Do Your Fabric Store Website Product Descriptions Make or Break the Sale?

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As a fabric store owner, you know the unique joy of seeing a customer’s eyes light up when they find the perfect fabric — the way they run their fingers over the weave, imagining their next masterpiece.

But how do you recreate that magical, tactile experience digitally? In your online store, your website product descriptions are the closest your customers get to touching, feeling, and truly understanding the fabric they’re browsing.

Do your descriptions capture that magic — or do they fall flat, costing you potential sales?

In this blog, you’ll learn how to craft effective product descriptions that help make the sale instead of break it.

Let’s dive in.

How To Upgrade Your Website Product Descriptions

Selling online presents unique obstacles that go beyond typical e-commerce challenges — especially when your products are all about touch. Shoppers can’t feel the weight, drape, or hand of your fabric through a screen, so your descriptions have to do the heavy lifting.

But texture isn’t the only challenge. Color can look different from one screen to another, and fractional yardage can be confusing if it’s not explained well. That’s why detailed, accurate product descriptions aren’t just helpful — they’re essential to the success of your online fabric store.

Here’s how to make your product descriptions work harder for your shop.

Overcome the Touch Barrier

When customers can’t physically touch the fabric, your descriptions need to convey the sensory experience.

Use descriptive language to explain the qualities of your products. For example, you might describe a material as “lightweight with a soft, flowing drape” or “heavyweight with a crisp, structured feel.” Providing these details helps your customers visualize how the fabric will behave in their projects.

To effectively communicate the tactile qualities of fabric and overcome the touch barrier in your online descriptions, consider using the following descriptive words:

Soft: Gentle and pleasant to the touch
Crisp: Firm and slightly stiff, often with a clean, sharp feel
Smooth: Even and free of roughness or irregularities
Textured: Having a noticeable surface pattern or feel
Silky: Smooth and lustrous, similar to silk
Coarse: Rough or grainy to the touch
Supple: Flexible and easily bent without breaking
Velvety: Soft and plush, resembling velvet
Lightweight: Thin and easy to handle — not heavy
Heavyweight: Thick and substantial, with a solid feel

These words can help paint a vivid picture of how different fabrics feel, aiding customers in making informed purchasing decisions without needing to physically hold the material.

Help Shoppers Trust Fabric Color Online

Color accuracy is another common concern for online fabric sales.

Variations in monitor settings and lighting can affect how colors appear. To address this, include detailed color descriptions and compare the fabric to familiar references, like “a rich navy blue, similar to a midnight sky.” Be sure to mention any potential dye lot variations, and encourage customers to order swatches for the most accurate color matching.

Here are descriptive words that can help illustrate color accurately:

Vibrant: Bright and full of energy, with intense color saturation
Muted: Softened or subdued, with less intense color
Rich: Deep and full-bodied, with a strong presence
Pastel: Light and soft, with a gentle, airy quality
Bold: Strong and striking, with a commanding presence
Subtle: Delicate and understated, with a gentle hue
Warm: A sense of warmth, often with red, orange, or yellow tones
Cool: A sense of coolness, often with blue, green, or purple tones
Earthy: Natural and organic, with tones reminiscent of soil, clay, or foliage
Jewel-toned: Rich and vibrant, resembling the colors of gemstones like emerald, sapphire, or ruby

Descriptions like these help customers visualize fabric colors with greater confidence and improve their overall shopping experience.

Break Down Technical Specs Clearly

Customers need to understand the technical aspects of the fabric, such as fiber content, care instructions, shrinkage, and recommended uses.

Clearly outline these details in your product descriptions to help them make informed decisions. For instance, specify if a fabric is “100% cotton, machine washable, with minimal shrinkage,” and suggest suitable projects, like “ideal for quilting or lightweight apparel.”

