Create Product Listings that Sell 1Share this Guide

Creating Product Listings that Sell

As you continue reading, you’ll learn the following:

The basic elements of a product listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

How to tackle product options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Best practices in creating unique product descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Insights on making product images work for you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Creating Product Listings

We all know the importance of presenting our products in the best light possible, especially when it comes to your ecommerce site . The only problem is that web merchandising can be a bit more difficult than what you’re accustomed to . Just think, in a retail store, customers can see and touch your products, ask questions and sometimes even try them on for size before making a purchase . In your online store, however, shoppers rely entirely on the information on your product pages to decide whether or not to buy a product from you .

Product listings are your primary sales tool for turning casual shoppers into paying customers . To succeed, product listings must be well written, packed with relevant information, illustrated with attractive product photos and error free .

That’s what this quick guide is all about:

helping you craft product listings that actually sell.

Let’s get started, shall we?

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The basic elements of a product listing

a. Make it descriptive: The name should quickly

conjure a mental image in the shopper’s mind .

b. Be concise: Don’t make your product names

overly long – three to five words should do,

including brand names, if applicable . Avoid

stuffing the product name with unnecessary

adjectives, as this can create a convoluted

experience for your customers .

c. Incorporate keywords: Design product names

with search engines in mind by incorporating

relevant keywords that are specific to each

product you’re selling .

3. Price: Customers will want to instantly know how much your items cost, so be sure to incorporate this information clearly on your product page. Keep in mind that if you’re selling internationally, you’ll want to ensure that your ecommerce software has a currency converter so you can present prices in multiple currencies, such as Euros, Pounds, etc.

1. Product code: Product codes are instrumental in organizing your inventory. You have two options here:

a. Use manufacturer’s codes: If you’re using a drop

shipper, it’s a good idea to use the manufacturer’s

codes to avoid any communication problems with

your drop shipper .

b. Develop custom codes: On the other hand, if

you’re selling your own products, you can include

information that helps connect a product to a

specific category or product option . For example,

if you’re selling a men’s large red sweater, your

code could be MLSWTR01 . How you organize your

product codes is completely up to you, but keep in

mind that customers can see this code, so make

sure it’s something you’re comfortable being public .

2. Product name: Often referred to as a product title, your product name should descriptively summarize your product offering. Keep these ideas in mind when creating your product names:

While there are lots of aspects to crafting stellar product listings, we all have to start somewhere . Before you get wrapped up in the details, pay close attention to the essentials – these elements are sure to help establish a solid foundation for all of your online products .

When creating a new product listing, start with the following three items:

Now that you’ve got the fundamentals down, let’s take things up a notch by discussing how to effectively list product options.

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How to effectively utilize product options

• Display your options with user experience in mind: Depending on the nature of the option that you’re listing (size, color, etc .), make a strategic decision on how those options are displayed, whether it’s via check boxes, radio buttons or drop-down menus .

• Provide unique product images to display with each option: To help shoppers better select the best product for their needs, we recommend providing a unique image for each product option . Going back to the sweater example, providing a unique image for each color and/or texture gives shoppers a much better idea of what they’re ordering, which helps to increase conversions . Using a color swatch tool is particularly useful in a case like this .

• Assign a specific product code to each option: While this may seem tedious in the short-term, giving each option a unique product code goes a long way in helping you better track inventory more precisely . For example, if you’re selling sweaters, you’ll know that you have 5 blue medium sweaters, 7 green small sweaters, etc . This makes ordering additional inventory much easier and cost effective .

• Clearly detail any additional costs: For example, if you’re selling laptop computers and customers can add extra memory for an additional $10, include that cost within the option itself so shoppers aren’t surprised when they reach the checkout page .

Product options often make or break an online sale, particularly if your items have multiple variations, such as size, color, texture, add-on features, etc . This is why effectively listing your product options is so important – you need to show shoppers exactly which item is right for them, all without any fuss or delay .

As you begin adding your various product options, keep these suggestions in mind:

Once you have your product options squared away, it’s time to take a close look at crafting your sales pitch, better known as your product descriptions .

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Writing product descriptions that convert

You can more effectively target the unique needs and wants of your specific customer base by crafting fully original copy for your descriptions .

