Good brands talk like humans.
That’s the only way shoppers find it in them to linger around, explore, pay attention to recommendations and even make impulsive buying choices alongside planned ones.
And for this, copywriting isn’t enough: because this is where many of ‘em brands fail at flavor, personality, distinctiveness.
What you need is, superlative copy—and some inspiring copywriting tips for eCommerce.
Read on to learn from the 20 online brands we think are killing it with their messaging.
How to write amazing copy on eCommerce stores: 20 examples
1. Write like you’d speak (Happy Socks)
In the absence of a store experience, where support staff approach and say, “Hello! How can I help you shop today?”, you need to have copywriting that does that.
Happy Socks, an eCommerce brand that has chosen to work within a super narrow niche, maintains a “tone of voice” across their site and even their emails.
Why Happy Socks aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They make it about the shopper—and like many brands use visual cues to guide visitors, Happy Socks drops textual cues, including having their logo “talk” when you hover over the main menu:
✍ They plug in SEO—but are nifty with it—here’s an example from one of their category pages:
✍ On-brand writing in emails, which is also conversational & fun:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Write relatable language to generate a “feeling” or “emotion”.
2. Skip overused phrases (Casper)
Top rated. Amazing. Groundbreaking. Life changing.
Use any of these phrases and your product copywriting will turn more people off than you can imagine—even if you sell the most legit, research-driven products.
Jargon kills clarity, amongst a host of other things—and the brain’s pattern tracking ability naturally distrusts this.
And this is where eCommerce mattress brand Casper scores (even while competitor Leesa continues to use phrases like “timeless luxury”.)
Why Casper aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They help the shopper imagine—without complicating the narrative:
✍ They keep sentences short—and it’s a norm across the site:
✍ They offer quick takeaways—this instantly supports high intent buyers in making a purchase decision:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Shorter sentences and descriptors that help shoppers imagine are key to more on-site discovery.
3. Find the right tone of voice (Burrow)
An Ahrefs study has already pointed out that 63% of marketers opine that copywriting nurtures (or doesn’t) existing customers.
The “nurturing” comes with the brand being able to use a tone that reflects what shoppers want to know, understand, acknowledge and resolve.
Furniture-led decor brand Burrow is one of those eCommerce copywriting examples that gets this right.
Why Burrow aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They stay true to the brand’s character—Burrow is a disruptor in the furniture industry with their modular design inventions and innovations:
✍ They elaborate on key brand advantages—like other brands Burrow uses highlights features & specifics, but goes an extra step to explain them:
✍ They ensure customers know what to expect—for every page and section, they have clear copy that helps shoppers take action:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Write in a way you’d like your target audience to form lasting impressions about your brand.
4. Drive your messaging with benefits (Patagonia)
80% of shoppers conduct online research before they can zero in on a purchase—and this is good news.
It means your shoppers are verifying if the product content you share are able to offer them:
💡Detail
💡Value
And one aspect of copywriting for eCommerce that wins at this is: talking about benefits.
One eCommerce brand that’s known to do this super effectively is Patagonia—and you'd love including their methods in your copywriting checklist.
Why Patagonia aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They explain the “science” behind the benefits—even their category pages carry enriched descriptors:
✍ They talk about additional benefits whenever something goes through a new round of improvement or innovation:
✍ They make their brand writing about reassurances—this helps resolve customer objections on the spot:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Layer one feature with one benefit across your site—this makes your product specs more relatable for audiences.
5. Enrich your product descriptions (Neuro)
87% of shoppers put product content right up there to firm up a purchase.
And that means if you’re writing insufficient eCommerce copy, especially on product pages, your conversion rate is likely to suffer.
Nutrition brand Neuro has somehow figured out how to plug these gaps and we’ll find out what they’re doing that also is easily replicable.
