Thoughtful Product Descriptions Create Sales by Infopia

Blog post provided by Infopia

Product descriptions are essential to merchandising and selling successfully online. A picture may speak a thousand words, but rarely tells a potential customer why they should buy that particular product from you. The three following strategies will help you to write product strategies that will sell.

Get to Know Your Customers
Determining who your customers are will help you to determine what they value in a product and what kind of language you should use in the product description. The actual product you are selling will also determine your audience. If the majority of your customers are high level executives purchasing business to business services you will use a much different vocabulary than you would if you were selling family vacation packages.

Create Excitement
Product descriptions should not only give necessary details of the product (size, color, availability) but also create excitement and a desire to own the product. Be sure to answer the following questions in a description:

1. What makes this product better than others?
2. Why does your customer need this product?

Example: “Stay ahead of the fashion curve in these boots, This boot features black leather with a scrunch detail at the front. This knee boot is slightly rounded at the toe and features a 3 inch block heel. This will not be going out of fashion anytime this season!”

The Power of Persuasion: Tell a Story
Using the power of persuasion through emotion (Pathos) and appealing to your customers emotions in a product description is a very effective way to sell products. It can be difficult to build a relationship with your customers when you sell online. By using the pathos method of persuasion you will be able to bring back the “human element” online. This is something that can set you apart in the cold world of online selling. The easiest way to create this type of persuasion is to tell a story about the product. Use descriptive words that will appeal to your customers. This is also an effective method of using positive customer reviews.

Example: “I order from you guys all the time and my pit bull (who I write a column about in the magazine NorthSide San Francisco) loves your bully sticks, especially the meaty ones! The 12 inch think last a long time–the only ones I’ve found that do, and I’ve ordered from everyone. I find your quality and prices to be the best.–Susan in SF, CA”

Founded in 1999, Infopia provides (Software as a Service) eCommerce solutions—helping eBay sellers grow their business efficiently and effectively.