Artisan Marketplace ArtFire.com Improves Shopper Experience with New Favorites and Patron Account

Tucson, AZ, February 25, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Social shopping is a growing part of online commerce; sites like Pinterest have recently flourished by allowing consumers to easily share and showcase their favorite items. ArtFire.com has updated and redesigned how users "favorite" and share products on the site, overhauling the process of finding and organizing favorites with a new look, a new name and added features.

The new "Favorites" makes adding an item easier with the capability to add items on any page, including search results, shop pages, and item pages. Each item can be added by hovering the mouse over the item and clicking the empty heart icon. The Favorites banner itself can also be used to add an item to a customized list. Users can also specify who sees their Favorites. Lists can be Public (viewed by anyone), Private (only viewed by the user while logged in) or Link Only (viewed by anyone who has been given the link). Link Only is a useful tool for creating wish lists and other social shopping methods.

The shopping experience on ArtFire is also updated via improvements to the buyer account, now called a Patron account. Signing up for a Patron account requires only an email address and a password, or users can also sign-up via Facebook. An added benefit of becoming a Parton is access to shop-wide discounts from many sellers. Individual sellers now have the option to provide shop-wide percentage discounts for ArtFire Patrons. These discounts can only be seen by logged-in shoppers with Patron accounts or fellow sellers.

The Patron account is a means to encourage shoppers to support indie business and artists, by becoming a "Patron" of them. The buyer experience is now more tailored, and sets up the capability for Patron-specific tools and features in the future. Chief Operating Officer for ArtFire Tony Ford notes: “Shoppers expect more from commerce sites today. They expect to be intrigued, surprised, entertained and rewarded for their time, interest and support. The combination of robust, privacy-controlled favoriting in Patron accounts and the added Patron discounts is just the beginning of our focus on improving the shopping experience and recognizing the support of artists and indie business offered by every patron who shops on ArtFire.”

More on ArtFire

ArtFire offers unique selling tools, interactive features, and a culture of community directed development for artisans and small business owners across the globe. ArtFire offers a diverse marketplace where consumers can shop from thousands of storefronts run by independent artisans and businesspeople. The new Favorites and Patron account are two of many features such as Rapid Cart and Coupon Codes that ArtFire continues to roll out in the interest of providing a superior shopping experience.

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