Great Packaging = Repeat Business

I recently ordered soaps to give as gifts. Maria, owner of Kokolele Soaps on Etsy, has been my go-to person for handmade soaps for the past 10 years. Not only are her soaps impressive, they trump my packaging expectations.

Packaging is the first thing your customers see once your product is actually in their hands.

KEY POINTS:

Use of protective wrap around product to prevent damage by dents, scratches and breakage during shipping speaks volumes about the customer service ethics of your company.













Personal touches supplement your customer service declarations. Consider showcasing your product in unique gift boxes, that include ribbons, baubles and decorative labels.

Include an appreciation gift or discount coupon when an order totals a specified value.

Invest in quality craft punches & card stock paper to create labels that promote & identify your branded product.

 Coordinate product packaging to compliment  product colors.




 

Impress customers by including a handwritten note with your product.

Ensure your product, customer service, packaging, and shipping all live up to the hype promised.

Be sure to follow up with customers a day or two after they should have received their order to make sure they are happy with everything.






 Stay up-to-date on your competitor’s prices,
services, discounts, and marketing promotions. If you can’t lower your prices as much as your competitors, then make sure customers understand how your product is worth the extra money. 

Remember, first impressions are everything. The way you package your product is a way of putting your best “face” forward to a potential customer when they encounter your product for the first time.

Yes, All is Well... Thank You for Asking

Just wanted to give a shout out that I'm still alive and kicking. I appreciate the emails asking if everything is OK; and those wondering why there have been no recent blog posts.

Life! That's what is happening. 2013 has been a year of reflection, a year that reminds me there is more to my life than running a business. When my dear friend, Renae, was diagnosed with breast cancer in early August, it was a wake-up call. She had a double mastectomy and is currently undergoing chemo and radiation therapy. She is 43 years old, a mom, wife and fighting for her life. Posting on my business blog and Facebook held little importance as I spent time giving, helping, supporting, and being there for my friend.

This summer I lost several family members. That, too, has given pause to running a 24/7 business. No, I'm not closing the doors; but I am slowing down with an awareness that life is short. I have three grand kids and I want to spend as much time with them as I can. I don't want their memories to be, "NeeNee never had time for us, she was always working and typing on her computer."

I have an 82-year old mom who also needs me. My daddy passed away five years ago and my mom is alone. She won't always be here and she will always come before my business. That's not to say GoPlanetEarth is not here to service your soaping needs, but when push comes to shove, my mommy will win every time.

Recent travel has also taken up a big chunk of my time. I have had limited time to devote to tutorials and special soaping projects. But, since these are offered for free, I find it hard to apologize. I recently returned from a California wine trip with my husband, daughter and son-in-law. That trip was followed by another California trip my husband earned through work. We also traveled to Florida and Northern Michigan; and, hosted a family reunion.

My husband and I purchased lakefront property this summer with plans to build our retirement home within the next five years. I finished my first children's book which I hope to have published next year. I am currently working on a devotional book that will include some of my daddy's writings as well. He was a very gifted writer.

Then there is the Bunco Bites recipe book I am compiling as a community fundraiser. I belong to a Bunco group of sixteen women. We meet monthly and host a sold-out Bunco event every November to raise money for our community Angel Tree program. Proceeds from the recipe book will be donated to those in need.

And finally, I am working on obtaining UPC codes for all our Mold Market molds. This will allow us to sell these molds in retail store settings. It's a huge undertaking. I'm not sure everyone knows, but I own both GoPlanetEarth.com and MoldMarket.com. Maintaining two web sites, designing new molds, marketing and keeping up with social media is more than a full time job, even with the incredible help of my staff.

So....when you wonder what I've been doing, why I haven't been posting, why there have been no newsletters...there you have it! Quite honestly, I've been enjoying life, just like most of you are doing. I'm still here for you, my friends;, but enjoying family, close friends, good health, and living is tops on my bucket list. When I die, none of you (my customers) will be at my funeral. Unless you need a mold or product you can't find elsewhere (heh-heh!); I won't be remembered. Poignant, but very true; so please don't take offense.

At this time in my life, I am creating lasting memories with my daughter, husband, grand kids, sister, mother; and every other family member and friend I hold dear. Yes, all is well; and I sincerely thank you for asking.

