It’s 2023, and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the AI revolution is here. From home chefs asking AI tools to plan their dinner menus for the week, to financial analysts leveraging the computing power to uncover the next hit stock, it seems everyone is using AI for increased productivity, and, let’s admit it, because it’s fun. Perhaps you have started using AI to manage your listings on eBay. Maybe you are venturing into AI chatbots for customer support. But should you be using AI tools to write product descriptions for your store? At ShipWizard, nothing brings us more joy than witnessing the success of our e-commerce partners. With a front-row seat to the dynamic e-commerce landscape, we understand that your success extends beyond logistics. Your growth is at the heart of what we do, and we are excited about new marketing possibilities brought about by the AI revolution.
Why Are Product Descriptions Important?
A well-crafted product description can increase your conversion rate at multiple points in the buying journey:
- Improved SEO: a strategically written product description will help your product stand out among the hundreds of other search results. If you sell immunity-boosting supplements for kids, your product will face intense competition from other sites, brands, and formulations. A well-written product description will help your listing show up at or near the top of search results, which immediately gives you an advantage.
- Higher Click-Through Rate: once your site is on the coveted page 1 of Google, there are still at least 9 other results competing for your customer’s attention and click. Statistics from FirstPage indicate ranking on top of SERP in your niche generates 39.8% CTR rates in 2023. Let’s say your ideal customer is a busy mom getting her kindergartener ready for the cold and flu season. What words will influence her to click on your listing first? A unique, interesting, and compelling description will tip the scales in your favor.
- Higher Conversion Rate: when the potential customer is on your page, does the listing hold her interest, or does it read like every other supplement description? Are there clear benefits or relevant statistics that show the efficacy of your product? Does your formulation come in a certain flavor that a cold-prone 5-year-old is more likely to enjoy? A well-written product description is the difference between the busy mom clicking “add to cart,” and hitting the “back” button to consider other choices.
Product Descriptions That Sell: Best Practices
Writing compelling product descriptions may sound like a complex blend of art and science, but there are core principles you can follow:
- Speak Your Customer’s Language: Write in a way that resonates with your target audience. Use language they understand and relate to. To continue with the busy mom example, connect with the emotional aspect of being a mom, and highlight how your product can alleviate stress and improve the entire family’s well-being.
- Highlight Benefits, Not Just Features: While it’s important to list the features of your product, focus on how those features benefit the customer. Use language that communicates the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially during the school year when germs are more prevalent. Be sure to mention any child-friendly features like easy-to-swallow capsules or tasty gummy options that even picky eaters will love.
- Use Words To Create Visual Imagery: Facts are important, but so are the visuals you can conjure up within the product description. Remind your customer that by choosing your brand of supplements she is building a stronger foundation for her kindergartener’s well-being. Your supplements aren’t just pills: they’re a promise of vitality, fitness, and healthy development.. And hopefully fewer sick days spent caring for a cranky child at home.
Pros and Cons of using AI for Product Descriptions:
Now that we’ve established the basics of “why” and “how” for product descriptions, let’s address the big question: should you use AI? Copywriting AI tools are proliferating and quickly gaining popularity in e-commerce. There are many benefits to using AI tools:
- AI tools can generate product descriptions quickly, saving you time and effort. This is especially useful if you have a large number of products to list.
- AI-generated descriptions can maintain a consistent tone and style across all your products, helping to establish a cohesive brand image.
- These tools can help incorporate relevant keywords and search phrases in your product descriptions, improving your products’ visibility on search engines and potentially boosting your website’s organic traffic.
- A/B Testing: AI can generate multiple variations of product descriptions, allowing you to A/B test different versions to see which ones resonate best with your audience.
However, there are still some areas in which human-written content wins out:
- Lack of creativity: AI-generated descriptions might lack the creativity and emotional appeal that a human writer can bring to the table.
- Generic Content: If you use an AI tool to write about your immunity-boosting supplement for children, what is to stop all your competitors from using the same tool? The internet may end up filled with identical AI-produced product descriptions, which defies the purpose.
- Brand Voice: AI might struggle to match the unique voice of your brand. Is your brand irreverent, formal, folksy, authoritative, luxurious, whimsical? This type of nuance is still lacking from most AI tools, while human writers are steeped in your brand and experienced in maintaining its voice.
- Human-written descriptions can be tailored to specific customer segments, such as busy moms, creating a more personalized shopping experience.
Incorporating AI-generated descriptions can be a valuable part of your strategy, but it’s also important to find the right balance. One way to find a balance may be using AI to draft descriptions and then have an experienced human writer refine them with your specific product and audience in mind.
Ultimately, the decision should be based on your specific business needs, budget, and the nature of your products. It’s a good idea to experiment, gather feedback, and measure the performance of AI-generated descriptions compared to human-written ones to determine the best approach for your e-commerce business. One day, AI tools may completely take over content generation. For now, copywriters can rest easy knowing that their unique human creativity, emotional depth, and nuanced understanding of culture and language still give them a head start.
