Should I Use a Copywriter On My E-Commerce Website?

With a plethora of price comparison sites making today’s ever more savvy online consumer’s life even easier, what chance have a few carefully chosen words to turn a browser into a buyer?

In a word, plenty.

We see it like this. The longer someone spends with the retailer, the greater their propensity to buy. Time = sales = happy. You could extend their stay with more options, more clicks to more pages, with more info and more copy to read. But you’ll probably lose them along the way. So let’s go back a few steps. Let’s slow things down a little.

We want consumers to spend more time with the product. We need the consumer to engage with the product and the e-tailer. How? One answer is e-copy.

E-copy is about delivering the right e-commerce information, in the right way at just the right time to engage with the consumer and encourage a sale. To do this it has to be relevant and add value.

Be Persuasive

Good, persuasive copy doesn’t have to read like a letter to Jim’ll Fix It. Please, please, please buy this…please. Instead the trick for the e-tailer is to communicate the virtues of the product in a way that’s interesting and relevant. The very one-to-one nature of the web allows e-commerce sites to really engage, so get personal. “We love this because…” “We couldn’t believe how easy it is to operate…” “Our product testers were bowled over by this…” Even online, people buy from people.

Where product and price are not differentiators, other aspects of the service can be equally persuasive. Delivery, guarantees, after care, feed back. Those who show they care more tend to sell more.

Cross Sell

Turning a one-off customer into a multiple purchasers is every e-tailers dream. So don’t miss a trick when it comes to cross-selling.

‘People who bought this also bought…’ is a good way to increase order value. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate relevance and encourage customers to spend more time on the site, (remember time=sales=happy). ‘We love this…” Again, the role of e-copy here to engage with the consumer. It’s easy to know what they are interested in. It’s just a matter of how interested is the e-tailer in the consumer.

Manners

It’s quite simple, and nothing your mother hasn’t already told you, but good manners count for a lot. So use copy wisely to talk to customers through the process, help them find what they are looking for, explain what’s going on, and thank them for their business. Politeness never hurt anyone and is always good for business.

Remember, an e-commerce site isn’t a brochure with prices, it’s a silent salesperson, and with the right words, it could be the best seller on the team.

Examples We’ve Prepared for Sleepmasters