My new SaltSoaps.com website

[aab1]

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

 

[roseb]

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!

 

[savonierre]

Looks very good..

 

[Ancel]

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

 

[Koshka]

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

 

[aab1]

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

 

[Paintguru]

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.

 

[aab1]

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

 

[jenneelk]

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.

 

[aab1]

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.

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.

 

[jenneelk]

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.

 

[aab1]

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.

 

[lisamaliga]

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

 

[aab1]

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

 

[Stakie]

I really love the pictures.

 

[gurdeep]

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

 

[judymoody]

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

 

[lisamaliga]

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!

 

[aab1]

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

 

[aab1]

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