# My new SaltSoaps.com website



## aab1 (Jul 27, 2013)

I finally made a website to sell my salt soaps so I don't have to pay eBay fees. I made a very simple design for now but programmed the entire store and shopping cart from scratch so that you can filter soaps by shape, scent, price and keywords. It also tells customers how many more oz or grams they can add to their order without increasing the shipping cost. Later I'll have the visual design redone professionally.

It also shows soaps that are still in the curing process at the bottom of the list (they cannot be purchased until the "cured" date) so customers can see what will be available soon. I plan to add an "Email me when it's available" option soon.

SaltSoaps.com

Keep in mind the website has only been online for 2 days as of this posting and more information will be added like location and contact info.

I currently made just a few of many different types of soaps so get an idea of the shapes and scents that sell the most, and will then reduce the number of products to those that sell the best.

Thank you


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## roseb (Jul 27, 2013)

Really nice photos! I love the addition of the cure date, so you know exactly when to come back and order.  Good luck with it!


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## savonierre (Jul 27, 2013)

Looks very good..


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## Ancel (Jul 27, 2013)

Very nice! Soaps too  would love to see more about the process, or the maker, or the ingredients, but very well done!


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## Koshka (Jul 27, 2013)

Nice photos, very good website (user friendly)  You should consider increasing your prices!


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## aab1 (Jul 28, 2013)

Thanks, I'll be adding more information shortly. I'm starting with low prices since the website is new but will be increasing them eventually.

Thanks


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## Paintguru (Jul 28, 2013)

roseb said:


> Really nice photos! I love the addition of the cure date, so you know exactly when to come back and order.  Good luck with it!



Yeah that is a really good idea.


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## aab1 (Aug 6, 2013)

I've made a few more changes, I changed the background color and made a quick "logo" instead of the plain black text "SaltSoaps.com" but I'll probably get a logo professionally done in the near future.

What would you recommend I change to improve it and increase the conversion rate? So far I've only gotten 2 orders through the website.

For those of you that sell soap on a website, would you mind sharing approximately what your monthly website sales are and how you advertise the website?

Thank you


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## jenneelk (Aug 6, 2013)

Your website looks very nice from what i can see on the home page. tonight ill look closer on my regular computer. 
I started and owned an online store (not soap) for 6 years and just sold in Feb. Sold because it actually got too big, not failing. Haha!

Do you plan to keep your prices at the marked down price rather than the sale one? 

Who is your host? 
Are you on Facebook? Take time to reach out and cross market with others who might have clients interested your product. Not just directly but indirectly also. Like not just natural places, soap places, but vitamins, health food types, clean living, green living, etc.


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## aab1 (Aug 7, 2013)

jenneelk said:


> Your website looks very nice from what i can see on the home page. tonight ill look closer on my regular computer.
> I started and owned an online store (not soap) for 6 years and just sold in Feb. Sold because it actually got too big, not failing. Haha!
> 
> Do you plan to keep your prices at the marked down price rather than the sale one?
> ...



I also run a few other online business since over 10 years. I will be putting the prices back to regular prices shortly.

My host is SoftSysHosting (I need Windows servers because I programmed the website in ASP), why do you ask?

I will be making a FaceBook page for this business shortly.

Thanks for the tips.


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## jenneelk (Aug 7, 2013)

I might move my current one so I can have it designed to my specs.. Not sure still who to go with. I've always used ecommerce carts like volusion and big commerce.


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## aab1 (Aug 7, 2013)

I decided to program the entire website myself so that I could have it exactly like I wanted with the filters to filter products by shape, scent, etc. and be able to list soaps that aren't yet cured that cannot be purchased until the cure date with the date shown when they will be available. I'll soon add a feature to add your email to be notified when curing soaps are ready for purchase.


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## lisamaliga (Aug 22, 2013)

You're off to a great start! I like how keyword-friendly your domain name is! Awesome photos when enlarged.


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## aab1 (Aug 22, 2013)

Thanks lisamaliga! I've noticed many people adding items to their carts and leaving without paying. I think it's the high shipping costs so I've bought new thinner molds that will allow me to ship the soaps from it for as little as $3 to USA (I'm in Canada)! I'm anxious to get the new molds and to see how soaps from it sell with that shipping cost.

