Make product names very specific

🗓️ Tomorrow: Join us and Squarespace for our Live Q&A on effective social proof for your website!

A couple of weeks ago, we released our free, science-based playbook on social proof, in partnership with Squarespace (thank you for all the great feedback! 🎉).

On September 30th, Serkan (lead research analyst on this project) and I are joining Squarespace to share the most impactful tips from the playbook, and answer - live - any questions you have.

Worth joining if you’re wondering how to use social proof on your website as effectively as you can. It’s free.

Want to sponsor Science Says to get in front of 30,000+ subscribers? Here’s all you need to know.

Topic: Messaging & Copy | Ecommerce 
For: B2C, can be tested for B2B 
Research date: June 2026
Universities: Dalian University of Technology

📈 Recommendation

Narrow down your product name and description so that it clearly reflects how people can use it (e.g. “windbreaker for scooter commutes”), instead of a more general product name (“windbreaker”). 

People will be more interested in buying it.

🎓 Findings

• Across 4 experiments, scientists found that when product descriptions were narrowed down to the specific use or product type (e.g. “sleep-aid scented candle”), rather than a more general description (e.g. “scented candle”), people:

  • Were up to 9.5% more likely to say they would buy

  • Saw the product as 9.7% more useful

• The effect is stronger for people who are looking for a specific product (vs just browsing).

🧠 Why it works

• Narrow descriptions help us better understand how we would use the product.

• This helps us imagine ourselves using it.

• Which makes us want it more.

✋ Limitations

• Scientists looked at only a few products (e.g. detergent, kettles). It’s likely the effect holds for other kinds of products and services.

• Narrowing down too much might backfire, as it might make it relatable to very few people (Traveling scented sleep candles for moms of newborns).

👀 Real-life example

The North Face’s backpacks are often used for different purposes.

❌ Issue: Only one of their names and descriptions is use-case specific.

✅ Solution: The North Face could:

• Explain what the ideal use of every backpack is, as they do with Vault (e.g. “Hiking backpack”, “Commuting backpack”)

• Help people decide easily by grouping products into categories differentiated by use (e.g. hiking backpack, city backpacks, travel backpacks)

• Make the website more persuasive by saying who the product is not for (e.g. “not for multi-day hikes”)

📖 Research

Jin, Y. and Zhao, J.  Narrow or Broad? How Categorization Breadth of Product Description Influences Online Purchase Intention. Journal of Consumer Behaviour (June 2026)

Remember: This is a new scientific discovery. In the future it will probably be better understood and could even be proven wrong (that’s how science works). It may also not be generalizable to your situation. If it’s a risky change, always test it on a small scale before rolling it out widely.

🎁 Bonus: Trivia

Here is how else Science Says can help you:

• 📈 Join the Science Says Platform to unlock all 300+ insights and exclusive playbooks

• 📘 Boost your results with Science-based Playbooks (for Pricing, Ad Creatives, Ecommerce, or SaaS)

• 🔬 Get science-based content for your brand. Publish groundbreaking insights about AI, marketing, or management that your customers will love.

🎓 It took our team of PhDs and me 12 hours to accurately turn this research into this 3-min insight. 

If this was forwarded by a friend, you can subscribe below for $0 👇