Product Descriptions That Skyrocket Sales [8 Proven Techniques]

Writing great product descriptions that sell is hard. Poorly written ones can cost you sales and frustrate customers. Here are practical tools to improve your product descriptions, without a ton of extra work. You’ll see exactly how combining AI-generated drafts with simple templates can save you time and boost sales.

Key Points Impacting Product Descriptions

• E-commerce sites face challenges in creating engaging product descriptions, managing variations, and aligning with campaigns.
• Poor descriptions lower sales, hurt SEO, and frustrate customers. Use solutions like AI and templates to get results.
• Using automation and human oversight to scale descriptions, will help improve product descriptions and avoiding common copywriting mistakes.

I’ve spent the last 25 years helping brands fix digital marketing. At Amperly AI, I work with businesses to automate workflows, boost conversions, and solve SEO issues with AI. When product pages don’t sell, we dig in, rebuild with AI-assisted tools, and measure what works. In some cases we have helped clients more than double the sales in 6 months. I’m sharing the real problems I see inside teams and the fixes we use every day to turn weak descriptions into top-performing sales content.

Organic traffic from Google nearly doubled, increasing sessions by 83.76% and revenue by 148.79%. The number of new users rose by 51.18% and transactions more than doubled, resulting in strong eCommerce growth.

E-commerce Product Description Challenges

E-commerce businesses rely heavily on product descriptions to drive sales, enhance SEO, and improve customer experience. However, crafting effective descriptions presents numerous challenges, from creating engaging content from scratch to managing large catalogs and tailoring to diverse audiences. This analysis explores eight key challenges, their impacts, practical solutions, and step-by-step implementation guides, emphasizing the role of automation, templates, and AI where relevant. The insights are informed by extensive research as of April 13, 2025, ensuring a thorough understanding of current practices.

1. Creating New Product Descriptions from Scratch

Challenge: E-commerce businesses struggle to write product descriptions from scratch, especially if they lack experienced copywriters. This process is time-consuming and requires balancing creativity with technical details to align with the brand’s voice. Poor product descriptions can lead to low conversion rates and hurt SEO, as they may lack relevant keywords. To tackle this, use templates for structure and AI tools like ChatGPT for initial drafts, then refine with human oversight to ensure quality and brand alignment. For example, start with a template covering features and benefits, use AI to generate a draft, and edit it to fit your tone, incorporating keywords naturally.

Impact: Poorly written descriptions can lead to low conversion rates, as customers may not understand the product’s value, resulting in dissatisfaction and potential returns. From an SEO perspective, descriptions lacking relevant keywords or failing to address search intent can reduce visibility, impacting organic traffic and sales. Research from Big Star Copywriting: Product Description Problems highlights that poor descriptions can damage brand reputation, with customers wary of unclear messaging. The time and cost involved are significant, with hiring a copywriter costing between $100 and $1000 per day, depending on complexity, and building an entire e-commerce site from scratch taking over 200 hours, which includes description creation.

Solution: Use a combination of templates, AI tools for initial drafts, and human oversight for refinement. This hybrid approach ensures efficiency while maintaining quality and brand alignment, reducing the burden on resources.

How-to Do It: Start with a template that includes sections for key features, benefits, and unique selling points (USPs), ensuring consistency across products. Use AI tools like ChatGPT or Surfer SEO to generate initial drafts based on product specifications, leveraging their ability to produce content quickly, saving time and cost. Have human copywriters review and edit the drafts to align with the brand’s tone, enhance readability, and incorporate SEO keywords naturally.

For example, if you’re selling a blender, the AI might generate a basic description, but a human can refine it to highlight benefits like “perfect for whipping up nutritious smoothies in seconds.” Regularly update templates to reflect current trends or brand messaging, and use them as a starting point for new products, especially for businesses with limited resources.

2. Handling Multiple Variations (e.g., Color, Size)

Challenge: Managing descriptions for products with variations like colors or sizes is complex, as each needs consistent yet distinct details. Inconsistent descriptions can confuse customers, increasing return rates and harming SEO due to duplicate content. The solution is to create a base description and add variation-specific details, using Product Information Management (PIM) systems like Akeneo to automate updates. For instance, write a core description for a dress, then add, “The red version is perfect for summer events,” and use PIM to ensure consistency across channels.