Here are some adjectives that help explain the technical specifications of fabric:

Breathable: Promotes air circulation for enhanced comfort and ventilation
Durable: Ensures longevity and resistance to wear and tear
Stretchable: Offers flexibility and expansion without compromising integrity
Absorbent: Soaks up liquids and moisture effectively
Wrinkle-resistant: Maintains a smooth appearance by resisting creases
Hypoallergenic: Gentle on sensitive skin, minimizing allergic reactions
Moisture-wicking: Draws moisture away from the skin, keeping it dry
Shrink-resistant: Preserves original size and shape even after washing
Fade-resistant: Retains vibrant color over time, even with light exposure
Eco-friendly: Crafted with sustainable materials and processes for environmental consciousness

Using detailed, benefit-focused adjectives in your product descriptions helps customers grasp key features and make smarter buying decisions.

Explain Fractional Sales Without Confusion

Fabric stores often sell fabric by the yard, but fractional sales can be confusing for customers. Explain how fractional yardage works, such as “sold in quarter-yard increments” or “available in precut fat quarters.” This transparency helps customers order the exact amount they need without guesswork.

Pro tip: When describing fractional yardage, it’s important to be clear and precise to help customers understand exactly what they’re purchasing.

Here are several ways to describe different types of fractional yardage fabric sales:

Quarter yard: Sold in 0.25-yard increments, ideal for small projects or sampling
Half yard: Available in 0.5-yard increments, perfect for medium-sized projects
Fat quarter: A quarter-yard cut that measures approximately 18 by 22 inches, popular for quilting
Fat eighth: Half of a fat quarter, measuring approximately 9 by 22 inches — great for patchwork
By the inch: Sold by the inch for precise measurements, allowing for custom lengths
Precut bundles: Bundles of precut fabrics in various sizes, such as fat quarters or strips
Charm pack: A collection of precut 5 by 5 inch squares, often used in quilting
Jelly roll: A set of precut fabric strips, typically 2.5 inches wide, rolled together
Layer cake: A stack of precut 10 by 10-inch squares, offering a variety of prints
Custom cut: Fabric cut to the exact length specified by the customer, in fractional yard increments

These precise terms can help customers understand the variety of fractional yardage options available, making it easier for them to select the right amount of fabric for their projects.

Guide Shoppers With Coordinating Picks

Enhance your product descriptions by suggesting coordinating fabrics, patterns, and notions. This not only helps customers visualize complete projects but also encourages additional purchases. For example, recommend a complementary solid color or matching thread to pair with a patterned fabric.

When recommending coordinating fabrics, it’s important to provide clear and helpful examples to show customers how choices of color, patterns, and themes improve their projects.

Here are some ways to describe coordinating fabric tips:

Color harmony: Recommend fabrics that share a similar color palette or complement the main fabric’s hues.
Pattern contrast: Suggest textiles with contrasting patterns, such as pairing a bold print with a subtle stripe or solid.
Texture variation: Offer different textures to add depth and interest, like combining smooth cotton with textured linen.
Theme consistency: Make choices that align with a specific theme, such as floral, geometric, or seasonal motifs.
Accent fabrics: Pick highlights that serve as accents, like a bright pop of color or a metallic sheen to enhance the main fabric.
Scale balance: Pair materials with varying pattern scales, such as a large floral print with a small polka dot.
Neutral complements: Explain how neutral colors can tone down or balance vibrant prints, like pairing a bold pattern with soft gray or beige.
Monochromatic scheme: Propose fabrics within the same color family but in different shades or tones for a cohesive look.
Cultural or historical inspiration: Inspire customers to buy products that reflect a specific cultural or historical style, such as vintage-inspired prints or heritage-inspired designs.
Project-specific suggestions: Tailor recommendations to the intended project, like suggesting coordinating fabrics for a quilt border or backing.

These ideas can help customers visualize how different fabrics work together, energizing their creative process and encouraging additional purchases.

Elevate Your Website Product Descriptions With Like Sew

Luckily, there’s a helpful solution to improve your online product descriptions and simplify your business.

With Like Sew, you gain access to powerful features that help make managing your fabric store easier. Like Sew’s vendor catalog integration provides manufacturer descriptions that can be added to your website listings.

Our all-in-one system’s inventory sync prevents selling out-of-stock items, while past customer purchases history allows you to suggest coordinating fabrics. Sales tracking shows which descriptions drive conversions, helping you refine your sales approach.

Discover how Like Sew can simplify your work and improve your e-commerce strategy with our Build and Price tool today.

Do Your Fabric Store Website Product Descriptions Make or Break the Sale?