First Impressions

[Former_Member]

Please give the first impression of the shop above you and of course any constructive ideas you may have.

[Former_Member]

Hi, Kira,

Your shop appears to very well-stocked and organized. Your pictures are very similar, which is great for cohesiveness. Fascinators and the like are very trendy right now, so I'd say your shop is geared toward a popular market.

I suggest checking your spelling over. I noticed a few missed letters and misspellings which are very easy to make but will make it hard for people to find your items. I like the way you give a description of how items can be used for some of your products - I would do this for all of them. I would also add measurements for your pieces, in both Imperial and metric units. Also, it looks like you put pictures of different items in the photos. Maybe you could include a picture of the back, so people are sure about what kind of clip or pin there is.

I hope this all made sense - let me know if I'm not being clear.

[Former_Member]

Sara, you have a super shop - clean, neat, sharp photography and the merchandise looks top rate. I'm a little surprised I haven't run across Toos coasters before since I browse constantly. Don't know your marketing strategy, of course, but we can always use more self-promotion. Look, I just found you now! LOL

Pro: Nice variety of coasters for dog people in particular; offer of custom work is a good thing; donation factor from your profit is excellent; as mentioned previously - yr photos are very clear & crisp. I personally like the map idea with Australia being an interesting choice; prices are more than reasonable; offer to refund shipping overage a plus and yr Profile told me a lot about you!

Con: More listings needed overall; try a close-up of the construction (maybe the ends?) so we can see clearly how they are finished off; more info ndd on the product you use to coat the tiles - I'm not convinced it will hold up; possibly mention (in your Shop Announcement) yr offer for custom work in any venue since there are a lot of dog-related items. Too looks like a great pet but a more colorful avatar may draw the eye to your shop.

[thinkhappythoughts]

Karen, most of your photos are beautifully staged in settings that fit with the items. You've given very detailed information about each piece and its condition. I like the inclusion of a '$10 and under' category for people who don't want to spend too much. You have a great range of items. Your prices seem very fair.

Your featured items didn't really draw me in - I would put some of your more exciting looking and colourful pieces there to encourage viewers to look further.

[Former_Member]

Think Happy Thoughts:
Great Banner!, Clear descriptions, The pins could use more pictures like on a coat or a scarf, the bracelets have excellent pics.The green leaf is my fav.
I have seen the "bag charms" used on other things as well, explore a bigger use market for those, they are so pretty.
I am a visual person so with the fabric bags maybe something in the pic for size comparison? deck of cards? just helps me picture it better.
Over all Excellent shop!!!

[Former_Member]

Honest opinions only from me, this is what really helps! :)

I would describe it as busy. You don't seem to have much for common threads between your items, photography, and banner. I think you should work on photographing with a neutral/white/light, simple background, and use this throughout your shop. Also, they have a black bar on the bottom and top, is this a frame you put in? It makes it more difficult to see your product in a small picture size (because it cuts away the space you have to work with) and will not help with getting featured in treasuries. Your banner should incorporate your product, (check!) AND match the aesthetic in your images.

Oh, and add more stuff! That's really important. I need to do it as well, it's crazy how long things take on here! :)

~ Zoe

[Former_Member]

Zoe, I think your jewelry has a realy cool minimalist look, and your shop is very consistant. The pictures are generally crisp, clean, and well presented.

I'd suggest re-taking your photo of the chunky stone bracelet. The photo looks a bit fuzzy compared to the others, and you have some dark shadows along the top.

You could also use a few more items. A bigger selection might help with sales, since it gives people more chances to find your shop.

I like your banner. It does a great job of representing your shop.

[Former_Member]

First Impression:

The Good - I am instantly drawn into your jewelry. The photography of your items is fantastic! You have clean clear images which draws out all the details of each piece. I love how you have arranged your front page by color as well. It's gives me an idea of cohesiveness. I think that will be a big attracting point for your customers. If they see a set of green earrings they love, they will also see a matching green necklace next to it making them think about buying the two to make a set. Very well thought out. The overall layout and arrangement is perfect!

The Bad - Not that this is a "bad" thing, but when I look at your shop I see light, airy, clean, crisp, bright images. However, when I look at your banner it is dark and makes me think of clip art and generic fonts. You'll want to use something more unique for your specific items. It just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of your shop. I understand you are thinking about nighttime and the darkness of the sky against the moon, but think of this: The moon can be very bright at time illuminating everything it touches. Think of that lightness when you look at your banner. Using the blues and lightness of the rest of your images will still capture that "moonlight shimmer" without having a dark image. Also, play with the fonts and find something a bit more clean and fun yet elegant. See what you can come up with.