Impact: Inconsistent or unclear descriptions can confuse customers, leading to higher return rates and lost sales, as seen in research from NN/g: Design Guidelines for Selling Products with Multiple Variants. This also affects SEO, as duplicate content across variations can lead to keyword cannibalization, reducing visibility. Managing variations manually is time-consuming, and while specific costs aren’t detailed, the effort scales with catalog size, impacting operational efficiency.

Solution: Use a base description for the core product and add variation-specific details, supported by Product Information Management (PIM) systems to centralize and automate the process, ensuring consistency across all sales channels.

How-to Do It: Create a core description covering the product’s essential features and benefits (e.g., “This dress is made of 100% cotton and features a flattering fit”). For each variation, append specific details, such as “The red version is perfect for summer events, while the blue version offers a timeless look.” Implement a PIM system like Akeneo or Salsify to store and manage all product data, including descriptions, ensuring uniformity. Automate the process of updating descriptions across platforms like Amazon and eBay, reducing manual effort and errors, and use A/B testing to refine how variations are presented for optimal customer engagement.

For large catalogs, use AI tools to generate variation-specific product descriptions based on the base, then review for accuracy, streamlining the process.

3. Adapting Content for Campaigns and Seasonal Promotions

Challenge: Updating descriptions for seasonal trends or campaigns, like holiday sales, requires agility and planning, which can strain resources. Outdated descriptions miss sales opportunities during peak seasons, impacting revenue. Plan with a content calendar, use seasonal templates, and automate updates with PIM systems. For example, create a template like “Perfect for holiday gifting” and use AI to generate variations, then test with A/B testing to refine effectiveness.

Impact: Outdated or irrelevant descriptions can miss critical sales opportunities, as noted in Digital Marketing Institute: Seasonal Ecommerce Trends, leading to lower conversion rates and lost revenue during high-demand seasons like Black Friday or Christmas. This can also harm brand perception if promotions are not clearly communicated, with the frequency of updates requiring additional resources, impacting operational costs.

Solution: Plan ahead with a content calendar, use pre-written seasonal templates, and leverage automation tools to update descriptions across platforms quickly, ensuring timeliness and relevance.

How-to Do It: Develop a content calendar outlining seasonal updates and promotional campaigns, such as back-to-school sales in August or holiday promotions in November. Create seasonal templates, for example, “Perfect for holiday gifting” or “Ideal for summer adventures,” to streamline updates. Use AI tools to generate variations based on the base description, then deploy these updates across all channels using PIM systems or content management platforms. Test and refine descriptions using A/B testing to ensure they resonate with customers during specific campaigns, enhancing engagement and sales. For instance, during a summer sale, update a swimsuit description to say, “Stay cool and stylish this summer with our lightweight, quick-dry fabric,” ensuring relevance and timeliness.

4. Writing Copy for Different Target Audiences and Buyer Personas

Challenge: Tailoring descriptions to diverse audiences, such as tech enthusiasts or parents, is challenging and resource-intensive. Generic product descriptions may not engage specific segments, reducing conversions. Create persona-specific descriptions or use dynamic content, testing with A/B testing. For example, write, “This router boosts speeds by 50% for seamless gaming” for tech enthusiasts, and use AI for drafts, refining with human input, then analyze performance with tools like Hotjar.

Impact: Generic descriptions may fail to engage specific audiences, reducing conversion rates and harming brand loyalty, as highlighted in Netscribes: E-commerce Product Descriptions Best Practices, which notes 75% of US consumers prefer local language support. Misaligned descriptions can also lead to higher bounce rates, as customers feel the content does not address their needs, impacting sales and customer retention.

Solution: Create persona-specific descriptions or use dynamic content that adjusts based on user data, with A/B testing to identify effective approaches for each segment, balancing resource use with personalization.

How-to Do It: Conduct market research or analyze customer data to identify key buyer personas, such as tech enthusiasts (focused on specifications) or parents (focused on safety). Write descriptions that speak directly to each persona’s pain points and preferences, for example, “This router boosts speeds by 50% for seamless gaming” for tech enthusiasts, or “Child-safe materials, perfect for family use” for parents. Use AI tools to generate persona-specific drafts, refine with human input for authenticity, and implement dynamic content tools to adjust descriptions based on user behavior or location. Conduct A/B testing to measure performance and optimize for each segment, using tools like Hotjar or Google Analytics to analyze engagement, ensuring product descriptions resonate and drive conversions.