Scratch Off Savings

I don't know about you, but I love surprise savings. When a Kohl's scratch off promotional flyer arrives in my mailbox, I scramble to find a coin to see what I can save on my next purchase. There's no need to scout out a coin with GoPlanet's new "Scratch and Save" cards. We include the coin!

For a limited time we are randomly including a scratch-off card inside your order shipment. The scratch off reveals a discount or FREE product when placing a future order. Enter the discount code at checkout and we will make sure you receive the appropriate gift or discount.

The scratch off card and coin will be attached to the receipt that is included in your shipment. Good luck!

Scratch off tickets expire 9-18-2012. Don't miss out.

Customer Service that "Meows"

We get some pretty unusual customer requests at time. However, this one wins the prize. My staff was cracking up as they were preparing to process the order. In the comment section was a note that read, "Please draw a cat on the outside of box." I personally would have ignored the request, but one of our packers wanted to have fun with it.

This is the cat she drew on the box after packing the order. Now don't go thinking you can request animal artwork when placing an order. Our UPS driver, Jeff, would think we had all gone mad if amateur drawings of elephants, cows, pigs, dogs or goats began appearing on the outside of boxes.

It did give us all a chuckle for the day. So, accolades to the customer making this odd request. I'm certain there was some logic behind the madness. Whatever, the madness, it made us smile.

Coming Soon: Updates to Shopping Cart

In January, look for some shopping cart upgrades. I believe you will like the change as you will be able to sign-in to our web site and create an account. Once signed in you will be able to:

• Update billing/shipping profile
• View order details
• Manage recurring order details
• Print past invoices
• View previously abandoned carts

As with any change, it will take time to adjust. In the end, I am convinced you will find it an added benefit when shopping with GoPlanet.

 

 

 

Meet Sophie Soap Chick & My Assistant, Kristy

Our "Sophie Soap Chick" is home from University for the summer. She is working on some soaping projects this week. Today she is pouring up some samples soaps using our latest molds from Mold Market. Excited to see what she does. The above pic is of our Sophie (left) and my assistant, Kristy (right).

Kristy fell off a golf cart this weekend and is suffering from a fractured tailbone injury. She's been off a few days and Sophie has been filling in. Kristy is back to work today, but not without pain. She has herself propped up with pillows on a nice cushie chair. We couldn't convince her to stay home.

So...we are trying to work around all this "life happens" stuff and get your orders out ASAP. Remember, I am leaving for a brief Disney trip with my grand kids Saturday-Tuesday. Things should run as usual, but any international shipments received after Friday of this week will not go out until my return.

Hello, Mother Nature: Tornado Brings Power Outage

Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms blew through our area over the holiday weekend. We lost power/phone lines/cable. Power was finally restored on Wednesday. Sooooo... if you wonder why orders are delayed, guess what? Mother Nature was in charge of the shipping schedule.

We are back to normal but still catching up due to the power outage and holiday weekend. Please be patient, we are REALLY trying to get orders out timely.

Customer Appreciation Day: Yippee!!

It's always such a pleasure to start the work day with an email that reads, "I just want to thank you for your outstanding customer service and products." It puts me in the mood for a "CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY". That's good news for all of you reading this post. Today, and today only, the following customer appreciation discounts are in place.

• Spend $50 or more and receive $5 off *discount code YIPPEE5



• Spend $100 or more and receive $15 off *discount code YIPPEE15



• Spend $200 or more and receive $30 off *discunt code YIPPEE30
  
  And, did I mention this is over and above the instant reward points you receive through the shopping cart. How about that?

Now for the Little Print:
Customers, discount will not be honored on orders placed before or after sale or if you do not enter the coupon code during check-out. Ends 11:59 pm ET, April 21, 2011.

Life is Good, and Free Stuff Makes it Even Better!

It's been a looooonnnng week for me and I'm feeling like a FREE FRIDAY is in order. Yep, I'm giving away some "free" stuff to 7 lucky people. Why seven? Because there are seven days in the week and like I said this has been a loooonnnng week ;)

So what's the free stuff and how can you get it?

