Imagine yourself as a customer - if you have a particularly wonderful experience purchasing from one shop or retailer, you're far more likely to return in seasons to come! Good customer service is not just common courtesy - it is a fundamental part of your wider brand. So focus on it over the Festive Period and reap dividends in the future by ensuring that loyal customers come back to you!
Listings - every little helps
Ensuring that your listings are complete with helpful information about an artwork and excellent secondary images is the first step to presenting yourself as a trustworthy seller.
Our research has proven that well-presented listings sell significantly better than incomplete ones and reduce the likelihood of return. If the customer knows exactly what they're getting, you'll take all the guesswork out of their purchase.
Fortune favours the swift
Be proactive in responding to even the smallest customer query in a friendly and approachable manner.
Top tip: use customers' questions as a source of tips for improvement. Do you get a lot of questions about sizing? Perhaps you need to provide an in-context image to make it clear exactly how big the artwork is in addition to ensuring accurate dimensions.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
How do you like to be treated when you part with your hard-earned cash? Your customers are no different! Keeping customers informed and reassured that their purchase is on its way is wonderfully comforting and conveys an image of you as the ultimate professional.
As as minimum, we recommend getting in touch with customers at the following landmarks in the purchasing process:
- As the order is placed, notifying them of when you anticipate shipment and thanking them for their order.
- As soon as the order is shipped, with details of tracking numbers.
- Around the estimated arrival date to see whether they are happy with their purchase and to thank them once again!
Customers old and new
There may be a temptation to treat old customers and new customers differently with additional treats for first-timers.
But wait! Just as you are trying to build loyalty with new customers, your long-term prospects also need to be treated with the same care and attention so that they too keep coming back to you.
You might even like to consider providing your existing customers with a discount code to thank them for their continued loyalty.
Prepare for the unknown
In an ideal world, every transaction will go smoothly and you will end up with a barrage of happy customers! But we all know that there are factors beyond our control that may affect the transmission of artwork to customer.
Take a few minutes to brainstorm potential sticking points and consider how best to handle each situation so that you're an absolute, level-headed pro should occasion call for it.
Remember: the right attitude in the worst situation will create fans.
Reviews
Every second of your conduct with a customer can end up in a public review on your page. So the better the customer service you provide through the purchase process, the more glowing the review will be.
And as everybody knows - individuals are more likely to purchase from a seller with a good review, since somebody else has incurred the risk of purchasing from them!
Hero image courtesy of Lorna Doyan
