Now that you know how to create, edit and rearrange your shop sections, let’s take a look at how to use those sections effectively. Your primary concern should be making your shop easy to navigate by shoppers. You want them to be relaxed and to not become overwhelmed as they browse your wonderful listings. While it’s good to have shoppers remain in your shop for more than a few seconds, you want them to stay because they’re enjoying the shopping experience rather than because it’s taking a long time to find what they’re seeking. Well organized shop sections are key components of a shopper friendly shop. Here are some points to keep in mind as you plan your shop sections:
Keep it simple. Take a careful look at your inventory and sort it into logical groupings. Zibbet allows for one item to be placed in more than one shop section. Do this only if the item clearly fits into multiple sections. Spamming your own shop sections with ‘borderline’ items defeats the whole purpose of creating sections and will only confuse shoppers.
Limit the number of sections. You can create as many sections as you want. However, just because you can, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. Too many sections can be just as overwhelming as having no sections at all. If your inventory is extremely diverse, consider grouping your items into what appear to be subsections as Claranne of Clarify describes for us in the Store organization discussion over in Zibbet’s Community Hub.
Arrange your sections in a logical order. If you have just a few sections, shoppers can quickly and easily scan your list. For a short list of sections, do some keyword research. For SEO purposes, arrange your shop section list starting with the ‘best’ keyword title. However, if your inventory requires an extensive list of sections, don’t expect most shoppers to read the entire list to find exactly what they’re looking for. Arranging your list alphabetically will make scanning for a particular section easy and will keep your shoppers happy. Whether your list of sections is long or short, always let buyer intent be your primary guide when arranging your list.
Take some time to plan your sections carefully so that visitors to your shop enjoy browsing. Happy and relaxed shoppers are more likely to become buyers than those who are overwhelmed and frustrated by the lack of organization. The time you spend up front will pay off well into the future.
Best wishes for much success on Zibbet!
Vicki is committed to assisting her fellow Zibbeters improve their shops for successful online selling. She is the owner of five Zibbet shops: LOC Design Studio, Denim and Pearls, A Stitch and a Prayer, Black Creek Crossing and Think Like a Fish. You can follow Vicki on Twitter and through her LOC Design Studio blog.
Tags: Buyer Intent, Shop Organization, Success on Zibbet, Workng With Sections
