Do you run an online store? No matter how many products you sell, each of them should be described. See why it is important and how to create good information which can meet legal and marketing requirements.
What is the role of product description in the online store?
The product description plays a few key roles which you need to remember.
Meeting legal requirements
Let’s start with the priority: presenting the product description is the obligation of any company which sells goods on the consumer market. This legal regulations arises from the EU Directive of the European Parliament and Council 2011/83/EU. According to this directive, before it purchases a good, the consumer must have access to the following data:
- product identification data and manufacturer’s/seller’s contact data,
- major features of the product,
- terms applicable to the sale – for example terms of payment, delivery date, etc.
Please be advised that it is obligatory to present solely the information which is not obvious. To illustrate, you don’t need to explain that bread is a food product or shampoo is used to wash hair.
Please remember that some groups of products may entail additional legal requirements. It applies to dietary supplements or cosmetics, for instance. It is essential that you present the information to the law expert in e-commerce for opinion.
Sales support
A well-prepared description, that is the one which presents a specific good in an attractive way, can encourage the customer to choose this good, and not any other.
SEO support
It is exceptionally important for online stores. The product description which contains specific key words and whose phrasing is „friendly” to Google algorithms can help potential customers find your offer quickly – it will be displayed higher than your competitors in the search engine.
What should be included in a good product description?
Running an online store, you have to remember about one essential issue: product descriptions posted on the e-store’s website are paramount. If the company sells goods whose packaging contains product information in Polish, there is no need to attach additional labels on packaging physically sent to the customer.
Yet product descriptions published in the online store should be:
- unique – you should avoid „copying and pasting” information from the manufacturer, even if it gives authorization to use it. Why? The answer is simple: copied content affects positioning,
- based on a language of benefits – it is advisable to present customers with basic advantages of the product so that they know how they can benefit,
- comply with manufacturer’s information – you need to be honest and reliable in order not to misinform the customer. Otherwise it may lead to legal problems,
- eye-catching – in the description please use headers and bullet points which can help the buyer „scan” information in order to take a quick decision.
What about a length of descriptions? You should not exaggerate because the so-called „beating about the bush” or filling the content with keywords may do more harm than good. When drawing up professional contents, you can take specialist advice – the same applies to marking or packing products. Many of these services can be entrusted for example to OEX E-business. It is advisable to consult specialists to get more details.
