How to describe an online store product



    I continue the stories about how to put letters into words and sentences. Now practice on products on the site.

    The first thing you need to understand is that the optimal selling strategy is not to promote one product at a time, but to narrow down its audience to the maximum . This means that if you try to describe the product as the best-in-the-world-for-all-and-all, they simply will not buy it.

    The store’s task is not to sell one product, but to sell as many products as a whole. To do this, you need to very accurately, objectively and with knowledge of the issue separate them according to why and for whom they are needed. Each product in the assortment line should clearly focus on one task and one audience.

    But this is too obvious and correct, so no one does it that way.

    The second lyrical digression. In retail, the best test of your model is to open exactly the door-to-door with a competitor and see who will supplant whom. The winner in 98% of cases is the one whose sellers do not lie and better know the product. The effect is simple in the online store: according to the description, you need to understand that the goods were held in hands when they were described. Accordingly - no "water", common phrases. Immediately the essence, direct references to the properties of the goods. Understanding that a person knows what he is talking about - it immediately appears when reading practical descriptions and disappears in any “marketing-snotty” block.

    That is, the entire text, each paragraph and each sentence - everything should be concrete and interesting at once. Based on the facts.

    Optimal product card (one of the options)


    1. Heading showing the essence of the product. This is the first and most important point of differentiation. The heading either means the main benefit (“Robot vacuum cleaner: you come home, it's clean”), it either differentiates the product (“The cheapest electric kettle”), or indicates the audience (“A washing machine for houses with old wiring”), or it turns the world around ("Our director has 9 such used spare parts in Mercedes"). If you read any text on how to make loud and catchy headlines, and bait words were listed there, please crumple the printout, rub between your hands to the necessary softness and take it to the toilet. Such headings are a clear “spam marker” that only scares the buyer away.
    2. The first phrase should be immediately introduced to the essence or interested enough to lead to the second phrase. Then the second phrase should be about the essence. The entire first paragraph (3-5 sentences) you devote to a short review of the goods. For example - this is an electric kettle at half a watt, good where the light flashes when you turn on the usual. Cool to take on the road, there is still a bag in the set. That is, in the first paragraph you list the most important differences of the product from others of the same in the line, in fact. So that the person immediately orientated.
    3. Now is the time for the details. Describe everything else that needs to be described. Characteristics (necessarily explaining what each means, and not a list), why the product is best used (tasks to be solved) and for whom the product is needed. For what and for whom - these are two different things. For example, synthesizers can be used to learn how to play the piano or, actually, performances in a cafe. A synthesizer with sound control is an awesome choice for caring parents. Because in the morning, when the daughter is studying, the neighbors will not break with an ax. The sound is diminished.
    4. After the reader has recognized himself three times (in the first paragraph, in “for what” and in “to whom”), the time has come for the FAQ. Check comments on this product or the entire class, highlight the most common questions. Answer them.
    5. Explain in detail the difference with other products in the line.
    6. Bring social proof - as a rule, this is a photo of people during the use of the product and a review. This is done already by the content manager, not by the writer.
    7. Be sure to indicate in what form the goods arrive (what kind of packaging) and list the full composition. This applies to both technology and clothing, and even yogurt. If the composition is more than two points (“box, product”), then describe each component - why is this needed. So a person seems to be holding a product in his hands and examining it. Describing everything point by point in short phrases (1-2 sentences), you once again make sure that everything is in order and collect the image of the product in your head. Do not forget that the description will hang on the site for 2-3-5 years, so do not use superlatives for electronics. “The fastest processor” will be in 10 more cameras and laptops after yours. Minimum. Another part of the composition is worth mentioning about the guarantee and certification, if any. For electronics, Rostest is important, for pharmaceuticals and food - compliance with various stringent regulatory standards.

    Naturally, this is only one of the options, and you can change the structure and flow as you like for yourself.

    Format


    It is optimal to break the description into paragraphs of 3-7 sentences and devote each individual paragraph to one aspect. It’s very good to make paragraph headings reveal the essence of what's there. No snot. Without yellowness.

    History


    All this product card structure can be successfully replaced by the story told about the product. As a rule, vivid and life stories are given by practitioners - sellers at points of sale or a business owner who was given two beers and a voice recorder. With a network order, this focus does not roll.

    The story is good because there are so many cool details in it that it’s immediately clear that the person is a pro and he knows the goods like the back of his hand. This is always credible.

    Information withdrawal


    When ordering online, the main source of information for the copywriter is either the customer’s story about the position (you must indicate the differences from other positions in the line and tell who takes it), or forums, discussions and reviews on this topic on this and similar products. It is also very important to carefully consider the photos - often directly on them you can build a description of various aesthetic things. A third important source is documents such as instructions or “combat sheets,” which can be found either at the customer’s site or online.

    Please note that many things that the buyer needs are often not indicated in the instructions. For example, our mosigr radio-controlled helicopters did not have many things, and even the supplier did not know them - I had to specify. A helicopter arrives for sale, and there is a type of battery, there is a flight time, but there is no remote control range, there is no charge time from zero to full charge, there is no flight speed, and so on. We tested each, there was no other option. Because it was these questions that customers asked.

    Photo by text


    Often the best description is a comic book. If you can not explain in words, but show in a photo or diagram - it is better to use this opportunity. Do not forget that pictures can become as full a part of the description as letters. Therefore, do not hesitate to insert them (of course, the pictures should be from the customer). It is good practice if the customer supports this - write directly in the description what and how to finish. However, with network bulk orders, as a rule, this will not be done, so discuss in advance.

    Pyramid


    The most important thing is grouped at the top of the text. In fact, the first paragraph may be a brief description of the product. Then the essence is gradually revealed more and more. This is a pyramidal principle of text construction, taking into account that the reader can stop reading at any time. At this point, he should have an idea about the product.

    Parallel or sequential construction principles (when all blocks are equally important for understanding) are good for expensive products, or pages with very high readability. As a rule, it is the “pyramid" that plays on the first principle of working with a product card - an extremely quick choice by the buyer from a dozen of the right ones.

    Stop watching


    Well, do not forget that when something is unclear to the buyer, he gets confused or cannot figure it out in 5-6 seconds, he does not continue trying to pick further. He closes the tab and goes where it is simpler and more understandable. Where more details. Where the review answers his questions. For example, on the site of your competitor. Always remember that your site is rarely viewed as the only one - usually a person has 3-4 more results of context and search results, and he first switches between them to decide what to read.

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