I hope this is helpful!

[ShopChickpeaStudio]

Kristen,
First, I want to says thanks on such a thoughtful dialogue in your "Ask and answer a question" response. I found your comments extremely helpful!

I like the format you used above. I hope you don''t mind if I follow suit.

The Good- Love your banner! Its both interesting and has a great theatrical feeling. It appears as if your tiles are on stage which is awesome. The font looks a bit pixelated. If you are using photoshop choose an anti-alias setting such as sharp or strong to smooth out those edges. Personally, I would work on creating a logo that ties into the scrabble tile. I didn't make the connection until I read your profile.

Your shop is very engaging. I think the way you have items arranged is great. It brings cohesion to your various offerings. The photographic backgrounds bring interest that help really differentiate your shop from others in this category. Your profile and shop announcement is fun and informative and your descriptions are great. Tags seem accurate although I have heard that really broad tags (like jewelry or necklace) are pretty much lost in the sea of millions and that more targeted tags (like trendy pendant or tech geekery) are more effective.

The Not So Good- Some photos are a bit dark (the tile boxes for example) or unflatteringly cropped when tiled (ie the audio jack earrings). I also think that the grey earring cards in some photos detracts from the handmade appeal of your work.
I think this
http://www.etsy.com/listing/84534744/scrabble-tile-earrings-numbers-brown

looks more handcrafted to me than this:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/88507431/black-gold-voltage-regulator-electronic

I would also add more photos of each piece. I am always disappointed when I open a listing and there is only one photo. I want to see closeups and backsides when I'm buying something online.

Here's to more sales for all who are looking to improve our shops!

[Former_Member]

Chick Pea,

My very first impression of your shop was that it was a shop that has a lot of things that appeal to me personally. I like that your inventory is fairly consistent as to type, which I think is more effective "branding" than a shop like mine for example. One negative is that some of the lighter weight pieces don't fare well placed next to the heavier leather bracelets. You might consider organizing your items so that complementary pieces are situated next to each other and see how that looks.

I like your banner...the texture of the fabric is interesting and clean, and the bracelet pictured has great visual impact.

The only "not so good" thing I could really spot would be that photos like the following are not very effective because there is so much empty space around the item. Is there another way to position it to show the entire piece but allow you to crop it closer?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92839845/aquamarine-layering-necklace-cool-aqua?ref=v1_other_2

Other than this, your photos are great and clear...and enable me to see what I would like to see of your pieces before purchasing. Really a nice shop, and one of my favorites:)

[Former_Member]

TJ Estes,

First of all, I'd like to say I love your banner. Very original name and very creative! Super cute. :)

I do think that you could work on the uniformity of your photos. Such as avoid using backgrounds with patterns, and choose to either have light colored backgrounds or dark. I really prefer the light colors with your lovely items. (The photo I used below is probably my favorite, but could be lightened up a bit using some editing software)

Also, use your tags in a way that describes the item best and use phrases. Such as for this item:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87037635/dangle-earrings-ladies-cobalt-blue

I would use the following:
Crystal Earrings, Blue Earrings, Dangle Earrings, Dark Blue Crystals, Gold Earrings, Gold and Blue, Etc.

Your policies are great, announcement is also great. Also your shop selections are clear and convenient. Just keep adding more items, and you will be very successful! Good luck with your selling :)

[JessicaSherriff]

Hi ShannonsSparklies

Lovely and bright shop!, great banner and its eye catching.
Quick glance over you have some lovely products, but would love to see more more more

Also think these pics work best
http://www.etsy.com/listing/96169815/clay-rose-necklace-turquoise-rose

Rather than the wooden background
http://www.etsy.com/listing/89267187/clay-rose-necklace-yellow-with-silver

Your products are very fresh and colourful so don't fit as well against a wooden background think the first example shows them off really well.

Perhaps mix up your titles a little more too, so not perhaps all clay rose, but what about flower polymer clay etc, also perhaps find alternative words for clay that people may search for.

tags seem ok, and your having sales so just keep going, its a lovely shop and first impression was great!
Good luck
Jessica

[enrooted]

Ohhh...wow this is funny! The items you sell are absolutely NOT my style and I would never search for them or consider buying any...but 5 seconds in your shop make me think they are BEAUTIFUL!

I love the uniform, very very professional look of your shop Jessica - even though I said in another post I would never click your avatar! I missed out on something there!

