- Hey, Emma, did you know that more than 80%
of online shoppers are reading your product descriptions
before ever deciding whether they wanna buy it or not?
- No, but now that I'm thinking about it-
- We should probably make 'em better.
- Yeah. - That's what we're talking
about today on "The Journey."
(upbeat music)
When it comes to running an e-commerce business,
writing product descriptions can seem
like a really boring thing to do
or really monotonous, repetitive.
You're like, ugh,
I don't wanna do that, right? - Yeah.
- But they can make or break your online business.
So they really have the power to turn someone
from who's just browsing on your website
into an actual customer. - Mm-hmm, so when it comes
to making great product descriptions,
there's really three pointers I like to make.
Remember, storytelling, key, humanizes it,
rich content, and also SEO awareness.
- In this video, we're gonna show you
how to write product descriptions
that actually translate into more traffic
and more sales for you.
So as Emma mentioned,
the first key is learning how to write product descriptions
that tell a story.
So you're not just focusing on the product itself,
but you're actually focusing on the experience.
- Yeah, you really wanna make it easy for your customers
to envision themselves using your product.
- And look at how Birchbox used this example
to help sell this beach wave spray from Bumble and Bumble.
Right, so they're talking about
really all those different sights and smells at the ocean.
They're talking about
the coconut and mango smells. - Yeah, and the texture.
- [Alex] They're really putting you
in that actual experience,
rather than just trying to sell the product.
- I feel like you're in the experience too.
Can you smell that? - Yes.
- You smell coconut? - Wow, are we at a beach?
- (laughs) Are we at a beach?
(Emma laughing)
- The next part of mastering product descriptions is
consider who your target customer is.
- Yeah, and don't just stop there, right?
Consider how the customer's going to use that product.
And one thing that comes to mind...
I know we were talking about this earlier.
Think about the iPhone.
- Exactly, so Apple, for the iPhone 11,
they're really focusing here on this product description
about the duel-camera and the high-quality video
and how that helps really capture life's moments
that you can't miss.
Right? - Mm-hmm.
- And then they're also talking about
how the battery life lasts all day, so it saves you
more precious time. - Game changer, yeah.
- These are the things that matter to customers.
So they're highlighting those in order to show them
how this is actually gonna benefit them.
Our next tip is make sure
that your product descriptions match your tone
and your buyer's persona, right?
So you have these ideal customers.
Well, what is their tone?
And how does that match with your brand?
Use that in your product descriptions.
- Totally, and thinking about millennials,
like us- - Those millennials.
- They enjoy a little humor, so inject humor,
inject fun into those products,
especially if they're lifestyle products.
- Yeah, so one of my favorite Austin ice cream companies is
actually dairy-free, gluten-free.
There you go.
Did this one for you, Emma.
- Thank you, Alex. - Yeah.
And it's super delicious, right?
So their ideal customer is Austinites
who are- - What's the name?
- It's called NadaMoo!.
- NadaMoo!, (laughs)
oh my gosh, that's brilliant. - Yeah, and so, exactly,
and it's actually (Emma laughing)
really delicious as well.
So with their cookie dough fudge ice cream,
obviously super delicious, in their product description,
they're saying, oh, fudge.
That's what you're gonna be saying
when you open up this pint, right?
- I get it.
- Oh, fudge. (laughs) (Emma laughing)
On the other hand though,
if you do sell a more serious product, not cool ice cream-
- Reel it in.
- If you sell some professional tech products,
you gotta reel it in, of course.
Make it a little more serious.
Match that tone of the buyer
that you're trying to connect with.
- Another thing to keep in mind
with your product descriptions,
keep it concise and scannable.
And one way I like to look at this is think about it.
What's gonna really hook your audience?
What's gonna attract them?
What's that elevator pitch, in a way, ya know?
- Oh, yeah.
- You only have so much time to catch the buyer's attention
with these short attention spans today.
So what is that?
- Exactly, I feel like you have five seconds
before someone decides
whether or not they're pressing back button.
So you definitely wanna put all of that,
that really detailed, concise information first
so that they know all the important information
really quick.
You get to the point.
And then you can go a little bit more detail-
- Yeah, you can add more later.
- Yeah, of course, if people are interested,
they're gonna wanna read that more,
but you gotta hook them first.
- Also when it comes to scannability, think about it.
Customers today, they're on the go.
They're on their phones.
So make it easy for them to see those product descriptions
from their mobile device.
- Yeah, 79% of mobile users have made a purchase
on their phone within the last six months.
- I know I am always buying things
on Amazon on my phone, right, so-
- What was your last thing that you bought
on your phone on the go?
