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Product description template to write copy that sells
A product description template to win customers over (+examples)
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A product description template to win customers over (+examples)

Use Coda’s free product description template to clearly highlight the key values of your product to potential customers.
Laila Robinson
This template was built with Coda, the all-in-one doc that brings words, data, and teams together. Play with the template below or copy the doc to save your edits.

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Product Name
Image
ID
Description
Features
1
GoPro
1234
Revolutionary Processor: Faster. Smoother. Better. The powerful new GP2 engine changes the game—snappy performance, responsive touch controls and double the frame rate for amazingly smooth footage. Designed specifically for the demanding nature of the GoPro, the GP2 “system on a chip” is by far our fastest ever.
23MP + SuperPhoto, HDR, RAW
1080p Live Streaming + Webcam
On Camera and GoPro App
2
Blink Mini
2345
1080P HD indoor, plug-in security camera with motion detection and two way audio that lets you monitor the inside of your home day and night.
Up to 30 frames per second
1.7 ounces (48 grams)
2 in. x 1.9 in. x 1.4 in. (50 mm x 49 mm x 36 mm)
3
Echo Show 5
33467
Add Alexa to your nightstand - Ease into the day with a routine that turns compatible lights on gradually. Or wake up to your news update, the weather forecast, and your favorite music.
5.5” with 960 x 480 resolution
2 MP
Built-in camera shutter and microphone/camera off button

4
Add new product here
​
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​
​
There are no rows in this table
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How do you enhance your e-commerce website to increase sales for your e-commerce store?
Most e-commerce product managers or business owners will think of:
Running sales and promotions
Improving conversion rates
A/B testing for all activities on your e-commerce site
Making e-commerce website conversions like add to wishlist or add to cart more prominent.

But have you considered evaluating how you can optimize the copywriting on your product descriptions?
Appealing product descriptions help win your customers over. A
study
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from Nielsen Norman Group on e-commerce buying behavior found 20% of unsuccessful purchases by website visitors are from lacking product information.
In this article, you’ll learn the components of writing a quality product description with a proven template. We’ve also included multiple product description examples to help you get started.

👉 Get started with this product description template.
Copy this template
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What is a product description template?

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A product description is how you talk about your product
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. It is the copy on each product page that explains what a product is.
It informs a potential buyer about vital product details, including technical details, physical specifications or materials used, helping them make a purchase decision.
You can find product descriptions in online stores, e-commerce websites and marketplaces. Like a good blurb on a book jacket, a product description gives your ideal customer what to expect when they buy the product while setting out a persuasive case of why this product is best suited to meet their needs.

Quality product descriptions act as your e-commerce store’s salesperson, merchandising and catalogue

Before thinking about why
product descriptions
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play such a vital role in the selling process for e-commerce stores and retailers, let’s first visualize your typical friendly neighborhood convenience store.
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convenience store.jpeg
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Source:
Unsplash
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You walk into the store, a distant chime announcing your arrival.
Before you sit the most succulent strawberries and grapes, prominently displayed at the store’s entrance.
“Freshly flown from Korea”, the familiar, comforting gruff tones of the convenience store owner calls out to you. You soon learn it’s on exclusive offer for this week only from a sign within the store.
In a brick and mortar store, your products can be seen, tested or fitted. But all of these physical contextual cues are absent in an e-commerce store. Your customers can’t touch the product, read its packaging, try it on or ask a salesperson questions before purchasing.
Instead, your product description becomes your salesperson, storefront catalog and visual merchandising efforts. Your customer looks at your copy, imagines how it looks using your product photos and ‘tries’ it on using your sizing options and measurements provided.
See the differences between the two formats here.
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image.png
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A comparison between brick and mortar versus e-commerce stores.
Source:
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The three purposes of a great product description

