2025 Guide to Optimizing Product Descriptions for BigCommerce
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- Product descriptions are crucial for converting online shoppers.
- To craft compelling product descriptions, focus on buyer needs, highlight benefits over features, use clear communication, and include CTAs.
- PIM software makes product details customer-facing, ensuring engaging, informative descriptions for increased conversions.
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Why Product descriptions?
If you are a manufacturer or distributor who doesn’t have a presence in the e-commerce space, chances are you are working hard to make the transition. This is because you’ve probably heard that business-to-business (B2B) marketplace sales grew by 100% year-over-year in 2023 or that seven of ten B2B buyers prefer buying online because it is more convenient. When you transition, you’ll likely choose BigCommerce over alternatives like Shopify and WooCommerce.
Or let’s say you are already active in the electronic sales market and have been using BigCommerce all that time. You prefer this particular e-commerce platform because of plenty of built-in features; it makes scaling easy and allows you to create and operate multiple storefronts efficiently.
But while running the online shop, you notice persuading customers is challenging. You read up on the issue and learn that leveraging product descriptions is the best way to convince customers. This is new to you because you didn’t know that product descriptions can be valuable beyond providing details about the products on sale. And now you are here looking for answers. So, let’s answer those questions.
Understanding the Basics of Product Descriptions
What are product descriptions?
Product descriptions are the text you include on product pages to explain features, specifications, and benefits. They are part of your products’ marketing copy, demonstrating their value to potential customers. If so, then this means product descriptions go beyond simply listing the features and specifications of the listed products. They tell a story about the product and how it can improve the customer’s life.
Key components of product descriptions
Typically, the details you share on the product pages depend on the listed items. For instance, an apparel store will showcase information that is different from that of an electronics vendor. On the other hand, manufacturers may implement a different strategy for displaying product information because of how the target audience buys.
Nevertheless, typical product descriptions have the following elements:
- Product title: A clear, concise, and often keyword-rich headline for the product.
- Short description: A summary (a sentence or two) highlighting the product's crucial benefits and purposes. This is often displayed alongside the product title on product listings.
- Main description: This is the core of your product description. It includes: Features: Technical specifications, materials, dimensions, etc. Benefits: How the product will solve the customer's problems and improve their experience. Use cases: Situations or scenarios where the product offers value.
- Pricing: The displayed price of the product.
- Call to Action (CTA): Instructions encouraging the customer to purchase, such as "Buy Now" or "Add to Cart".
- Images/videos: Visual representations of the product to help the customer understand it better and increase engagement.
- Customer reviews/testimonials: Social proof adds credibility and builds trust.
- Shipping and returns: This element outlines specific policies upfront. For instance, customers may handle an issue in a stipulated manner.
If the listed products require a certain degree of sophistication to operate, vendors may include instruction manuals (or links to the files). Some sellers include frequently asked questions (FAQs) sections to answer common questions preemptively.
The optimal length and combination of components vary depending on the nature of your products and your target audience.
Why Product Descriptions Matter on BigCommerce
Product descriptions seem simplistic on the face of it, but they play a critical role in boosting your e-commerce strategy. For instance, it’s easy to imagine that product descriptions only inform customers about the listed products, nothing more. On the contrary, they are a resource you can tap into to persuade customers and increase your store’s visibility to search engine crawlers.
Product descriptions do two things, which result in many benefits for BigCommerce storefronts.
1. Inform and persuade buyers
In the traditional setting, businesses depend on salespeople to walk around and convince buyers to pick their products. Companies may send salespeople to trade fairs to showcase what makes their products unique. The salespeople may convince several buyers to choose the products through their pitching and interpersonal skills.
The personal touch is lacking in the online setting mainly because people cannot interact the way it happens offline. And yet, companies must provide a similar experience to capture the market.
In the e-commerce environment, product descriptions take on the role of a salesperson. They provide details about your products down to the minute; this helps customers understand your products’ uses, features, and unique selling points.
However, for product descriptions to play the online salesperson’s role effectively, they must do more than merely highlight features and list benefits. This means they must be written in a way that translates the features into clear benefits that resonate with the customer’s pain points.
Building on informativeness and persuasiveness, product descriptions can help build trust and brand image and reduce the need for customer support.
- Building trust and brand image: The descriptions' tone and style contribute to your brand's overall perception. Perception is crucial in business, more so in the B2B environment. For example, how your target audience perceives and interprets your brand directly affects their trust level, which is a critical factor in purchase decisions. Perception also differentiates your brand. A positive brand perception can make your brand stand out in a crowded market, attracting customers and fostering long-term partnerships.
