Can you offer too many choices?

My soap making business is a tiny one, no website, no brick and mortar store, just craft fairs. In this economy, selling at a craft fair can be a challenge, and I'm always reading articles about how to increase sales, like this one I just finished..... http://www.businessinsider.com/too-many-choices-are-bad-for-business-2012-12?op=1

So I'm wondering if any of you have had any experience with this idea, that you can offer your customer too many choices. I have a very difficult time limiting the number of soap fragrances I sell because I can never resist a FO I haven't tried yet. Sometimes I offer 15 fragrances, sometimes 18. But I'm thinking of trying just 12, to see what would happen. Maybe even fewer? Have you ever experimented with offering fewer choices to see what would happen? Have you ever noticed a difference in sales related to how many choices you offered? I'm thinking it might make for an interesting experiment.

What an interesting question! I've always tried to have a broad selection of fragrance and EO soaps, bath salts, scrubs, solid lotions, etc. etc. But there is SO much competition from really good soapers that I've decided, just last week, to give up and specialize in just the ones that really interest me and set me apart from the crowd.

I don't sell much anyway, a few festivals and Etsy, la couple of local stores, and a busy boutique in Colorado. Also a crazy fulltime job, a constant need to expand the gardens, and just plain not enough time. So I'm gonna retain my best-selling FOs, the beer soaps, favorite EO soaps, pine tar, shampoo bars, dog soap, some other specialty things, and expand my line of salties, shampoos, pine tars, ciders, lotion bars, lotions, stuff I really love that never bores me...

I guess my advice would be to carefully study your competition at your fairs. Are you offering just one more variation of the same-old, same-old? If so, I'd make things that are uniquely yours. Yes, your favorites may be that too, but if there are varieties of the same things, I'd shake things up and limit your offerings to those that aren't already well covered. What do you love to make? What interesting recipes can you keep tweaking to keep your interested? Depending on your location, what might buyers want that's truly different? I know that's awfully broad, but out of time for tonight. Will love to hear more feedback from El Gango!

I would aim for a dozen regular offerings as repeat customers often like to buy something they've enjoyed in the past. Then maybe another half dozen that rotate - special editions according to season or your personal whim. If one of the specials takes off and develops a following, you could add it to your regular line.

From my POV as a potential purchaser (I have never sold)...
Are you selling 16 of the same soaps, with a different scent?
Or 16 entirely different looking soaps? (I don't mean recipes have to be different - although that sort of variety is also good).
16 different looking and different smelling soaps is not too many, IMHO. I would maybe buy a selection that appealed to me, and perhaps then come back and mix up my order (so if I bought 4 the first time, and LOVED 2, my next order would be 2 same 2 new ones).
I think perhaps 20 would be getting too many...

I like judymoodys suggestion of a dozen regular and a half dozen special editions. Just be sure to advertise when your special editions come out (I would hate to buy one day and a week later discover you had special editions I wanted to try!).

Hope that was of some help

If you absolutely must bring too many soaps, you can always rotate them through the day. If one scent isn't selling - swap it out for another one, for example.

I sell at multiple weekly markets and very seldom have less than 30 choices and normally closer to 40. I also have a table with our novelty soaps. Not all my soaps are the same recipes. I have approx 1 dozen that I can never be without then I alternate fragrances and offer new ones at least monthly. I have several customers that like to come see what I have new. I have sold in markets where another vendor has a small assortment and I always outsell. I do get a lot of comments that I have such a wide selection. Not to often am I asked for something that I do not have...It is tough in the markets now and one needs every possible edge. I even have a table of crochet hats I make and some nights that is all that saves me paying my booth cost.

Off topic, would love to see your crochet hats Carolyn.

Thanks for all of the great input and suggestions. It's always so interesting to read what other people's experience has been. For those who asked, what I usually bring is a selection of fragrances in my basic olive oil recipe, also an oatmeal, goat's milk and honey, a beer soap, an unscented bastile, a facial soap with avocado oil, and some smaller, scented soaps made in individual silicone molds....pretty soaps. I also have some themed gift sets, like beer soaps for guys, florals, etc., and of course, seasonal soaps.
Maybe I can try to bring fewer fragrances of the basic soaps, and do more with the specialty gift sets? I feel like it's important for me to keep evolving, it's easy to get lazy and just show up with the same thing each time. Repeat customers do come back for the same favorites over and over, but there are always those who ask, "Do you have anything new?" I don't want to have to tell them no, just the same old, same old.

