Dear Pen Turning Suppliers...

[Parson]

Dear vendors, I know you're hoping to make more money in 2012 from your web site selling pen supplies, so here's some feedback from a customer who buys weekly from some sites and avoids others like the plague, even though the prices or selection is a little better:

Spend $199 on a good shopping cart program and watch it pay you back month after month. I avoid web sites using cobbled-together and poorly-designed and implemented cart systems (read free or cheap) for a reason... they're not customer friendly!

Regularly ask your customers if navigating your site was easy or if it took a long time to find items to buy. If you're not constantly thinking about ways to improve your customer's experience while on your web site, do not wonder why you are not increasing your online sales each year.

Keep up with your inventory and online listings. If you want to sell it, it must be in stock and available. If not in stock, please mark it in the listing as out of stock with an in-stock anticipation date. Yeah, this takes a lot of time and is a hassle to keep up with, but that's what online retail is all about.

Give me a LOT more pix and info on blanks, kits, bits, taps, dies, boxes, and so forth. Post free articles and how-to's on your site. Don't know how to do what you're wanting an article about? Ask someone one the IAP to do a write-up for you in exchange for some kits or blanks or something else they want and you can provide. [Also, posting html articles on your web site (vs a pdf link) will increase your organic search engine optimization if the content is original and you use a key word or phrase in it enough but not too much.]

Offer customers a free newsletter that teaches new techniques, explains how to use your products, shows customer creations, and so forth. This is also very time consuming and an ongoing time investment, but I can tell you from personal experience (as a business owner with a web site that sells upwards of $100,000 a year in product) that this increases business and also drives up referrals.

What would you, fellow buyer, like to ask vendors to do or not do on their web sites? ... btw, this is not a request for you to gripe about a particular web site or vendor in particular. Those gripes should be sent directly to the site owner or their customer service department!

 

[flyitfast]

I totally agree with your comments especially the newsletter tips on products they sell and suggested usage, etc. I also agree with the keeping up of inventory. However, I think most members would agree to expanding the subject to vendor service after the sale. Most vendors have this service well provided, but those that don't need to look at timeliness of picking the order, accuracy of the order, and methods of shipping.
Some of our best supply service comes from our IAP Vendors who are smaller than most of the "big guys". But with their smaller staff, they still meet our needs much smoother. And the occasional "freebies" really enhance the order!
$.02 worth.....
gorodn

 

[Ambidex]

gripes

Very good list. As a newbie I've learned some not always expensive, but very inconvenient lessons such as different kits called the same thing can take many very slightly different bushing sets..have learned to try to stick with 1-2 vendors...not necessarily the cheapest but the most helpful..and the website are very important too. Handiness and helpful hints are always appreciated. Overall the member vendors here have always been helpful, and sometimes even more than just helpful.

 

[Smitty37]

Hmmmmm

You make some good points....Some are very difficult for a small vendor to follow but I think most of us would follow all of them if we could.

 

[Andrew_K99]

You make great points, the only thing to consider is many of the vendors on IAP are quite small and aren't making tons of money. All the extras are great, and are common with big companies, but probably not within the ability and/or reasonal business cost of most of the vendors found here.

AK

 

[76winger]

I agree with the list pretty much too. Some of the most important things I look for in a suppliers site are.

• Easy to find what I'm looking for. This includes but isn't limited to:
  • Categorized listings of products
  • ability to search
  • availablity info
• Good descriptions of the product, not just the name.
• Good quality and multiple photos of the item (different angles, close ups etc. as appropriate)
• Simple Shopping cart that works with CC's (or DC's) or Paypal
• Downloadable Instructions when appropriate

Tips, Tricks, and newsletters and freebies are all secondary, but also very nice and welcome none the less!