Saturday, February 19, 2011

How to Become "Customer Friendly"

Today's mini critique is for Designs By Swish & she'd like to know how to make her shop more "customer friendly".

So you've heard the term "User Friendly" & you know that means that something is easy & simple to use or to navigate through. This term usually refers to products & software, but today I'm going to share with you 4 ways to make your Etsy Shop "Customer Friendly".

They are:
  1. Welcome Message - welcome customers & let them know what kind of products you offer
  2. Sections - categorize your products to make them easier to find
  3. Links - link to key pages in your shop {bio, policies, alchemy settings, etc.}
  4. Bio - link to bestselling section, contact info, & shop policies
Not many people are going to take the time to search through your shop to find things. If they don't see what they're looking for in the first 30 seconds or your shop looks cluttered & difficult to search through, they'll move on to another shop. To learn more about these 4 areas in detail check out my latest post...Is Your Shop "Customer Friendly"?

Now let's check out Designs By Swish's shop & see how "customer friendly" it is!

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Here we see the above areas in Swish's shop.
  • Shop Announcement and Policy Welcome
  • Bio
  • Shop Sections



What she's doin' right...
  • Shop Announcement - keywords & Valentines day announcement
  • Bio - tells about herself & her passion
  • Sections - her products are categorized

What I think could use some improvement...
  • Shop Announcement - keywords are too broad. There's a lot of competition out there for "handmade jewelry", "necklaces", & "bracelets". Go over your shop's SEO. It's a good idea to do this periodically.
  • Policy Welcome - I'd tell more about the products you offer here. Is your jewelry for everyday wear, weddings, special occasions, or all of the above? How do you make it? I'd move your custom order bit to the "Additional Info" section & link to your alchemy settings so customers can see exactly how custom orders work in your shop. I'd move your packaging tidbit to the "Shipping" section.
  • Bio - I'd work on engaging readers with your bio. Check out these two articles... Provide links to your convo page or email address, your policy page, & your shops main page. It's also a good idea to link to your feedback here as well. For more about bios, check the last mini critique out: What Buyers Are Learning From Your Profile Page, and also this article on profile bios: ReVAMPing Your Etsy Shop - 2011: Profile Bios.

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Leave us a comment below & share the ways you've improved your shop to be more "customer friendly"!


"Hope you enjoyed it!" - Meagan @BabySwank & @MeaganVisser.com

5 comments:

Maiden Jane said...

Timely and excellent post. The example is so helpful. I'm off to make some changes. Thank you!

Meagan said...

Glad it's helpful! This is so important!

Anonymous said...

I also like seeing your Twitter and/or Facebook page in your profile. Even a blog link is good too. If I like a shop, I'll often follow Twitter to get notified ASAP of new listings. Same with Facebook. Knowing the blog URL is great to to better understand the artist.

Unknown said...

Thank you! I always find good and helpful info when I visit. You guys are educating us well. Suzz
http://girlcalledsuzz.blogspot.com/

Meagan said...

I agree studio eleven. It's nice to know that whoever you're buying from is really into their business and marketing as well.

I'm so glad you find the info on this blog useful Suzzi! We're here to help!