How High-Quality Product Description Makes the Difference on Ecommerce Sites

E-commerce is based on the trust between merchant and customer, which is mainly influenced by the overall perception of the products, in addition to the general perception of the shopping platform. A photo can make or break a product's career, and it's no different with descriptions. The text should be short and concise, but at the same time convey all the necessary information - all in all, creating the perfect copy is not an easy task. It's no coincidence that you can find product texts of such varying quality in the online space. After reading our article, you will know exactly why good product texts are important and how they can help you boost sales.

Importance in numbers

Product descriptions are an essential part of any e-commerce website, and they can bring a lot to the table. The description itself isn't just about customers making informed decisions, it's also about providing your business the opportunity to show off its personality, expertise, and creativity. However, according to research by Baymard, 10% of the biggest online stores have inadequate product descriptions.

High-quality product copy is critical to increasing sales on e-commerce websites. After all, the better your product descriptions are, the more likely potential customers are to make a purchase.

According to leading market research firm Salsify, more than 87% of online shoppers consider product descriptions essential for purchasing. Your competitors have excellent product descriptions, and you'll miss out on a lot of sales if your descriptions can't keep up.

An online business needs a quality product description because the number of online shoppers is increasing and the competition is growing. On the other hand, poor product descriptions can scare off potential buyers and make them doubt whether they should buy from that store.

According to Salsify, shoppers will only purchase an item if they feel confident in their decision. If they don't have easy access to the product content they need, 94 percent will abandon the purchase or look for another site.

Why the Quality of Product Content is Critically Important for Sales

Improving the customer experience through product descriptions will help you sell your product and make your website look more professional. Potential customers may have questions when they browse your site and read about your products. If you don't include a product description, you're likely to lose a sale.

With the right product descriptions, your business will look polished and reputable, which ultimately builds user trust. Without them, however, you risk looking unfinished and fraudulent.

By writing the most compelling descriptions for each item on your website, you can easily sell and upsell your products and make it easier for your customers to store online. Product descriptions can also help you stand out from the competition by highlighting what your product offers that your competitors are lacking!

Insufficient Product Descriptions Cause Users to Abandon Products

Many people who visit your site do not intend to make a purchase. Others are just browsing the store for product information and comparisons, while some know exactly what they want to buy. If they feel that the product description is inadequate or contains insufficient information about the product, they may not buy or continue their search elsewhere.

In most cases, users assume that the overall quality of a website's product information is influenced by the quality of the product descriptions they have already seen, especially if they encounter a large number of inadequate product descriptions.

The results of the Product Information Report study conducted by RetailDrive and bizReport show that low-quality product content negatively impacts three aspects of digital sales: Shopping cart abandonment, returns, and brand trust.

The study surveyed more than 1,500 consumers about their online shopping habits, how important content is to their decision-making process, and how the quality of product data affects all aspects of e-commerce. The following key aspects have been identified:

Return: Over 40% of customers have returned an online purchase due to inaccuracies in the product description. Most consumers returned clothing and apparel items due to poor product information, which accounted for one out of four returns.

Shopping Cart Abandonment: Nearly 90% of consumers have abandoned an online shopping cart due to poor product descriptions (30%), price (61%), or delivery time (33%). Poor quality images and product reviews have also caused more than a quarter of consumers to abandon purchases.

Brand Trust: Only 13% of consumers would be likely to buy from the same retailer again if the product information provided by the retailer was inaccurate. 86% of consumers said they would be unlikely to buy from that retailer again.

Information to Include in Product Descriptions

Shopping for consumer goods is a very specific process, as buyers look for products that meet their specific needs. They find and purchase these goods by looking for specific characteristics of the products.

According to research by the Nielsen Norman Group, 20% of all failed attempts - cases in which users did not complete a purchase despite being prompted to do so - were caused by unclear product information.

Every Product Page Must Meet Three Basic Requirements

Answer questions: Although it is impossible to anticipate every question a buyer may have, some websites fail to provide additional information about the product.

Customers are interested in details. However, many sites provide only basic information or provide incorrect information. It is the website's job to provide customers with information about how a product meets their needs.

Focus on the goal: The goal is not to overwhelm the reader with marketing-heavy words but to provide a detailed description of the product's features, uses, and appearance.

You should refrain from using the first lines of the product description for the text that does not explain the product. Modern online readers do not read a text from beginning to end, but skim it and pay more attention to the beginning of the line than to the end.

Compare and contrast: The most important task of a user is to compare multiple offers. Without comparing options, you cannot assume that users know which product is best for them.

Key Take-away

A well-written product description can have a significant impact on sales. Therefore, the importance of investing time and effort into writing quality product descriptions cannot be stressed enough. E-commerce websites in particular rely heavily on conversion rates.

Generally, you'll succeed if your product solves a problem for people that no other product can. The secret lies in personalization. It is best to find the tone and style that fits the buyer persona of the product.

Get to the point and provide as much detail as possible - this reduces potential misunderstandings and associated refunds. But it's also important to be honest because that's what today's buyers value above all else. A good text, like the lyrics of a song, is true art. Fortunately, you have the opportunity to test word for word what resonates with your customers.