Good news is that I’m up and running, a couple of orders are out the door and customers are happy.
The first purchase was a gift of my A3 print of Looe Christmas lights to my friend Gary who was delighted with the quality of the print and is awaiting delivery of a frame before posting a review for me on Instagram so keep your eyes peeled for that one.
This purchase was actioned using the direct bank transfer option and worked perfectly.
Being my first package out the door I sourced some cardboard tubes through Amazon and made sure it was well sealed. Posted first class at the local post office it was received by Gary the next day. He said packaging was very secure and print arrived in top condition.
The second purchase was for a pack of 5 greeting cards, again from a friend, who also runs her own business. The order came as a nice surprise and used the PayPal option in my store. Again, Alison was delighted with the product and kindly gave me some useful feedback.
With regard to the payment process she was surprised that no shipping charge was added at checkout, so I have now updated some of the information to tell customers that shipping is included in the price, although at the moment I am only accepting orders within the UK as I haven’t worked out how to handle overseas requests just yet.
Alison was delighted that I had not used plastics in my packaging and made some suggestions for presentation which I am considering at the moment. She loved the finish on the cards in her words “not too glossy, absolutely spot on!
As for the cards themselves she suggested I consider adding more detail to the back of the card to say where the picture had been taken and any other useful information which again I will consider for the future.
For those of you considering setting up a web based business its worth noting that when you use the PayPal payment option (which is really useful) there is a delay in receiving your payments until your business is established as they allow up to 21 days for any disputed payments on orders placed, its also worth noting their transaction charges which make low value purchases hardly worth considering.
I am delighted things have got off to a positive start, although its all gone a bit quiet again now.
So next steps include:-
- Obtaining some free business cards from my printer @minutemanpress who have been incredibly supportive in these early days
- Getting out and about when shops open to see if I can get my products out there
- Considering promotion campaigns through Social Media, including some giveaways
- Always looking for new ideas and give my product range more thought
- I have a doggy photo shoot request awaiting a diary date.
We shall see what happens. If you have any ideas suggestions please message me on instgram @Bigsavi1 and follow if your not already doing so.
Checkout my facebook page Ian Savigar Photography or e-mail:- savigarservices@gmail.com
Thank you