TO BE ELIGIBLE:

Place a minimum order of $25 or more (in product) through GoPlanetEarth's online shopping cart. Order must be received today AND MUST INCLUDE the following in the comment section at checkout: FREE FRIDAY FOR ME

The first seven orders we receive that have this in the comment section get the "free stuff". BTW, all orders are date stamped by the server, so there is no guessing on our part about the winners. We have already randomly assigned numbers to each "free" item. If you are the first winning order then you receive "free item #1, third order will receive "free item #3 and so on.

So what's the free stuff?

FREE STUFF:

Can't promise who will get what, but these are the items I'm donating to Free Friday.

• 2-lb. block of melt & pour soap base (I'll let you be surprised about what I pick!)


• 4 ounce bottle of fragrance oil (hmmm... what one should I pick?)


• Mold Market soaping apron (I do believe that one of the apron pockets holds an added surprise.... wonder what it is?)


• Five dollars off your Free Friday order (we will apply when winner is determined)


• Up to, but not to exceed, $10 off the shipping rate shown at checkout (UPS ground ONLY)


• Pebble Rock Soap Mold from Mold Market ($7.75 value)


• 2-ounce bottle of soap colorant (for use with CP or MP soap)

So there you have it! Winners will be notified by email and your first name/state will be posted on our company's FB page which, BTW, you can "like" and be notified of other coupon/free/discount offers. HAPPY FRIDAY ALL!!

HELLOOOO, Winter! Good-by Sun!

We went from this lovely view from our room in Chile .....

to 12 inches of the white stuff!
You can see why we didn't want to return from our trip.

The only white stuff I would like to see right now is the snow capped Andes. This is a picture I took on our plane ride from Santiago to Mendoza. We flew directly over the Andes Mountains. It was pretty awesome. It's much nicer to fly over the white stuff as opposed to driving in it.


Needless to say, I'm not sure who will be working today. The roads are still unplowed and treacherous. Everything is cancelled, including the University. You know it's bad when a major University closes its doors. Please be patient with us for the next two days. We are working the best we can under these winter conditions and UPS pickups in our area could be delayed.

Arrived in Chile

it was a long flight (9 1/2 hours) but the sunny, 97 degree weather was worthy of the journey. I am sitting poolside answering emails and attending to what business I can from afar. It never ceases to amaze me how one can stay so connected via electronic devices. maybe too connected when you're on vacation. I am limiting work to a couple of hours in the morning. Then, the balance of the day is for "vacation" time with my husband.

My assistant, Kristy, will be taking care of business while I am away. Orders will process as usual with the exception of international postal orders which will not be processed until February 14. Email is the best way to communicate with me while I am out of the country. Either Kristy or myself will reply as soon as possible.

Customer Service: It's All In the Eyes of The Receiver

FACT: Customers behave and react to their needs and expectations when placing an online order. Sadly, as retailers, we don't know the needs and expectations of each and every customer. It is safe to assume that customer will expect "bare-bones" customer service such as shipping an order timely, or responding to an email about a product. But, how a customer reacts and behaves to order errors is hard to predict. Some are just plain "ugly" and unforgiving. And, then, there are customers like this. Here is an email I received this morning:


Hello,

What wonderful speedy service, however one item must have jumped right out of the box on you! I did not get the Water dissolving paper, 3 sheets ordered. None in the box. :-(

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, thanks for the vanilla and fudge brownie sniffies. They are great!

Blessings,
Carol


Wow, an email like that is refreshing. One of my staffers messed up, but here is a customer who throws in a twist of humor. Here was my reply....

Hi Carol,

You are so right... the paper did jump right out of the box and right back into the packing bin! Imagine that, I believe a little elf was up to some mischief. The paper was sent out yesterday by first class mail (large envelope). One of my workers found it in a packing bin the next morning. Big oopsie!

Thank you for your kindness and fun nature in addressing the missing item. It's very refreshing on our end.

Kindest Regards,
Denise M.


THE POINT: Customer Service is in the eyes of the receiver. Another customer may have reacted differently. As business owners, we should offer top-notch service and strive to be error free as humanly possible. Sadly, none of us can predict how any given customer is going to respond when service or an order error fails to meet their expectations. Our company is diligent about fulfilling orders and responding to service requests. Yet, there will be those times when our best isn't good enough based on the eyes of the receiver. When those times happen (and they will), I will remember customers like Carol.

Enjoy your weekend!