product descriptions

any solid dos and dont's

[KevinC]

Althought I am hiring a proffesional to write my product descritions I feel it is important to know what makes a truely great product description that converts.

I deal in a high end market and I have studied all my competitors desc. to see what I like and don't. The problem is they range from simple tabular data that simply has the specifics - to 500+ words of engaging copy. Both examples come from very large public companies.

So wich is best? Any advice?

[EileenC]

It depends what type of products you are selling, and to whom. If you're selling to consumers, you want to "sell the sizzle, not the steak." In most business to business markets, you'll also want to focus more on the product's benefits as opposed to its features. But in some technical fields, where the buyers are technical/engineers, they will be equally interested in the specs.

[KevinC]

well I'm dealing with a B2C luxory product - so certainly some "sizzle" is important, but techincal details are what determine the price of each product.

I am wary of providing too much information - or selling too much and come off sounding like a used car salesman. My customers are highly affluent and I have yet to make up my mind on how to appeal to this demographic.

[rogerd]

Here's an older thread, Copy That Sells [webmasterworld.com], that might be of interest. I think that if you can use copy that makes the reader feel like he is getting a unique, high-end product you'll do well in your marketplace, but it's really dependent on your product. Something that would work well for costly leather accessories won't work for notebooks or memory modules.

[KevinC]

thanks rogerd - I remember that thread now, definatly worth a second read.

[yowza]

I would have the main page with a small "sizzling" description. I would include a "full product details" link where those who like to know every detail can see it all. If you are depending on search engine traffic you should definitely lean towards more text.

[webpundit]

I'm sure you probably already know this, but it doesn't hurt to say it again: in case of luxury products, the most important thing to do is to help the consumer EXPERIENCE what it will be like owning the product. eg. for a high-end hotel: quintessential luxury that the consumers can pamper themselves with.

In my experience, high-end products do not need long, verbiose. Succinct copy that sums up all its benefits copuled with a lot of pictures works best. People can spend more money have less time than people looking for a great bargain/deal.