AI Writing for E-commerce: Product Descriptions That Don't Sound Robotic

You've got 500 products to list. Writing unique descriptions for each one would take weeks. So you turn to AI, and within an hour you've copy for everything.

Then you read it.

"This premium quality product is designed to meet your needs. Crafted with care, it offers exceptional value and versatility. Perfect for anyone looking for a reliable solution."

That could describe literally anything. A blender. A yoga mat. A set of screwdrivers. It says nothing while using a lot of words to do it.

This is the e-commerce AI trap. You save time but sacrifice conversions. And in a marketplace where shoppers compare dozens of options, generic copy is the same as invisible copy.

Why AI Product Descriptions Fail

AI writes safe, generic content because that's what it's trained to do. It predicts the most likely next word, which means it defaults to phrases that could apply to anything.

Here's what goes wrong:

No specificity. AI loves vague claims like "high-quality materials" and "designed for comfort." These mean nothing without details. What materials? Comfort compared to what?

Feature dumping without benefits. AI lists features but doesn't connect them to what the customer actually cares about. "500ml capacity" is a feature. "Enough coffee to get you through your morning meetings" is a benefit.

The same adjectives everywhere. Premium. Exceptional. Versatile. Durable. Elegant. AI cycles through the same tired words because they're statistically safe.

No brand voice. Whether you're selling luxury watches or camping gear, AI output sounds the same. That polished-but-bland corporate tone that could come from any company.

Filler phrases that add nothing. "Whether you're looking for X or Y, this product has you covered." "Perfect for any occasion." These pad word count without adding value.

What Converts Instead

Good product copy does three things: it helps shoppers picture owning the product, addresses their specific concerns, and gives them a reason to buy now rather than later.

Here's how to get there with AI assistance.

Start With the Customer, Not the Product

Before you generate anything, answer these questions:

• Who's buying this? (Demographics, but also mindset)
• What problem are they solving?
• What objections might stop them?
• What do they need to believe before purchasing?

Feed this context to your AI. "Write a product description for a stainless steel water bottle for office workers who want to drink more water but keep forgetting" gives you something to work with. "Write a product description for a water bottle" gives you generic filler.

Demand Specific Details

AI can't invent facts it doesn't have. If you want specific copy, you need to provide specific inputs.

Instead of asking for a description, give AI the raw material:

• Exact dimensions and weight
• Materials with grades (not just "stainless steel" but "18/8 food-grade stainless steel")
• Specific use cases you've seen from customers
• Comparisons to alternatives ("thinner than most laptop sleeves")
• Origin story or design decisions

The more concrete details you provide, the less room AI has to fill space with generic claims.

Convert Features to Benefits

This is where most AI copy falls flat. It lists what the product is without explaining what that means for the buyer.

Train yourself to ask "so what?" after every feature:

• 2000mAh battery → So what? → "Three full charges for your phone on a single charge"
• Organic cotton → So what? → "No pesticide residue against your skin"
• Foldable design → So what? → "Slides into your laptop bag without taking half the space"

If you're using AI, explicitly prompt it to connect features to benefits. "For each feature, explain why the customer should care."

Write Like Your Best Salesperson Talks

Your top salesperson doesn't sound like a product manual. They tell stories. They anticipate objections. They use casual language that builds trust.

Capture that voice. If your brand is playful, let it show. If you're selling professional equipment, match that expertise without being dry.

Generic AI: "This backpack features multiple compartments for organized storage."

With personality: "Seventeen pockets. We counted. Your cables, snacks, passport, and that random charger you might need someday all have a home now."

The second version takes a position. It's memorable. It sounds like a person wrote it.

Platform-Specific Considerations

Different marketplaces have different requirements and shopper behaviors. What works on your Shopify store might flop on Amazon.

Amazon Listings

Amazon shoppers scan. They're comparing your listing to ten others in different tabs. Your job is to communicate value fast.

Bullet points matter more than paragraphs. Lead each bullet with the benefit, then support with the feature.

