First impression of the shop above you

[#1]

Sometimes we're so caught up in what we're doing to improve our shops on a daily basis, we're having trouble seeing the big picture. Since our spouses get an update every five minutes about the increasing number on our activity feed icon as well (it's true, admit it), it's time to get a completely fresh look on what we're doing from a fellow team member.

Let's help each other out by writing down the first impression and some helpful suggestions for the shop above you.

Some rules:

o Try to come up with at least three different elements of the shop you're writing about (some examples: overall look and feel, what could be improved, photography, diversity, pricing, tags, descriptions, titles... just pick whatever catches your eye when looking at the shop)

o Be honest but keep it friendly

o Wait until at least five team members have posted their notes for each other after you posted to participate in this thread again

o. As with all threads, please don't post your own promotions in this discussion, including listings, coupons, giveaways, and pictures of your cat

[koatye1]

Hunter Love, I like your shop, but personally I find photos bit to cold. If you understand what I mean.

[SweetheartsandCrafts]

Vesna,
Your photographs showcase the products well but they all are a bit dark. Maybe seek out some more natural light when you take your pictures.
Also, I think it would help a lot if you said something in your welcome message. "Wearable Art" is a very broad term and I think it would serve you well to explain this to your customer. If they can get a sense of what your shop is right away, they will be more likely to connect with you. Your "About" page really helped me to understand your vision but I don't see it at all in your welcome message or banner. Incorporate something more descriptive on the cover page to connect with the customer quickly.
Hope that helps!

[INVICTUSARCANA]

Hey Marissa,

You have a lot of cool listings with lots of potential. But, I think you should consider the background to your images more closely. A lot of people go with the standard white background or otherwise have a backdrop they use. You have a lot of versatility, but it all needs to be brought together. I suggest one consistent background through each of your photos. Perhaps something to tie in with the banner. I hope this helps :) Happy Sales!

[Kitschins]

First impressions....colourful! Not expensive! I was curious to know about the materials....a bit of info on these, how and why you do it.
I thought these were great gifts for the young, trendy and geeky in a good way.

Improvements ....I liked the hair slide shots, more of these pics. Some good close ups would work well also? I think pics in general...which I know is the same for my shop, is the hardest to master but time spent trying to master the shot is bound to pay dividends.

Your products are cool and unusual. Your pricing is good. Pictures in general could sell your stock better and perhaps some tagging that helps the less on trend with geek ery find you better for gifting a Christmas etc for the cool and trendy peeps that they know?

Happy selling!

P.s. Am now favouriting your shop...every little helps :-)

[Former_Member]

very nice

[QueenBBridal]

Vplus, your shop looks great. The pictures are beautiful and really showcase the product in a good light and your policies are solid and intact. Overall good presentation.

[MyGracefulDesign]

San-Jhae, my first impression of your shop is that you are conveying that you're really specialized in banners, so I think that is great.

Your pictures share the same background so that is visually cohesive and it does not distract the viewers. That was my first impression of your shop.

[BellaLunasFlowers]

hello ana!

i love the diversity of your shop and you probably bring in a lot of people looking for all kinds of things :) I am working towards that myself eventually.

i love this set of coasters:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/191296086/set-of-4-granny-square-vintage-coasters?ref=shop_home_active_...

but i think some of your pictures are too busy or just dont match the decor of what the item is. I think the coaster would look lovely sitting by themselves or next to a clear glass pitcher.
maybe get some pictured with just a white back ground. sitting them up against a white wall. Sometimes i just use a big scrapbook page to use as a back drop. it works surprisingly better than you would think :)

i am no photographer expert. and i am still learning so much! But the way items are presented in pictures was the number one rule i learned when i started selling here.

your items are great though! love them :)

[NeelCreations]

Hi Carissa,

Your paper flowers are just awesome.
Photos are nice and clear. Just one this I would suggest that make your shop banner more attractive. :)

Good Luck for your shop

[Former_Member]

Hi Neel Creations,

Your shop has a wide selection of items. The banner picture is nice with products in many differently colors, may be you could consider adding in your shop name inside.

From first impression, it might be good to light up some of the pictures, especially products that are darker in tone.

Would be nice to add in "About" page so that customer can know more about the owner and the creator of the lovely products.

Good luck with your new shop!

[SarahWisemanArt]

Hello Koren Kwan
I like your shop! I did find the photos on the front page a little overwhelming as all the items point in different directions, and with the shadows etc it's quite hard to work out where to look. That might just be me though, so I'd ask a few other people what they think.
When I click on an item, I really like the photos, they showcase your work well. I also like your titles and descriptions, very poetic but also clearly explain what the item is. And your banner is good too. Hope that's helpful!

[Former_Member]

Hello Sarah,

First let me say your paintings are beautiful! I love the bright colors!

I have a few suggestions for you after spending some time exploring your store.

First, while your photography of your paintings and prints show great detail, I would recommend making sure that you have a good overview picture of each product as well. For example, as a purchaser, I want to be able to imagine that print hanging on a wall above my couch. For each of your products, you may want to try hanging and/or framing your art and taking a photo from a distance so the viewers get a sense of size, proportion, and what it would be like to have that art in their own home.

Second, I was really interested in learning more about your unusual techniques and mediums. Many people have canvas paintings, far fewer paint on silk. I might recommend beefing up your about the shop section to include photos of you painting, photos of your art studio space, and descriptions of your techniques and mediums. Make the store and the creation process come to life for the buyer.

Thirdly, I might recommend taking some time to scrutinize your shop policies. You might read through suggestions in Etsy blogs and the Etsy seller handbook. You want to make sure you aren't leaving yourself open to any hassles. I saw you had a very broad return policy. Consider liabilities - what if a purchaser damages your art and then returns it in a damaged condition? How do you enforce your policies? Just things to think about.

