GCU Forum - more buyer incentives to purchase

GCU Newbies
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Posts: 21

more buyer incentives to purchase
Mar 9^th, 2010, 8:02am

I am new to this site as an artist. I purchased some of my own cards yesterday--11 of them (my only sale so far!). The shipping for those cards was $6.05, which is roughly 50 cents a card. I thought--why would a person buy a card for $2.79, plus 50 cents (for a total of $3.29 a card), when they can go to their local card store or grocery store and get a card for the same price or less? I know you recently had some kind of free shipping offer and now are running an offer for $2.29 a card. I hope there are always incentives for people to buy, keeping in mind the fierce competition out there from other card sources. I myself wouldn't buy a card online if I could go to the store and get one that is just as nice for less money. We need to keep in mind the financial situation that many people are now facing (we are in, after all, the worse economic downturn since the great depression).

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Myrna_134142

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Re: more buyer incentives to purchase
Reply #1 - Mar 9^th, 2010, 8:27am

I believe there are many advantages for GCU, for example in the store you can't have your card personalized. Writing your own inner verse. Requesting a custom card from an artist.

GCU cards are 5 x 7" perfect for frameable art prints.

Many people in the world can't get out to the store and when they do, the really nice cards are over $5.00. Dollar store cards don't compare to the quality of GCU.

GCU has as you mentioned deals on shipping, and where else will you find so many greeting cards from every subject and category under the sun in one place, it is entertaining just to come here and browse the different styles comical, serious, beautiful and unique cards.

Personally I think the buyers are getting a real bargain.

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David_134612

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Posts: 231

Re: GCU cards are the best available
Reply #2 - Mar 9^th, 2010, 8:55am

GCU cards are truely a bargain. The card quality is impressive, delivery is quick, and you can customize . None of the cheap cards in store can match GCU quality. My personal printers are good enough to print most store greeting cards, but i can't come close to matching GCU quality!!. I wish i could print as well as they do on all my printing. The only weakness is can see for GCU cards is in ease of finding and buying cards. There, the local stores have an advantage. When i try to find and buy my own cards, its not easy to find a card, if you dont know card numbers ,name or search words

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Judy_139270

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Posts: 870

Re: GCU cards are the best available
Reply #3 - Mar 9^th, 2010, 9:08am

Quote from David_134612 on Mar 9^th, 2010, 8:55am:

GCU cards are truely a bargain. The card quality is impressive, delivery is quick, and you can customize . None of the cheap cards in store can match GCU quality. My personal printers are good enough to print most store greeting cards, but i can't come close to matching GCU quality!!. I wish i could print as well as they do on all my printing. The only weakness is can see for GCU cards is in ease of finding and buying cards. There, the local stores have an advantage. When i try to find and buy my own cards, its not easy to find a card, if you dont know card numbers ,name or search words

I agree that the quality of GCU cards is impressive. But here in the UK there are plenty of places to buy cards of equal quality for far less money, plus you don't have the shipping charge or have to wait for the delivery. Phoenix Trading sell good quality cards for £1 or even less for quantity and Marks & Spencer now do a £1 range. Charity shops also sell very good quality cards and although they aren't always cheaper than GCU, there are plenty of them and people do like to feel they are helping a charity.

BTW, I am currently carrying out a small-scale survey into card-buying habits in the UK and I'll be posting the results on my blog in a couple of weeks' time -

http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/

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Sandra_137209

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Posts: 195

Re: more buyer incentives to purchase
Reply #4 - Mar 9^th, 2010, 10:07am

One advantage to GCU cards, and one that I would like to see promoted more, is that these are print on demand cards. When you buy a card from a rack in a store, you are buying one of thousands that are printed. If cards are not purchased after a given amount of time, they are pulled off the racks and destroyed. A waste of our natural resources.

I think promoting the "green" aspect of GCU is something that needs to be emphasized more.

Sandra F

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Doreen_137017

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Posts: 5274

Re: more buyer incentives to purchase
Reply #5 - Mar 9^th, 2010, 10:33am

Many great points made here. Keep in mind, that here in the US anyway, postage for a card is nearly 50-cents at this point, add that to the gas to get to a store with a good selection of cards and there isn't any difference. I also agree with Myrna, most cards with equal or better quality in a store rack are more than $2.79.

For folks who don't have precious time to get out to buy a card and for those who travel a lot, GCU offers a great option. They can even choose cards for several upcoming occasions, address them and have them sent on the dates they wish so they don't have to worry about getting cards out on time.

I sell just about as many cards at Zazzle as I do here and people are paying more for them there, they don't seem to mind.

