Emotions In Amazon Product Descriptions
SHOULD YOU? AND HOW?
It’s a common recommendation, “make sure you’re you’re emoting in your copy”. And while that’s absolutely true, executing it on Amazon Product Descriptions should be taken with a different approach.
Because no one wants to read a 500 character bullet point slobbering all over them about how beautiful and caring and heartfelt the thing is, and all those other words that junior copywriters use to“check boxes” that they got some emotion in there.
Emotion Buttons on Big Box Shopping Sites are much different than they are on let’s say a door-to-door sale. And they’re different from branding campaigns (think TV, billboards, magazine). Product Descriptions are just a little different.
Why Are Product Descriptions Different to Branding Campaigns?
Human beings aren’t too complicated when it comes to buyer behaviour. Typically it starts with attention, interest and desire. AKA, the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) To put it into an example: If my can opener breaks, it has my attention. If my best friend has the cutest sweater on, it has my attention. When the new iphone or Galaxy is released, it has people’s attention. Did your cat just turn its nose up at its regular food? It has your attention.And when you see that multi-million dollar Superbowl half time commercial, cute magazine ad, or giant striking billboard - it has your attention.
(caveat, it will only grab your attention if you are a) the target audience or b) one of those people who loves to comment on any ad)
But in summary. It all starts with attention.
Next, is interest. That broken can opener? Do I have a spare, if so then the idea of getting a new one probably doesn’t interest me. If I’m a caterer and that was the last can opener and I have big party - well, getting a new one interests me more than anything right now.
That friend and her cute sweater that got your attention. You will either be interested enough to take the next step, or you’ll leave it alone and let her be the only one to wear something super-cute.
Either way, after something has your attention, you will become interested in pursuing it, or not.
That’s when the Reticular Activating System (RAS) switches on. This is a bundle of nerves that sits in your brainstem. And its job is to regulate behavioural arousal, consciousness and motivation. It’s job is to make you hyper-aware of what you are interested in.
For example, if you decide you’re interested in a new red car, then your RAS will show you every red car on the road!
Once the RAS is fired up, you’re heading into “desire”.
Desire is a state of mind that is characterized by a strong wish for something. It goes above and beyond interest, but not quite yet into action (we’ll get to that soon). Desire is what makes us search for a thing, it makes us notice when someone else has the thing and it drives us towards taking action on owning the thing! Desire is what drives us to feel jealous when other person has the thing. And it makes us feel angry believing that we might not be able to afford the thing.
Desire is the emotion that other emotions follow.
And this is all happening long before the shopper ever reads a Product Description!
Attention, interest and desire are a result of an experience a shopper has had with the product in question. Whether that be a trial at a tradeshow, whether they saw someone else with it, or whether they simply experienced a problem at home (broke the last good wine glass for example). And this attention, interest and desire also happens when we see beautiful billboards filled with models. It happens when we look at marketing that makes us want to be that person. And so it makes sense that these forms of marketing will be filled with emotions!
Take deodorant for example. How many ads have displayed a woman being more attracted to a man because he used the deodorant in question? Playing on the emotional idea that he’s a smelly reject if he doesn’t use it. Playing on the fear of what it means to be a smelly person. Unattractive, unloved.
It is these emotional buttons that need to be pushed before a shopper will be driven enough, to hit the buy now button.
But there are no buy now buttons on a branding campaign, are there?
So what happens next?
From Branding to Product Description.
Once a shopper has a strong desire to buy, they make a decision to shop with a view to exchanging money for a product. They take the next step - Action. And for this, they’ll either walk into a physical store or jump online.
Quick question. If you walked into a physical store and the shop assistant started telling you that you’ll be a smelly reject without this deodorant, how would you feel? What if they told you that buying it will make you more loved and attractive? That would be super-weird, right?
Well it is weird! And that’s why we don’t do that kind of emotional copywriting in Product Descriptions! The act of walking into a store is the SAME as walking into an Amazon Product Description.
By the time the shopper lands on our Product Description they already know the following:
What they want.
Why they want it.
Other “wish list” features and benefits they also want.
So it’s in our best interests to meet them where they are at! No need to tell them it’s time to replace a can opener before you cut yourself. If they’re shopping for a can opener, they already know what they want it for, and why! They’ve already been through the Attention, Interest and Desire phases. They’re here! They’ve arrived to YOUR product description - now, how will you CONVERT the sale?
It’s All About Action, and The Emotions of Action.
The hard work has been done. The customer is here. Now we just need to convert them and for that, we need to consider the Emotions of Action: In other words, fear and disappointment, or elation and relief!
The Emotions of Action are what the customer feels after they have placed the order and received the product. Post-purchase dissonance is a feeling of anxiety, regret, discomfort, or uneasiness that a customer may experience after making a purchase. And, it’s this set of emotions that customers try to avoid like the plague when shopping. It’s a terrible feeling.
And it’s these emotions that our Product Description should focus on. We need to get the shopper over the finish line. They know what they want, they know why they want it. Now we need to sell it to them and assure them they won’t be disappointed.
This doesn’t mean writing fluffy emotional words either. It means getting to the heart of what they might become disappointed about.
Have you seen those pendant necklaces that look a little costumey? This is not one of those. Crafted from .925 sterling silver with rhodium plating it has a crisp white gold appearance that makes it look like the luxury necklace it is.
There’s no fluff or emotion in there. But there is a mention of a thing that a customer could get emotional about!
Unlike other can openers that shred the top of your can, the SMISH can opener creates a rolled edge that will never cut your hands. In fact, it looks so soft and clean you’ll marvel it how a can opener can even do that!
Again, no fluff. Just a mention about a FEAR that a customer has when buying a new can opener.
Our job at the Product Description stage is to remember we already have the customer’s Attention, Interest and Desire. Now, we simply need to overcome those emotionally charged objections to encourage Action.
I’m scared if I buy this one then…
I’m worried about…
What happens if the product…
and so on.
How Do We Find These Hot Button Emotions for Our Product Description?
Know your product and it’s common objections. This includes reading competitor reviews, as well as talking to people, searching online and generally becoming a total expert in all things good and bad about your product. If you’re selling a cat toy, what are the common complaints in reviews? That the string breaks or the toys break after one day. Maybe it’s a toy for kittens and not bigger cats? These are all negative feelings the customer has had after purchasing the product. So your job is to 1) make a product that doesn’t disappoint in these ways, or 2) set expectations clearly in the Product Description to maximise positive feelings and minimize negative feelings after purchase. In other words, what we say in the PD is what the customer should get on their doorstep. And, if there are objections that need to be addressed in the copy, we do that too.
The result? Your shopper is fully informed, and they feel confident that when they order they won’t be stuck with negative feelings. With all those boxes checked, your shopper now becomes your buyer!
In summary. If you know the types of emotions happening at each stage of the buying process (from attention all the way to add-cart), then you can create your copy to capture the shopper in their head at the right moment. No need to make them cry on your Product Description! Just make sure their expectations are managed! And when they feel safe in their decision, they’ll buy.
But it goes without saying, lying isn’t going to work. If you overcome an objection in your copy and then your product fails, you will get a guaranteed bad review and they won’t hesitate to write it. That’s the power of knowing what emotions you’re up against!
