Do you prefer similar or same items with different colour variations bulked together - so you can see them all in one place or do you prefer them dotted around the whole shop for variety?
For the look and cohesion of my shop, I usually keep similar looking items together (I know some people also do this in colour schemes too) but I am also aware that when viewing on a mobile, that it may take a while to scroll through all the samey items before you see something different. I wonder if customers will get bored at that point.
I’ve got a bit of variety at the beginning to try and show off my best pieces.
As a customer what are you looking for in a shop layout?
That’s a really difficult one but my personal preference is to see all the colour variations together. I know what you mean about scrolling down on a phone, it’s a very different experience to a computer or tablet. Have you tried adding items as variations under the same listing and listing the different colours? I don’t know if this helps or hinders customers but I guess this is how big retailers do it?
I prefer to see a section with a drop down menu splitting things perhaps into colour, sadly Folksy does not do sub menus on our own collections. When U had my own website would have a header such as bags, then split into colours as makes it easier for a customer to select what they actually want.
Failing no drop down menu a section for each items, say bags, home etc.
What I like as a customer is very different to what I like as a seller. As a customer I would definitely want to see variation rather than scrolling through lots of the same items in different colours etc. as I would get bored and more importantly from a seller’s point of view, irritated and from there switched off. Also, would definitely like the option of choosing to look at all of the variations of similar things together, via collections as and when I’m ready. That way, I can see a broad view of everything in the shop to start with and then narrow it down myself, if I want to.
I’m a bit ocd with organising so I have to have order with mine, my main artist bears then woodland collection, followed by bear making kits etc. If a shop has pages of listings and they are all mixed up I probably wouldn’t look further than page 2, however if they are a plus shop and I want to look at one item type I do go to the category section at the top of the page and view from there.
I definately like to see items in some kind or order, I lìke the idea of grouping colours together
but only if a shop sells all similar items.
Depends on the size of the shop and how many sections/collections they have (and whether those are logical to my brain). For example if there is a collection for eg bags then I don’t need or want to see all the bags grouped together in the main shop as i can just select the collection and see them all together there. In the main shop I like to see groupings that I don’t get in the collections, so I’d want to see the bag next to the co-ordinating wallet and coin purse that would (presumably) be in a different collection to the bag.
But because I’m an awkward so and so, masses of collections annoy me - I’ve bailed from shops that might have something of interest to me because I couldn’t figure out which collection I should be looking in and the size of the shop was overwhelming.
I’m not bothered about colour. But I do like to see items in categories particularly if there is a very full shop. If there are no categories and everything is just lumped in together, I mentally switch off and go elsewhere. With jewellery for example, of which I buy quite a lot, or cards, then I expect to see bracelets,rings, necklaces, etc, or birthdays for uncles, cousins, brother mum dad etc.
As a customer I don’t often just browse; I’ll have a pretty good idea of what I want and use a search. That might be Google, or might be the website’s own search.
This will usually take me directly to a listing, so if there are size or colour options then that must be very clear in the listing. Sometimes there will be variations within that listing, or on some sites there will be a link to e.g. a page (collection) of similar items from that seller.
If I can’t quickly and simply find what I’m looking for then it’s Back Button time and look at the next search result.
Thanks for all your answers - it appears quite a mix of responses. Some like the orderly approach and some prefer it more varied. I’m still none the wiser as to the best look for the shop.
I know categories help.
I think do which ever you feel more comfortable with, I have in the past changed the order of mine, always kept the artist bears first but then had kits before the woodland bears etc but I always end up switching them back again so for me that’s the order mine need to be in .
so I have to have order with mine, my main artist bears then woodland collection, followed by bear making kits etc. If a shop has pages of listings and they are all mixed up I probably wouldn’t look further than page 2, however if they are a plus shop and I want to look at one item type I do go to the category section at the top of the page and view from there.