Do customers prefer products that remain available or having new products regularly?

[aab1]

For those of you that have been selling soap for many years, do customers tend to prefer only a few different soaps but that you consistently have available, or do they prefer that you always have new products, or a bit of both?

Thanks

 

[Paintguru]

Here is my view purely from a consumer side. When I find a product I like, I get really annoyed if it goes away. This can be true of a menu item at a restaurant or a product at a store. The one store that does this more than I'd like is CostCo. The number of times I've had a product that I regularly buy "disappear" is more than I'd like it to be.

In my opinion, what I would do is have a line of standard soaps that you keep as "regulars" that don't go away, and maybe have some "seasonal" recipes that come and go. Or "special edition". As long as the customer knows that a particular scent or formulation will not be around for a while, then they shouldn't be too upset when it does go away. I don't have any real world experience on this, but this is my plan for my little soaping shop that I plan to setup in the future.

 

[100%Natural]

Both! It takes time to figure out which products sell better than others so keeping a steady stock of what you have to offer at all times is important. People do not like to wait. I also introduce new products regularly. Any of my regular customers that are hooked on a product that I no longer want to carry are given the chance to custom order it and I will make a batch just for them. So far this has worked like a charm. Not to mention I charge more for a custom order so the bottom line is even better.

 

[Mandarin]

I have been selling for over 15 years and I think that keeping a beloved product is far more important for your business than creating new ones. Sure, change and creativity are good, but consistency is necessary to have a thriving business. I have found that having a consistent line will keep the loyal customer. I do add several seasonal products. So while both are good to do, I would definitely focus on building a few serious products that never change. Your regular products are what customers recommend to others. If they are gone, this is not only sad for both the new and veteran customer, it is sad for your business.

 

[gratia]

I have customers that come back looking for the soap they got the last time. If I am out of stock they tell me they will be back. Some however will try out a new soap.

 

[Ancel]

I find that many people will come back again and again for the same soap, so I try to have a 'line' of about 12 soaps and also always try to have something new every week, or at least something that cycles in and out. I have a lot of clients who are buying for friends who couldn't make it to market for whatever reason and they will not buy anything other than what was asked for.

People cannot wait for 6 weeks curing time if I run out :x they look at me as though I'm crazy when I say 6 weeks. So I always try to make sure I have my 6 most popular soaps in stock. However I can get impatient making the same ones over and over, hence I need to try different soaps. I'm really selling to support my own soap making habit

 

[Robert]

My friend Nadine's pet peeve is that she spends a lot of time & effort finding toiletry (or other) products she likes, only to find they quickly stop stocking or making it, or change the formula. She says it's like someone's spying on her and reporting, "Nadine likes it--time to change or get rid of it!"