Product Long Description - 500 chars is the editorial copy that appears on the Macys.com product page: the paragraph that tells a shopper what the product is and why it is worth a look. Macy's calls it the long description or romance copy, caps it at 500 characters including spaces, and expects an editorial statement about the product rather than a repeat of the brand name. The attribute is optional in the Macy's schema, sits on the parent listing and shows on the product page for every variant in the style group.
This is the copy shoppers read after the title and before the bullets. It sets the tone for the product; the specifications belong in Highlights (Featured & Benefits) and the fuller Description.
The rules
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | 500 characters maximum including spaces |
| Content | An editorial statement about the product: what it is, how it is made, how it wears |
| Brand | The brand name alone is not a description; the brand can be mentioned, the product is the subject |
| Formatting | Plain text. HTML tags are stripped; line breaks are kept as paragraph breaks |
| Characters | No emojis, no ASCII art or decorative characters |
| Level | One value per style group, shared by every colorway and size |
Because the value is plain text, formatting has to come from sentence structure. Two short paragraphs separated by a line break read better on the page than one 500-character block.
Writing the copy
Make the product the subject of the first sentence. "The Marlow trench is cut from a water-resistant cotton twill with a removable storm flap" tells the shopper something on the first line. "Harlow & Vine brings you another season of effortless style" tells them nothing.
Cover, in roughly this order: the silhouette or type, the material and how it is made, the details a shopper cannot see in the photo (lining, pockets, closures, weight), and where or how it is worn. Keep colors and sizes out; they vary by variant and the copy is shared across the group.
Examples
| Copy | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "A relaxed crewneck cut from a midweight organic cotton jersey, garment-dyed for a softened, lived-in color. Dropped shoulders and a slightly longer body let it layer over a tank or under a jacket. Finished with a ribbed collar that holds its shape wash after wash." | Good | Product-first, materials, construction, styling, 288 characters |
| "Harlow & Vine. Est. 2014. Quality you can trust." | Weak | Brand statement, nothing about the product |
| "AMAZING deal!!! Limited stock, order NOW while supplies last" | Weak | Promotional, no product content |
| "Available in navy, olive and black in sizes XS-XXL" | Weak | Variant data in shared copy |
| "<p><b>Trench coat</b></p><ul><li>Cotton</li></ul>" | Weak | HTML is stripped; bullets belong in Highlights |
| A 640-character paragraph | Weak | Over the 500-character cap and rejected |
Common mistakes
- Pasting the full Shopify description. Most run well past 500 characters and mix in care instructions and size notes that have their own Macy's attributes.
- Leading with the brand story. Macy's wants the product described, and the brand has its own attribute.
- Repeating the Highlights as prose. The long description is the narrative; the bullets are the facts.
- Counting characters without spaces. Macy's counts spaces.
- Colors, sizes, prices and seasonal claims that go stale or vary by variant.
How Osello fills this field
Osello writes the long description from the source product description, title, material and images, keeping the product as the subject and trimming to 500 characters including spaces. HTML in the source is converted to plain text with line breaks preserved as paragraph breaks, and emojis and decorative characters are removed. The value is set once on the parent listing and shared by every variant, so colors and sizes are left out. Brand voice rules, such as a tone to keep or phrases to avoid, can be added as custom instructions, and each drafted value carries a confidence score so you can review the low ones first.
The rest of the Macy's attributes are listed in the Macy's field directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 500-character limit counted with spaces?
Yes. Macy's counts every character including spaces and punctuation. Line breaks count too.
Can I use bold text or bullet points?
No. The attribute is plain text on Macy's; any HTML is stripped before submission. Line breaks are kept, so you can split the copy into two short paragraphs. Bulleted facts go in Highlights.
How is this different from the Description attribute?
The long description is the short editorial paragraph on the product page, capped at 500 characters. The Description attribute is the fuller product copy with a larger allowance. Write the long description as the summary a shopper reads first.
Can the copy mention the brand?
Yes, as part of describing the product ("cut in the brand's signature relaxed fit"). What Macy's rejects is copy that is only the brand name or a brand slogan with no statement about the product.
Should it change per colorway?
No. It is set on the parent listing and shared by every colorway and size, so leave color-specific detail out.