Paillo, your post reminded me that I haven't made pine tar soaps for a while....and I've never made dog soaps. I'll have to give that a try. OH NO! This means more not less!!! LOL It's really hard to cut down, when there are so many wonderful soaps to make. Who am I kidding, I'll never cut down, because I enjoy making them all so much!

After going to fairs and farmers markets and seeing how many people make soap, I think it is better if you try to concentrate on only a couple of different recipes to stand out from all the other soap makers. Maybe make them all have something in common (for example all be made with beeswax, or all with goats milk) to set you apart.
I went to a fair last week, and the booths where they were selling 30 different types and scents of soap....It was just too many choices. and it made me feel like maybe they were just making many different soaps, but did not know a whole lot about them. I really liked the booths where they sold maybe only 5 or so different types of soaps, but they all came together in someway, like I said before. It made me feel more confident in the soap maker, because they were not just making random recipes and scent mixes. They seemed to be more concentrated and knew more about the soap that they made.

good luck !

It's something that I think a lot about. So one might well 5 different soap recipes, does one then have a number of these in different scents? The same types of scents, or various? But then what if someone wants soap A with scent B but that isn't something that you stock?

Could very quickly get out of hand. But trying things out and listening to feedback is always good. If a lot of people ask for soap A with scent B, but no one buys soap B with scent A, you can stop making the latter and start making the former. Takes time, though......................

This is an interesting subject. Myself, I offer 6 different essential oil only goat milk soaps CP. Then I have a selection of 6 or so FO goatmilk soaps that are MP. A selection of bath bombs in 4 pack packages,and two different shower gels, one tailored toward men and the other women. Sometimes I feel less is better, as to many choices can make a customer indecisive, potentially walking away.

The main ingredient in all of my soaps is olive oil. I experimented for a long time to come up with a basic bar that I felt had a good combination of conditioning, lather and hardness. For people who ask me for a soap for babies and children, I have an unscented, goat's milk bastile, (good for grown ups too). I blind tested 10 friends and co-workers with a series of recipes for a facial soap, and an overwhelming majority liked my olive/avocado, unscented bar. I also use beer as the liquid in my basic recipe, in case there are men who feel "unmanly" buying for themselves or receiving "girly" soaps as gifts. So the common denominator in all of my bars is olive oil, lots of it, and the "basic" soaps come in a variety of fragrances. Then there are the two varieties of the unscented bars. So really, it's just three recipes, with different fragrances. I think it's just fragrances that I may have too many of. The article I read suggested making categories to make choosing easier for customers, so I'm giving that some thought, florals, earthy, citrus, etc.

And yes, EGent, there are always those customers who want my face soap, or bastile, made with a particular fragrance, or my basic soap with no fragrance, and I've come to realize that no matter how many soaps I have, there will always be that customer who asks for something I don't have. I'll never be able to make everyone happy!

angelapferr said:

After going to fairs and farmers markets and seeing how many people make soap, I think it is better if you try to concentrate on only a couple of different recipes to stand out from all the other soap makers. Maybe make them all have something in common (for example all be made with beeswax, or all with goats milk) to set you apart.
I went to a fair last week, and the booths where they were selling 30 different types and scents of soap....It was just too many choices. and it made me feel like maybe they were just making many different soaps, but did not know a whole lot about them. I really liked the booths where they sold maybe only 5 or so different types of soaps, but they all came together in someway, like I said before. It made me feel more confident in the soap maker, because they were not just making random recipes and scent mixes. They seemed to be more concentrated and knew more about the soap that they made.

good luck !

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I for one have many different soaps and know all about why I make them. If you make a few types you limit yourself. I have gm soap, oatmeal soaps, avocado, soap with no coconut oil, neem soaps, charcoal soaps and the list goes on. My specialty soaps are my neem soaps. I have a reason for each soap made. When you limit yourself you also limit your potential customers. I also make no olive oil soap. There is always someone allergic to something. I have been selling at open markets for 5 yrs and have tried all methods.

