Which is Better for eCommerce: AI Listing Copywriting or Manual Writing?

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By Henry Jackson

In the world of eCommerce, product descriptions are more like salespeople. They need to persuade potential customers to buy a product and they have to do it quickly and effectively. 

The task of crafting compelling product descriptions was usually for the copywriters who add a touch of creativity and uniqueness to create copies that sell. However, in recent times, AI is gradually seen taking over this realm. And as the lines between man and machine continue to blur, there’s a constant debate if AI copywriting will be the future of content creation or if humans will always have the upper hand. 

Meanwhile, when it comes to eCommerce, the debating question among the sellers is – which approach (AI or manual copywriting) is the best for product description writing.

This blog post will certainly answer all these questions and help you understand which method can give your products the edge they need to succeed.  

Understanding AI Copywriting

Today, with AI-powered software like ChatGPT, Bing, Bard, and Copy.ai, you can create product descriptions that are not only grammatically correct but also optimized for conversions. 

But how do they work?

You need to start by inputting your product information, such as features, benefits, and specifications. The software will use Natural Language Processing (NLP) and data analytics first to identify what language and phrasing resonates best with your target audience. Hereafter, it creates descriptions that will define your product while highlighting its unique selling points. Here’s more of how you can use AI for eCommerce copywriting:

  • Generate product comparison: In the world of eCommerce, customers always tend to view and compare different products before making a final purchase. And to be honest, they don’t typically go after browsing all potential product pages one by one. Rather they often prefer having a quick check of the comparison tables. AI-powered tools like Bard (the all-new in the field) can help you analyze data from various sources, including customer reviews and product specifications, to generate comparison tables that precisely highlight your product’s unique features and benefits. This helps customers make informed purchasing decisions and showcase why your products are the best choice.
  • Writing A+ content:

A+ content is a premium feature on Amazon that allows sellers to create enhanced product listings and can be a game changer for your business. Using AI, it’s now easier than ever to create A+ content that is both informative and visually stunning. 

  • Creating titles and headings: Your product titles and headings are probably the first thing that customers see when they search for your products online. Hence, they should be interesting enough to grab customers’ attention and drive them to your product page. AI can help you generate catchy titles and headings by identifying relevant keywords and phrases targeting the user search query. 
  • Write persuasive product descriptions: Want your product descriptions to sell your products for you? AI can help you create descriptions that are informative, persuasive and highlight all the unique features of your products. You can start with a prompt as simple as “Write a short product description for ‘XYZ’ product. This is what’s done here using ChatGPT.
  • Product specifications and features: Customers want to know everything there is to know about your products, from dimensions to color options to warranty information. AI-powered tools can help you generate accurate and quick-to-scan lists of product specifications and features that leave no questions unanswered.
  • Writing social media captions for your products: Social media is a powerful channel for eCommerce, allowing you to connect with customers and promote your products to a wider audience. Herein, AI can help you craft captions that grab customers’ attention and encourage them to explore your products. AI-powered software analyzes vast amounts of data and identifies patterns in top-rated content to create product descriptions that resonate with your target audience. Below given is an example of how you can create catchy captions using Microsoft Bing.

Advantages of Using AI for Content Generation

  • Saves time: Manually creating content for your product listings can be a time-consuming task. By leveraging AI tools, you can speed up this process and save some valuable time to focus on other tasks of your business. 
  • Scalability: As your eCommerce business grows and you add more products to your inventory, managing product listings can become a daunting task. AI-powered tools can help you scale your product listings efficiently by generating content for multiple products and channels at once. 
  • Cost-effective: Hiring a team of writers and editors to create product listings can be expensive. AI-powered tools, on the other hand, can be a cost-effective solution for creating high-quality product listings. 

But Where Does AI Actually Fail?

While AI can be an incredibly useful tool for creating eCommerce product listings, there are certain areas where it’s still lagging. Let’s have a look at some of its potential drawbacks:

  • Lack of creativity: While AI can help generate content quickly and effectively, it may not have the same level of creativity and originality as a human writer. AI-powered tools can generate standardized descriptions, but they may not be able to capture the unique selling points and brand voice of your products. 
  • Lack of context: AI-powered tools rely on algorithms and data to generate any type of content. However, what’s important to note is that they may not always have the context to understand the subtleties of a product or its target audience. For instance, they may not understand cultural nuances or regional preferences, which can result in inaccurate or irrelevant content. 
  • Dependency on data: AI tools heavily rely on data but this data can be biased or incomplete. This can result in content that is directed towards certain demographics or excludes important information. 
  • Lack of emotional intelligence: AI-powered tools lack emotional intelligence, which can make it challenging to create engaging content, such as social media captions, that connect with the customers on a personal level.

Role of Manual Copywriting 

Human intervention plays a crucial role in filling in the gaps in AI copywriting. Human writers can add a unique perspective, tone, and personality that can connect with the audience on a personal level. You can hire eCommerce product description writers to review and edit AI-generated content to ensure its accuracy and completeness, provide context and understanding, handle complexity, and add emotional intelligence.

By combining AI-powered tools with human intervention, businesses can create high-quality, compelling, and accurate product listings that resonate with their customers and drive sales. Human writers can bring in their experience and understanding of the product and industry to create listings that are more informative and engaging. 

Conclusion

In short, there’s no clear winner when it comes to comparing both AI & manual copywriting. Hence, the best approach for businesses is to leverage the strengths of both AI-powered tools and product description writing services where a team of expert writers can help create high-quality product listings. Herein, remember that it’s not about choosing between AI and manual copywriting, rather it’s about finding the right balance between the two.


Author Bio: 

Jessica Campbell is an eCommerce consultant and content strategist. She has published over 2000 articles & informative write-ups about eCommerce & Amazon marketplace solutions covering Amazon listing optimization, Amazon PPC management services, Amazon SEO & marketing, Amazon store setup, and Amazon product data entry. Her well-researched and valuable write-ups have helped thousands of businesses uncover rich insights, strengthen their business processes, and stay afloat amidst the rising competition.