Pre-Christmas 'Pimp Your Store' checklist

meringueshop wrote this LOVELY checklist for Etsy Sellers. =*^.^*= You can find the original forum thread by clicking here, (along with other wonderful bits of advice from more sellers!).

We're only a few short months away from the busy pre-Christmas period, so now is the perfect time to take a good, hard look at your store and give it an extreme makeover.
I've listed a few things below but there are plenty more things to consider, like business plans etc. But this is a good start......

1. Appearance
How's your shop looking? Is it a little tired? Could you do with a new banner? Are your photos the best you could do? Is your Shop Announcement too long/short/dull?
You only get one opportunity to make a first impression, so if you think your store looks mediocre, imagine what the fresh eyes of a potential buyer are seeing.
2. Profile
How long since you wrote it? Have you written one? Are you using it to connect to your customer or simply to offer information?
3. Automated Message
Are you using this? It's a great way to give your new customer any general information that may be important to the sale. It's also an immediate 'thank you' to your customer.
4. Descriptions & Titles
How's the spelling? How well are they written? Whether they're wordy or concise, are they clear? This is your chance to really 'sell' your item, you should make the most of it. A great description is even more important if your photos are not brilliant or the piece doesn't display well in 2D.
5. Terms & Conditions of sale
Do you have these listed anywhere in your shop? A good place to put them is in your Profile. Giving this information to your customers leads to less confusion and hopefully less non-payers. Take a look at some successful shops for good examples.
6. Sections
Have you set up sections? These make it easier for customers to navigate your shop.
7. Location
Have you listed your country? This is an international site, remember. Your state intials are not obvious to those of us from other parts of the world. Your state and country help a lot. You could be losing potential buyers by omitting this simple piece of information. Details are important.
8. Shipping
Have you sorted out your shipping costs? Do you ship internationally? Do you have EVERYWHERE ELSE or individual countries and the shipping costs listed? If you are asking potential buyers to convo you for a shipping price, are you aware that many of your competitors already have their act together and offer that information in their listings? Unless it's a large/fragile item there really is no reason not to know the shipping prices, there are loads of threads about it as well as information on the net.

The idea is to make your shop as appealing as possible. You should also be making it easy for customer to purchase, the more complicated you make it for someone to buy from you, the less chance there is that you will get their business.

Remember to check out meringueshop's shop + you can thank her in the forum thread, if you're so inclined! *grins*