When evaluating products to buy from an e-commerce store, your customers
look for
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product descriptions (76%), customer reviews (71%) and quality images (66%) – in that order.
Great product descriptions inform: Inform potential shoppers about the problem and answer any unasked questions they may have in your unique brand voice and tone.
Great product descriptions persuade: Great copy of your product description convinces or assure users that this is the item that meets their needs. Ideally, product descriptions should pull in insights from customers who have previously purchased the product as a form of social proof.
Great product descriptions showcase your brand: Why should a customer choose your brand over others? When there are hundreds of competing brands for any single product on e-commerce stores and marketplaces, your product description needs to communicate what’s unique about your brand over others.
Ultimately, a great product description aims to sell your product. It should provide enough information for people to make a purchase decision and find the perfect product for their needs.
But you can’t be too wordy.
Human attention is scarce. You only have seconds to hook a wandering eye, so your product description can’t be too long or too dull either.

Product description templates make your life easier

A product description template keeps the format of your descriptions consistent across your e-commerce business.
Whether you only have a handful or hundreds of products, using a template avoids the impression that twenty different people wrote your product descriptions. It shows your customers you take your branding and site user experience seriously
When you have hundreds, if not thousands of products in your e-commerce store, a product description template helps you keep these descriptions consistent. It also streamlines the process of adding new products without missing any crucial details.

When creating your product description template, consider the following dimensions:

Length: Are your product descriptions a single sentence? A short paragraph or a series of bullet points?
Tone: Are they funny, quirky, serious?
Placement: Are they located next to or underneath your product image? How do your product titles look?

Best practices for writing product descriptions that sell

Now that we’ve covered why spending time writing a solid product description is critical to winning customers, let’s talk about how to do it.

Nine steps to write a compelling product description.

Step 1: Research your target audience & define buyer persona(s)
Step 2: Choose a product description format
Step 3: Use high-quality product images (and videos)
Step 4: Enlist the benefits of your product to target main pain points
Step 5: Include social proof
Step 6: List your frequently asked questions about the product as part of the product description
Step 7: Include technical details when necessary
Step 8: Conclude with a strong call to action
Step 9: Set goals and KPIs to measure product success
Here’s what to cover in each step:

Step 1: Research your target audience & define buyer persona(s)

Before you start crafting your product descriptions, you need to spend time thinking about the people you’re trying to reach.
The best product descriptions understand your target buyer and tackle their unanswered questions, concerns and potential objections about the product upfront. They should speak directly to your target audience.
Planning your product lineup? Use Coda’s
step-by-step guide
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to plan product requirements, define the objectives of each product and analyze your target customer segment.
When conducting market or customer research, think of your target audience as a single person. Give them a personal identity based on actual research. Get specific. Appealing to a faceless crowd is one way to create bland descriptions.

A framework to help you truly understand your target buyer persona.

Use the 5 W’s and 1 H (who, what, where, why and how) questioning framework to help you dive deep into your target buyer persona.
Who is this product for?
Define your target audience against dimensions like gender, age group, lifestyle demographic like book lovers, college students, new mothers or some other interest groups like people interested in sustainability and thrifting.
How to gather this information:
Get on a call with an existing customer of this product
Create a quick survey to email to previous buyers of this product
Search on forums like Reddit, Telegram groups or specialized social groups where your target audience is active. For example, if you’re selling book-related merchandise, look for readers or book lovers on Instagram and Goodreads.

What are the product’s essential details?
Here’s where you break down the product’s basic details. List characteristics like dimensions, colors, materials used, functions, technical specifications or where materials are sourced and manufactured.
When should someone use the product?
Is this product meant to be used or worn during specific occasions like festive occasions? Or is this meant for all-year-round usage like a repair toolkit?
Where should someone use the product?
For example, are these meant to be used indoors or in the garden? For instance, if it’s a home-based product, where is it meant to be used? Dining table, bathroom, or living room?
See this in action: This product listing from Zappos for a pair of The North Face winter boots clearly shows it’s meant for outdoor usage during winter.
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image.png
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Image source:
Zappos
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Why should a customer choose this product over a product from your competition?
Is it because your product is of higher quality? Or your brand has more experience manufacturing products of this calibre and is a well-trusted brand?
Think about what your product offers (values and features) and translate these features into concrete benefits for your customer. Consider how images can help to support your written product description.
How does the product work?
If you’re selling technical products like cameras, gadgets or electronics, describe how your product works here for your customer to get a clear understanding
Once you’ve done your audience research, it’s now time to translate these into engaging content for your product descriptions.

