Discount stores accept returned products & push suppliers to take back defects. Discount stores & manufacturers accept the risk, so consumers accept the hassle of returning products.
You need high quality suppliers, who allow easy returns of defects, because people expect product returns to be standard.
Success requires fulfilling consumers' expectations & differentiating with products & services big retailers don't offer.
Manufacturers can show products are designed for long-term value by guaranteeing long-term satisfaction.
Since your success affects suppliers, they should be partners in profit, expenses & risk of product returns.
Some suppliers accept returns directly from consumers, but the process takes time & delays work on projects. People still have to replace tools or materials to finish projects. An exchange in a store would be easier.
When people exchange products ordered via the Internet, they have to wait for a pick-up & a replacement delivery.
Since product returns disrupt people's lives, you should decrease disruptions.
Since your success depends on customers getting necessary results, you need a product exchange policy. You can get guidance about product return policies from retail trade groups, wholesalers &/or lawyers.
To attract people who want long-term value, you should offer the equivalent of a partnership. Partners share risk & are committed to each other's success. When consumers notice that commitment, they'll patronize your store.
Quality Of Results
Emphasize this fact: if materials &/or tools fail, results will decrease or fail. Your ads should compare the quality of results to persuade people to buy high quality products.
People should buy high quality products like a form of insurance - insuring their ability to produce & maintain results. It's especially true when you guarantee long-term results.
Testimonials & case studies can show product & service value is the value of results. Those case studies with instructions can show how to use products to solve & prevent problems.
In your ads, detailed case studies can show conditions before & after people used products or received services. Describe the frustration of problems vividly in ways people can feel. Also vividly describe the relief & satisfaction people want from solutions.
After describing problems & solutions, make compelling offers of long-term, high quality results.
To make compelling offers, you need to know what value means for people in specific conditions. Value of results can be different at certain times or places. When you know what causes changes in value, you can determine how to adjust your offers.
Do Products Fit The Conditions?
Competition is often focused on products & services. Competitors can differentiate with various levels & kinds of information.
Information is often neglected except for warnings. People need information to compare conditions with product specifications, so they can choose the best options. They can't do it with bare minimum information like product names, pictures & prices. By filling that gap, you can help people avoid frustration.
Sometimes, people need to return products because they couldn't solve a problem. Good product descriptions can help people avoid buying the wrong products. Good product descriptions include describing problems products are made to solve.
Though you can't afford to put all details in ads, you can include diagnostic details with a promise to discuss solutions.
Diagnostic details help people determine what their problems are & which products will solve those. Those details help people justify paying you a little more money instead of buying from discount stores.
What are people told & not told by manufacturers & other retailers? Do people get all instructions they need? Do they know how to adapt the instructions for the conditions?
People could be stranded with materials & tools but not know how to solve problems. You can help people determine if their current materials & tools fit the conditions & instructions. You can help people adapt resources by combining instructions, materials & tools into a solution.
You should offer total solution packages & be flexible enough to sell only what customers need.
Offer Results Not Just Products & Services
What should successful results look like? Which tools & materials fit desired results?
You can help people adjust expectations by explaining product limitations.
Examples: In sewing, machine settings & needles should be compatible with materials. In vacuum cleaning, powerful suction leads to strong exhaust that can blow dust. Low suction can pull in light dust without causing dust clouds behind the cleaner.
Your offers shouldn't be based only on price. Offers should be based on resources & results people prioritize most.
If people want excellent results, attract them with compelling descriptions & offers of excellent materials & tools. If people want good enough results, they might settle for discount store products.
Excellent results might depend on combinations of products, services & free information.
Information would increase product & service values by improving results & reducing frustration. If you don't have specific information for customers' conditions, maybe you can refer them to somebody else's information.
It's good to find information in different forms - video, audio & print, since people learn differently.
Providing free information can be effective for competing with low-price competitors that only offer discounts.
Discount stores tend to sell products, not solutions. If people buy inadequate tools, they'll have less money & still have expensive, unsolved problems.
You should be dedicated to solving & preventing problems. Even if people buy the right tools & materials, they need information to create results & solve/prevent problems.
Deeper Information For Better Results
Though there may be blogs for your general subject, is there a blog covering challenges of people in your area? People might need different information because of rural/urban issues, climate, laws, geography, etc.
Customers can report results to you or somebody who maintains a local newsletter or blog. Their reports could be like testimonials to help people find products.
People can improve each other's methods beyond what they could do individually. Results can be compared & practices can be refined.
People can discuss how they adapt methods for conditions. If people are in similar conditions, different results are probably due to methods, materials &/or tools.
People can reduce risk by doing what works for others. They can progress by doing limited experiments & comparing results. You can show customers how to achieve results & ask if they need different materials & tools.
Example- In the USA, honey bee hives are dying. People want to support honey bees with certain plants & habitats. Undesirable insects are attracted by the same plants & habitats. People need knowledge about plants, bees & other insects. People can experiment with plant growing methods & ways to attract honey bees & repel other insects. People can make small changes & report results. When positive trends are evident, people can switch to what works in their area.
If local people don't work together like this, you'll need to find knowledge sources local people trust. You need to help them apply knowledge. With that knowledge, they'll know what to buy & what to expect. When you have service like this, you can persuade people to buy because you have important knowledge.
You need to keep your combination of service, knowledge & results relevant by communicating with customers & suppliers, plus monitoring conditions.
In some cases, it can be like math formulas: results = materials + tools + methods + conditions; methods = actions + knowledge
Service is what establishes & maintains positive conditions. Value is what enables positive results.
Changes are made by adjusting any part of a formula.
When you have most or all formula parts, you have people's basic buying criteria.
You can learn about changing conditions & methods, then change inventories according to how people change methods. When you help people change methods, your products & services can be involved in their new methods.
You should help people compare their desires & plans with current conditions, so they'll be realistic. When you help people understand their conditions, you can decrease their frustration & increase their satisfaction.
For the best inventory, you need to know about people's current & future needs. You can use this information when you consider which products to order & services to offer. It affects your supplier choices.
When you know how people use products, you can determine which tutorials they might need. Since people want assurance about results, you can offer instructions or refer them to tutorials as part of your sales process.
You don't have make each tutorial. You can check YouTube & manufacturers' web sites. You can recommend tutorials you've prescreened.
Are customers getting full benefits? What else do they need to know? Which products & services could be added to get more benefits?
Would adding products & services make solutions more complex? If so, are there tutorials available to reduce confusion?
A newsletter or blog could recommend tutorials also. Consumers can use a blog to help each other clarify issues to reduce problems & maximize benefits.
Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.
Copyright 2018 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
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