I love the colors very much, I love the whole image of the shop - banner, pictures...everything works very well together. I feels very interesting to browse through, very easy on the eyes and each item makes you want to click on it. I am very impressed.

[Former_Member]

Lena - You do great work! Those hand carved stamps are amazing!

I'm wondering if you'd benefit from having some of each type of item on the front page. I see your cuffs in the featured row, then a bunch of stamps. Unless I go to the second page (which shoppers might not if they aren't interested in stamps), I wouldn't know about all the different cuffs, or that you also make earrings.

I also make a variety of items, but do okay for sales and am happy with my views. I suggest playing around with different ways to organize your shop to make sure all of your talent is being seen.

[enrooted]

I actually just added the stamps to offer a variety of lower priced and higher priced items to begin with...It seems my stamps are being loved much more, than all my other items, the ginkgo felt cuff being the exception. It's the most viewed item in my shop XD

I am still new to the whole deal and am currently working on crafting my beach/summer collection of earrings, pendants and keychains - those will be added to the shop by next weekend. Which will change the way my shop looks I think. By now stamps are the majority of my items - next weekend my 'actual' items will be. I think that will make a huge difference!

Anyway...to get to the first impression for Sara!

First impression banner: I am not very fond of it...it's just not enough going on. I like the idea of the magnifying glass, but I really think there is so much potential in that, that you could do more with the theme in the banner. Your items are all very colorful, joyful and inviting - your banner seems to not match that!

Your items are VERY cute and buyable! Something unique that I personally have not yet seen on Etsy and affordable too. I think the item pictures could be a bit more professional, but it wouldn't be too much of an effort! Get rid of those dark corners in the pics for the coasters for example - in photoshop for example that would be 2 clicks if you want me to teach you how to do it, let me know :D

I'd also love to see some pictures of the item actually being used! Put them on a nice table, decorate it a bit maybe, put a neat looking glass on top or a cup or whatever matches...tadaa! :D They are coasters after all to be used in peoples homes, right!? Let them see how pretty they are, even when a glass stands on them ;)

So much for first impression!

[Former_Member]

Hello Lena! I really love your shop with the first sight.
It;s cohessive. Like your backround, clear photos, interesting and unique creations.
Well done! Keep up the good job!

[Former_Member]

Hi Sofia!

The first thing I think when I visit your shop is that your items are great. I love the funky urban vibe, and I love how big and bold your pieces are, the 90s glam nostalgia meets new york street style of your color and materials is totally on! I notice you have a few daintiest pieces as well, which I like, it gives nice variety to your shop, and I think it's important to incorporate multiple styles in your line.

I think my only suggestion is to practice and learn more about photography, especially because shooting accessories and translating them to buyers is really difficult. The first thing that I notice is that in some of your pictures there's a halo of colored light around the item, I don't know if this intentional or not, but I don't think it's necessary, and it's a bit distracting. Also, I'd practice shooting in macro mode (usually the little flower setting on a digital camera), this setting can help you achieve great clarity of detail images shot as close range.

Keep up the great work!

[Former_Member]

Holly
My first impression is everything seems really small which gave me a really weird feeling of (myself) being suddenly much larger. Maybe zoom in a bit on your pictures? I don't mean to not show the whole piece in the first picture, more not so much background space. I do like the jewelry tho, it's really cool :)

[Former_Member]

Sarah,

Our first impressions of your store were: your photos are of a high quality but I think your banner could be changed a little - maybe a deeper purple as your products are quite dark. Your products are very cheap (i.e. price not naff quality).

All of your products are really good however I'd love to see more!

[Former_Member]

Sean and Diane,

You guys have so great, unique items! Prices look great and your items look professionally made.

Only thing I could possible think to critique is your shop name in the banner could be a little darker color. It would be a little easier on the eyes. Love your store!!

(p.s. whoever comments on my shop: I know I need more inventory.. it's in the works!! thanks for whatever advice you offer!) :)

[Former_Member]

Bumping this back up.. this is a fun one, keep it going!

[Former_Member]

@ Lauren: My first impression was vibrant color and print, love it! I'm a fan of green and blue as well!

[Former_Member]

Your banner's quite dark but your jewelery is bright and shiny! Also iron out your sheets before using them as a background so it looks neater. I really like your jewelry, though. It's cute!

[Former_Member]

Your pictures are kind of dark. Like this one, it's really hard to see the piece.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/104978149/doberman-beaded-dog-sculpture

But your stuff is adorable!

[Former_Member]

Courtney,

your shop picture intrigued me! it's a beautiful photo!
great pics, banner could be a bit brighter... with some photos perhaps?