- It was actually, speaking of on the go,
a little mini travel fan that you can bring
with you for hotels. - You've been wanting
one of those.
- Exactly.
And so their product description just blew me away.
- Also, high-quality images are really key for consumers
because think about it.
You have a product description, sure.
I can usually start to visualize something.
But I wanna be able to see it.
The majority of people that are going into stores,
like consumers, they wanna be able to reach out and grab it.
So, and it's like 62%?
- Right. - 62% of consumers
who are going to a brick and mortar store,
they wanna be able to see it, touch it, feel it.
So you gotta have those high-quality images
to bring those product descriptions to life.
- Yeah and if you don't have quite the budget
for a professional photographer,
you always have that handy-dandy portrait mode
on your iPhone.
- Love portrait mode. - It's a great way
to make it seem like you're a professional photographer
when you're not and show off those high-quality photos
if you can't quite go the professional photographer route.
- Another strategy includes user-generated content,
so like customer testimonials, reviews,
which makes a ton of sense.
Like, I'm more likely to spend money on your product
if I see that your customers are raving about it.
And the other way around too.
If reading a lot of customer complaints,
hmm, probably gonna keep shopping.
But also, there was a stat I read as high as 90% of people
who read user-generated content or reviews trust it.
And they trust the business more
than if they just read about the brand or product
on the website.
- Yeah, one of my favorite places
to online shop for clothes is Lulus, right?
So the reason is because not only do they have, of course,
they have the model pictured with all the clothes,
but then right next to it, they have fan photos.
So this is real-life people posting photos
of that article of clothing on them.
So that way you get
a better idea. - Relatable.
- We're not all like models, right?
So then you can tell
how this product actually looks in person.
The next key is making sure
that your product descriptions are searchable
with some SEO.
Right, so if you want people to actually find your products,
you have to sprinkle in a little SEO here and there.
I know whenever I'm searching for,
like, I have a wedding coming up
that I have to go attend to,
not my own. - Oh my god,
I thought you were gonna say you were getting married.
- Nope, nope. (Alex and Emma laughing)
So I was looking for- - I was like, since when?
(Alex and Emma laughing)
- Surprise.
No, I was looking for a dress, right?
And so I was like...
Put yourself in the mind of that customer.
So I was searching wedding guest dresses, things to wear.
It's just weird. - Don't look better
than the bride. - Right, exactly.
So whenever you're writing those product descriptions,
think about those types of things
that people may be searching for.
- Yeah, and then index each product,
right, so on each page,
because that's gonna help with the SEO as well.
But go back to the context
and the content that you're using.
What are searchable words?
What are those key words?
And embed that in there for that SEO optimization.
- So lastly, you've developed the perfect,
beautiful product description.
Now add in some of those useful and technical details.
Right?
I mean, let's be real.
The details matter to people.
That can make or break
whether someone actually buys your product.
- Yeah, think about something like, I don't know, shampoo.
There's a ton of shampoo out there that you can purchase.
But one thing I look, was this tested on animals?
So that needs to be information that can readily,
that's readily available that I can read.
Also, just thinking ahead, what would my customers ask?
What would they want to know?
And make sure that's really easy
to find on your product descriptions.
- Right, like skin allergies would be
a really good example. - Oo, that's a good one.
- For clothing, right,
they need to know what's going into those products.
- Yeah, I went through a whole detergent thing on that,
where I had to get the, and doesn't smell as good,
but you get without the like, yeah, ya know.
But I had to find that product description for me
in order to do my laundry, which is time sensitive!
- Yeah, and if you can't find that product description,
you may just hit the back button
and go buy it somewhere else.
Now that you have all these great ways
to write product descriptions, put them to the test.
Use some A/B testing to see
which one works best for your business.
- Yeah, and there's some tools out there
like Optimizely, Google Optimize
that can help you do this A/B testing.
- Or you can even do an informal A/B test.
Use it for similar products,
try out different variations for product descriptions,
and see which one really connects with your customers.
So of course,
product descriptions are not one size fits all,
but they do have the power to be a game changer
for your e-commerce business.
They can really decide whether or not someone is actually
gonna buy your products or not.
- Totally, and don't get disheartened.
For one, you have this guide to help you out.
But remember, a little persistence, hard work,
positive attitude, you can help to get these conversions
with great product descriptions.
So be sure to like this video.
Comment below on what you learned,
what was your favorite tip.
And share it with someone you know
who's trying to sell some products.
- And while you're at it, subscribe to our channel.
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whenever we upload more videos.
Thanks for watching "The Journey."
We'll see you next time.