Amazon Sellers: how important is your copywriting in amz listings?

[Ultralite]

I've been on amazon for about a year, I learned about copywriting along the way and changed the copy in my listings as I got better. I don't have many products, so maybe it's because my sample size is small, but I haven't noticed much increase in conversions.

Do amazon buyers read the listings at all? or do they focus mostly on pics and bullet points? (I have great photos though).

What's your opinion guys? Which do you think converts better on amazon? Long, detailed copy or short, easy to scan copy? or who cares, they don't read it anyway?

 

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[wade1mil]

Not sure what the best practice is, but I almost never read the bullets or description on Amazon unless there is a specific thing I need like a measurement. I personally find traditional copy on Amazon to be "tryhard" and sets off an unconscious red flag in my head. I usually search for top rated products in a particular category with 300+ reviews. I pay attention to how many reviews there are, the overall rating and maybe read a few three star ratings if I'm comparing more than one product.

 

[Ultralite]

Not sure what the best practice is, but I almost never read the bullets or description on Amazon unless there is a specific thing I need like a measurement. I personally find traditional copy on Amazon to be "tryhard" and sets off an unconscious red flag in my head. I usually search for top rated products in a particular category with 300+ reviews. I pay attention to how many reviews there are, the overall rating and maybe read a few three star ratings if I'm comparing more than one product.

Yeah that's how I shop too, but I thought it might be because I read so much marketing stuff I'm numb to it.

I'm going to search more about how people shop on Amazon.

 

[Vigilante]

Everything is important. There's no one answer. Some customers like pictures, some like copy. Some read bullet points, some go to your web site. Some sort by best sellers, some sort by reviews, some sort by price. Some like little companies, some like large companies. Some like tons of content, some bitch about tons of content. Some like videos, some don't. Some like reviews, some distrust reviews. You're dealing with people. They're all different. People who tell you nobody reads is wrong. People who tell you people read copy are also wrong. It all depends on the individual.

 

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[Mattie]

I think copy does matter in my opinion. It really describes what's in the book and whether someone wants to read it or not. I'm still learning myself on copy writing, but I can see that the better you write the clearer it becomes for readers no matter what you're writing.

 

[Ultralite]

I think copy does matter in my opinion. It really describes what's in the book and whether someone wants to read it or not. I'm still learning myself on copy writing, but I can see that the better you write the clearer it becomes for readers no matter what you're writing.

I sell a physical product, sometimes customers return and get mad when it's not what they expected because they didn't look through all the pics or read the description. I'm just going to fix what they complained about in the subsequent shipments.

 

[JDawg]

I agree with Vigilante & Mattie on this one as well. I think copywriting is important, because you don't know what a customer is going to rely on before making a purchasing decision.

When I'm buying on Amazon, I actually tend to scroll down and just glance at the description to make sure it's there.. Haha, but rarely do I actually read it.

I'm still learning a lot as well on Amazon, but I'm definitely a believer in optimizing your listings & presenting yourself as best as possible - even if it takes some extra work.

 

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[BigBrianC]

Like @Vigilante said, it's up to the individual. But I think it's very possible you lose sales if you have crummy copy. @wade1mil said he feels the copy is "tryhard". So that means it's bad. What if he read good copy? He'd probably buy that product.

 

[MMatt]

The best sales copy in the world is a great product. Copy may sell but it won't make a happy customer if they take the bait and are dissapointed by a poor product. Good copy can always help sales as long as the copy is true to the product, and you aren't attempting to psycologically manipulate a customer to buy your inferior product.

Look at infomercials for example, according to the commercial the items are always incredible high quality pieces of equipment that do their job flawlessly. Then you use the product in person and realize the commercials were set up in unrealistic scenarios and are $.50 mass produced units of the lowest possible quality.

Moral of the story; only write highly appealing sales copy if your product can DELIVER your promises...at least if you are attempting to build a sustainable business that is.

If a sustainable business is not your objective and you are just chasing quick sales and short term cash flow then have at it!

 

[Vigilante]

The best sales copy in the world is a great product.

MJ could have written that sentence. Great, great point. Speed+

 

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[wade1mil]

So that means it's bad. What if he read good copy? He'd probably buy that product.

Copy isn't bad - or did you mean "tryhard" copy is poorly written? I'd agree with that.

I look at it like this. Amazon is THE place online to buy stuff online. I only purchase FBA products on Amazon. If it's fulfilled by the seller, I don't buy it (unless it's $15 or something). If the product doesn't live up to my expectations, I return it. Amazon's return policy is way more important to me than the best copy in the world. Copy on Amazon to me is like Apple writing a 10 page sales letter about the new iPhone. It's overkill. I already trust you (via Amazon), just show me the phone.

But, like Vig said - everyone is different. I'd include everything you can to satisfy as many buyers as possible, including copy.

 

[Unknown]

Your copy also effects the Amazon search engine. If you're selling socks you don't want to compete on the search term socks (you'll never win). You want to compete on the search term "athletic low rise black socks", or whatever socks you're selling. Of course if you put that phrase into your copy over and over you'll get caught keyword stuffing and your keywords will be ignored. You'd want to try something like "If you're an athletic person you understand that low rise socks just feel better sometimes. Our socks come in black and white so you can choose the sock color for the athlete in your life. " I'd then describe the socks repeatedly finding ways to fit my search terms in a mostly natural looking way.

 

[Navneet Aulakh]

I've been on amazon for about a year, I learned about copywriting along the way and changed the copy in my listings as I got better. I don't have many products, so maybe it's because my sample size is small, but I haven't noticed much increase in conversions.

Do amazon buyers read the listings at all? or do they focus mostly on pics and bullet points? (I have great photos though).

What's your opinion guys? Which do you think converts better on amazon? Long, detailed copy or short, easy to scan copy? or who cares, they don't read it anyway?

Just thought I'd share this post I came across by my friend who posted in here: http://community.amztracker.com/discussion/comment/3266/#Comment_3266 - talks about some simple copywriting tips to help boost sales, haven't tried it myself as I'm not at that stage yet but figured it was a pretty useful post so thought I'd share it

 

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