Step 2: Choose a product description format

Written product descriptions use a combination of two formats:
Bullet points lists:
Paragraphs

Bullet point lists are perfect for
scannable information
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and draw the reader’s eye.
Use bullet point lists for product technical specifications and features:
Product dimensions and weight
Materials
Technical specifications (for gadgets and computers)

However, over-reliance on bullet-point lists can make your product seem cold and clinical.
Avoid this by using short paragraphs (no more than five lines) to tell your product’s story and engage a shopper’s emotions. Paragraphs are your opportunity to sell the product to your target customers.
Your product descriptions are perfect for communicating your brand personality. Lean into your unique brand voice and express why you’re different. Use vivid language to paint a picture that sticks in your customer’s heads and influence their purchase decisions.
See this in action: Innocent Drinks uses a casual, whimsical brand tone, descriptive language and excellent storytelling to tell a short story about their smoothie products.
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image.png
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Source:
Innocent Drinks
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You don’t need to go into so much detail, especially if it’s self-explanatory. See this example paragraph product description from
Lululemon
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.
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image.png
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Key takeaway: Use bullet points for features and specifications and short paragraphs for storytelling.

Step 3: Use high-quality product images (and videos)

Text is only one tool in your arsenal to craft a winning product description.
Images convey information more effectively than text, sometimes
up to 60,000 times faster!
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Think about opportunities where using an image to communicate something is more effective than blocks of text.
Apple does this exceptionally well. In this example, a single image communicates what’s included with your purchase more effectively than paragraphs or bulleted lists.
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image.png
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Image source:
Apple
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Use images and videos to show your product in action!

Outdoor camera manufacturer GoPro shows their product in action with a
sleek product showcase video
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featuring footage shot from their cameras. It’s an excellent example of how to establish and describe the value of your product, not just tell.
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Step 4: Enlist the benefits of your product to target main pain points

Weighted blanket seller
My Calm Blanket
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relates their product benefits to connect with busy, frazzled parents.
In the product description for their
Calm Blanket for Kids,
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they establish a problem and present their product as a solution to that problem. In doing so, they connect with their target audience, show their authority and expertise and build trust with potential buyers.
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image.png
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Step 5: Include social proof

Social proof is undeniable proof from real customers that your product does as advertised and a mark of satisfaction.
Think of social proof as word of mouth for digital stores. Strong social evidence makes customers more comfortable buying your product. It can be what convinces a customer to make a purchasing decision.

Best types of social proof for e-commerce stores to include in their product descriptions:

Customer reviews and product reviews from verified customers
User-generated content from social media posts (use a branded social media hashtag to collect and archive all user-generated content
Testimonials from experts or prominent people (creators) in the community you’re targeting.
Review snippets from review sites and relevant media publications
Certifications from industry authorities or professional bodies. Useful primarily if your product is targeted towards a professional audience or when external certification is critical to a product’s success.

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image.png
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This
product listing
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for a belay device in rock climbing is 3 Sigma rated, an indication of its reliability and strength.
With so many choices out there, people spend more time and effort researching products to find the best purchase for them. They now spend an average of
79 days
⁠
exploring and comparing prices before making a significant purchase.
Having social proof speeds up this process and helps them make a purchase decision.

Step 6: List your frequently asked questions about the product as part of the product description

If your product is a bit more niche, listing common customer questions on your product pages helps establish trust in your product. It also helps to cut down on common customer questions, saving your customer service team time answering these questions.
Weighted blanket merchant
Bearably
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prominently feature frequently asked questions under their products.
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image.png
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How to find frequently asked questions about your product

Refer to Step 1 in the audience research process. You could ask potential buyers what’s stopping them from buying the product. Or, if you see a few questions being asked again and again from your pre-sales or customer service teams, take time to craft responses to these questions and list them as part of your product description template.

