TechRadar Verdict
TextCortex proves the need for further development of AI and NLG technologies.
Pros
- +
User-friendly interface
- +
Rapid text generation
- +
Cheaper than AI alternatives
Cons
- -
Lack of customization options
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Poor quality of generated text
Why you can trust TechRadar
Writing awesome product descriptions takes considerable time and effort. Using the appropriate tone, you have to emphasize the features and benefits most likely to resonate with the prospective buyer, then finish with a persuasive call to action. But what if you had the power to generate such product descriptions in an instant?
Making use of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language generation (NLG) technology, TextCortex is a tool for the creation of product descriptions, app reviews, app descriptions, and other marketing texts. Read our review to find out where TextCortex stands among the best content marketing tools.
- Want to try TextCortex? Check out the website here
Plans and pricing
The TextCortex team promise “a pricing plan for every occasion.” There’s the option of signing up for a free trial of the Shopify plug-in or web app, allowing for the generation of up to 30 product descriptions. The free version can also be used to rapidly generate app reviews. And your account will be topped up with 10 free credits for each sign-up invitation sent to a friend.
Available at the discounted price of $14.90 per month, the unlimited package is targeted at users setting up their e-commerce businesses. It allows for the unlimited generation of descriptions, with priority and phone support offered as standard.
The Growth web app package is also available for the price of $14.90 per month. Suitable for those getting serious about their e-commerce and new mobile app businesses, this package includes 600 credits per month for the generation of product descriptions.
Alternatively, there’s the Enterprise web app package, available for the monthly price of $29.90. This allows for the unlimited generation of descriptions, with the addition of phone and priority support.
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Features
The TextCortex sign up process is quick and easy. You can register with a Google account or provide your email and password to begin using the free version. You will then be presented with a user-friendly form for the generation of your product descriptions.
After entering your product name you can choose from a fairly extensive drop-down menu of product categories including clothing, pet supplies, and electronics. We input the made-up dog food title of “Twisties” for the purposes of this review.
It only takes a few seconds for a list of four short product descriptions to be generated. This process can be repeated until you find descriptions to suit your purposes. You can also generate app reviews via the corresponding tab. Previously generated descriptions are saved and can be accessed by clicking the content history tab.
Account settings can be reviewed and updated via the drop-down profile menu. This enables you to see how many requests you have remaining, based on the chosen payment. There is also the option of upgrading your account to generate additional descriptions. And you can update your billing information or invite friends for a credit boost.
Interface and in use
The TextCortex interface is clear and straightforward. The descriptions are generated very quickly and displayed in an easily readable font, and there is the option of copying and pasting them directly to Shopify or a word-processed document. Although TextCortex can only generate descriptions in English at present, the company intends to develop it for other languages.
Unfortunately, the AI-generated product descriptions are largely irrelevant and poorly written. Users can expect to spend as much time editing the generated descriptions as might be spent writing them from scratch for the desired quality.
One of the descriptions returned for ‘Twisties’ advertised the product as being “perfect to wear while on a walk or run.” However, as previously mentioned, the product had been envisaged as a dog food. The generated descriptions also included repetition of words such as “perfect” and “great”. Further development of the AI technology is obviously needed for the generation of clear and compelling descriptions.
Support
You can access live support via the contact page on the TextCortex website. We asked how to improve the quality of generated descriptions as part of our tech review.
The customer service representative was quick to respond, saying that the relevance of TextCortex descriptions depends on the level of product detail given. So, more relevant descriptions will be generated if you enter a product title such as “Twisties dog food for terriers.” Such helpful information should be given on the TextCortex homepage.
There is also the option of sending enquires to the TextCortex team via email, who promise they will “get back to you as soon as possible."
The competition
TextCortex isn’t the only platform that uses AI and NLG for the production of digital text. Powertext AI offers the generation of unique product descriptions, with advertised benefits including improved search engine rankings, product visibility, and customer conversions. The hefty price of $4,500 must be paid for Powertext AI setup. Unfortunately, this is not reflected in the quality of the generated descriptions.
Ginnie also uses AI for the generation of unique product descriptions. It prompts the user to provide a range of product details, meaning that the content is generally more relevant than that generated by TextCortex. Still, it’s worth registering for the 14-day/25 product free trial and assessing the amount of time required for editing the generated descriptions.
Final verdict
Busy business owners are sure to be excited about the prospect of using TextCortex for the automatic generation of marketing texts. However, the quality of the generated content leaves much to be desired. Far from having a positive impact on e-commerce sales, the inclusion of such repetitive and ungrammatical text could seriously damage a business’s reputation.
The TextCortex team does claim it is working on the development of the AI and NLG technology. Perhaps there’ll come a time when this tool is able to generate texts of a comparable quality to those produced by a native English copywriter, but it’s certainly not the case now.
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