3 Problems E-Commerce Site Owners Must Overcome in Their Product Descriptions

I examine and study many e-commerce product descriptions. Often these are successful and beautifully designed sites. But I know these sites would sell more stock if they took a little more interest in how their product descriptions come across to their potential customers. In this article I’ve pointed out a few common mistakes and ways that you can change your descriptions to address these problems and increase sales.
Failing to Think Like Your Customers
I ran across the last line of description for a slinky and beautiful cocktail dress that read “… this chic white dress will really shine.” I suspect that the writer who penned this phrase thought that in pointing out how the dress shines that their customer would automatically think it a winner. By looking at the picture the customer can see how it shines on the attractive model who is wearing it. But deep down inside, Ms. Customer was probably thinking something like: “I really like this dress. It’s very pretty. But how will it look on me? I really want a dress that will complement me, not the other way around.” And off she goes in search of a dress she is more certain will make her the center of attention at the party, not her dress. A simple fix for this description would be to change it to “… this chic white dress will really make you shine.”
Not Using Every Word to Its Fullest Potential
While simple fixes will certainly help bring your customer around, you must use every word of your description to keep the customer’s interest. Remember to point out how your features result in well-defined benefits for your customer. Determine a benefit-based theme for your product and build your description around that theme. But remember that especially on the Web, you have very little time to capture and hold your looker’s attention. Write and rewrite until you have maximized every word toward your customer’s needs.
Neglecting to Anticipate Objections
In addition to using your words to their fullest potential, it is also important to address your customer’s hesitation. Some questions your potential customers might ask (depending upon your product) are: Will this item show my figure to its fullest advantage? Can I justify the cost of this gadget? Will this home improvement item be something that I as a novice do-it-yourself-er can use? If you work hard enough at it, you can address these concerns in the benefit theme. Otherwise, you may need to add a short sentence to the description easing their mind.
If you are looking to increase sales on your e-commerce site, take a second look at how your product descriptions come across to the buyer who is reading them.