Question about additional product offerings

[Karebear98]

I do not see where Bay Photo offers albums or other products I might be interested in. Can we use other products in our carts that aren't offered through Bay Photo in connection to Smug Mug? If so, how?

[Tom]

You can't put products from other vendors in your cart.

I've got no clue about albums, but the best way to sell an album would be to custom design it for them, not letting them stick pics in through Smugmug's cart service. That is a product that you can really make a lot of profit on if you do it right. Check out forbeyon.com and fineo.com for some custom album options. Forbeyon is based here in Texas.

[Karebear98]

Thanks Thomas...I appreciate your help. I'm guessing then I would simply create, order, and provide the album to them during packaging, yes?

[Tom]

A lot of people do it different ways. We presell albums with our weddings. Then we predesign it and charge them for all revisions after the first one.

Since you do portraits, the best way to sell them isn't online. Online is probably the worst way to sell. You want to do a client consultation in their home or in yours. Show them different size products and show then how things would fit and how they can design a wall around your pictures. Being there creates a need to buy then, and being online means they can just look at it whenever they want.

If buying is an emotional process, people tend to spend more. If you have time to think about it (online buying) then people spend lots less.

Focus and show big products - albums, canvases, prints. You will never make money selling wallets and desk prints. The money is in the big things, and people don't buy the big things online.