The Psychology of Buying:
Have you ever seen something on an ad, clicked on it, added it to your cart and then moved on with life without buying it? What is that? How can we go from being sure enough of something to add it to our cart to the next second moving on with life and not making the purchase? Somewhere along the way, your brain made a decision not to buy.
Let’s try and understand why and how to avoid that happening with our customers.
There is a difference between wanting and needing something. As an Etsy owner, it is your job to push people from the want camp to the need camp.
You do this by setting yourself apart. You have to have something about your brand that makes people want to choose you over your competitors. Maybe it’s value (aka cheaper than your competitors). Maybe it’s quality. Maybe it’s a guarantee that you stand by your product so they don’t have anything to worry about when they take a risk and buy from you. Setting yourself apart in these ways is going to push people from the ‘want’ camp to the ‘need’ camp.
5 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying from You:
1. I don’t need this:
There is a difference between wanting and needing something. As an Etsy owner, it is your job to push people from the want camp to the need camp.
You do this by setting yourself apart. You have to have something about your brand that makes people want to choose you over your competitors. Maybe it’s value (aka cheaper than your competitors). Maybe it’s quality. Maybe it’s a guarantee that you stand by your product so they don’t have anything to worry about when they take a risk and buy from you. Setting yourself apart in these ways is going to push people from the ‘want’ camp to the ‘need’ camp.
2. I don’t know if this is going to work for me:
Our brains are constantly asking, what is going to work for me? Our products aren’t tailored to individuals, so we have to show people why your product will work for them. Social proof is a great way to do this. If you have reviews of people testifying to how your product solved their problem, future customers are going to be more likely to trust that it will solve their problem as well.
3. I’m not sure if I should buy this from you:
If you aren’t talking to someone, you aren’t talking to anyone. Getting your customers involved in more than just your product will help them feel more connected to you. Be that your brand's mission, your personal story, or what you are doing for them as a customer. Ultimately, the customer is always going to buy from the shop or person they most know, like, and trust. Making sure you have that connection in your shop is going to help grow their confidence in you as a brand.
4. This is too expensive:
This one depends a lot on what your standing is with Etsy. If you are a new shop, it is not best practice to go up against your competitors in price and charge whatever they do. Instead, you need to show Etsy that you are in this thing for the long haul. That you are a shop worth paying attention to. You do this by keeping your prices LOWER than your competitors, building up a reputation, sales, and reviews. After all of this has been established, then and only then should you consider raising your prices.
If you aren’t new and are firm on your prices, it will be your job to show the value of what you are selling. Etsy products are handmade- it’s what brings people to Etsy. Show your customers your process. How you make their product. Show them the process that calls for higher prices. This is going to close the ‘value gap’ as they understand what they are really paying for.
Another tip to close the value gap is by bundling your products. If you have a scarf for $30 and a hat for $30 but then I say you can get them both for $50, it’s like you’ve negotiated and met in the middle with them, but you are still getting an upscale at the end of the day.
5. I’m overwhelmed by this shop
If your shop has tons of listings, tons of options, and tons of customization, it can just feel like more work than it’s worth to buy from you. That best way to make sure your shop is as streamlined is to get another set of eyes on it. Have someone you trust go through your shop and tell you about their experience. Additionally, make sure all your information is given in bullet points. This allows the customer to skim rather than having to go through multiple paragraphs just to get some basic information.
If your shop just needs to have lots of options, relate with the customer. Let them know that you understand that your shop is a little overwhelming and that they can reach out to you with any questions. That will put them at easy knowing that they aren’t alone, and that you will be there to support them.
In my experience, shops that take the time to overcome these objections are the ones that have the most success on Etsy. You can be one of them!
Jered