5. Managing Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Through Product Descriptions

Challenge: Crafting descriptions that are clear and persuasive to drive conversions is tricky, especially online where customers can’t touch products. Poor CRO leads to high bounce rates and lost sales, with research showing descriptions influence 46% of shopper decisions. Focus on benefits, use persuasive language, include clear CTAs, and test iteratively. For instance, highlight, “Hydrates for 24 hours,” use testimonials, and analyze with Hotjar, refining via A/B testing.

Impact: Poor CRO can result in high bounce rates, cart abandonment, and lost sales, as noted in Baymard: E-commerce Conversion Rate Optimization, which cites unclear descriptions reducing user confidence. Effective descriptions can boost conversion rates, with research from GetShogun: Ecommerce Conversion Rate Optimization suggesting a 46% influence from descriptions on shopper decisions, impacting revenue and customer satisfaction.

Solution: Focus on benefits over features, use persuasive language, include clear calls to action (CTAs), and test iteratively based on performance data, ensuring descriptions convert effectively.

How-to Do It: Begin by identifying customer pain points and how the product solves them, for example, “Struggling with dry skin? This moisturizer hydrates for 24 hours.” Use persuasive language, such as power words like “transform” or “must-have,” and include social proof like testimonials (“Loved by over 10,000 customers”). Add clear CTAs like “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” to guide customers toward purchase. Use analytics tools like Hotjar for heatmaps and session recordings to analyze interactions, then conduct regular A/B testing to refine product descriptions and improve conversion rates, ensuring they resonate with shoppers and drive sales.

6. Handling SEO and Search Intent Alignment

Challenge: Optimizing descriptions for SEO while aligning with user intent (e.g., informational, transactional) is a delicate balance. Poor SEO reduces traffic, and misaligned intent increases bounce rates. Conduct keyword research, incorporate keywords naturally, and use structured data like Schema.org for better visibility. For example, use Google Keyword Planner for keywords, include them in titles, and align with intent, auditing regularly for trends.

Impact: Poor SEO can reduce organic traffic and visibility, while misaligned search intent increases bounce rates, as seen in Conductor: Product Page SEO. Research from Google Developers: SEO Starter Guide notes that mobile searches are significant, with 76% of adults in America making online purchases on smartphones in 2022, making mobile optimization crucial. Effective optimization can enhance visibility, with a 100ms delay costing 1% sales (Amazon, 2006) and mobile bounce increasing 123% from 1s to 10s (Google, 2017).

Solution: Conduct keyword research, incorporate keywords naturally, align with search intent, and use structured data for better search engine understanding, balancing SEO with readability.

How-to Do It: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to identify relevant keywords based on user queries, focusing on transactional terms for buy-ready customers (e.g., “best waterproof hiking boots”). Incorporate keywords naturally into titles, meta descriptions, and body text, ensuring readability. Understand search intent: for informational queries, provide detailed info; for transactional, focus on purchase details. Use structured data (e.g., Schema.org) to enhance rich snippet visibility, and regularly audit descriptions to reflect search trends, ensuring technical SEO like fast load times and image optimization, especially for mobile users.

7. Scaling Description Creation for Large Catalogs

Challenge: Managing descriptions for thousands of products consistently is resource-intensive and error-prone. Inconsistencies harm customer experience and SEO, with research noting only 2.86% of traffic converts due to poor descriptions. Use PIM systems, AI for drafts, and human oversight, with templates for uniformity. For instance, centralize data with Salsify, use AI like Surfer SEO for drafts, review with copywriters, and automate updates.

Impact: Inconsistencies can harm customer experience, leading to sales drops, and SEO penalties due to duplicate content or errors. Research from Team4eCom: Ecommerce Catalog Management Challenges indicates only 2.86% of e-commerce traffic converts, often due to poor catalog descriptions, with 30% of online purchases returned due to unclear details, impacting revenue and customer trust.

