Selling products online is an art all on its own. Most people who buy online do so to avoid having to deal with sales people. Most people find online shopping quicker, easier, and less stressful. However, how can companies sell online and still make a personal connection with the customer? Well I discovered some techniques that I found to be very clever.
The first one I have discovered through Etsy. Many Etsy purchases, especially custom orders are sent with personally addressed letters from the crafts people and artists. These letters are addressed to the customers by name and express the gratitude of the business for the purchase and support. This is a way of creating a relationship with customers over online sales. It isn’t pushy, impeding, or over bearing, but it does show a level of interest and attention. These are things that customers appreciate and it helps to remind customers that they are still shopping and receiving items from actual people, its not just magic.
Now, that approach is really easy for small business owners, but what about larger companies whose products are made in factories and they are distributing a lot more product to a lot more people? Well this summer I met an entrepreneur who shared some cool pointers on how his company handles making their E-commerce business stand out. Keaton Hendricks, the co-founder of Sky Footwear is a young entrepreneur helping the poor in the United States. Socks are an essential and overlooked necessity in homeless shelters. With every sock purchase from Sky Footwear and pair of socks is donated to a homeless shelter in the U.S. What makes this company’s sales model more intriguing than just the charity aspect, Keaton told me that with every purchase they ship an extra pair of socks with a letter encouraging the customer to either share the extra pair with a friend or donate the socks themselves. This is such a cool idea because it makes the purchase more of an experience for the customer. It makes them feel like they got something extra and allows them to be a real contributor to a cause. I think this is a really cool way of making online selling more personal and more of an experience for customers.
BoweryJE22
I like how passionate he is about supporting the homeless shelters with something so overlooked like socks. The business model reminds me of the Toms shoes! That is so cool that you were able to meet Keaton.
I definitely think that online shopping does make it harder for sellers to connect with buyers. But I did not know that Etsy sends personal letters! This really makes the customer feel like they are special and that the seller is truly grateful for their purchase. Sky Footwear is also connecting with their customers by making them feel connected to the company through charity/volunteering. Great post!