Ok- so I hope this doesn’t sound like a total complain/nark whatever you want to call it. But I don’t always feel as thought the ‘inspiration’ section is properly utilised- everyone is always fixated on photos and yeah- I totally agree they’re mega important (OK- so mine aren’t amazing by a long shot) but the descriptions and inspiration sections are sometimes erm…interesting.
If it isn’t filled in- then on that item description does it still have the subheading of ‘inspiration’ then nothing underneath? Or is the subheading gone as well?
I just don’t think the section is used properly from people who just write ‘I just like making ???.’ Or ‘so I just wanted to make ??? this weekend’ or even the description part has slipped over into the inspiration part and I think in those cases it would look better if there was no ‘inspiration’ section at all. Yeah- plenty people may have just made that thing because they like making that thing- but I don’t know- I just don’t think it sounds great.
Anyone else? Or do I just over analyse the inspiration section and I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill?! Haha apologies if I am!!
Hi Susannah, if you don’t fill in the inspiration section it doesn’t appear at all on the listing - just the description. I very rarely fill in the inspiration bit mainly due to a lack of “inspiration” as to what to write!
No, it annoys me too…my other shop is a whole variation on a single theme and therefore the inspiration is the same for every single item, so really, what’s the point? That sort of stuff doesn’t belong on the item page.
I don’t fill it in, the column disappears and the description spreads out a bit to fill the space, which I think looks nicer anyway.
I believe the ‘inspiration’ section is going to be replaced with ‘how I made this’ which might be interesting if you have a shop full of many different types of thing, but if not, see comment above! Personally I’d prefer a ‘glimpse into the studio’ at profile level rather than item level, listing takes long enough without adding extra bits
I rarely fill it in because ‘it seemed like good idea at the time’ or ‘I made it in blue and that sold well at a craft fair so I thought I’d make some other colour ways’ doesn’t sound very good to me. I might fill in a ‘how I made this’ section a bit more often but as Helen says if you’ve got lots of colour variations of the same thing its just going to take up lots of time when listing.
I use that bit for my extra bits of info. I can’t fit it into the normal section. I do add my own subheading though, and I don’t really notice that is says inspiration above that as it’s in a slightly lighter grey. If I did use it as inspiration or how I made this, it would say near enough the same on every design as has been said. I can’t think anyone has a radically different way of making each thing they do. And even if you had quite a large variety of things that inspire you, I’d imagine the item would tell it’s own story. Like my Summer Meadow designs are, funnily enough, inspired by summer meadows
I never fill it in as I think the page looks cluttered with 2 columns of text.
I think it is going to be replaced with a "how I made this " section , to try and weed out the people flouting the handmade guidelines. We will have to wait and see.
I don’t use it to be honest, unless there’s something extra I need to add and have run out of space in the actual listing (like a “buy two and save” kind of thing).
I like the idea of the section changing. But yeah…for the ‘how I made this’ because I do the same thing- it will all sort of be the same!!
Thanks for the replies from others as well. It’s good that that subtitle disappears if you don’t comment on it. It just seems most I’d looked at recently had filled them in but yeah it was sort of ‘I like pink’ or something along those lines. Haha
Will have to think about how I want the new ‘how I made this’ section to read.
I use it when I want to explain the story of the inspiritation behind something I’ve made and some times’ I don’t use it and I like the fact it disappears when you don’t have anything special to say.
I won’t be writing anything in how I made this as I only do that in tutorials which I expect to get paid for. I don’t give away free tutorials anymore expect the odd one in blue moon on the craft forum I’m admin on and only registered users get access to the tutorial but that is my choice. I certainly will not be doing it in my shop.
BTW I love reading the inspired bit but not when it’s full of what should be in the description
Yeah- I think the ‘how I made it’ section may be an interesting one. And like you say, depending on what you do, you don’t want to give away free information.
Unless I can come up with something fairly sumaritive I’ll probably leave it out as well. Oh well- something to bare in mind and think about.
I don’t like the look of the description layout if the inspiration section is filled out. I tend to write quite a bit in my description and if using inspiration too the description gets all scrunched up and long. Just me - I like things to look “just so”
Thanks for posting this Susannah @curiousseagull - I’ve just deleted most of my ‘inspiration’ sections! I have always filled them in but have rarely liked doing it. I always assumed it was seen as ‘better’ to do it but, as you say, it doesn’t really add anything to the listing (not for my stuff anyway ). Ah, I feel so much better now
I do like to fill in the inspiration section where the piece has been inspired by an idea or a theory I have had or even a colour scheme I have seen.
Most of my best ideas are inspired by photographs, paintings, literature, science (the list goes on) and I usually draw my designs first and work through the concept. I also often build Pinterest boards around the theme. I think that some of my customers might be interested in where I found my ideas and I like to write about them so that people know there is more to the object than just a pretty shape or colour.
If the inspiration section was to vanish then I would miss it as that information would not sit happily in the product description section and might not be read properly.
I don’t think that’s controversial. I agree- if there’s something then genuinely inspired you!
I have always filled it in- I talk about the reason why I picked that fish/bird or what I’m hoping to achieve.
For example- I am hugely inspired by the wildlife that depends upon the North Sea- I live in a fishing orientated part of the U.K. as well and love documenting the creatures we get. I think a lot of them are hugely understated or even forgotten about and I just want to draw attention to them- that for me is my inspiration & I do like to talk about that- so for me I find that section fairly easy to fill out.
I actually think I’ll find the ‘how I made this’ section harder but I understand the need for it to try and draw the attention to the handmade nature of the website.
I do that in my description including if I’ve knitted the item in the round so there’s no sewing up seams. I also say what type of yarn I’ve used. However unless the potential buyer is also a knitter I doubt they’d know what the terms meant. Same with my crochet items.
I don’t think it is necessarily a problem using terms the buyer won’t understand, instead it makes them realise that it is not as simple as it looks. That’s one of the reasons my listings explain the glass making process, I don’t expect all readers to understand it but I do think it demonstrates that it is a skilled process requiring knowledge and experience.
We’re actually thinking about changing the inspiration section and replacing it with a ‘How I made this’ section. We thought this would be useful for buyers, so they can understand the skill and craftsmanship in each piece, plus it puts the emphasis on handmade.
Do you think that would be better for sellers and buyers too?
