What is your purpose here?
Unpicking the motivations of people arriving at my online shop, and other thoughts.
I recently mentioned that I’m in the process of selling a few things. It’s not cathartic or cleansing, or any other synonym for a form of spiritual experience. It’s simply long overdue and tough on the pair of scissors involved in packing everything. The upside is a steady cash flow - it’s remarkable how multiples of £22 add up quickly. The downside is the amount of strangers I unwillingly interact with on the internet.
Case Study 1
Vinted user A: Yo G! do it for £5?
Me: It’s listed for £22.
Vinted user A: Yeh, do it for £5?
Me: In what world does £5 down from £22 look like a compromise?
Vinted user A: What?
Me: never mind
~~~~ this chat has been closed ~~~~
customer motivation: (1) a cheap deal (2) a wanton assertion of power
Human behaviour in the e-commerce world isn’t new to me; I’ve spent most of the past four years making sure the right things get to the right people for a bikepacking brand. I’m by no means an expert, but I’ve opened, read and flagged a few emails.
The job is to guide the consumer’s thinking - either fill an information gap or refine the search criteria on site - but it’s rare that someone arrives with zero understanding of what they want. The story is different at the doors of my online shop.
Beneath my Vinted username, and below the poorly photographed items, there is a queue of aimless customers lingering around my Message Inbox, unsure of why or how they arrived, swiping through the digital handrails, inspecting every product. And worse, the nature of the peer-to-peer platform creates an unnecessarily intimate experience. Endless messages where people magically shrink two waist sizes when the price is right, and even draw you into their family dynamics.
Case study 2
Vinted user B: Hi I’m just wondering why this coat is taking so long? which delivery service did you use?
Me: Yes strange. I believe it was Yodel/InPost. It looks like Vinted will have us covered if there has been an issue and it has been lost. Will keep an eye on it.
Vinted user B: Thank you for the reply. Yes, it will be but my daughter really wants it! I had one, years ago, which one of the other daughters has but another one wants the same!! 😂
~~~~ New feedback added: user left negative feedback about you! Check it out! ~~~~
customer motivation: (1) more information (2) parental guidance
I don’t have the enthusiasm to pro-actively contact Yodel, nor do I have the incentive. I don’t have to research more efficient courier services, or contact a warehouse to make a note of the issue. I don’t need to organise a replacement, or carefully word an email. A 1-star feedback on my Vinted store is not a personal assassination of my character. Someone else will buy the tartan Puffa jacket. The world will keep turning.
However - there are brands, websites, and bricks & mortar shops - who will do all of the above without you knowing; who will spend hours designing a ‘Help’ icon and think about how to helpfully position it within your online journey; who will forecast inventory for fifteen months ahead to save you out-of-stock disappointment; and who will invest energy into using the most robust and sustainable packaging.
The best of the best will give you something I cannot offer: 365 day reliability.
Since I pressed send on this email and it arrived in your inboxes, I’ve already swiped the Vinted Holiday Mode icon, temporarily hidden my items, and withdrawn the sales money to my Starling account.