- Reduced customer support: Clear and informative descriptions can answer customers' questions about a product, reducing the burden on your customer support team.
2. Search engine optimization (SEO) and discoverability
The descriptions on your product pages have another purpose that may be a little subtle. They allow search engines to index your products so that they are easily discoverable when customers search in browsers.
There are two levels to this discoverability. First, discoverability to the in-store search engine. As mentioned earlier, BigCommerce has many useful built-in features; store search is one great example. The feature helps shoppers locate the right product quickly.
However, this feature works best when stores follow the best practices when configuring it. They include:
- Using correct search settings. This includes using the default product sort, default content sort, and the proper search logic.
- Syndicating accurate product details. BigCommerce's in-store search functionality places priority on different product fields and has a specific order, which is as follows:
- SKU (exact match)
- Product Name (exact match)
- Brand Name
- Keywords (exact match)
- Product Name (partial match)
- Description
- SKU (partial match)
- Keywords (partial match)
The second level to discoverability of products for stores built on BigCommerce is optimizing the descriptions for search engines like Google.
Ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs) proves your SEO strategy works. This is important because discoverability within the store is not enough to generate the desired traffic and customer decisions.
Thankfully, BigCommerce makes it easy for stores to get noticed in Google and Bing’s search engine. First, you must register your store with Bing Webmaster and Google Search Console. This step informs the world’s two most significant search engines of your website’s existence; this ensures that the search engines’ crawlers can index your site.
Secondly, you must submit a piece of code that lists your store’s most important pages – this is an XML sitemap for the technically minded.
Third, make sure your site loads faster because shoppers dislike slow-loading websites.
All this while, you are setting up your store so shoppers can access your products’ descriptions, which, in turn, do the selling.
Building Compelling Content for Products on BigCommerce
Product descriptions shape shoppers’ perceptions of your products and the store. In turn, perception determines if the customer will escalate the interaction to the buying stage.
However, product descriptions cannot deliver the desired goals when not correctly written. Let’s see how you can craft descriptions that result in conversions.
1. Target buyer needs
Most vendors that choose BigCommerce often sell to other businesses – BigCommerce has plenty of features tailored for B2B trading activities. As such, one can assume that the target buyers for BigCommerce users are B2B shoppers.
B2B buyers differ from typical business-to-customer (B2C) shoppers. They are often driven by logic, business value, and problem-solving compared to individual desires. Their decision-making involves factors like:
- Efficiency: How does the product save time or streamline processes?
- Cost-effectiveness: Does the product reduce overall costs or improve return on investment?
- Reliability and durability: Is the product built to withstand heavy-duty use and minimize downtime?
- Safety and compliance: Does it meet industry standards and regulations?
- Support and maintenance: What post-purchase support (installation, repair, etc.) is available?
Highly optimized product descriptions should target these and more factors. The excellent approach is to conduct market research to establish the high-priority needs of buyers. However, your ability to translate the needs into compelling product descriptions is the kicker. Here is a simple illustration:
Suppose your BigCommerce store sells heavy-duty industrial drills, and you want to describe this product in a way that captures the needs of the target shoppers. Here is how you can do it:
Headline: Instead of just “Industrial Drill,” consider something like “Maximize Efficiency and Minimize Downtime with the [Product Name] Drill.“
Description:
- Focus on efficiency: Emphasize the drill's powerful motor and fast drilling speeds. Highlight features like variable speed control for precise drilling in various materials.
- Durability matters: Mention the drill's robust construction using high-grade materials and highlight its ability to withstand demanding industrial applications.
- Safety first: Showcase ergonomic design details that minimize user fatigue and highlight safety features like overload protection and automatic shut-off mechanisms.
- Cost-effectiveness: Don't just focus on the price. Explain how the drill's durability translates to long life, reducing replacement costs. Mention features that minimize maintenance needs, such as sealed bearings or easily accessible brush replacements.
2. Benefits over features
A product page must display the features so the buyer can fully picture the item and its capabilities. However, too many features without a strategic purpose can be counterintuitive.
Let’s break down the feature trap for better understanding: imagine a description for an industrial saw simply listing features:
- 15-amp motor
- 12-inch blade diameter
- Laser guide system
While informative, this description doesn’t tell the buyer why they should care. Instead, it should shift the focus to how each feature brings value. That is:
- Powerful 15-amp motor: Delivers exceptional cutting performance for even the most challenging materials, ensuring jobs get done quickly and efficiently.
