In the past, a great picture with one or two lines of text would suffice for a product description. Consumers could walk into a store, look at the product and feel it. If you were unsure, you could receive a free sample to test the product before committing to a sale.
This was prior to the internet.
Today, you need more to evoke an emotion in a reader and sell a product.
With the help of product description copywriters, e-commerce brands can help their customers enjoy an experience similar to buying in a brick and mortar store. You leverage the powers of emotion and imagination to persuade the prospect to buy your product.
Customers buy into the most powerful fantasies and imaginative stories. Whatever the function or purpose of the product, you want to write a product description that helps them imagine using the product with a goal of improving their quality of life.
What is Product Description?
The product description doesn’t just list the features of a product. It tells the prospect why the product is worth purchasing.
Write a product description that provides information about the benefits and features and how it solves problems. Compel the reader to make a purchase.
A low-quality product copy could hurt sales while a persuasive product copy increases sales.
How to Leverage Psychology to Write a Product Description that sells
The most persuasive product copy focuses on the prospect’s problems and pain points. You must answer these questions
- Who is it for?
- What does the product do?
- How does it work?
- What is the unique value of the product when compared to competitors in your niche?
Research
You don’t have to be a wordsmith to write a good e-commerce copy. Simply find the motivators that persuade consumers to react to your ad. You’ll require a scientific and analytic approach to get into the psyche of your target buyer. It’s easier to nudge the consumer towards a sale when you know their mental triggers. Often without them realising it.
The first step to write a product description is gathering comprehensive information as you can about your target buyer. Find out what problems they want to solve, the kind of language they use, the specific benefits they enjoyed in similar products and the things they wished other brands did better.
Research your competitors and other products already on the market. Spend time getting to know your product. Identify ways to make your communication stand apart from the horde. This article includes tips on how to do audience research.
Remove Jargon
The reader might not be good with words. Nothing wrong with that. Avoid jargon words that intimidate, confuse or deter the prospect from making a purchase. Use easy-to-understand words in your headline, subheadline and ad copy.
Social Proof
Credibility validates claims. When seeking the consumer’s trust, use social proof from past customers to build trust.
Incorporate testimonials, case studies and reviews from high authority websites such as Google. This works best in long form copy. When writing short copy, one or two reviews from happy customers and trust icons establish authority.
Credibility validates claims. When seeking the consumer’s trust, use social proof from past customers to build trust. Click To TweetTrust Badges
Identify theft, data breaches and credit card fraud are some of the problems of online transactions. People won’t give out personal information if they don’t feel safe. How do you get past this barrier? Include two or three trust badges that guarantee a safe checkout. The above image shows that your transaction is secured no matter the option you choose.
Leverage the Principles of Urgency and Scarcity
Many brands run a time-limited ad to create a feeling of urgency in prospects and consumers alike. They could offer a limited discount on a product or make the product available for only a brief period.
The goal is to pressure the prospect to make a purchase before the timeline passes. Amazon is a great example of using urgency to push a sale.
If it’s out of stock, prospects are more likely to make a purchase when the product is available. Zanerobe uses an email notification to notify subscribers when the product is back in stock.
Upselling and Cross-selling
Your prospect is smack in the middle of your purchase funnel when they get to your product page. It’s an opportunity to sell several products at once.
Cross-selling simply means showing several products related to the product the customer is trying to purchase. For instance, someone buying an iPhone X would see accessories such as a wireless charger, cell phone holder for car, memory card charging pad and more.
As an incentive to encourage sales, bundle related products as a package. Amazon uses both up-selling to encourage consumers and prospects to buy a more expensive version of a product or sell several related products.
Customers who bought an iPhone X would see this product copy encouraging them to buy both the iPhone X and an iPhone X Case.
Note that you haven’t saved a dollar from this deal. Amazon did the hard work and brought the items to your notice. To prevent distraction, they place both the copy for upselling and cross-selling below the main action they want you to take.
According to the Digital Marketing Institute, personalised recommendations increase conversion by 150%. A product recommendation engine automatically generates product recommendations based on the prospects’ purchase history or browsing data. It’s the most personalised way to offer recommendations.
Use Emotional Language
According to researcher and psychologist Dr Peter Noel Murray, emotions influence buying decisions. In the face of a buying decision, our subconscious reverts to past emotions from a related experience to decide the present experience. Such emotions create preferences that influence decisions.
Think about it. It’s the major reason why you’ll buy an Apple headset over an unknown brand. There are generic options at cheaper prices but you’ll rather pay more for a brand-name product because you have a positive emotion towards the brand based on past experience. The emotional response of a prospect towards an ad has more influence than the content of the ad.
