Warning! Offensive photograph inside…

by | Jun 12, 2015

How a 10cm x 20cm piece of paper can help you take your online business to the next level If you are a long-term eletter subscriber of mine, you may recall that a while ago I wrote about the fact that sometimes it’s the simple little details that online sellers need a little bit of extra help and direction with. The original reason for this topic was due to the arrival of a parcel I received following an order I placed with an eBay seller.  To cut a long story short, when the item arrived I was so shocked by the state of the packaging that I simply stared at it for 10 minutes before I was able to speak! When I originally recounted this sorry tale to you, this is what I said: “I was so horrified, that I took a photograph of the offending package because I had never in my life seen anything as horrific as what lay in the outstretched arms of my postman. I have scribbled my address out because much as I like my newsletter readers I don’t want you all turning up at once on my doorstep! Here is the offending package:” Warning! Offensive photograph inside… “Isn’t it horrendous? To add insult to injury I paid £4.75 for postage AND PACKAGING! The postage was £2.70, so I paid £2.05 for a tatty carrier bag from a well known supermarket and a tiny bit of sellotape. Oh yes, and just to really cap it all, the seller even spelt my surname wrong (and forgot the apostrophe)! The air was blue in my house and of course appropriate feedback was left!” As you can tell, I was disgusted at the time. There is simply no excuse for dispatching an order in this state whether you are a private seller or a business seller, whether you sell on eBay, Amazon or if you have your own webstore. No excuses. It’s not acceptable. So today, I want to go back to the ‘little details’ again – not on the subject of packaging as I’ve covered that before, but instead on the subject of ‘what’s within the package’. I’ve been prompted to write about this because of a parcel I received very recently – again from an eBay seller. Here’s another, rather less offensive, photograph for you to look at: Warning! Offensive photograph inside… What is it? Well, it’s a colour, printed note approximately 10cm x 20cm in size that was placed inside my parcel. And I was very pleased to see this! It includes the following information:
  1. The sellers company name and logo
  2. A note regarding leaving feedback
  3. A ‘we appreciate your business’ message
  4. Social media addresses e.g Facebook, Twitter etc
  5. The sellers direct website address*
  6. An offer of a 10% discount when a customer purchases from their website
  7. The sellers email address
* If you don’t have a website you can include your eBay Shop address instead. These types of ‘thank you’ notes can be professionally printed at very low cost or you can create and print these yourself, although I would suggest you go for the professional option as notes like the one above can make all the difference when it comes to customer satisfaction and importantly, getting repeat business – ultimately helping you build your business. But how can a simple note do this?
  1. Your buyers see you as a professional business who cares about your customers. You haven’t just shoved their order into a plastic bag – you’ve taken the time to pack it carefully and thank them for their purchase.
  2. Your buyers will trust you due to this professionalism.
  3. Your buyers potentially keep the note for later reference – and make repeat purchases.
  4. Your buyers are prompted to leave positive feedback and know what to do should there be a problem with their order.
  5. Your buyers have your business name close at hand and potentially recommend to others.
  6. Your buyers know where to find you on social media and potentially share posts and products to others.
  7. Your buyers know how to access your website to save money using a discount code – repeat purchases!
It’s a small, very basic thing – but one that works. Often when you sell online, the only method you have of communicating with your customers is through the sales you make – so use it to your advantage. It’s a simple, low cost way to impress!