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Leonilde_137327

Senior Member
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Posts: 360

Re: more buyer incentives to purchase
Reply #6 - Mar 9^th, 2010, 12:02pm

Quote from Sandra_137209 on Mar 9^th, 2010, 10:07am:

One advantage to GCU cards, and one that I would like to see promoted more, is that these are print on demand cards. When you buy a card from a rack in a store, you are buying one of thousands that are printed. If cards are not purchased after a given amount of time, they are pulled off the racks and destroyed. A waste of our natural resources.

I think promoting the "green" aspect of GCU is something that needs to be emphasized more.

Sandra F

-----------
Hi Sandra,
I am with you on this. This green aspect is a fantastic GCU advantage and should be our major marketing slogan.

On the other hand, I, personally, do not like the shipping fee and I have seen many complain about it too.

I have a suggestion to the Administration: examine the market and find out how you could sell the cards covering the shipping expenses in the card price. I think the psychological effect would have a gain in card sales.

Another idea: have a permanent offer of free shipping for 10, 15, 20, or 25 cards. Whatever is economically sensible and addresses the average customer.

Just as an example "Redbubble" offers free shipping if you buy three calendars and it operates from Australia.
Leonilde

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Karen_137659

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Posts: 333

Re: more buyer incentives to purchase
Reply #7 - Mar 9^th, 2010, 12:46pm

The big selling point for me is I don't have to leave my house to buy or send a card. If I have GCU mail it directly to the recipient the postage is all I pay. If you purchase just one card, just to get an idea of the quality, 50 cents is a good investment. But I see your point. Times are tough. Still the quality and personalization GCU offers, I believe is worth it.

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Gina_139917

GCU Newbies
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Posts: 21

Re: more buyer incentives to purchase
Reply #8 - Mar 9^th, 2010, 1:12pm

My point for more incentives is to draw those people in who might go to the store instead and buy a card there (maybe while already at the grocery store)--maybe a cheaper card. Take a look at many of the online stores. They offer incentives all the time to get people to buy their products. That's the reality of doing business now. Kohl's, which offers discounts and incentives all the time, is one of the few retailers out there making money at this tough economic time, because their buyers know they are getting a good deal. And as for someone suggesting the fact that you can go to the store and pay $5.00 for a nice card (which I have never, ever paid)...I was given a nice looking card (from a large card company) the other day by someone who paid a mere 99 cents for it. Was it personalized before she got it home to sign it? no. Did I care? no. Now, why would my friend go online and pay over $3.00 to buy a card that she may think isn't any nicer? That is my point. Maybe there are buyers out there willing to pay over $3.00 (and I hope for my sake there are!). But, I was addressing the people who do not have the money to pay that all the time. They are out there and are potential customers too. I still think there have to be more price reduction incentives. Just my opinion...

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Mindy

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Posts: 6567
Gender: female

Re: more buyer incentives to purchase
Reply #9 - Mar 9^th, 2010, 3:26pm

Good points however we almost always have a special promotion (discount per card price or free shipping) to make $$ more attractive.

Purchasing a card at the local card store or grocery just doesn't get anymore convenient. We cannot compete with that kind of convenience and do not plan to. However, we can cater to online inclined shoppers and homebound shoppers.

GCU's niche is really uncommon & unusual cards, cards you will not find at your local card store or grocery store.

In hard economic times businesses of course are hit too. Our card prices are not the highest nor the lowest online. Our shipping fees (which are set by our printing partner not GCU) take into consideration the handling, packing materials and shipping costs, there is little to no fat here. Lastly postage (direct to recipient) is based on actual postage, no wiggle room here either.

With that and other benefits artists have mentioned here GCU is a pretty good value.

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Gina_139917

GCU Newbies
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Posts: 21

Re: more buyer incentives to purchase
Reply #10 - Mar 10^th, 2010, 9:02am

Glad to hear that GCU always has incentives to buy. Look at Amazon.com. They always have free shipping, if a person makes a purchase over $25--a good incentive to buy on their site. They must know something--being one of the largest online retailers. I will buy from them over a retailer that doesn't offer free shipping, as it makes good financial sense to do so.

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Patricia_132015 Senior Member artist Posts: 407	Re: more buyer incentives to purchase Reply #11 - Mar 25^th, 2010, 12:02pm Unless you have a great laser printer and buy the card stock paper you like to print on and know how to use it, this GCU is a better way to do that and more people get to see your cards instead of being in a dust pile somewhere .
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mikki_140460 GCU Newbies artist Posts: 11	Re: more buyer incentives to purchase Reply #12 - Mar 25^th, 2010, 1:47pm I have to say as far as shipping, the packaging is very sturdy and you know your cards are safe. GCU does have good quality cards. Just my 2 cents Mikki
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