Re-organizing and simplifying a 100+ item shop...

[Former_Member]

Before selling here on Etsy I window shopped obsessively (I also would have purchased obsessively were I not a poor college student) and now that I have a shop I try to mentally switch back to shopping mode in order to critique my own shop. Right now I'm considering how to make my shop more... shoppable.

Now that I have around 160 items I'm wondering if people browsing my shop suffer from the same shopping ADD I have. I don't want to have to look through pages and pages of items to find the exact design, colors or size I want -especially when most of the items are the same just in a different size.

I remember one time where I was lusting after a certain shirt and became frustrated when I had to click on identical listings just to find my size because the size was imbedded in the description and not to be found in the tags or titles (making the search within this shop feature useless). I spent a precious 20 minutes and never found my size (it was a limited edition run so asking for a custom in my size didn't seem like an option). I'm one of those people who hate to see tag stuffing where all the extras are irrelevant because it wastes my time. Not only will I not buy an item that forces its way into my searches I tend to boycott the entire shop it came from purely out of spite. I have issues that way, it's nothing personal... not really. I'm not going to lie, the shopper in me was really happy when the Etsy powers-that-be decided to switch to relevancy because it meant I wouldn't have to spend hours looking for that perfect thing.

So, simplicity is sometimes the best thing. For example, I'm looking at my shop and considering how I can simplify and improve the customer experience. Right now my shopping annoyance has to do with finding that perfect ring in the right size. I want to get a good stock of every ring design in multiple sizes but I think if I were to list each ring size individually (like I've started doing with some of them) it's going to make my shop hard to sift through. Especially since I plan on adding more designs and color combinations which could easily end up being 160 designs in themselves. Multiply each design by 15-30 sizes and that's a lot of stuff to look through that essentially looks the same.

The question I'm asking myself is this: If I list the one listing of each design with stock photos and have them fill in their desired size in the note to seller will my customers prefer that method?

Thinking like a customer my brain weighs the pros and cons.

Pro: 1.Less similar listings to search through = less overall shopping time to find exactly what I want. 2. There will ultimately be more designs/colors to choose from in the same amount of listings. 3. I don't have to worry about the seller not having my size.

Cons: 1. How do I know the ring I receive will actually look like the one I purchased? What if the colors are different or the quality isn't as good and the ring pictured is the exception and not the rule? 2. What if it turns out they don't have the materials to actually make my ring and then I have to wait longer to get it or they won't be able to get the materials at all? 3. How long will it take for them to make my ring if they don't have my size ready to go?

As a seller I make note of the pros and try to address the cons. (I'm open to any suggestions and responses you might have to this as well, I'm literally workshopping my shop right before your eyes).

Con 1: How about if one of my 5 pictures has several of the same design in noticeably different sizes? It would show that my quality and products are consistent.

Con 2: I keep extra material on hand and it's easy to get more whenever I need to in the exact color and fiber every time, I could include that information in the description to address this possible concern.

Con 3: I could say in the description that if I have their size on hand it will ship at so and so time and that if I need to make it it will ship at so and so different time. Or, I could give a flat "your ring will ship in however many days" that will have a built in buffer if I do need to make their ring from scratch. I kind of prefer the second idea but with the addition of "if you need it sooner please contact me, I can likely get it to you faster." I think it would work since turn around time for these rings is pretty fast, they wouldn't have to wait long at all.

Sometimes it's good to remember the online shopping experience when tweaking the nuts and bolts of your shop. I hope it makes for a more enjoyable experience for my customers. What do you think?

[Former_Member]

Congrats on getting up to 158 items! I like that you have your shop organized into multiple sections, which aids organization. However, your rings look so tiny in the photos that I'm not sure what to click on. They kind of all look the same from far away. I think all of your ideas sound good, it's just about putting the time in to get them done. Frustrating, I know!

I like this because it's zoomed in and I can see the design. Except I thought they were earrings and not a pendant : /

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74934440/embroidered-pendant-necklace-clouds-and

But with this, is it a caterpillar? A strip of paper? A piece of ribbon?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/73224053/arrowhead-fiber-ring-hand-knotted-size-5

I like that you have photos of the ring on your hand, which make the item come to life. I'm sure it's hard since your item is so tiny. Here is an example from another shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/73624850/black-macrame-fashion-ring-for-gift?ref=sr_list_22&ga_search_su...

Just random thoughts, but I wanted to reply to your post since no one else has yet.

Aman

[Former_Member]

I've been wanting to fix my photos but my camera just can't do small details, cropping the photos tighter ends up giving me garish pixels and fuzzy details. If anyone can suggest a photography or editing trick that will keep that from happening I would love them forever! It works with the pendants because they're larger to begin with and my camera can focus on them closer up.

Thank you Aman, I'll try to put your suggestions to use!

[happiestcreations]

I think is is a good idea to put them by size! In my shop people customize their item most of the time. For example a sell a pillow and the get to pick the flowers and ribbon that go with the pillow! I haven't had any problems.. It gives the shopper more flexibility to pick what they want or looking for.

[Former_Member]

Yes, I, too, get frustrated with having to sift through tons and tons of pages to find something. So, I usually only get to the fourth page in a shop and call it quits. It also makes me think that people are not taking the time to curate their own shop and display pieces that are in season or in style (like a real brick-and-mortar store would do).

I think the sections of the shop are a really important element in helping people find what they're looking for. Also, something that I'm working on is to have a special listing for the different sizes of items in my shop. So, mine would be to buy any print at a specific size. That way, you can see them all in my shop, and there's still a preference item to buy a specific size.

For your jewelry, you seem to have fairly consistent prices. So, this might work for you, too.

[LLFarm]

Does your camera have a macro setting? That will help you get close in focus shots of your work. I think most digital cameras do if not and you are using a film camea try a different lens.

Karyn

[Former_Member]

Hi.

I make rings too. You don't have to show them in every size. People can just put in the size they want when they check out.

It is distracting to see a lot of the same thing.

[Novella]

My categories have evolved with the kind of work I'm doing and my feedback from analytics. I try to keep over 150 items stocked. Personally, I prefer the maximum amount of sections for a better buyer experience. Keeping your eye on shop stats could help identify what brings people to your shop. Perhaps categories ideas can come from there.

[Former_Member]

LLFarm: I already use the macro setting, unfortunately. I'm actually borrowing the camera from my brother since I can't afford to buy one. Everytime I go to an electronics store I end up drooling over the Canons (my brother's is a comparatively old digital Kodak).

Silversmack: Thanks! It makes my life much simpler that way.

Novella: Good idea checking analytics and stats for category ideas!