Bad: "Made with premium stainless steel construction"

Good: "No metallic taste ever, 18/8 stainless steel doesn't leach into your drinks"

Use the title strategically. Amazon titles are long and keyword-stuffed by necessity, but make the first 80 characters count. That's what shows on mobile.

Address the comparison directly. Shoppers are looking at alternatives. If your product is more expensive, justify it. If it's cheaper, explain why that doesn't mean lower quality.

Shopify and Direct-to-Consumer

You control the experience here. Shoppers landed on your site for a reason, lean into your brand story.

Longer descriptions work. Unlike Amazon, you're not fighting for attention in a comparison grid. You can tell a story, explain your process, build emotional connection.

Social proof integration. Weave in customer quotes, use cases, or "as seen in" mentions naturally within the copy.

Address the "why buy from you" question. What makes your brand different? Sustainability? Craftsmanship? Customer service? This matters more on DTC than marketplaces.

Etsy and Handmade Marketplaces

Etsy buyers want the story. They're choosing handmade or small-batch specifically because they value authenticity.

First person works. "I hand-stamp each piece in my Portland studio" builds connection that AI's third-person corporate voice destroys.

Process details sell. How long does it take? What techniques do you use? What inspired this design?

Imperfection is a feature. "Slight variations in glaze make each mug unique" turns a potential objection into a selling point.

Fixing AI Output: The Quick Wins

You've generated your descriptions. Now fix them. These edits take seconds and dramatically improve conversion potential.

Cut the Filler Phrases

Delete on sight:

• "Whether you're looking for X or Y..."
• "Perfect for any occasion"
• "Designed to meet your needs"
• "This product is a must-have"
• "You won't be disappointed"
• "Look no further"

These phrases are confidence killers. They signal "I have nothing specific to say."

Replace Vague Adjectives With Specifics

Every vague adjective is a missed opportunity to differentiate.

Add Sensory Language

Help shoppers imagine the experience:

• The click of a magnetic closure
• Leather that softens with use
• The cold steel against your palm on a hot day

AI defaults to visual description. Engage other senses.

Include a Micro-Story

One sentence of context beats three sentences of features:

"After our prototype failed on a camping trip in the Cascades, we redesigned the hinge to handle real outdoor abuse."

This builds credibility and makes the product memorable.

The Scaling Problem

You might have hundreds or thousands of SKUs. The advice to "add personality to each description" sounds great until you're staring at a spreadsheet with 800 rows.

This is where systematic humanization helps.

Tools like BotWash let you process AI-generated descriptions through transformation formulas that:

• Strip the generic filler phrases automatically
• Remove hedge words and weak qualifiers
• Add contractions for natural tone
• Normalize punctuation (no more excessive exclamation points)
• Cut the robotic transition words

You still need to add product-specific details and brand voice. But the mechanical cleanup, the stuff that makes AI text feel like AI text, can happen in seconds across your entire catalog.

Run the transformation, then do a human pass focusing on specifics and storytelling. It's the fastest path to descriptions that don't read like they came from the same template.

Testing What Works

Don't guess. Test.

Set up A/B tests on your highest-traffic products. Compare:

• Generic AI copy vs. Humanized versions
• Feature-focused vs. Benefit-focused bullets
• Short descriptions vs. Longer storytelling approaches
• Different opening hooks

Track add-to-cart rate and conversion rate, not just page views. A description that's "engaging" but doesn't sell isn't doing its job.

Most e-commerce platforms have built-in A/B testing or integrate with tools like Google Optimize (or its successors). Use them.

The Real Goal

The point isn't to "beat AI detection" or trick anyone into thinking a human wrote every word. The point is to write descriptions that sell.

Generic copy doesn't sell because it doesn't differentiate. It doesn't help shoppers picture themselves using the product. It doesn't address their specific concerns.

AI is a starting point, not a finished product. The businesses winning in e-commerce use AI to get past the blank page, then add the human touches that actually convert.

Your products deserve descriptions as good as the products themselves.

Ready to clean up your product copy at scale? Create a formula tailored to your brand voice, or browse existing formulas to get started.