joe shaw on thu 19 aug 04
We are at the planning stages for a website for the specific purpose
of both selling and updating our current customers about new work.
Although selling at the Beach Show in Santa Barbara every Sunday and
about 10 Saturdays a year keeps us busy as it is, we are hoping a
website might add a bit of income (we are also picking up a few
galleries soon).
I would love to pick your brains just a bit...
1) how many of the ClayArt folks have selling websites?
2) how much work has it been for you to keep your site updated?
3) do you feel it is worth the effort?
4) what type of pieces do you sell on the website?
(low end i.e. mugs, or high end i.e. large expensive work)
5) do you keep your prices the same as in your shop / shows / gallery?
6) what method do you use to determine in advance what your
shipping costs will be?
7) what tag words do you use the most to trigger the search engines
to pick up your site?
8) what background colors did you find work best?
(we're leaning toward subtle shadings of black or very dark blues)
9) how much storage space does your website use?
10) any "do-overs" would you have done if you coulda?
11) suggestions, ideas, no-no's, train of thoughts you want to share?
Ok, that's plenty of brains... Thank you all in advance for your help
and ideas!
Joe and Rita
--
shaw pottery
1513 South Thornburg Street
Santa Maria, CA 93458
805-922-5507
805-720-2146 (cell)
(mailto:shawpottery@earthlink.net)
http://home.earthlink.net/~shawpottery/shaw_pottery.html
(this is just our family & friends "look - see what we are doing at
the Sunday show" site (old photos taken when we started out)
ccpottery@BELLSOUTH.NET on fri 20 aug 04
You are going to get a bunch of different opinions ...
because like everything else in pottery ... 'it depends'
... you have to find what works for you.
I do not have a retail website since I sell wholesale.
But, I have done some research on this
subject when I was deciding how I would use the internet.
2) how much work has it been for you to keep your site updated?
I spend about 10 hours per month on a strictly informative website.
I don't do any retail sales. That number will go way up when you are
photograping all your work, adding and deleting images and keeping
up with inventory. This number will depend on how fluent you are
with the technical aspects of each area.
It took me three months to learn (?!!?) the website software. I have no
natural ability whatsoever for this stuff.
3) do you feel it is worth the effort?
Yes, especially if you are already in position to draw in new clients
from your craft shows. I would bet they are always asking if you have
a website. They will visit it if you promote it. They will buy if you set it
up for easy purchasing.
5) do you keep your prices the same as in your shop / shows / gallery?
Why would they be different?
6) what method do you use to determine in advance what your
shipping costs will be?
I charge actual shipping costs.
11) suggestions, ideas, no-no's, train of thoughts you want to share?
No no's ... flashing strobes, jiggling images and music ... cute once/annoying later.
If you are also doing craft shows you have wonderful access to your best
prospects. Put your web address on every single piece of paper. Have it
on display in your booth. Promote the idea of buying there whenever they
need a gift.
Focus on making shopping as easy as possible. There are inexpensive
options for using shopping carts and accepting credit cards.
'Click away' time is under 8 seconds ... so if you make them wait, they won't.
Some clayarters have wonderful sales sites ... visit as many of them
as you can and see what works well.
Good Luck and have fun with it!
Chris Campbell - in North Carolina - finally getting some sunshine and blue
skies here now that the storms have blown up to Janet in Wales !!
Chris Campbell Pottery, llc
9417 Koupela Drive
Raleigh, NC 27615
1-800-652-1008
FAX : 919-676-2062
E Mail : chris@ccpottery.com
Website : www.ccpottery.com
Wholesale : www.wholesalecrafts.com
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