People can do without luxury items. They don’t like going without premium products. Even whilst moaning about the credit crunch shoppers are still splashing out on things they can justify to themselves as “worth it”. Discounter supermarkets were all the rage in 2008 but in 2009 their growth has slowed dramatically. Conversely the premium store Waitrose hasn’t suffered as analysts predicted. Instead it is going strong, showing growth to match Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s according to data from market researcher Taylor Nelson Sofres quoted by The Guardian. Waitrose has introduced a “Essentials” line that is already 13% of sales. Customers are keen to buy Waitrose quality at lower-than-they-were prices even if other supermarkets are offering cheaper goods.
If you think your product is “premium” but your website visitors aren’t buying from you like they should be then it’s time to look at your communication. Great photos and good copy make all the difference in communicating that value and what looks good to you might not look good to your end users.