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E-commerce is a term much bandied about in recent years, but what does it actually mean? Many people assume that e-commerce is the same as online shopping but in fact, the term covers much more than this. E-Commerce actually covers the entire concept of online business and includes a wide range of areas such as online payments, flight bookings and much more.

This area started off relatively small, but in line with technology, it has seen huge leaps forward in recent years. Nowadays, almost everything is done online ensuring that e-commerce is here to stay. Whether you have a small or large business, e-commerce has infiltrated almost every nook and cranny and is an important part of everyday website life. Take a look at e-commerce giants, Amazon, for example. Setting the standards for e-commerce, they now sell more than 400 items every single second – something that you can also achieve after reading our tips.

Why relation between content and sales is crucial

An often-overlooked factor in e-commerce is the content that comes along with it. Every day there are thousands of shopping baskets left abandoned for one reason or another. And truth be told, this is all down to whether the purchase is a desirable one. What makes it desirable? Well, it’s all in the content on the website itself. Correct product information is a must, with delivery time and price info being two of the most important factors for any online shopper. However, before customers even get to the basket, the decision-making process has already begun.

Quality content is often lacking on sites such as these, where businesses assume they can rely on pretty pictures and an easily navigable setup. This is not true. Content and sales are inextricably linked and good content can really help to increase sales. Poorly written product information can mean many returns even if purchased, weakens the confidence buyers have in the brands, and results in fewer return customers. Good content, on the other hand, can boost sales and bring in more buyers, resulting in an increase in purchases and fewer abandoned baskets. But how to know what’s good and what’s not? Here are a few e-commerce tips to think about.

Recognize good content from a bad one

Let’s start with the obvious here. Writing content for a product needs to be enticing, attractive and above all selling. After all, that’s what you’re here to do. One of the main mistakes that will often occur is that business will simply describe the product instead of creating a compelling reason for the customer to make a purchase. It may seem like a complicated thing to write something selling whilst still describing the item, but there are some easy tips to use.

Good content will…

• Start by targeting the audience
• Understand the costumer’s interests and needs
• Differentiate products from other similar offerings
• End with information and statements on why this product is the best of its kind
• Be short and sweet
• Have clear keyword use and careful definitions
• Make the understanding of the product quick and easy for those fly-by buyers

Bad content will…

• Neglect all aspects above
• Fail to define such things as tone of voice
• Fail to neatly join the gaps between what the product offers and the benefits it brings to the buyer
• Fail to announce bargains, one-time offers, exclusivity etc.
• Be long and rambly

 

”Great content is the best sales tool in the world.”
– Marcus Sheridan

What is high quality content?

High quality content meets all the above criteria and more. Product descriptions should be easy to scan, using more verbs and fewer adjectives in their makeup. A greater use of verbs creates a sense of action. Short sentences can be read easily, providing information in short bursts. If adjectives are used, they should be sensory. By doing so, clients are tempted to try out the product rather than bypass it. In conjunction with this, great quality descriptions will appear to the imagination thus putting the product into the client’s head.

It’s not just about the content but how it is laid out that make it good quality. Subheadings, bullet points, and a larger font can all help bring attention to various aspects. Information that jumps out at the visitor will stick better in their mind as well. Quality content should also contain reviews and suggestions but always keeping the visitor on your site. In this day of social media, proving to be trustworthy is a must but as soon as a visitor navigates away from the page… You’ve lost them!

Key points on high quality content:

• Use more verbs than adjectives
• Use short sentences
• Use subheadings
• Use bullet points
• Use different font sizes
• Include reviews and suggestions

Know your audience

These are great ways to explain to potential clients how valuable your product or service is to them. This shouldn’t just be using real testimonials but should go above and beyond to explain how the service can help them directly. Writing relatable content is key but does also hark back to knowing your audience. Doing this shows you understand the industry and can give specific results. Breaking up text with infographics, numbers and different ways of presenting the information, will also go a long way towards being memorable.

Finally, these do need to be easily seen and can be placed on other sites linking to you, driving ever increasing, enthusiastic traffic your way. At the end of the day, increasing e-commerce sales is a straightforward thing to do if you know what you are doing. Follow these steps and you will soon be producing good content that grabs the reader’s attention, and more importantly, gets them clicking that all-important ‘buy’ button.

 

 

Content Writing Tips