Why Neuro aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They offer elaborate product content across the website—starting from the homepage:
✍ They link individual ingredients to the impact they create on health—and makes it come alive through labeled diagrams:
✍ They offer individual product labels—this can reduce returns:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Cover the what, where, how, when and why aspects in your product descriptions—best to think of what kind of information a shopper would consider for a purchase under each of these categories.
We recommend you read: 23 Key Elements Every Product Description Page Must Have (eCommerce)
6. Tell a great story (Alex and Ani)
While shoppers are indeed looking for practical ways to solve life’s problems, they’re also looking for an experience that guides them towards meaningful purchases.
And this is where a storytelling approach in copywriting for eCommerce takes its place.
Jewelry brand Alex and Ani seem to have gotten a hang of story-based eCommerce copywriting—something you can consider including in your copy checklist too!
Why Alex and Ani aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They have a monthly story theme—they even base a special bundle on this story, which as a limited time offer works even better:
✍ They help shoppers see the story about themselves—the brand enables personality-based shopping, which can be a great way to lead customer segmentation for your email marketing strategy later:
✍ Their product narratives help shoppers imagine—in a remote setup, a narrative that lets shoppers view a product more clearly in their mind’s eye makes for better conversions:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Choose themes based on your customer research to create product / brand copy—this will help you narrow down on content your audiences actually want to read.
7. Keep it concise (Topicals)
Reading online is at least 25% slower than reading on print.
Now this makes it necessary for your product copywriting to reflect quick takeaways to help purchase decisions.
Caveat: Concise copy can be great but there’s a real risk of losing out details that your shoppers will truly care for.
Why Topicals aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They offer crisp benefit-driven descriptors for product recommendations—since they highlight the most significant aspect, shoppers are more likely to visit the product pages:
✍ They offer ingredient descriptors that are as short and sweet—for the layman shopper, this makes consuming content easier, speeding up the process of on-site discovery:
✍ They offer infographic-style company information—while being easily scannable, this instantly creates trust, which is the no. 1 reason for better conversions:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Highlight simple words, numbers, bullets to draw attention—these act as visual cues for shoppers to read anything more that may follow.
8. Create urgency in interesting ways (Huckberry)
It’s clear that good use of FOMO can drive people to buy.
However, what’s become more essential is that you drive urgency in ways that aren’t in the footsteps of other businesses.
Instead do what Huckberry does—this is one of those eCommerce copywriting examples that stay subtle yet convincing!
Why Huckberry aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They talk about price advantage to drive desire—this slight nudge can change a shopper’s perspective at the last minute and make them buy more:
✍ They make it clear many of their new launches are limited exclusives—the subtle message is to not to wait to convert:
✍ They even trigger micro-conversions through a hint of urgency—by the time audiences reach this section, which is right above the footer, they’re convinced Huckberry is a great brand to buy from:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
When eCommerce brands don’t use gimmicks to drive urgency through their copywriting, shoppers are more likely to trust them and engage more.
9. Feature powerful headlines (Bathing Culture)
Inspiration. Curiosity. Excitement.
All emotions that finally drive the desire of purchase—and the good news is that with some great product headlines, your shoppers would keep feeling the need to engage with you.
There are few eCommerce copywriting examples that trump Bathing Culture in this matter.
Why Bathing Culture aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ Their product headlines are all about driving sensory shopping—it enables the shopper to explore sitting in their living room and still be transported:
✍ They create call-outs that set the mood for shoppers—this further deepens the product experience as the shopper considers whether buying would be a good idea:
✍ They make even the most functional sections interesting—whereas many websites would call this FAQ, see what this skin and body care brand does:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Create unique yet relatable headlines to help shoppers imagine more, discover more and buy more!
10. Build a connect (Velasca)
One of the biggest mistakes eCommerce brands make is to offer poor product quality.
However, on the contrary how do you drive your brand’s promise of quality through copywriting for eCommerce?
That’s the lesson we see artisanal brand Velasca teaching its counterparts.
