Dealers who communicate often during a sale, and are prepared to quickly respond with information and shipping options to customers, are more likely to develop repeat customers.<\/p>\n
We hope you’ve been enjoying the\u00a0Storefront Renovation Series<\/strong><\/u>, which has been exploring the importance of building trust with a potential buyer by providing the details necessary to make them comfortable enough to buy.<\/p>\n Part 4, the final issue,\u00a0provides you with up-to-date information regarding Shipping & Communication<\/u>. At this point, you’ve done the heavy lifting to provide the buyer with a great shopping experience. Quality Shipping and Communication provide a good ending to the customer’s experience, which leads to a cycle of future recommendations and sales!<\/p>\n If you need refreshing on the first 3 parts, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Buyers don\u2019t want shipping to be part of their decision making. The best way to take it out of the decision making process is to offer free shipping. Even if that means moving some or all of the cost of shipping into the price of the item, it\u2019s still an easier experience for the buyer\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Shipping<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n “When it comes to shipping, the standard is moving across the industry toward free shipping,” according to Jim Griffith, eBay’s senior manager of seller advocacy and the author of The Official Ebay Bible<\/a>.<\/u><\/p>\n Because this is what online competitors are doing increasingly, this is something online buyer\u2019s are weighing in their purchase decisions, and that makes it a potentially valuable sales booster.<\/p>\n Unlike many other selling platforms, the GoAntiques dealer is in control of setting shipping prices and methods<\/strong>. Whether you decide to go with free shipping or not, you should ship your merchandise as quickly as possible. Cohen says that even if there’s a problem with the order, buyers are usually much more amicable when they’ve received their products quickly.<\/p>\n Also, explore and compare rates, using alternative shipping services. Many truckers have partial loads and can freight a large piece of furniture along the route for a much more economical rate:<\/p>\n Communication<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n Entrepreneur.com calls today\u2019s online shopper \u201cuncertain\u201d and \u201cdemanding,\u201d often waiting until the very last minute before shopping for what they need \u201cyesterday\u201d.<\/p>\n The good news is that they are highly appreciative of good service, and good communication. Dealers who communicate often and are prepared to quickly respond with information and shipping options to these customers, are more likely to develop repeat customers, and who advertise on your behalf by recommending you to friends.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of being product focused, your site should be user focused. \u00a0You need to make sure the entire experience of visiting and browsing your site is as easy as possible for the user. \u00a0You need to make sure that the experience is a positive one. \u00a0You can do this by:<\/p>\n Anticipating the kinds of questions users may have about your product<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Providing as much detail as you possibly can about your products<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Always being upfront about the price<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Making it easy for customers to trust your sales platform<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Making it easy for customers to complete their purchase<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Giving quality after-sales service\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n A great storefront is like a great resume, available to every potential internet customer, so check and double-check your site regularly, the same way you would regularly send staff through your store to tidy displays. \u00a0Proofread, make sure links work, and get second opinions.<\/p>\n There is $664 billion dollars worth of home decor that is expected to be purchased by 2020, and we, at GoAntiques want you all to have a great big piece of that pie…with whipped cream!<\/p>\n
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