I also noticed your book/website in your signature and may buy your book.

Thanks again


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## Stakie (Aug 22, 2013)

I really love the pictures.


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## gurdeep (Aug 23, 2013)

Trying to put up prices is harder once customers start to buy best to start at the price you want AMD give discounts 

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Soap Making mobile app


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## judymoody (Aug 23, 2013)

Nice looking soaps!  I also have that flower mold, love it.


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## lisamaliga (Aug 23, 2013)

Thanks so much, aab1! 
My theory about people putting things in their cart and opting not to buy is due to many factors ranging from fantasy shopping to getting interrupted in some way. Don't worry about it because when you have a quality product you will attract customers and you ultimately will attract repeat customers.
Of course if you can reduce your shipping costs, that's always a plus!


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## aab1 (Aug 23, 2013)

judymoody said:


> Nice looking soaps!  I also have that flower mold, love it.



Me too, I find they make a good shampoo bar shape, I hold them in my hand and rub the flat bottom on my head/hair, plus using them like that preserves the flower pattern longer.

Thanks


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## aab1 (Sep 1, 2013)

I was thinking of selling maybe 1 to 3 regular (no salt) soaps despite the website being called SaltSoaps.com, is that a good idea?

I got the new smaller molds and already have a few batches done with them, I'm so anxious for them to be cured so I can put them for sale. I bet the dramatically lower cost to ship those will have a huge impact on sales.

Thanks


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## lisamaliga (Sep 1, 2013)

Yes, it's a good idea to diversify if at all possible. Just make sure they're clearly labeled as being salt-free and it might help to put them in a separate section or create another page for them.


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## paillo (Sep 1, 2013)

aab1 said:


> I was thinking of selling maybe 1 to 3 regular (no salt) soaps despite the website being called SaltSoaps.com, is that a good idea?
> 
> I got the new smaller molds and already have a few batches done with them, I'm so anxious for them to be cured so I can put them for sale. I bet the dramatically lower cost to ship those will have a huge impact on sales.
> 
> Thanks



IMHO nothing wrong with diversification! If I could do it I also would specialize in salt bars, but can't afford to wait for such a specialized market to find me


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## aab1 (Sep 27, 2013)

I updated the color theme and background on the website, do you prefer this new look?

What are good ways to get more sales through your website? So far most of my sales are from emailing customers of other businesses I have about my new website.


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## lisamaliga (Sep 28, 2013)

I like the sandy background. By the way, do you plant to make a sand soap like Lush does? http://www.lushusa.com/Sandstone/00862,en_US,pd.html
My suggestion is to write press releases and articles to attract more biz. Also, Pinterest is a helpful place.
Happy Soaping!


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## aab1 (Sep 28, 2013)

I don't have a sand soap but I do have a few salt soaps that contain pumice which is basically like fine sand.

What are good websites to write articles?

Thanks


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## PinkCupcake (Sep 28, 2013)

aab1 said:


> I've noticed many people adding items to their carts and leaving without paying.


 

I do this a lot when I'm shopping. I add things, then wait & think about it, go back, add more, take some away. I might visit a site 4 or 5 times, adding to the cart each time, before I eventually buy something.


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## lisamaliga (Sep 29, 2013)

Pumice soaps are a nice addition.
Start by adding articles to your own website. This gives you more pages and more ways to communicate your knowledge to your readers/customers.


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## sunfloweracres (Nov 20, 2013)

*Website sales, local co-op*

Very nice website, organized and clean. You did a great job, and your soaps sound wonderful! 
I do not sell many soaps from my online store, except a few nice big orders to people I met at other sites such as listia. It helps to give away some samples

I sell a lot of soap and shampoo bars (along with all my other skin care concoctions) to a local natural food co-op in NE only. The customers order online, the delivery truck picks up the orders once a month, they are sorted and delivered all over NE.


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## neeners (Nov 21, 2013)

what about starting a blog?  since i'm fairly new at soaping, I've been doing a lot of reading, and I find there are lots of soap blogs that have shopping carts (like how SoapQueen has a blog of articles and how to's, but they also have a shop of finished product for sale?).


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