• Write descriptions for shoppers, not search engines: Yes, search engine results are important, but remember that only humans can actually purchase from you . This means that you should write your product descriptions with the intent of making customers want to buy your products . In other words, avoid stuffing keywords into your product descriptions, which often turns off customers and can even lead to lower search engine rankings .

• Keep it simple: Put yourself in your customers’ shoes when writing product descriptions . If fairly lengthy, break up your paragraphs and incorporate bulleted lists to make the information more easily digestible . Don’t make shoppers work to obtain the information they need .

• Editing is essential: Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation are just as important here as they were back in school . You want to present your store, and its products, as a reliable and trustworthy resource, and grammar errors and typos take away from your brand’s overall professionalism .

• Focus on benefits, not just features: Beyond listing basic product details, describe the product in terms of how it will benefit the shopper . In other words, how will purchasing this product make the shopper’s life better or more enjoyable? What problem does this product solve? For example, if you’re selling a big, flat-screen TV, you might describe it as, “This 70” LCD TV is the perfect size for the big game – there won’t be a bad seat in the house!” By spinning a feature as a benefit, you address a unique need and desire, which helps your chances of getting a sale .

• Use unique descriptions, not the manufacturer’s: While it’s tempting to simply copy and paste the product descriptions provided by your manufacturers, this approach is a big disservice to your potential success . Here are a few reasons why you should take the time to carefully craft unique product descriptions that are all your own:

Differentiating your product descriptions from your competitors makes your listings more likely to receive a higher ranking in search engine results .

Unique product descriptions allow you to incorporate the overall tone and feel of your brand, helping to reinforce your brand story .

While it may be true that your products “should sell themselves,” every item in your online store needs a little finesse when it comes to its sales pitch . This is where product descriptions come into play – crafting text that eloquently describes and showcases your products is essential to converting sales .

Before you start cranking out product descriptions of your own, take a look at these guidelines to stay on the right track:

Now that we’ve tackled the written word, let’s shift gears to focus on the visual component of your product listings, product images.

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Leveraging product images to sell more

watching football on their flat screen . The idea here is

to make an emotional connection with customers .

• Add more than one image: Customers want to see

your products in as many views as possible, particularly

if you’re selling apparel, replacement parts or items

with several options . Regardless of what you’re selling,

providing a birds-eye view across multiple angles

instills confidence in your shoppers .

• Allow shoppers to zoom in: Beyond seeing

multiple angles, shoppers want to view your products

up close and personal . To make this happen, leverage

any and all zoom functionality within your shopping

cart software .

• Don’t forget about SEO: Your images can help with

SEO, too . To make the most of this, add alt text to your

images for better results .

• Make the investment in professional images: Obtaining high quality product photos is worth the

investment, so don’t be afraid to hire a professional

photographer to help present your products in the

most appealing way, visually . If you can’t afford this,

at least purchase a good digital camera and tripod .

From there, invest ample time and energy to make your

images the best they can be . You might also look into a

good piece of digital imaging software to help edit and

enhance your photos – customers don’t want to see

images that are blurry or pixelated .

• Put your products in context: Just like product

descriptions, your product images should showcase

the benefits of the product, not just the features . Going

back to our flat-screen TV example, you can reinforce

the text of the TV being “the perfect size for the big

game” by leveraging an image of a group of people

The phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words” has never been truer than when it comes to product images . In fact, product photos are worth their weight in gold, as they’re your best tool in showcasing your wares to online shoppers . Just think, would you order something online without at least knowing what it looks like? Not unless you’re super adventurous, which most online shoppers aren’t .

Clearly, quality product photos are vital to not only converting sales, but to boosting customer satisfaction and preventing a flood of returns . To help make the most of your product images, follow these best practices closely:

At the end of the day, product photos are a crucial piece to your overall merchandising strategy, so don’t take them lightly.

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Creating Product Listings that Sell: Conclusion

Let’s be clear: selling online takes a lot more than just slapping a few products on a website and hoping for the best . To truly maximize your sales potential, you need to pay attention to every last detail, particularly when it comes to product listings . Between the most basic elements like your product descriptions and images, you’d be surprised at how much difference a little extra time and energy can make when building or revamping your online store .

We hope that these tips and tricks will put you on the path to online success in no time .

From us to you, happy selling!

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