Step 7: Include technical details when necessary

If you’re talking about a more technical product, show off the technology behind your product, especially if you know your audience will understand the terms you use.
Provide all technical details about your product to pre-empt questions. You could even include feature comparisons between models in a product range to highlight any differences better and help your customer decide which product is best for them.
Example products where it’s a good idea to go more technical: cameras, computers and audiophile products.
Leica product descriptions for their cameras do these particularly well as they know they speak to photography enthusiasts and professional photographers well-versed with the terminology.
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image.png
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Source:
Leica Cameras
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Tip: Place lengthy technical details in a separate tab to ensure it doesn’t clutter your site while remaining visible to people who want to access that information if your e-commerce site layout allows. Allow plenty of white space to make your product copy visually appealing easy to scan.

Step 8: Conclude with a strong call to action

You’ve built up all the interest and trust with the rest of your product description. Now it’s time to encourage your customer to take action through a call to action.

Strong call to actions accomplish three things:

The customer knows what to do next
They are motivated to click on the button. For example, use power words that introduce elements of urgency or scarcity. Or eliminate any risks by talking about your return policy to make a potential customer more comfortable with taking action, like what Zappos does here.
The call to action is clear and concise.
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image.png
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Source:
Sixads
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image.png
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Source:
Zappos
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8 example call to action phrases for e-commerce product descriptions or product pages

Buying
Buy now/Grab it today: straightforward create urgency
Complete my purchase: shows it’s the final step in the purchasing process
Try it out today: A safer CTA to communicate a generous return policy
Get one today and see instant results: a simple, straightforward cause and effect statement

Claiming a deal or discount
Get my discount: simple and effective CTA
Redeem my voucher: practical and informative
Save big: alludes to a sense of discovery
Claim your limited time offer / Get my exclusive discount: makes your customers feel special and adds a sense of urgency to motivate action

Step 9: Set goals and KPIs to measure product success

Let’s face it. Writing effective product descriptions is a lot of work, especially if you have multiple product lines and a broad range of products catered for different target audiences.
But as you’ve seen above, if optimizing conversion rates and boosting sales or adding to cart is essential to you, it’s vital to take the time to commit to the process.
Set goals to measure the effectiveness of your new product descriptions.
Quality descriptions influence all the metrics in your sales funnel, including:
Conversion rates
Cart abandonment rates
Return rates
Customer service calls
SEO performance: Organic search rankings for search engines
Add to cart and purchase intent
After updating a product description, keep these metrics in mind as you compare these metrics before/after implementation. Have a period in mind. Biweekly, monthly or quarterly measurements are good places to start.

👉 Get started with this product description template.
Copy this template
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⁠

After you copy this template, you can start utilizing this free product description template for your products or e-commerce store.

How to use Coda's product description template to win customers


Turn your product descriptions from blah to boom with this winning product description template

You’ve now discovered the real power of product descriptions and how it influences your e-commerce sales. If you’ve found your conversion rates lacking, follow this step-by-step guide all the way to have everything you need to revamp your product descriptions and turn them from blah to boom.
We’re looking forward to seeing what you accomplish with your optimized product descriptions!

Product description template FAQs

What is the purpose of product descriptions?

A product description encourages a potential customer to buy a product. It should have enough information to tell your customer about a product’s feature and benefits and be persuasive enough to show why this product is better than the competition. Great product descriptions also help your product perform better in organic search ranking results, drawing even more customers to your product.

What are the benefits of using a product description template?

A product description template ensures all your products follow a consistent format. It helps give your e-commerce site a professional look and ensures your customers receive the same product browsing experience throughout your site.
Using a product description template also ensures all elements of a winning product description is included. You minimize the likelihood of missing out on elements that could negatively affect your e-commerce conversion rates.

What are some of the examples of good product descriptions?

Use any of the examples featured throughout this article. We’ve included product descriptions from global e-commerce brands like Apple, Lululemon, Zappos, innocent drinks, Leica Cameras, GoPro and more. These examples tell a story about their products, educate potential customers, directly address buyer pain points and establish social proof using text, images and video formats.


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