Why Velasca aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They establish brand identity clearly—unlike many other brands that might leave the brand’s nature to be assumed by shoppers:
✍ They talk about what the shopper will get by engaging with the brand—highlighting what the brand does best is a way to create a sense of authority:
✍ They create a sensory experience by contrasting text and visuals—you’ll see examples like this one strewn around their eCommerce store:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Write about what your brand does really well—but make sure your shoppers are at the center of it!
Don't forget to read: 42 Ways To Grow Online Furniture Store Sales
11. Overcome customer objections (Krave Jerky)
When you’re trying to reduce customer objections through your eCommerce copywriting strategy, it’s not just about winning against competition.
Sometimes, brands operate in categories that have defined customer perception in a certain way—Krave Jerky is case in point, because they are a “snack” brand.
Why Krave Jerky aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They talk about their “process” on the homepage itself—this settles doubts of all kinds of audiences, but most specifically first-time visitors:
✍ They use microcopy that induces curiosity in potential shoppers—in this example, they’re calling out the fact that there is a status quo perception about jerkies:
✍ Highlight the most important factors—this could be features, best practices or even the way you do carbon-offsetting:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Be bold about what you’re doing right in production, sourcing, testing or even shipping—create a list and then sprinkle the elements around the site based on context.
12. Make it inclusive (Kohl Kreatives)
While not all eCommerce brands are inclusive, those that are, are known to fuel a different kind of business growth.
If you’re one of those brands or are aspiring to be one, then knowing how to do this through your eCommerce copywriting efforts, becomes crucial.
Kohl Kreatives, one of the best eCommerce copywriting examples, shows us the way.
Why Kohl Kreatives aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They offer a snapshot of why they’re an inclusive brand—this explanation on the homepage helps shoppers explore the various products and categories on the site more confidently:
✍ They talk about the cause they support across product pages—this way shoppers eager to make a difference can make a purchase decision on the spot:
✍ They throw light on who their primary target audience is—this helps in word-of-mouth publicity and existing shoppers being more proactive in spreading the word about their campaigns:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
To target your audience, ensure your eCommerce copywriting focuses on challenges they face and solutions that would make their lives easier—check on gaps competitors are not covering.
13. Make your trust language consistent (Farfetch)
67% of shoppers will stop mid-shopping because they don’t trust the process anymore.
Sounds disappointing? We bet it does, but good news is strategic eCommerce copywriting can save you from this drama.
Farfetch offers multiple good examples of a consistent “trust language” that nudges shoppers to buy.
Why Farfetch aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They have blurb-like sections that provide instant support—for new or confused customers, this can be especially helpful:
✍ They offer microcopy that shows the brand is dependable—this prevents shoppers from jumping off because of lack of familiarity with the brand or its products:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Identify what sort of customer support, social proof and trust seals your target audience cares about—and then incorporate these in your copy.
14. Feature unbiased copy (Laird)
Brands touting their own products and claiming to be the best are passé.
Potential customers are now interested in third party proof that can back a brand’s claims.
In this matter, Laird’s eCommerce copywriting wins and how!
Why Laird aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They highlight interesting and relatable copy to draw attention to their social proof:
✍ They integrate social proof numbers into product-specific information—this enhances confidence for anyone scrolling through:
✍ They feature quotes from experts as part of their website copy:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
It’s not enough to showcase the best reviews as part of your eCommerce copywriting—focus on pulling out those that talk more at length about personal experience, what worked etc.
15. Know your audience (AWAY)
eCommerce copywriting that’s brilliant but is not specifically targeted naturally misses the point.
That “point” for any brand is the target audience—their preferences, habits, challenges etc. all play a role in what they’d like to read and buy.
Why Away aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They make it easy for shoppers to justify their purchases—for example, they talk about taking a suitcase “set” home, something that could appeal to a family or a group of friends:
✍ They answer FAQ in their product descriptions—some aspects like their luggage fitting into the overhead bin of most US airlines works as a purchase driver:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
In your customer research, focus on “real” challenges faced by your ideal customer profile—if you talk about resolving these in your copy, then the conversion battle us half won.
