View Full Version : registry feedback
jillwheiner
04-22-2004, 07:38 PM
We own a baby store and are in the process of looking for baby registry software. I would love any feedback from youall on what features you liked and disliked about the site/ store you registrered at. What features would make our store a standout?
Thanks, Jill
Momof3Labs
04-22-2004, 08:19 PM
IMO, the software needs to tie into your inventory system so you can notify a registrant if something is out of stock (if you won't be restocking) or just so people can see if something is in stock when they come to buy. I also like when a registry shows a current price.
Another thing, if you can store purchase information so that the registrant doesn't need a receipt to return something, that would be great. The last thing a new mom needs to keep track of is a pile of gift receipts (though my experience is that most people don't bother to give them).
texaschic
04-28-2004, 12:00 AM
I think a registry would stand out if you knew you could count on it being accurate re: which products had already been purchased. Women talk at the showers...I've found that many people shop the day before the shower and the registry is usually not up to date which is frustrating. It's kind of awkward for the guest of honor to act excited about receiving the same thing three times.
Also, it is nice when it is easy to find the registry items in the store. Most of my experience has been with Babies R Us and it is not easy to find the items. I've often thought some kind of coloring coding would be nice to tell you where to look for a product. However, that may not be an issue in a smaller store.
Best of luck to you.
Lori
www.texaschic.com
s7714
04-28-2004, 12:21 AM
Dislikes:
1. Not being able to setup the registry or add things online (limited online selection) or in some cases edit the registry online.
2. Not being able to locate the items on the registry in the store (when looking at someone else's)
3. Poor or short item descriptions make it hard to find things too.
Likes:
1. Being able to add a note to the registry for the potential buyer to read.
2. Being able to register for generic items like you can at BRU, so if you want receiving blankets, bibs, etc., but don't care which kind you can just specify a qty. and let the people pick them for you.
HTH,
Jennifer
Mommy to Annalia 03/03/03
AvasMama
04-28-2004, 11:03 AM
I registered at Babystyle.com and Babies R Us. Hated Babies R Us for the same reasons as the previous posters -- registry not updated accurately, things are hard to find in the store, etc.
Babystyle was awesome because I could do everything (set-up, updates) online, it updated the registry immediately when an item was purchased, and my favorite feature, it stored the givers' names and addresses so that they were handy for writing thank-yous.
Although not a baby registry, Williams-Sonoma also has a great registry. It is also available completely online, has the thank-you note feature, and best of all, you can return any gift from your registry for cash, not just store credit. I registered there for my wedding and that feature was much appreciated. Might be worth checking out.
Good luck!
Robyn & Ava (1-15-04)
masha12
05-03-2004, 07:17 PM
I agree with everything the above posts say. Babies R Us' registry printouts are all but impossible to understand (I am not even sure what things are on the list that I registered for.)
I will give you two tips if you want to provide not just a typical registry but one that provides outrageous customer service. These are things that would go above and beyond the standard practices in bridal/baby registeries.
(1) Give registrants cash back for returns off the registry with gift receipts. They are probably registering for everything that they could possibly want from your store. There is nothing worse than being "stuck" with store credit when what you really need is a jumbo box of pampers from Target. At the least, give cash back for duplicate items purchased off the registry (i.e., assume responsiblity for when the registry is not updated in time for the second purchaser to know that the item had been purchased).
(FYI: Target told me once that they only give store credit on gift receipts because they believe that if someone bought me something off my registry at Target it was because they wanted me to have something from Target. If you are not going to give cash back, come up with a better excuse than that; I have bought plenty of gifts at Target and never because it was important to me to give something from Target.)
(2) Some stores give registrant's 10% off on items they registered for but did not receive. You know what would be great? If a store gave the gift-givers the same discount off purchases from the registry, or even some lesser amount of discount (say 5%).
I do not know the profit margins of small baby stores and I imagine they are not huge, but giving buyers even a small discount (once word is spread) would not only encourage people to register at your store, but would encourage others to shop for baby gifts there.
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