Solution: Use Product Information Management (PIM) systems, AI for initial drafts, and human oversight, with templates for uniformity, to streamline the process and ensure scalability.

How-to Do It: Implement a PIM system like Salsify or Akeneo to centralize all product data, including product descriptions, ensuring consistency across channels. Use AI tools like Surfer SEI or Copy.ai to generate initial drafts for new products or updates, especially for large catalogs, reducing manual effort. Set up workflows where AI-generated content is reviewed and edited by human copywriters to maintain quality and brand voice. Use templates for common product types to ensure uniformity, for example, a template for electronics might include sections for technical specs, benefits, and customer reviews. Automate updates across all sales channels using PIM integration, minimizing errors and saving time, especially for businesses with extensive inventories.

8. Common Copywriting Mistakes and Unclear Messaging

Challenge: Common mistakes like focusing on features over benefits or using vague language can confuse customers and lower conversions, with a 60% vs. 94% conversion rate difference noted. Focus on benefits, be specific, structure well, and use persuasive language. For example, say, “Tired of slow internet? This router boosts speeds by 50%,” use bullet points for readability, and include testimonials to build trust.

Impact: These errors reduce engagement, confuse customers, and lower conversions, impacting SEO if descriptions are not optimized or lack clarity. Research shows a 60% vs. 94% conversion rate difference in experiments with persuasive vs. non-persuasive copy, highlighting the cost of unclear messaging, and can harm customer trust and brand perception.

Solution: Focus on benefits, be specific, structure content well, balance facts with stories, clarify pricing, and use persuasive language to engage and convert, ensuring descriptions are clear and compelling.

How-to Do It: Start by identifying customer pain points and how the product solves them, for example, “Tired of slow internet? This router boosts speeds by 50%.” Use specific language and numbers (e.g., “100% cotton” instead of “high-quality material”) to build credibility. Break up text with bullet points, short paragraphs, and subheadings for readability, balancing factual information with storytelling (e.g., “Imagine sipping coffee in this cozy sweater on a chilly morning”). Avoid confusing pricing strategies; use clear, benefit-driven offers like “Save $20” instead of “20% off.” Include persuasive elements like testimonials, guarantees, or limited-time offers to encourage action, enhancing engagement and conversions, and regularly review product descriptions to eliminate vague or overhyped language.

Boost Sales by Fixing the Right Description Problems

You now have a practical framework for tackling the biggest product description challenges—whether it’s scaling content creation for large catalogs, optimizing for SEO and conversion, or adapting to seasonal campaigns and buyer personas. By combining templates, AI tools, and human editing, you can write smarter, faster, and more persuasive descriptions that drive real results.

Ready to put this into action? Use our WP AI Product Description plugin to automate high-quality product copy and start converting more customers today.

Write Smarter Product Descriptions That Sell

You now know how to overcome the most common product description challenges. Whether it’s handling multiple variations, optimizing for search and conversions, or scaling across large catalogs. You’ve also learned how to combine AI-generated drafts with human editing and templates to save time while increasing impact. Always test and monitor changes in conversion rates.

Don’t keep struggling with weak product copy. Check out our WordPress AI Product Description plugin and start creating high-converting, scalable descriptions that boost sales and save hours.

About the author. Priit Kallas is the founder and strategist of Amperly AI. With over 25 years of hands-on experience in digital marketing, Priit helps businesses grow their revenue through data-driven digital strategies and AI automation.

His expertise spans SEO, content marketing, analytics, ChatGPT, and AI applications in marketing. Currently, he focuses on how businesses can harness artificial intelligence to scale results and outpace competitors across industries.

Priit has worked with many of Estonia’s top brands, including Telia, Nordea, Eesti Energia, If Insurance, Peugeot, Postimees, and the University of Tartu, delivering campaigns both locally and internationally across Europe and the U.S.

Beyond client work, Priit is a seasoned educator and speaker, having trained thousands of marketers through 800+ workshops and conferences. He ran the “Practical Digital marketing” show on Äripäev. He’s also the host of “Practical AI” podcast and serves as a business mentor for the Creative Incubator.

Priit has built top industry sites with over 1,500 articles, videos, and podcasts published and more than 15 million views globally, Priit is a leading voice in digital and AI-powered marketing.