- Large 12-inch blade diameter: Handles a broader range of cutting depths and materials, increasing versatility and reducing the need for multiple tools.
- Integrated laser guide system: Provides precise cutting accuracy, minimizing material waste and saving time on rework.
Here’s a breakdown of how focusing on benefits can make your product descriptions more effective:
Feature | Benefit | Impact on the buyer |
High-strength steel construction | Increased durability | Reduces replacement costs and minimizes downtime for repairs. |
Ergonomic handle design | Improved operator comfort | It enhances worker productivity and reduces fatigue-related injuries. |
Adjustable speed settings | Optimal control for various materials | Ensures high-quality results and minimizes material waste. |
Low noise operation | Improved work environment | Promotes worker safety and well-being and potentially reduces noise complaints. |
Easy-access brush replacement | Simplified maintenance | Minimizes downtime for maintenance and reduces overall operating costs. |
3. Clear and concise communication
Why should you worry about clarity?
First, B2B buyers (much like any other group of buyers) come from diverse backgrounds. Some might be technically knowledgeable, but others are likely other stakeholders in the B2B decision-making process (purchasing managers, executives). This section of buyers might not understand industry-specific terminology.
Secondly, B2B buyers are often pressed for time. So, overly technical descriptions create friction because the buyers need to quickly grasp the product’s value and benefits for their business.
Lastly, clear language makes your product descriptions accessible to a broader range of potential buyers within the industry, expanding your reach.
In this regard, the following are some tips for clear and concise descriptions:
- Know your audience: Consider the general level of technical understanding within your target industry. Strike a balance between being informative and avoiding unnecessary jargon.
- Explain jargon when necessary: If specific technical terms are essential for understanding the product, provide a layman's explanation alongside the term.
- Glossary or FAQ: Compile a glossary of frequently used technical terms on your site. You can link to it from product descriptions or have a dedicated FAQ page.
- Test the descriptions: Have someone outside your immediate industry read the descriptions for clarity. If they struggle to understand certain parts, it's time to simplify.
How do you simplify descriptions and still balance between clarity and specificity? Let’s see an example:
Jargon-heavy description: “Our pneumatic impact wrench delivers a maximum torque output of 1,200 ft-lbs. with a free speed of 8,000 RPM.”
Simplified description: “Effortlessly tackle the toughest fastening jobs with our powerful impact wrench. Delivers enough power to remove even rusted or overtightened bolts, saving time and labor.”
The goal is to inform without overwhelming!
4. Compelling CTAs
Calls-to-action (CTAs) are a critical component of product descriptions. They increase the chances of a buyer taking the next step towards a purchase.
There is no specific way of writing CTAs. However, they can generally be divided into three different types, including:
- Contact for a quote: These are best for complex products, those with customization options, or larger purchases where pricing may vary based on specific business needs. For example: "Get a personalized quote for your workshop's needs. Contact our sales team today!"
- Request a demo: Best for products with unique functionality or a user interface that benefits from a hands-on demonstration. For example: "See our power tools in action! Schedule a free, no-obligation demo."
- Download additional resources: Best for products with intricate details, safety considerations, or use cases that could be further explained. For example: "Download our [Product Name] Buyer's Guide for essential decision-making information." Or "Access our safety and maintenance manual for [Product Name]."
CTAs must resonate with customers. This means that as you write them, focus on solutions, not sales. Don’t just tell them to “Buy Now.” Instead, tailor your CTA to their specific needs.
Also, offer multiple CTA options – provide a variety to cater to different buying stages.
Additionally, use strong verbs like “Contact,” “Request,” “Download,” and “Discover” to stimulate action. A section of the CTA should include text highlighting value and phrases that create urgency, such as: “limited-time offer” or “while supplies last.” However, please don’t overdo it to create false scarcity.
Lastly, place CTAs prominently toward the end of the product description after you’ve built interest. Alternatively, you can have a shorter CTA right under the product title.
Leveraging PIM Software to Optimize Product Descriptions
One key theme that has emerged so far is that accuracy is critical for optimized product descriptions. Also, BigCommerce’s in-store search engine wouldn’t work correctly if some product fields were missing.
However, ensuring accuracy and completeness for descriptions of hundreds of products is an uphill task. The challenge deepens when you operate multiple storefronts.
