How to write a product description that stands out
How would you describe an apple? It’s round and red (sometimes green), sweet and crisp – they’re all more or less the same. This presents a unique challenge for apple sellers. How do you make your apples stand out?
One way is through clever marketing and and the words that you choose to use to talk about your product, brand or service. Brands use Relative Insight for competitor benchmarking. Product comparison analysis – or analyzing messaging and tone of voice in comparison to competitors allows them to identify and craft descriptions that stand out from the rest.
For this product comparison analysis, we gathered a sample of product descriptions from four grocery chains in the US and UK – Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Tesco – to find out how to write a product description that stands out. These products included universal, non-branded foods like fresh produce and meats.
Relative Insight compares any two or more textual data sets to discover the topics, words, phrases, grammar and emotion unique to each. It’s important to know your competition in business. This form of product comparison analysis will help us see how these four grocery brands distinguish themselves using words – and provide the framework on how to write a product description that beats the competition.
Here’s what we found:
Target
Target painted an image of simplicity and familiarity using product descriptions. The retailer was more likely to use words including convenience, convenient and easier to make cooking feel more accessible for consumers. Target also consistently described products as favorite and loved, which creates a sense of comfort. This tone caters to busy consumers looking for quality products.
Trader Joe’s
When it comes to the question of how to write a product description, Trader Joe’s used highly visual product descriptions. The chain was more likely to describe the size and shape of their items, using words like big, thin and color. Trader Joe’s incorporated these details into the brand’s quirky and personality-filled website copy. This use of tone assists the brand in creating a distinct image and persona. Only TJ’s could get away with describing a sweet potato as “oblong-with-slightly-pointed-ends.”
Walmart
Walmart utilized wholesome and family friendly messaging. The retailer marketed items as delicious using various synonyms including mouthwatering, refreshing, delectable, fresh and zesty. In addition to being tasty, Walmart described items as healthy, nutritious, and vitamin-rich.
Tesco
The defining theme throughout our analysis of Tesco is an emphasis on product origins. The brand consistently mentioned farmers, producers and growers. These individuals were always described as trusted and skilled experts with a commitment to quality and standards. This transparency from Tesco builds trust between the brand and consumers.
This product comparison analysis tells us how to write a product description that stands out. All four of these brands used unique words and tone of voice to describe the same everyday items. These distinct product descriptions not only help retailers attract consumers, they also maintain consistent brand image and persona.