How to Generate Shopify Product Descriptions using AI

Tech giant Shopify is not only seeing record revenues but is also currently shaking up the world of eCommerce with its latest powerful feature: AI-generated product descriptions. 

This exciting innovation is set to actively change how online merchants craft their product listings, titles and descriptions by making it easier than ever for them to develop engaging, SEO-friendly content. 

Hence, in this article, we'll take a closer look at how Shopify store owners can use AI to attract more visitors while connecting authentically with their customer base. 

We'll closely examine the inner workings of AI-generated content by directly assessing its impact on search engine rankings and customer interactions. Likewise, you’ll receive practical advice on tailoring AI-crafted descriptions to reflect a store's unique brand voice. 

Embracing the rise of AI for crafting product descriptions

Unless you’ve been living under a rock in recent years, then you’ve likely heard something about the rise of generative AI, largely driven by landmark releases such as OpenAI’s GPT and its many iterations and ‘turbo versions’ and Gemini (formerly Bard) from Google. 

Generative AI is seemingly everywhere nowadays; in fact, according to recent research, 22% of respondents reported regular usage of generative AI in their professional tasks, demonstrating a significant adoption rate in a short span of time. 

Meanwhile, a substantial 79% acknowledged some level of exposure to generative AI, further highlighting its widespread recognition and potential for further integration into all kinds of industries.

Shopify's introduction of AI-generated content tools is quickly proving to be revolutionary for merchants who are looking to enhance their online product descriptions. These tools, part of the Shopify Magic suite, (based on the GPT-4 API + Spotify’s own data) use AI to analyze thousands of product listings across the web, identifying the key features and benefits that directly resonate with their target customers. 

Simply by inputting some basic product data, merchants can generate detailed, appealing descriptions on the fly—saving them time while maintaining a high standard of quality and consistency in their copy. 

It allows store owners to focus on better product photos, SEO or lead generation, ensuring that their online presence is effective and efficient.

Pros and Cons of Generating Descriptions Using AI for Shopify

While such solutions are still considered a novelty, the cons are either not apparent yet or can be easily mitigated, which is why you should focus on achieving the following with Shopify AI product descriptions:

1. Improved SEO: AI-generated descriptions enhance SEO by incorporating relevant keywords naturally, boosting product visibility in search results.
2. Keyword integration: AI tools seamlessly include keywords, making it easier for products to rank higher in searches.
3. Increased visibility: Shopify merchants benefit from increased organic traffic without needing in-depth SEO knowledge.
4. Adaptability: AI tools stay updated with the latest SEO trends and algorithm changes, ensuring descriptions remain optimized.
5. Experimentation: Merchants can test and refine their content strategy with various keywords and phrases using AI.
6. Real-time optimization: AI provides performance data, allowing for continuous optimization of content strategies.
   
   

How to set up AI descriptions in Shopify

Now that we’ve covered the benefits and opportunities brought forth by using AI-generated product descriptions on Shopify, let’s get into the gritty. 

Don’t worry, though, as the process involving Shopify Magic, Shopify’s proprietary AI writing aid, is designed to be simple

1. Log in to Shopify admin: Access your Shopify admin panel by logging in with your credentials.
   
2. Navigate to products: From the Shopify admin dashboard, click on "Products" in the left-hand menu to view your product list.
   
3. Select a product: Click on the product you want to create an AI-generated description for. This will open the product details page.
   
4. Access Shopify Magic: In the product details page, locate the "Description" section. Click on the "Generate description with Shopify Magic" button. This option is usually found near the description text box or as an option when editing the description
   
5. Input keywords and details: A prompt will appear asking for relevant keywords and product details. Enter specific keywords, product features, and any other details you want the AI to consider while generating the description.
   
6. Generate description: Click on the "Generate" button to let Shopify Magic create a description based on the input provided. The AI will produce a product description that you can review.
   
7. Review and edit: Carefully review the generated description for accuracy, tone, and relevance. Make any necessary edits to ensure the description aligns with your brand voice and product details.
   
8. Apply description: Once satisfied with the description, click "Save" to apply the AI-generated description to the product and it should go live on your Shopify site almost immediately. That wasn’t so hard, was it? 

AI-generated description examples

Aside from being simple to learn, Spotify Magic is also amazingly flexible, allowing you to change your AI-generated product descriptions on a whim, depending on multiple factors. Let’s take a look at how easy it is to switch things up. 

Now, watch what happens when you want to keep the same features but change only the product type.

At the same time, we can also rephrase the existing description by selecting the Shopify Magic icon and choosing Rephrase Selected Text. Here, you can see what happens if you want the description to be more playful. 

The future of crafting product descriptions with generative AI

AI-generated content is actively reshaping the way Shopify merchants approach managing their online stores, from automating product descriptions to enhancing SEO and improving customer engagement. 

The many recent advancements in generative AI tools actively help highlight the significant strides that are currently being made in eCommerce automation today. They can directly streamline a company’s marketing efforts by allowing merchants to focus on creativity and personal touch where it matters most. 

Staying adaptive and integrating these new tools judiciously means that merchants can enhance their competitive edge as the online marketplace continues to evolve over time.