Craft Revolution’s Indie Friendly program is designed to help shoppers find the best places on the web to shop indie. Each site that is submitted is reviewed by CR staff and rated on several important factors. Only sites that meet these guidelines are granted inclusion in the Indie Friendly Directory. Items that are marked “recommended” are not mandatory, but strongly suggested as they make a website much easier to navigate.
Indie Friendly Guidelines
Site Design
An indie friendly site will exhibit the following design characteristics:
- Clean, uncluttered pages
- Simple, clear fonts
- Concise, professional language
- Attractive, professional graphics and product photos
- Complete, detailed product descriptions
Company Policies
An indie friendly site will clearly post the following policies in a location that is easily found:
- Order and payment processing
- Expected shipping time
- Shipping methods and charges
- Return policy (including time period allowed after purchase)
- Privacy policy
We recommend that Company Policies have a prominent link in the main site navigation. However, inclusion in an FAQ or About Us page is acceptable if the policies are easily located and contain all of the information outlined above.
Site Navigation
An indie friendly site?s navigation structure will have the following characteristics:
- Navigation is easily located (preferably in same place on each page)
- Font is clear and easy to read
- Descriptive categories and subcategories that make it convenient to find specific items
- Each page has a link back to the home page (recommended)
- Each page has a link to shopping cart/checkout (recommended)
- Each page has a link to contact the company (recommended)
Payments Area
An indie friendly site?s payment area will have the following characteristics:
- Payment pages are secure (https://)
Truth In Advertising
An indie friendly site will adhere to a ‘Truth In Advertising’ policy. By this, an indie friendly site agrees to refrain from using language or graphics on their website which deceives the customer. This includes taking the time to explain a product to the customer, providing full information on the materials used, assuring the buyer that they are going to get the product they expect.