I hope this helps!

[Former_Member]

Hi Jennifer,
My first impressions of your shop were very positive. It seems to be well thought about.
Firstly, i love your shop banner. It was a simple design, but i feel it represented your shop well and made me want to look a little more closely.
I thought your item descriptions were good and detailed enough and your policies were well written and informative.
If I had to say something (and this really is me being piccy) I would perhaps suggest looking at photos (although this is a tricky subject) I just felt I wasn't grabbed by them, although they were clear and I could see what I was buying.
One other thing is your pricing: using semi precious stones, I cant see how you are making any kind of profit. Your pricing seems very cheap. Customers are meant to believe and value they are getting something special and I found myself really looking closely to see if you were using real materials. We have to first value what we do, if customers are going to do the same.
You have a lovely shop though, i really liked it.

[CrochetCollection]

Hi Lisa!

I was very impressed with your shop! I love your products, I think they are incredibly gorgeous!

One of the things I would have really loved to see was more photos of your work being worn by someone. I got married recently, and I think that if I had been looking in your shop for a headpiece I would have been more swayed to make a purchase knowing more exactly what it would look like on myself.

My other suggestion would be to add more listings to your shop :)

I think your shop banner is lovely, I loved reading about you and seeing the pictures on your shop about page. Your listing descriptions are very thorough and I feel like I know exactly what I would receive.
Keep up the awesome work!

[Former_Member]

Hi Chelsea, your shop is beautiful! I do not have much advice as to you could change.

A few things I LOVED were your photos, all your pieces are shown in a beautful manner, and with the models we know exactly how they look on a real person. You photos are so full of joy, that you can feel the emotion and your shop is warm and inviting.

The selection and prices are perfect you offer a lot, but not so much that it could be overwhelming. Your prices seem appropriate, and comparable to what you would find with other hand-made items.

Keep doing what you are doing because from where I am sitting it seems to be working!

[Former_Member]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/200954263/three-bears-get-to-go-to-on-vacation-in?ref=shop_home_active_...

[Former_Member]

Sorry! My English is second language I don't know how to explain my self . Thank you for let me join the team

https://www.etsy.com/listing/200954263/three-bears-get-to-go-to-on-vacation-in?ref=shop_home_active_...

[Former_Member]

Hello Amy!

The first thing I noticed was the tutu in your starred items, and I favorited it! So I think you starred items are good, you're showing off the right products. You featured all different items to display the variety you have to offer.

I really like how you kept the photography consistent with your items. They all have the same green background (at least the jewelry) and the photography is clean.

My only issue is probably your shipping costs. Like for the tutu, it costs over $17 to ship in the U.S. while you are located in the U.S. I feel like something is off about that unless you're doing express shipping or something.

Other than that everything else looks good!

[Former_Member]

Hi! This is for ArayaM!

First of all, I love your creative photograpy for your dolls! Your banner is simple and does not distract from the items in your shop - it looks professional in my opinion. The price for the items seems appropriate, although it would take me forever to make dolls like that, so cute! : )

You just opened your store (what a great beginning I just opened as well!!) so maybe a bit into the future add more diversity of items. Also, eventually when you are more diversity, add sections! Just a thought from another newbie for down the road! : )

Great job!

Love your shop, I found nothing to improve upon right now! : )

[littledebskis]

Hi Shellye,

Your wreaths are beautiful and you have nice variety for different seasons. I think your prices are reasonable. Shop is easy to navigate through. The only suggestion I would give is to use a lighter background and change it up a little. Something that compliments the wreath you are photographing. Great Shop!

Debbie

[Former_Member]

Hi Debbie - your cards are really sweet. It looks like you put a lot of effort into each one. It really shines through. I think your pictures look great, the prices are reasonable, tags, titles and descriptions all seem to be working for you. I would just keep it up. I'm sure you will be very successful!

Mandy

[DivisionofVintage]

Hi Debbie!

Your shop looks great and your items are really cool! I'm new to selling so I'm not an expert on shop layout, however I am a photographer, I teach photography and photograph artworks for a living.

I think that you might benefit from better photos. It looks like you are photographing with a frontal flash which can make objects look a little harsh, wash out colours, and cause the object to cast shadows onto itself.

I would suggest photographing in natural light. Try setting up near a window positioning the object so light hits it at a 45 degree angle on one side from the front. Use a white card at a 45 degree angle positioned on the opposite (non window) side of the object. This will soften shadows... Arg! I wish I could draw you a diagram.

Also, I noticed that the cards photographed against a flat background look better than the ones that have been propped up ( https://www.etsy.com/listing/197956140/sunflower-note-cards-set-of-6-gift-card?ref=shop_home_feat_3)... I would actually suggest taping your cards to a white wall and photographing them head on to minimize distortion. Or maybe even scanning them... I hope this helps!

[Former_Member]

Busy Little Bird-
I really appreciate your photos, they are of nice quality and detail.
Also, the appearance of your store, particularly with your banner, is very appealing and attractive.

[KnittedLT]

Hi Martha,
Your shops 'about' and banner are good. But the first impression is the main photos - they are not perfect. Too deep shades, impression of not fresh t-shirts. There always is a risk of such impression when you take pictures of the items on a person. I would suggest you to use 2 flashes to avoid deep shades. Maybe to take pictures on a hanger - to make an impression of freshness of the item. My own items are pictured on hands, because otherwise they would be formless. But impression of freshness I seek by making very light pictures.

[LaDiwithaBaBy]

KnittedLT, my first impression of your shop is it is absolutely gorgeous. Your pictures, about page are well thought out and presented very nicely. I'm pretty sure your sales will begin to sore this coming winter/holiday season. Love your items and your story.