as someone who's been selling handmade stuff online for a while, it's not unusual to get questions from newer shops seeking advice on how to improve their shops or boost their sales. i was delighted to get a really fantastic question from TheFancyLamb this week. she asked:
I really like the idea of releasing a NEW cohesive product line, with
many items that coordinate but are still differentiated. But I have
this dilemma when it comes to this type of undertaking: theoretically
speaking, I want to make a big splash by releasing a high volume of
items that fall into that product line. But it scares me to put the
time and money into creating said line without having any idea if it
will be well received and most importantly, if it will SELL.
How
do you deal with this viscous cycle? Do you release a few items and see
if they sell (which may decrease the “splash” factor)? Does the lack of
a "splash" factor in turn decrease the sales that you might otherwise
have if you released an entire line? Or do you take your chances and
release a full new line (and maybe it flops)? Does one even need to
have “product lines” or am I being way too uptight about this concept?
i love this question because it's so darn thoughtful and doesn't expect there to be any quickfire way to a successful shop.
to be honest, in over 3 years
selling online and all my attempts at making a splash, i don't think i've ever been able to successfully achieve one. some people seem to be able to, but i haven't figured out how. my advice is instead to focus less on a canon ball effect and more on building things slowly.
as most people who've been reading my blog for some time know, i've
built my line incredibly slowly - i started with the bike diagram, then i added the turntable and
sewing machine. then came the cameras. then this year when i began working on girlscantell full time, i began really investing in materials wholesale, and
releasing a new diagram every week - i was convinced i was making a
decent splash each week.
until one day i realized i wasn't having success because i was making any kind of splash,
but mostly, i was creating some depth in my shop. which is so much
better - splash fades fast and the
internet is quick to forget how awesome you are unless you keep
reminding them.
releasing a new design
regularly was a great move because it not only gave me
something to talk about often (having a blog worth reading is crucial to having a strong online business, in my opinion), but the
variations appealed to more and more people. now I
wasn't just selling to people who like bikes, i was selling
to people who like baking and gardening and cameras and anatomical drawings
and planes and everything else you could imagine.
enough about my shop: if you browse around, all of the most
successful shops - the people who are making a good living doing this - have one thing in common:
really strong, cohesive, almost identifiably recognizable lines. everything carries through - their brand, their blog, their photos,
their banner, their products. it all makes sense together.
taking the time to really consider what you're putting out there is not overthinking at all. if you have a
strong concept, as i noted in the business card how-to, that makes it 100% easier for everything else
to fall into place.