We make over 100 soaps now and daily I am asked to make more. There is literally no bottom to what you can make or what people will want. It is true that repeat customers will want variety and whats new. It is true that if you limit yourself you limit the customer reach in a way,* because you won’t have what people want. However, with each option comes cost, time, inventory, complication and the possibility of watering down your best.

This is a good thread! A reminder (to myself anyway) that you really can't please everybody, and you shouldn't have to. I think when I launch, I'm going to have a basic line and seasonal favorites, plus the occasional offer of something I felt inspired to do. Always appreciate customer input, but keep it simple.

I believe this answer will depend on each soaper's specific circumstances.

Offering fewer choices probably makes more sense for you if you are small-scale soaper, doing this as a side gig, have limited space to store lots of ingredients and curing soaps, and/or serving a small niche of buyers with very specific requests. Alternatively, small soapers can make lots of small batches, including custom batches - if that's what that soaper wants to do.

Offering more options probably makes more sense for you if you are in a storefront or lots of markets, or if you have enough sales volume, storage space, and personal bandwidth (or employees!) to create a wide variety of soaps.

No doubt there are more pluses and minuses to consider based on your specific situation. I like creating option charts where I write those down and can visually compare the different scenarios.

AliOop said:

I like creating option charts where I write those down and can visually compare the different scenarios.

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Could you elaborate?

Sure, here is a sample based on the current topic of discussion:


In the above example, I used Google Sheets to make it easy to paste into this post, but I usually just draw a few lines on a blank piece of paper and jot down whatever comes to mind. This may result in some repetitive or overlapping concerns, and that's ok. The goal is to help me get a clearer picture of what-if's.

Also, just because one column has a lot of pluses or negatives, doesn't mean it is the best or worst choice for me. There may be one plus or negative on the other side that is so much more important to me that it outweighs everything else. The bottom line is that this helps me view the big picture and decide which factors mean the most, what risks I'm willing to take, etc. And on a personal level, this really helps me stop the hamster wheel in my brain, pray, and receive direction and wisdom to make the best decision.

AliOop said:

Sure, here is a sample based on the current topic of discussion:

OPTION CHART
	Many Soap Choices	Limited Soap Choices
Pros	Wider variety of potential buyers may create more sales	Fewer ingredients to track and store
	Keep potential buyers' attention longer while browsing many options	Fewer soaps to track and store
	Keep shelves filled at storefront or market stall	Fewer labels to design, print (or order) and store
		More manageable as a side gig
Cons	Higher up-front investment for more materials, storage space,	More financial risk if my small niche collapes
	labels, tools, etc.	May lose buyers looking for things I don't have
	More time needed for tracking inventory

In the above example, I used Google Sheets to make it easy to paste into this post, but I usually just draw a few lines on a blank piece of paper and jot down whatever comes to mind. This may result in some repetitive or overlapping concerns, and that's ok. The goal is to help me get a clearer picture of what-if's.

Also, just because one column has a lot of pluses or negatives, doesn't mean it is the best or worst choice for me. There may be one plus or negative on the other side that is so much more important to me that it outweighs everything else. The bottom line is that this helps me view the big picture and decide which factors mean the most, what risks I'm willing to take, etc. And on a personal level, this really helps me stop the hamster wheel in my brain, pray, and receive direction and wisdom to make the best decision.

Click to expand...

Thanks @AliOop

At my weekly farmer's market I was bringing 9 different scent diffusers (the glass bottles you hang from the rear view mirror) and they sold like crazy. Thinking I was on to something, I added another stand with 9 more diffusers. After that, I still got sales but not nearly as many as when I only had 9. It may have just been the location; people tend to stroll through the market and don't necessarily want to spend a lot of time at one stall, but I really think they were overwhelmed with 18 choices and it took too long to smell that many.

Of note, I usually brought 12-15 different soaps and I didn't notice the same situation with too many choices for them, although I think a lot of that was people being attracted to a particular color scheme or pattern and if they liked the smell too that was a bonus.

Admittedly, I could be all wrong. LOL