16. Be transparent about your claims (Lovevery)
Believe it or not, shoppers desperately want to believe the claims eCommerce brands make about their products and customer support.
But at the same time, they’re also looking for a certain amount of on-site transparency to put their trust in a brand.
Why Lovevery aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They talk about what a product / offering includes—breaking down the contents, helps shoppers see how they’d be benefitted more clearly:
✍ They use copy to convey value-add content by niche experts—this makes it easier for shoppers to see how a product can help create an “environment of learning” for children:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Offer solid advice that shoppers can make sense of even if they don’t buy from you immediately—if it offers them insights, they’re most likely to return!
17. Make it “human” (Athletic Brewing)
Relatable and positive customer journeys drive repeat engagement and purchases.
And if you can leverage this through your copywriting for eCommerce, there’s nothing like it—just like Athletic Brewing does:
Why Athletic Brewing aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They talk about the people who brew—shoppers are much more likely to explore if they find this humanizing element in your eCommerce marketing:
✍ They talk about their community-driven contribution—this kind of cause marketing can be highly convincing for a majority of shoppers:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Display a note from the founder, feature a trustworthy collaborator or dedicate a section to those who make your products.
18. Excel at a niche (Yellow Beauty)
If you run an eCommerce brand within a limited niche, this is for you.
eCommerce copywriting can especially be tough when the niche is too topical or context-driven.
But skincare brand Yellow Beauty seems to have figured out the magic recipe.
Why Yellow Beauty aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They clarify how products complement each other—this is especially effective when they’re recommending a routine like over here:
✍ They use microcopy pop-ups to clarify full lists of ingredients—this improves transparency and informs those who’re new to the brand:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Take extra effort in detailing out recommendations and ingredients if you’re running a niche eCommerce brand—use graphic icons just as support and don’t skimp on elaborate detail.
19. Set expectations clearly (Harry’s)
There’s research about transparency and it’s saying what many eCommerce brands would like to hear:
Be transparent and your shoppers are likely to want to pay more for your products!
This brings us to setting customer expectations clearly and early through eCommerce copywriting—something that men’s grooming brand Harry’s seems to have perfected.
Why Harry’s aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They don’t wait to talk about long-term savings (and show this in their hero header)—this is critical because most shoppers care about this if they have to start engaging with a brand:
✍ They offer quick takeaways for every category page—so that people have a clear understanding of what the products under it can offer without necessarily having to go into every product page:
✍ They use microcopy wisely—positioning this well can mean shoppers see the buying advantage instantly, and the more benefits they see, the more convinced they are:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
Ask yourself what the most important buying advantage would be for a shopper—and then bring that upfront using the right context across your site.
20. Appeal to TOFu shoppers (Stitch Fix)
Considering customer acquisition costs have risen by 60% over the last 5 years, most eCommerce brands are having to focus on drawing TOFu shoppers without spending a lot of money.
What has eCommerce copywriting got to do with it, you ask?
Let’s learn it the Stitch Fix way.
Why Stitch Fix aces eCommerce copywriting:
✍ They clearly talk about the benefit of taking the quiz—that the results are recommended by their stylists is a big draw for first-time visitors to the site:
✍ They feature copy on their stylists—this creates confidence in new shoppers and also those who’re trying to find reasons to take the quiz:
✍ They bring in an FAQ section on the homepage itself—this is extremely reassuring for someone who doesn’t know about the brand but is keen to keep exploring:
Convertcart Pro Tip for eCommerce Copywriting 🚀
It’s not enough to talk about how great your products or services are—for new shoppers, the reasons to keep exploring are most critical and your eCommerce copywriting has to cover those.
5 Factors to A/B Test in your eCommerce Copywriting
There’s no way to get your eCommerce copywriting right in just one shot—which is why it’s safer to apply A/B testing ideas that can eventually uplift your entire site experience.