You can solve these issues with product information management (PIM) software as the backend of the product data management system. PIM software is a tool that collects, manages, enriches, and distributes product details across various sales channels. Think of it as the ultimate product data command center.
As you prepare product information for display on the product pages, you’ll notice that the details may not make sense without transformation. This is because the product data in your inventory systems serve a different purpose.
Inventory management systems are designed for internal operations. The information they keep prioritizes efficiency and tracking, often consisting of basic identifiers like SKUs, stock levels, and cost prices.
These details are crucial for internal processes but are not very informative for potential buyers browsing your store. Imagine seeing a product description with just an alphanumeric SKU – it is not very inspiring!
PIM software transforms the basic, foundational details and makes them customer-facing. Besides organizing and categorizing, the tool allows you to add detailed descriptions. A PIM solution like Catsy, which incorporates a built-in digital asset management (DAM) platform, makes it easy to add multimedia. This breathes life into the product information, making it engaging and informative.
An illustration of how PIM transforms and optimizes product descriptions
Suppose a drill part of your product catalog. The details as they appear in the inventory management system are fundamental, for example:
- Product name: Drill_#SKU123
- Description: Electric Drill, 18V
- Features: List of technical specifications (e.g., wattage, RPM)
This information might be sufficient for internal tracking, but it doesn’t tell the customer much. PIM software enriches it to a level that showcases your products effectively.
The tool creates different fields where you can populate the details in a way that makes sense to the customer. For instance:
Headline: Unleash Maximum Power with the [Product name] Industrial Drill
Description:
- Boost productivity and tackle demanding tasks with the [Product name] Industrial Drill, featuring a powerful 18V motor and durable construction.
- Effortlessly handle rigid materials with variable speed control and a high-torque output.
- Minimize downtime and maximize efficiency with a long-lasting Lithium-Ion battery and ergonomic design for user comfort.
- Safety first: Includes features like a soft-grip handle and overload protection.
Technical Specifications:
- Wattage: 800W
- No Load Speed: 0-2800 RPM
- Chuck Size: 13mm
- Weight: 2.8kg
Once all fields are populated and you have counterchecked for accuracy, you can syndicate the details to your store. This process is straightforward when using a unified PIM and DAM solution like Catsy. On the one hand, you can do all the enrichment activities in one platform.
On the other hand, Catsy has an API for connecting with BigCommerce. Any changes made within the Catsy platform will instantly reflect on your store’s product pages. Catsy can syndicate details to more than one storefront simultaneously.
In other words, using PIM software to manage product descriptions allows you to hit two birds with one stone: you get accurate and complete information and maintain consistency across multiple stores.
Final Thoughts
Product descriptions are your tireless sales force. They work 24/7 to inform, persuade, and build trust with potential customers – particularly critical for converting B2B buyers.
However, creating accurate, persuasive, and benefit-focused product descriptions isn’t easy. It requires keen attention to detail, understanding your target audience, and managing a steady flow of product information.
PIM software is a handy tool in this regard. It is a tool that transforms basic product data from your inventory management systems into optimized descriptions for your store. It centralizes information, streamlines updates, and ensures consistency across all channels.
Therefore, investing in a PIM solution is crucial. It allows you to take a significant leap toward maximizing your sales potential.
FAQs
Product descriptions are detailed explanations of a product’s features, benefits, and specifications that help customers make informed purchasing decisions. They are crucial because they act as your online store’s salesperson, helping persuade customers to buy your products. You may miss out on potential sales without accurate and persuasive product descriptions.
To write effective product descriptions, you should target buyer needs, focus on benefits over features, use clear and concise communication, and include compelling CTAs.
PIM software helps businesses manage their product information in a centralized location. It collects product details from inventory management tools and transforms them into enriched customer-facing product descriptions. Use it to reduce errors and improve the overall quality of your product information.
While using the same product descriptions across all your sales channels may be tempting, it’s not recommended. Different sales channels may have different audiences and requirements, so it’s essential to tailor your product descriptions to each channel. PIM software can help you manage your product information across multiple channels and ensure consistency while allowing channel-specific optimizations.
There are many resources available. Here are a few suggestions:
- BigCommerce help center: BigCommerce offers extensive resources on product descriptions, including best practices and optimization tips.
- PIM software vendors: Most PIM software vendors offer educational resources (usually blog posts) that showcase how the tool enriches and optimizes product descriptions on BigCommerce.
