Let’s talk about the elephant in so many e-sellers’ rooms.
The moth in the wardrobe, nibbling away merrily on your Sunday Best clothes.
What happens when someone wants a refund or exchange?
Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful our products are, someone somewhere may not be satisfied with their purchase and such things have to be addressed.
So let’s go there.
If you have created your branded merchandise collection on a POD platform, such as the ones I train and also provide the done-for-you service, then the PLATFORM takes care of the problem. They will either replace or refund the product if appropriate. My experience of the platform-based POD companies is that they respond very quickly to customer service enquiries and tend to send out replacements with very little scrutiny or investigation.
The platforms don’t give us the customer’s information, their name, address, etc, so we cannot get in touch with them to resolve the matter.
If the problem is with the design itself, maybe the image is pixelated or poor quality, the platform will usually contact you so that you can put it right.
If, however, you are fulfilling your POD through a provider on your own website or a third party like Etsy or eBay (or if you have attached your platform POD products to your own website – which sounds far more complicated than it is) then disgruntled customers will be contacting you directly for customer service.
Of course, you may have decided that items that have been printed-to-order, especially if you have gone a step further and added personalisation, cannot be returned and have made this clear in your Terms and Conditions.
If this is you, and you haven’t made it clear in your T&Cs then you MUST do! Etsy and eBay have an option for this when you are creating the listings.
Alternatively, you might decide to adopt the same customer-centric ethos as the POD platforms and happily give refunds or replacements.
Things do go wrong sometimes, not everything is always 100% perfect. Maybe you didn’t quite centre the design properly and you didn’t spot it, but your customer did when they received their items.
Would your response be that they have received it exactly as it’s pictured on your website, so “buyer beware”? Or does it mean more to you to create an excellent customer experience and go out of your way to put things right?
Most people understand that mistakes do happen, parcels get lost or held up, etc, but if you genuinely do your utmost to rectify the situation, they are understanding and your handling of it can be a positive that makes them come back to buy from you again, maybe despite the initial problem or even BECAUSE of how you solved it.
One way to be sure your prints are perfect is to buy a selection of samples for yourself. You will be able to check the quality of both the prints and the products themselves.
I do, however, use the term “samples” loosely here. Many POD companies will offer you the opportunity to purchase actual samples at a reduced rate. I don’t recommend you do this.
If you are ordering one of their samples, it may not be a true reflection of the printed product your customers will receive. Some providers and platforms will print and send your samples out as a higher priority than the service they give your customers, giving you a false impression of their capabilities or standards.
Others will use the sample route as an opportunity to get rid of seconds and so you receive the other end of the scale, poor representations of the products your customers would be buying.
Instead, order something as if you were a customer, or ask your friends to on your behalf.
Things to check:
o Was the order process straightforward?
o Make a note of the day you ordered it – how long did it take to arrive?
o What was the packaging like? Was the product well-protected and intact when you opened it?
o Is the product the quality you were expecting?
o Colours/materials – are they as described?
o Is it true-to-size? This is especially relevant for items of clothing. If not, would you feel more comfortable adding to your product description “Order a size bigger than you would usually wear” or similar?
o Examine the print. Is it going to last?
The above will not only give you peace of mind, but will also help you to create more print-friendly designs and more accurate product listings.
Which mean less customer complaints in the long run! Hurrah!
I’ll leave you to ponder all of the above.
Just one more thing, May is almost upon us and for the whole of May I will be opening up my Affiliate Programme ready for the June launch of From Meh to Yeah!
This means that if you are one of my Esteemed Alumni you will have the exclusive opportunity to become a Branded & Covered Affiliate – look out for more information over the next couple of days in the private Alumni Group.
If, however, you are NOT, but know someone who IS, get prepared to pester them pronto! For the whole of May they will be able to offer you some phenomenal discounts to Branded & Covered’s PODSTART Video Series, the 12-week live Create Your Own Merch course (my flagship offering) and the VIPPOD, VIP done-for-you service.
These discounts will all end before the Free Challenge begins.
Exciting times ahead!
Jo xx.
PS Stop leaving your Sunday Best in the closet! Get it out and enjoy wearing it! Life’s too short!
Know anyone who would love their own branded merchandise collection without the hassle of buying or storing stock?
Know someone who would love an extra, almost completely passive income stream?
If you answered “Yes” to either of the above, please do share this link with them https://www.facebook.com/groups/brandedandcovered