11 pleasing examples of ecommerce product copy

Good copywriting on product pages can be taken for granted or overlooked. But when copy is bad, it's impossible to miss. Think of all the pages you’ve seen where retailers have just copied the manufacturer’s description on the site, the same one that many other sites use.  

This is a missed opportunity to use copy to stand out from competitors, sell the benefits of products, and to answer any questions a customer might have. 

Good copy can help your page rank above competitors, and persuade more people to purchase. It works well with the product and brand, appeals to the target audience and ultimately improves conversion. 

Tips to writing good copy

Before hitting the publish button on your copy, ask yourself a few questions:

• Does it match the brand tone of voice? The copy needs to reflect the brand and its target audience. For example, luxury brands might take a certain tone which emphasizes the luxury and exclusivity of its products, while a brand selling fun gifts might be more playful in their copy.
• Does it highlight key features and benefits? How will your product or service help a customer? This needs to be conveyed clearly.
• Does it tell a story about your products? Some products and brands have a history or an interesting story that can enliven product copy.
• Does it explain the product? Some products need more explanation than others. Potential customers should have clarity about how a product works.
• Is it easy to read and scan? Formatting and presentation of copy matters a lot. People won’t always read every word, so it’s important they can pick out the key details.
• Does it help with SEO goals? Unique product copy is an opportunity to rank for key product-related terms. Use keyword research to inform copy – as well as helping with SEO it provides an insight into how people describe your products.

Examples of brands with good copy

The sites selected here all have some great, unique copy which fits the brand and products.

Firebox

Firebox is a great example of brand tone of voice in product copy. It’s a fun site with some pretty silly products, and the copy reflects this.

It also manages to sell the benefits of the products, and picks out key features clearly in bullet points. 

Ugmonk

Ugmonk sells its own designs, some of which are relatively expensive, so the copy has a job to do in conveying the uniqueness of the products, as well as the quality and durability.

The history of the product is key here, and the copy describes the design process, emphasizing the work that has gone into the product and the quality of materials used.

Loaf

Loaf doesn’t go too heavy on the text, but uses short sentences along with images to get its points across.

It’s fun and informal, and doesn’t sell too hard.

The brand tone of voice is there, but it also does the hard work of selling the benefits of the product and conveying key information on delivery and removal.

Modcloth

This is a unique restrained product copy example from Modcloth. Modcloth sells a vision of the dress at a reunion, rather than lingering on the details.

Modcloth lets its customers do the talking, and essentially gets them to write some of the product copy. It’s a great plan if the products merit the praise, and a great use of social proof to convince new customers to take the plunge. 

Mr & Mrs Smith

Hotel site Mr & Mrs Smith works hard not just to sell the room, but the experience.

It’s quite different to some of the cut and paste copy you often see on hotel sites. It sounds like the copywriter has actually spent some time there which creates more authenticity as a result.

Jo Malone

For expensive luxury items, in this case £90 for a small bottle, copy needs to be persuasive and this is what Jo Malone does. The copy resonates with an ethos of exclusivity and luxury, convincing readers the price tag is worth it. It reads like tasting notes for expensive wine, and sells the experience. 

Palace Skateboards

If you can pull it off, a little humor always helps. Palace has some of the funniest product page copy out there.

Screwfix

There’s no need to sell a lifestyle or brand here, so the product copy is functional, and describes the product’s features clearly. The copy is laid out so shoppers can scan the page and pick out key product specifications easily.

Patagonia

Patagonia sells serious outdoor gear so it needs to really sell the features and uses of its products.

The copy gets technical, talking about the materials and their durability, as well as possible uses like carrying fly boxes or cameras. This jargon resonates with their adventurous outdoor audience.

Patagonia also emphasizes its environmental credentials, and its support of fair trade, so they talk about their suppliers in detail. The overall effect from the copy is to portray the brand as ethical and knowledgeable.

Fab.com

Fab.com uses a nice and fun copy on their product page which aligns with the brand. 

Alongside the description, key measurements and shipping information is laid out clearly. This makes it an easy product page for shoppers to view and digest.

Hiut Denim

As befits a page selling a pair of jeans for $230, Hiut Denim’s copy works hard to emphasize the history and craftsmanship behind the product. This validates the steep price of the product, and persuades readers to justify a purchase.

The copy around finding the perfect fit is well presented and very useful to help customers find the best fit and minimize returns.