Emotions influence buying decisions. You’ll choose an Apple headset over an unknown brand because of a positive buying experience you've had in the past. Click To TweetAccording to The Persuasion Revolution, here’s a list of words that elicit emotion in a reader.
| Curiosity | Urgency | Confusion | Anger | Safe/Satisfied | Happy | Inspired |
| Have you heard | Instantly | Suspicious | Repulsive | Convenient | Joyous | Hopeful |
| Secret | Bargain | Vulnerable | Shocking | Guaranteed | Thankful | Motivated |
| Behind the scenes | Limited | Helpless | Shameful | Investment | Jubilant | Confident |
| Confidential | Discount | Terrified | Outrageous | Astonishing | Euphoric | Authentic |
| Forbidden | Profitable | Alarmed | Infuriated | Reliable | Glorious | Genuine |
| Concealed | Freebie | Dishonest | Atrocious | Excellent | Elated | Dynamic |
| Insider’s scoop | Safe | Insecure | Damaging | Reliable | Thrilled | Responsive |
| Confessions | Instant Savings | Panicked | Dreadful | Secure | On top of the world | Unique |
| No one talks about | Bargain | Disoriented | Enraged | Transparency | Exhilarated | Adaptable |
Eliminate Buyer’s Remorse
Buyer’s remorse is an anxious state of mind. It mostly happens when you’ve bought an expensive item you can’t justify. It could be a new Mac Book, Luxury Car or House. You did research for a week trying to find the best deal. You found a bargain price, entered your card details and felt confident your purchase was the right choice.
Fast-forward to a few hours or days later and you’re second-guessing your purchase. You’re questioning if the decision was the right choice. Perhaps you could have found a cheaper price if you waited a few more days or dug deeper. You looked around and realised you didn’t need the product or there was a better option on the market for the same price.
It all stems from the paradox of choice and cognitive dissonance. Doubt and questions lead to buyer’s remorse. How can brands and e-commerce stores remove buyer’s remorse?
Be Proactive
Trust plays a significant role in long-term customer relationships. Ensure you’ve provided the prospect with sufficient information without rushing them into a decision. At each stage of the buyer’s journey provide information that guides the buyer and leads them to the next stage.
Solidify the Sale by Restating the Benefits
You’ve probably heard this before – benefits over features. But stating the benefits isn’t enough.
Imagine you’re a father shopping for an evening dress for your daughter’s Father-Daughter dance. You’ve found a dress you think she’ll like but you’re not sure if it’s the right choice.
Seeing your hesitation, a store assistant walks over and assures you that you’ve made the right decision. They tell you that the dress will remain in pristine condition three years from now. It’ll also remind your daughter of a proud moment in her life.
In a physical store, the salesperson tells you that you made a great choice while reinforcing the benefits. They emphasise the reason why you purchased the product to prevent the onset of buyer’s guilt.
A few tips to use on your online store include
- Personalise the confirmation using your customer’s name. It makes the process genuine and friendlier.
- Use the words “You” and “I” to make it feel less like formal. People are more likely to feel validated when they’re speaking to a human than an AI.
- Tell them why their purchase was a brilliant decision. Highlight the major difference the product makes in their life.
Answer Questions They Haven’t Asked
Anticipate questions before customers form them in their mind. Andy Paul of Salesforce explains that asking questions that help prospects understand the product better is just as important as responsive answers.
Get a second opinion of the product through a user-testing group. What are the barriers to a sale? Which questions shape the buyer’s perspective of the ideal solution to their problem? You create a sense of security and trust in your product when you clear doubts before the sale.
Do you know why people swap their old iPhones for the latest version? Apple has built luxury and exclusivity into their product.
You can leverage this idea to write a product description for your e-commerce product. Is there something different you’re doing from your competitors? How does it improve their lives or offer value? Sharing the details increases satisfaction and creates a positive experience between consumer and brand.
Apple has built exclusivity and luxury into their products. Is there something you're doing differently? Use the details to create a positive buying experience. Click To TweetConclusion
Write a product description that persuades the reader to purchase the product.
Personalisation is a great way to increase customer engagement and sales in your online store.
Use sensory words that evoke an emotion. Get prospects to spend more by upselling and cross-selling. Eliminate buyer’s remorse by reinforcing why their decision was the smart choice. Use simple words to guide the reader through the buyer journey.
If you need help crafting a product copy that cuts through the noise, evokes an emotion and drives sales for your online brand, get in touch today.
