Amazon product listings, descriptions, and variation strategies act as virtual salespersons – they come together to convince potential customers that your product outranks competitors and is the best possible choice. And just like a good salesperson, an effective product description grabs attention, highlights benefits, addresses concerns, and helps close the deal.
Product descriptions have become a real art form in the ultra-competitive Amazon marketplace. Crafting compelling copy could be the difference between skyrocketing sales and products that sink into obscurity. This is borne out by the fact that nearly 80% of Amazon sellers are keen on optimizing Amazon listings with relevant, high-quality keywords.
So, what goes into an artful and persuasive Amazon product listing and description? Let's explore some key strategies and examples for writing stellar descriptions that convert.
Your Amazon Product Listing Begins with a Strong Hook!
The product title is the first thing customers see when browsing Amazon. With over 7,500 products sold on the platform in the US every minute, your title must fight hard to capture the attention of those browsing Amazon's virtual shelves.
Some tips for crafting headlines that hook:
Highlight the key benefit: List the main problem your product solves or the benefit it provides. For example, a pet toy could be a 'Dog Chew Toy for Aggressive Chewers' or a mug could be an 'Insulated Travel Mug That Keeps Drinks Hot for 12 Hours'.
Use keywords: Incorporate important intent-driven search keywords so your product surfaces for relevant terms. Remember to keep it natural, though! For example, 'oversized beach towel' is a better phrase to focus on instead of awkwardly cramming in endless, ill-fitting keywords.
Tell a story: Using intriguing headlines like 'The Reusable Coffee Filter that Could Save 1000 Trees' or 'The Blanket Hoodie that Went Viral on Shark Tank' could be a creative gambit to engage readers.
Ask a question: A tried-and-tested method is to provoke curiosity by asking questions like 'Tired of Warm Wine?' or 'Want to Finally Quit Smoking?' to draw readers in.
Use numbers: Proof of a product’s effectiveness, expressed in tangible numbers, can make a big impact. Think along the lines of: 'Lose up to 10 Pounds in 2 Weeks with our Ketosis Product', for instance.
Whatever headline style you choose, aim for 50 characters or less to display fully on search results. The title must accurately convey what the product is and underline its key benefits.
Perfecting Your Amazon Product Listing with Descriptions
The meat of the matter. A recent survey found that customers rate product descriptions as 4.4 out of 5 on a scale of significance in deciding whether to buy the product. Focussing on the following six components will help you craft persuasive, impactful product descriptions:
Highlight Features and Benefits
After grasping the customer’s attention with your headline, the next step is to convince them your product is the best choice among competitors. This is where meticulously detailing features and benefits comes into play. Paying close attention to these details is essential to writing product descriptions when launching a product on Amazon.
Focus on the stand-out components of your product and how they solve customer needs. For example, a knife set could call out features like:
Full-tang stainless steel blades for durability.
Ergonomic handles provide a secure grip.
Includes handy blade guards.
Benefits that could be highlighted include:
Professional-grade knives for restaurant-quality meals at home.
Chop, slice, and dice with precision and accuracy.
Store safely in drawers to avoid cuts.
Combine specific features and measurable benefits to bring your product to life. Making it easy for customers to envision how the product will improve their lives keeps the descriptions user-centric and relatable.
Overcome Doubts and Objections
Your product description needs to address potential pain points, doubts, and objections head-on. Don't leave customers guessing!
For instance:
A new diet could tackle the objection, 'But what if it's not healthy?', by citing registered dietician approvals.
The description for a pair of noise-canceling headphones can answer the question, 'I don’t want to miss announcements', by describing a transparency mode that lets notification sound in when needed.
Think from the customer's perspective to identify hesitations, then address them. This builds credibility and reassures shoppers.
Tell a Story
Humanizing your product with a compelling story or anecdote helps customers connect emotionally. For example, a baby blanket could tell the story of a stressed new mom finally getting her restless infant to sleep with the ultra-soft blanket. Similarly, using appropriate festival-themed narratives can help maximize sales during seasonal events.
Stories create mental images that make an Amazon product listing more memorable. Princeton researcher Uri Hasson’s work on the effects of storytelling on the receiver’s brain further supports the advantages of telling stories to connect with customers.
Storytelling also builds rapport and trust with customers. Sharing the founder's inspiration behind creating the product or detailing how you solved a common customer pain point with an innovative solution helps build a relationship.
Use Bullets, Numbers, and Headers
Scanning long blocks of dense text is tedious for customers. Break up your descriptions using bullets, numbers, and headers so key information pops out:
Headers like 'Key Features' or 'Benefits' let customers skim to the most relevant sections.
Numbered lists that highlight specs are a must. For instance, including a line that says, 'Comes with 1 Chef's Knife, 1 Bread Knife' can make the contents of the package crystal clear and avoid confusion.
Bullets call attention to specific benefits, such as '✓ Safe for sensitive skin' or '✓ Adds volume without weighing hair down'.
Judiciously used bold text and italics will help draw the eye to important details.
Formatting product descriptions with these aspects in mind improves readability and enables customers to quickly grasp the value of your product.
