Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Just Good Business

Having an Etsy shop can be a very challenging venture, especially for a jewelry seller like myself. But no matter what you sell, a little customer service can go a long way. When someone makes a purchase from you, do you send them a convo thanking them for their order? Do you let them know when you shipped the item? I know there are many sellers who probably process several orders each day, and convo'g each one to acknowledge their order could take up a good amount of time. But the way I look at it is, if the customer took the time to stop by your shop and buy something, then you should take the extra few minutes to say thank you

Buying something online requires a lot of trust on the part of the buyer. There is no immediate gratification, they are relying on your photos being a good representation of the item and they are trusting that your descriptions are accurate and truthful. If you don't at least let the customer know that you shipped their item, they are left to wonder if their order was even received and they are left to helplessly wait everyday for their item to arrive.

Taking the extra time for your customers could be the difference between a one time sale and a customer for life.




6 comments:

Owl and Fox

Great advice! I'm always a lot more confident with a purchase if I receive some kind of contact from the seller. I personally send a convo as soon as possible after the sale, I tell them in the convo when i will be shipping. If for some reason i couldn't do it, I'll send another convo. It's just polite, and one way of helping the customer remember you for the next time they want something :)

Baroness Bijoutery

I know I would want to here from the seller if I bought something..so it stands to reason your buyer would want to be acknowledged. We are trying to build a business not turn it away. I always convo to thank them for their purchase and let them know when I will be shipping. As soon as I have all the postage I will convo them with their Delivery Confirmation number. I really don't want my buyers to sit and wonder when something will show up. I also remind them to please contact me with any questions they may have. I have worked with the public all my life and to me all of the above should just be a matter of course. If you want repeat customers you have to treat them right from the start. And we all want that repeat business.
Thank you for this blog...all can really learn from this.

Missy

The whole "do unto others" comes to mind. I like to know that my purchase has been received, so I do it for my customers. Just seems like the polite thing to do!

Robin@creations-anew.com

I like to keep my customer updated with the process of the purchase. A great product + great customer service = a great sale!
Robin
CreationsAnew

Rachel Timmerman

Agreed!!! Even when my shop was busier I always always convo'ed the customer to thank them for their purchase and then notified them when it was shipped (with a tracking number included of course). I'd even thank them for feedback! It's so so important!

Great post!
Rachel

KayzKreationz

Great advice and reminder. I know as a buyer, I get really frustrated if I don't hear from the seller to know if they got my order and/or shipped it. So as a seller, I try to let my buyers know ASAP that I got their order and when I will be getting it out. Then when I do ship I let them know that also. Hopefully then I'll get repeat customers.
http://KayzKreationz.etsy.com