THE FUTURE FOR SMITTY'S CLUB

[Smitty37]

After I move to my new Website, Smitty's Club entry will be changing. This move is now planned for September and should be invisible to buyers until they see the new store.

Existing members will be carried over...but there are a number of options for becoming a new member. I can do any of the following:
1) Grant membership based on a one time fee (not likely though)
2) Grant membership automatically after a certain number of orders.
3) Grant membership automatically after a certain dollar amount spent.
4) Grant memberships as an incentive to make a specific purchase.

I will probably also start a policy where the membership roll will be purged once every year (probably in January) and members who have not made a purchase in over a year will be dropped from the club. They will however be able to get back in my one of the above methods.

Also, members will not have to enter a special section of the store to get member prices. The only price members will see will be member prices. As now there will be some items for which there is no special price for members, mostly things like drill bits, parts etc.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome, but I might not respond to them unless I have some question regarding them.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

What is your goal for having the club? To get higher buyer loyalty / repeat business?

Just curious.

 

[BJohn]

I like option 2 - Maybe because I usually make smaller, but more frequent purchases.

 

[Cmiles1985]

This all look like pretty good options. I think I'd be more privy to option two, but then you may have more folks making smaller orders just to get the membership. How about a combination of two and three (e.g. five orders or $500)?

 

[Wingdoctor]

I kind of thought that the club was to help promote business from the IAP members. IAP members probably buy more merchandise that non members. Personally, requiring me to Purchase $500 of material to be a member will mean that I will never be a member.

I do sell pens but my sales are in spurts for some reason and I do not continually buy parts. I make a lot of cartridge case pens from unfired brass and reloading supplier bullets so I buy a lot of components to finish making a pen. The reason I sell mainly cartridge pens as that is what my customers want. On my web site I have many non cartridge pens and (I think) they are very nice, but I have only sold a few non cartridge pens.

Obviously, as the club cuts into your profits, only you can decide if you want to continue the club. Best of luck in making a decision.

 

[Smitty37]

I kind of thought that the club was to help promote business from the IAP members. IAP members probably buy more merchandise that non members. Personally, requiring me to Purchase $500 of material to be a member will mean that I will never be a member.

I do sell pens but my sales are in spurts for some reason and I do not continually buy parts. I make a lot of cartridge case pens from unfired brass and reloading supplier bullets so I buy a lot of components to finish making a pen. The reason I sell mainly cartridge pens as that is what my customers want. On my web site I have many non cartridge pens and (I think) they are very nice, but I have only sold a few non cartridge pens.

Obviously, as the club cuts into your profits, only you can decide if you want to continue the club. Best of luck in making a decision.

Whoa there - I did not say anything about $500.....

 

[duncsuss]

I have a suggestion, but it depends on whether your new hosting service can offer email "newsletters" to an opt-in mailing list.

If they make it easy for you to do, and you are able/willing to put in the time to create an email which contains the same information as your special-offer-posts here on this forum, then I'd suggest free membership extended to those registered to receive the special offers email.

Such an email could be as simple as a hotlink back to your special offer posting here on the forum, of course.

In this context, club membership could be seen as a way to entice folk to stay informed of what you're offering.

 

[Argo13]

Smitty,

I am due for a renewal this month. Do you recommend renewing now or waiting till the new site?

Thanks

Jason

 

[Smitty37]

Smitty,

I am due for a renewal this month. Do you recommend renewing now or waiting till the new site?

Thanks

Jason

It might well renew you automatically at no cost.

 

[Cmiles1985]

I kind of thought that the club was to help promote business from the IAP members. IAP members probably buy more merchandise that non members. Personally, requiring me to Purchase $500 of material to be a member will mean that I will never be a member.

I do sell pens but my sales are in spurts for some reason and I do not continually buy parts. I make a lot of cartridge case pens from unfired brass and reloading supplier bullets so I buy a lot of components to finish making a pen. The reason I sell mainly cartridge pens as that is what my customers want. On my web site I have many non cartridge pens and (I think) they are very nice, but I have only sold a few non cartridge pens.

Obviously, as the club cuts into your profits, only you can decide if you want to continue the club. Best of luck in making a decision.

Whoa there - I did not say anything about $500.....

I was just throwing out a random number. I don't know what Smitty's typical orders look like. The only thing I know is what I spend, and that was merely an example of my suggestion.

 

[thrustmonkey]

Now my brain hurts.

 

[gimpy]

I wish I had one..........

 

[beck3906]

My feeling is that your club reminds me of Costco or San's Club. You pay your dues to shop there.

I drive by both wondering what's inside. I usually do the same for your web site because I may not be seeing the best price.

 

[Smitty37]

My feeling is that your club reminds me of Costco or San's Club. You pay your dues to shop there.

I drive by both wondering what's inside. I usually do the same for your web site because I may not be seeing the best price.

At the cost to join(cirrently $2.00), you're just cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Worse yet - you should already be a member since May of 2012 - but something got screwed up and your membership didn't get renewed when do to a computer mishap a bunch of memberships were wrongly canceled, which I will fix free if you want me to.:biggrin::biggrin:

 

[beck3906]

Please do as I always look for new and different items.

But the point is, why even charge $2.00 ? Just offer your best price to everyone.

 

[winterwood]

What are the benefits and why would someone wish to join?

 

[Smitty37]

Please do as I always look for new and different items.

But the point is, why even charge $2.00 ? Just offer your best price to everyone.

It won't cost you anything your membership was canceled in February by mistake. If I offered the same price to everyone it would have to be higher than members of Smitty's Club Now pay. I do have sales to non-members.

 

[Argo13]

Smitty,

I am due for a renewal this month. Do you recommend renewing now or waiting till the new site?

Thanks

Jason

It might well renew you automatically at no cost.

Cool, but either way I am still in.

Jason

 

[kovalcik]

Option 3 seems to be the most fair. When your spending reaches a certain amount, you get into the club (I assume you mean total spending, not per order). Then you can pick a dollar figure that makes sense for your bottom line. Given what you charge for membership now, I would imagine the spent amount would not have to be too large.