These product descriptions act as written evidence that ensures the legitimacy and quality of the product they sell. This is the reason why many businesses take help from product description writers to craft unique details that sell the product.
According to several sources, in the past five or so years, the reliance of customers on product descriptions has grown by multitudes. Just in the U.S., more than 70 percent of online shoppers were noted to give product descriptions more importance than they gave to reviews.
A report published in 2016 found that sharing the content product description writers provide leads to a high ROI and increasing sales. The content was also found to establish trust in the brand and increase their engagement. Many e-commerce businesses that understand the importance of these results have taken strides to invest in writing descriptions for their products and services.
The same report also surveyed and questioned consumers of various products from different brands about their online shopping habits. An analysis of the findings showed that consumers trusted brands that provided a detailed and accurate description for each product more than they did others.
On the other hand, brands that failed to do so gathered more complaints, returns and overall dissatisfied consumers. This means that along with a negative impact on brand image, these companies also suffered financially.
Hence, hiring professional content writers who are able to provide specialized product descriptions is an investment worth making!
Importance of Great and Consistent Product Descriptions
If you take a look at online surveys that study consumer behaviour or even just ask your friends, you will find that well-written product descriptions have a significant positive impact on consumers’ purchase decision.
According to many online shoppers, product descriptions help them get a picture of what the product looks and feels like in real life. The material, dimensions and other specifications provided by the description writer helps them visualize the products and eliminate the chance of an unpleasant surprise. Among many benefits of having such descriptions, following are the most prominent:
- Consumer Trust:Gaining the trust of consumers is a tasking job which can take a hit with one bad experience. This is why many e-commerce companies choose to provide elaborate product descriptions as they give a practical image of what the product looks like. And if the descriptions match the product even once, the consumer will automatically be conditioned to trust the brand. This makes product descriptions a tool to create brand loyalty.
- Product Returns: Apparel brands are ones that are hit the hardest by returns as close to 50% consumers send purchases they made online back to the sellers. But companies that get product description writersto provide in-depth details about the item, the chances of returns decrease. This builds positively on the brand’s image and financial profit.
- ROI: The term ROI or Return on Investment is used here because having professional writers create product descriptions classifies as an investment. It pays for itself by improving the brand’s image and financial returns. An increased trust and engagement leads to more purchases, which eventually bring in enough profit to cover the expense of hiring writers.
- Brand Image: Besides ascending growth charts, the thing most dear to any brand is the image set in the minds of their consumers. Negative experiences spread like wildfire and can tarnish a long-standing reputation quickly. With more than 80 percent of consumers agreeing that incomplete or inaccurate product descriptions can put them off the brand. This clearly explains the importance of well written product descriptions.
How to Get Product Description Writers to Create Unique Product Descriptions
Now that you understand the importance of product description and how beneficial they can be for your business, you might want to invest in hiring professional description writers.
You might think that just contacting an agency, providing them with a list of products and telling them to make the content unique is enough. But let us tell you that it not that easy. Writing product descriptions involves a methodical approach that produces well-written and accurate content that sells.
Once you have made the decision to hire product description writers, here are a few tips that might help you convey exactly what you require so they can create the right content:
- Organize your Files
Organizing your product listing into categories that makes sense is a step many brands forget before sending them to the writers. Haphazardly arranged files only create confusion and can lead you to lose track of the progress.
In these circumstances, excel is your best friend. Divide the products into categories by creating different sheets or files and add columns for several details you want to provide.
- Identify Market
One of the factors that will help the product description writers is them knowing who they are for. No, we don’t mean you as a client. Here we are referring to the consumers or target market your products are catered towards.
This will help writers tailor the content according to the reader so they relate to it well. For instance, if you provide organic baby food, your descriptions will not do well if they are written for angst-y teenagers. Similarly, content written for divorced middle-aged people will not be of use to young kids.
Identify the triggers and pain-points of your target market and create an average consumer profile. Assign this persona to the products they match with and you will have relevant content for the right market.
- Provide a Brief and Template.
Two write-ups that are necessary for the writers from your side is first, a short brief on the company and your requirements. This brief will also include the personas and organize excel sheets.
Information from these will help the description writer understand a bit more about you and what you do. They will use this understanding to create content that speaks the tone and voice of your business.
In this brief, also include a template that you want the writer to follow. This is important as the layout of the product pages varies according to the template you use to build your website. It will help them format the content accordingly, thus avoiding the need to create several versions.
- Review and Revise
After the product description writer has provided the content from their side, review the file multiple times. Stay in frequent contact with the writers and editors at this stage to relay whatever feedback you might have for a file. Review the descriptions as you receive them and mark areas where you need corrections and ask for revisions.
Constant contact will only help the writers tailor the content further and fix it according to your quality standards.
These few simple tips just might save you a lot of hassle and provide descriptions that make the most of your e-commerce platform. These might seem taxing, but they will actually make the process go much smoother.
With the online competition increasing with rapid speed, your capability to set yourself apart will prove an asset. Taking help from description writers will provide you content that gives you an edge against competitors.
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