Some Observations

[Ewe Cute Baby]

So because of the CPSIA and the restrictiions imposed on sellers of childrens' products in the U.S. market, I decided, for the time being, to sell exclusively to the Canadian market and opened a second shop on icraft.  I noticed there was an "online" feature in my shop and out of curiosity decided to see who else was on line.  I should say that I have another store on icraft and also on the major player in the handmade market.  Much to my surprise, I was  the only person on line!  I know on the other site that a large number of sales come from existing members who are shopping and supporting fellow sellers.  I certainly have made purchases from other sellers and have sold to them as well. 

I then wondered what drew me, every night, to this other site.  Why was I spending time there?  What was I actually looking at.  A typical night goes something like this:  Check out the forums and usually post.  I'm drawn to this because it's such an incredibly active forum.  Check out my shop and do any necessary maintenance and pick a different section on the site and check out other sellers.  I utilize a feature to indicate that I like their shop and sometimes leave a message.

In the past I've done Sellers Bootcamp twice.  I've thoroughly enjoyed it and have regularly tweeted about it, but I'm wondering if it's possible to add a feature where we can indicate to a seller that their shop is one of our favourites.  When I first set up shop on the other site a feature like that was what kept me coming back every day, or if I'm being honest, several times a day, to see who liked my shop.  Initially it was the draw that kept me coming back to the site.

Or perhaps once a week we could consider asking sellers to nominate a shop, other than their own, and choose an item in that shop that fellow members should check out.  Something like this would keep sellers on the site to see if their shop was highlighted. 

I'm a big fan of Google Analytics, and I know from their stats that the majority of my views, and ultimately sales, come from existing sellers on these sites.  I think there's a hugh benefit in engaging sellers to stay on the site; providing features that will make them want to return time after time.

Well, hopefully I'm not out of lline here. 

Pam

[iCraft Admin]

Hi Pam,

You are not out of line. You are absolutely right! Adding Sellers to "Favourites" is a very useful feature and might help us bring sellers to the site more often. Thanks for your suggestions and for sharing your thoughts. We did plan to release this feature in the beginning of the year, but then it was delayed due to some other priorities. I'll check the status of this feature and get back to you on when, realistically, you can expect it. Thanks again! And please don't hesitate to submit your ideas here. We love hearing what works and what can be improved. Thanks! 

[PillowThrowDecor]

Hey Ewe Cute Baby!  Excellent suggestions and interesting and very helpful observations.  Thanks so much for sharing them!!!

Cheers

Christine

[Fairy Cardmaker]

Yup, I'm the same way!  There have been a few things I've wanted to mark here before.

The ability to mark favourites has been asked for a couple of times, so you are certainly NOT alone in your desire!

https://icraftgifts.com/forum/b6/website-suggestions/