Old Meets New: eCommerce and the Vintage Market
Mar 01, 2017 06:02
Online shopping is changing how people acquire vintage and antique items. While finding the perfect vintage faux fur coat might have once required a trip to an overstuffed—and honestly, smelly—physical store, it’s now a handful of clicks away for savvy buyers who have some idea of what they like. For entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on their keen eye and resell antique furniture, vintage fashions, and other wares from bygone eras, setting up an e-store is the premier way to centralize goods and reach people from around the country or world.
A 2016 survey of over 5,000 consumers showed that shoppers now make 51 percent of their purchases online. But throwing a quick description and picture on the web doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have any nibbles on the hook. In a market that’s ever-expanding, it’s important to differentiate your shop and your user experience from others on the web. What should you keep in mind as you incorporate the new advances in ecommerce into selling old-fashioned wares that still have plenty of life left in them?
There’s a misconception that moving toward online purchasing eliminates some of the fun or authenticity of the vintage- or antique-buying process, but that’s not necessarily true. As the Wall Street Journal points out, online shopping makes it both a buyer’s and seller’s market because everyone has the power to do more research to gauge prices and competition. Shoppers free themselves of the pressure to decide on the spot, and won’t find themselves influenced by insistent shopkeepers.
There’s also simply more to see. Geography used to be a major influence on what people could get their hands on, but now it takes seconds to find rare antiquated items from all over the world. The increasing competition necessitates that wise online business owners provide as much or more information than a physical store would have to motivate people into feeling confident enough to click ‘Purchase.’Additionally, aspiring vintage ecommerce store owners should have an idea of the features they’d like their store to havebeforestarting the enterprise ecommerce platform comparison process. Doing so will ease the inevitable overwhelming feeling that occurs when you’re presented with myriad platforms, tools and possibilities.
Since people can’t run their hands over the product before buying to appraise the materials, shape, or condition, an e-commerce store must replace this hands-on experience with written and visual evidence.Furniture seekers might be wondering whether a piece will fit in their space, or how the wooden backing has held up over the decades. Clothes buyers are likely wondering not just generally what size the item is, but specific measurements that tell them whether it might suit their body well.Consumers gain the confidence to whip out their card and finish the transaction when they feel that any given e-commerce store has provided crucial specifications.
If you want to sell vintage and antique wares online, words and numbers won’t be enough. Research shows that content featuring compelling images gets an average of 94 percent more total views than content without images. Provide as many photos as possible from different angles, stage the lighting and positioning to suit the product, and make sure it’s displaying in high quality across all media. In lieu of being able to get up close and personal with products, people expect a treasure trove of information so they know what they’re getting themselves into. If there’s an area with wear and tear, be honest and include a photo to exemplify what you mean. The more visual immediacy you can provide from your Internet vintage store, the more context buyers have for choosing that specific product at that specific point in time.
Ecommerce and antiquesgo hand in hand when business owners make the mostof their modern platform to provide adequate content and visuals for customers. Happy reselling!
A 2016 survey of over 5,000 consumers showed that shoppers now make 51 percent of their purchases online. But throwing a quick description and picture on the web doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have any nibbles on the hook. In a market that’s ever-expanding, it’s important to differentiate your shop and your user experience from others on the web. What should you keep in mind as you incorporate the new advances in ecommerce into selling old-fashioned wares that still have plenty of life left in them?
There’s a misconception that moving toward online purchasing eliminates some of the fun or authenticity of the vintage- or antique-buying process, but that’s not necessarily true. As the Wall Street Journal points out, online shopping makes it both a buyer’s and seller’s market because everyone has the power to do more research to gauge prices and competition. Shoppers free themselves of the pressure to decide on the spot, and won’t find themselves influenced by insistent shopkeepers.
There’s also simply more to see. Geography used to be a major influence on what people could get their hands on, but now it takes seconds to find rare antiquated items from all over the world. The increasing competition necessitates that wise online business owners provide as much or more information than a physical store would have to motivate people into feeling confident enough to click ‘Purchase.’Additionally, aspiring vintage ecommerce store owners should have an idea of the features they’d like their store to havebeforestarting the enterprise ecommerce platform comparison process. Doing so will ease the inevitable overwhelming feeling that occurs when you’re presented with myriad platforms, tools and possibilities.
Since people can’t run their hands over the product before buying to appraise the materials, shape, or condition, an e-commerce store must replace this hands-on experience with written and visual evidence.Furniture seekers might be wondering whether a piece will fit in their space, or how the wooden backing has held up over the decades. Clothes buyers are likely wondering not just generally what size the item is, but specific measurements that tell them whether it might suit their body well.Consumers gain the confidence to whip out their card and finish the transaction when they feel that any given e-commerce store has provided crucial specifications.
If you want to sell vintage and antique wares online, words and numbers won’t be enough. Research shows that content featuring compelling images gets an average of 94 percent more total views than content without images. Provide as many photos as possible from different angles, stage the lighting and positioning to suit the product, and make sure it’s displaying in high quality across all media. In lieu of being able to get up close and personal with products, people expect a treasure trove of information so they know what they’re getting themselves into. If there’s an area with wear and tear, be honest and include a photo to exemplify what you mean. The more visual immediacy you can provide from your Internet vintage store, the more context buyers have for choosing that specific product at that specific point in time.
Ecommerce and antiquesgo hand in hand when business owners make the mostof their modern platform to provide adequate content and visuals for customers. Happy reselling!
