What is the buying experience Part 1
I’m going to explain a concept used in sales that may help your craft business: the buying experience. What is the buying experience? It’s all the step your buyer goes through to buy your crafted item, from browsing your web shop to opening the package at their door. You want the buying experience to be as smooth as possible to get the most out of the traffic to your web store. Here are the various steps, and it is up to your to decide which ones needs some work.
- First, they will browse your shop to decide if they like want you make. At that point, easy navigation and good pictures are the most important part. The item description a close second, since buyers will be attracted to the picture first before reading on. But a boring or incomplete description can also hurt sales a lot. So, make an effort there too and make sure you include the item size and all relevant payment and shipping instructions.
- Second, they may wish to contact you for extra information about the supplies you used, the crafting process, and anything else buyers think of. You want to answer inquiries within 24 hours if you can, and 48 hours at most. People expect speed nowadays, and you must give it or they’ll take their business somewhere else. The only exception to that rule would be in case of a vacation. State in you store the dates when you’ll be away, and that you’ll answer promptly once you’re back. Make sure it’s somewhere where they will see it.
- Third, the checkout and payment process. If you use a site like Etsy or eBay to sell your wares, they will already have something in place. But if you’re selling from your own website, this is crucial. If your shopping cart is too complicated, has unclear shipping and total prices or ask too many questions or confusion questions, it may be enough for a buyer to turn back. It shouldn’t take more than a step or two to complete a purchase. Test it out with a few friends to see if they understand everything as you do.
And please, don’t have a printed form as your only option for ordering. With the hundreds of craft stores out there that support instant online payment, nobody will bother mailing an order form, except if they really want your crafts. You also loose all the impulse purchases that could make up a large number of your sales, especially if you craft inexpensive items. There is nothing impulsive about taking the time to mail an order form. Sign up for PayPal instead and implement some Buy Now buttons or a proper shopping cart!
In the next instalment, we are going to speak about all that happens after the buyer pays for your item.
Happy craft selling,
Cindy
Suggested Reading:
The Crafts Business Answer Book: Starting, Managing, and Marketing a Homebased Arts, Crafts, or Design BusinessCompletely revised and updated, The Crafts Business Answer Book is an essential resource for anyone looking to start a homebased art or crafts busines... Read More >
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