Need help with Copy "Guarantee" Ideas

Esteban,
The first thing I recommend you do is some market research. See what your competitors are offering or what similar markets offer as a guarantee.

For instance, here is one I dug up on Google:

Your total satsifaction with your purchase is essential to me. If you're ever unhappy with something you receive, please e-mail me at ChefEsteban@myonlinebakerystore12345.com or call 1-800-555-1234 and I will give you a full refund or provide a free replacement or subsititution of equal value.

This site had a not so prominent "satisfaction gurantee" ribbon on the right hand side of his page. You had to click through to get to the actual guarantee.

When you are looking at the guarantee, don't think from a scarcity point of view (the customers are going to take advantage of me). Rather, think of how many people who are on the fence, trying to decide if they will buy from you, will end up buying because of your guarantee.

Give a full and open guarntee and happily provide the refund and replacement. The chances are you will have happier customers who will use you time and time again for their bakery needs.

As for the loosers who will take advantage, well there isn't a whole lot you can do about that. Test your offer and if you have an unreasonable number of people who are going for the refund, and it has a negative impact on your bottom line, then test a different guarantee.

At that time, AND ONLY at that time, make them jump through some hoops to get your guarntee. Making it harder will reduce the number of returns. But, it will also tick off your customers who have a real issue they need taken care of.

Good luck Esteban,
Scott Voss

Yeah, you will need to go a little wider. That's what I meant by similar markets.

There are tons of bakeries online. The basic business model is the same, just the sub-niche is different (and they ALL sell bread).

As for the guarnatee language, seriously consider testing something along the lines of what I posted earlier. I think you will be pleased with the results. I use a very similar one on one of my sites and I don't have any problems with returns (and it is a physical product, but not bread).


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OK, now that I have said all of that. I have a question for you specific to her business. Is she selling anything online, or is this esentially a brochure/menu site to get people to come into her store?

If that is the case, then your intended action for the visitor is not to purchase. Rather it is to have them come into the store. I am not sure how valuable a guarantee would be in getting someone to make a visit to the store. The guarantee is more of a point-of-sale decision influencer (if that makes any sense how I just stated it).

If that is the case, then the market research would be in the form of going to other restaurants/bakeries/etc. and seeing what their guarantees are and how they display them.

Take care and good luck,
Scott

I'd just go along the lines of "If this isn't the best damn whatever bread you've ever tasted in your whole entire LIFE, I'll give you your money back in full with a big feckin' smile on my face" - Expand on it a little to make sound more appealing (whatever great qualities the bread has etc) and maybe make your guarantee even bolder (I'll give you another loaf free)...

...Which are things I'm guessing your mum has to do anyway for complainers, who won't ever go away.

At the end of the day it's a matter of testing, but new business from big and bold guarantees tend to outweigh an increase in refunds (if there are any); at least that's what I'm told anyway.

Colm