However when it comes to copy, watch out for:
1. Tone
While it’s easier to borrow directly from competitors, test out tones that capture your USP, the nature of your audience (for example, are they millennials or boomers?), the impact you want to create through fair practices etc.
Try writing copy with different emotional tones: curiosity, joy, a sense of mystery or even irresistible desire!
2. Description
Testing out both the length and depth of your product descriptions is a good idea. Specifically also test the content layout across product pages: the number of sections, features vs. benefits, use of icons vs. use of review snapshots etc.
Try testing between standalone descriptors and descriptors following a headline call-out.
3. Headlines
From the length to what you want to say in a headline, A/B testing can reveal if your audiences are looking for catchy one liners that incite curiosity or plain one-liners that talk about a benefit—it’s also possible they’ll respond when you use a combination of the two.
Try setting up variants that directly talk about benefits and those that state facts:
Variant A: Richer ingredients, smoother skin.
Variant B: 10 years of solving rough skin problems
4. CTA
Apart from positioning, this will be a way for you to see which of your CTAs can stand apart from the rule and which pages they can safely belong to. Also check if you can experiment with your transactional CTA copy as much as you can with the non-transactional ones.
5. Social proof call-outs
Would you want to highlight before/after results? Or feature how many times a repeat buyer has bought from you? Or would you rather just feature some interesting words that have appeared across your reviews?
For more A/B testing advice, we recommend: 153 A/B Testing Ideas for eCommerce (Homepage, PDP, Cart, Checkout)
3 High-Intent Pages that Need eCommerce Copywriting
1. Homepage
Think about it this way: your homepage will be your default landing page if you're not running paid ads. And this means you've got to build familiarity with your brand and products here first.
To make your homepage copywriting shine:
✔ Dedicate a short section on what your brand stands for (highlight a value, talk about the impact you're creating or bring in a note from the founder if you're a small brand!)
✔ Highlight your hero products (in other words, your bestsellers that bring in 80% of your revenue—feature star ratings or review snapshots alongside for better traction)
✔ Answer what a shopper will experience differently with your brand (are your products formulated after extensive research? Do you have a panel of experts who support customers?)
For more homepage advice, read: 23 Ways to Boost eCommerce Homepage Conversions (2024 edition)
2. Product Page
For high intent buyers, the product page makes or breaks the purchase decision.
This is why what you do with your eCommerce copywriting here is so crucial.
To make your product pages turn in conversions:
✔ Write inspiring product descriptions that talk about features, ingredients and benefits
✔ Infuse keywords that your target audience relates to—to make it organic, use a story-like narrative but keep it relatable
✔ Offer "unboxing" details or break down the product to separate ingredients or contents if it has multiple parts—name the parts and feature catchy one liners to elaborate
For more product page advice, read: 17 Elements all High-Performing Product Pages have in common (Updated for 2024)
3. About Us Page
The big "why" of why a shopper should and could trust a brand almost always lies in the about us page.
And this is why what you do with your eCommerce copywriting on this page is crucial for conversions.
To make your about us page credible:
✔ Feature the values behind your business—for example, if you run a jewelry brand, you may want to talk about the need for fair pricing and how your business has been applying it
✔ Talk about your USP, which in turn makes shoppers see the UVP in buying your products
✔ Elaborate on craftsmanship or ingredient sourcing—this subtly helps shoppers trust the "process" you take to create your products and stand apart from competition
For more about us page advice, read: Building the Perfect eCommerce About Us Page (& Inspiring Examples)
Smart UX makes eCommerce copywriting convert!
98% of visitors who visit an eCommerce site—drop off without buying anything—even if you feature awesome sales copy!
Why: user experience issues that cause friction for visitors.
And this is the problem Convertcart solves.
We've helped 500+ eCommerce stores (in the US) improve user experience—and 2X their conversions.
How we can help you:
Our conversion experts can audit your site—identify UX issues, and suggest changes to improve conversions.