Quantify Value with Data
Use numbers, statistics, and data to make your claims more credible. For example, the product description for a pair of headphones must cite:
Noise reduction rating of 30db for effectively blocking ambient sounds.
Battery life of up to 12 hours on a single charge.
4.5-star average rating from over 800 reviews.
Data reduces buyer skepticism. Pepper your descriptions with numbers that convey tangible value – whether it's the hours of usage, the number of times more effective than a competitor product, the number of accessories included, or 5-star reviews received.
Genuine claims that you can back up with verifiable facts work across cultural contexts, making hard data important for your Amazon global expansion efforts.
Close the Deal
Finally, your description needs a strong call to action (CTA) to close the deal.
Some good options:
'Add to Cart today to plan meals like a pro!'
'Click Buy Now to treat your feet to cloud-like comfort.'
'Tap Add to Cart and join thousands who've gained control of clutter!'
Direct readers with specific instructions for the desired action using urgent phrasing that lays out a clear path to purchase.
Expand Your Amazon Product Listing with Product Variation Strategies
Think of variations as your product's chameleon-like abilities. They allow you to offer your core product in different forms, adapting to diverse customer needs.
Here's where the concept of parent-child relationships comes in. The parent Amazon product listing is the main listing, and the variations are essentially sub-listings that branch out from it, each with unique features. The core product is the same but it can have variations based on size, color, flavor, and much more.
Grouping product variations together, under a single product listing, creates a more organized shopping experience. Think of the difference between browsing through a rack of clothes where everything is jumbled together versus a rack categorized by size and color.
Why are Product Variations Your Secret Weapon?
By eliminating the need to search through multiple separate Amazon product listings, product variations streamline the shopping experience––saving customers time and frustration. They can find products that perfectly fit their specific needs all within a single, convenient location.
Here’s why you need to focus on your product variation strategies:
Find More Customers: Variations cater to a wider audience. With the simple addition of a red variation to running shoes, your product now appears in a different set of search results, attracting new customers.
Increase Customer Satisfaction: Customers appreciate having choices. Variations help them find a product that perfectly fits their need. Higher satisfaction leads to higher sales.
Optimize Your SEO: Each variation is an SEO magnet, attracting customers with a wider range of relevant keywords. This can significantly boost your the search ranking of your Amazon product listing.
Better Inventory Management: Variations allow you to test the waters with different features without the risk of overstocking. Gauge different customer responses before committing to a massive inventory.
Upselling & Cross-Selling Opportunities: Variations open doors for strategic upselling and cross-selling. You can offer a larger size as an upgrade or bundle matching socks with a specific shoe variation, increasing your average order value.
Implementing Product Variation Strategies
Product variation strategies include both a thorough understanding of what variations you should produce and offer as well as how to best highlight these variants.
Your key steps include:
Identifying the Right Variations: Step into the shoes of your customers and consider the different attributes they might use to search for your product. The best way to do this is by conducting thorough keyword research and analyzing your competitor listings to see how they've structured their variations.
Unique Variation Titles: Avoid simply repeating the main product title. Instead, incorporate the specific variation details in a clear and concise manner (e.g. for "Men's Running Shoes”, variations titles could simply be “Size 10 (US)” or “Black").
Targeted Variation Descriptions: While your main product description provides a general overview, consider including descriptions for each variation to emphasize its specific features and benefits. This extra effort can significantly improve conversion rates.
Compelling Variation Images: Include high-quality images that showcase the unique features of each variation.
Here are some attributes on which variations are frequently based.
Size - Ensures a perfect fit, like offering clothing in sizes from petite to plus-size. Can also be applied to products like furniture.
Color - Customers have wildly different aesthetic and style preferences so offering, for example, a journal in different colour combinations can be an easy fix for a lack of sales.
Material - Caters to specific needs, like a phone case in silicone (for grip), leather (for luxury), or TPU plastic (for durability).
Functionality - Adds useful features, like a backpack variation with a built-in laptop compartment or a water bottle holder.
Bundle Options - Bundle your product with complementary items to incentivize purchases and increase average order value.
Continuously Amp Up Your Amazon Product Listing
The Amazon and ecommerce landscape moves quickly and so should your product listings and variations.
Regularly monitor performance metrics and customer feedback to pinpoint areas for improvement.
A/B testing different variations and descriptions to discover what resonates most with your target audience.
By adopting a data-driven approach, you’ll be ready to both optimize for the current market and tackle future change.
Additionally, you can periodically boost your product listings with strategic Amazon PPC advertising. It increases visibility and targets relevant keywords to drive qualified traffic to your product.
Crafting Perfect Amazon Product Listings with OppDoor!
Selling on Amazon is an iterative process. Apart from following these best practices, you need to continuously test and optimize Amaz product listings based on changing customer behaviors. Don’t ever leave your descriptions to go out of date!
A stellar product description convinces shoppers of the value your product delivers. But you don’t have to win over customers alone!
OppDoor provides comprehensive managed services to drive your Amazon success. We optimize your Amazon business for global expansion and run effective PPC campaigns to secure bottom-line results.
Reach out to OppDoor today for a free consultation on fueling your Ecommerce growth.
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