4 Tips For Running a Successful Online Crafts Business
Craft store businesses provide decorative objects made by hand and the necessary supplies for creating such items for shoppers. If you’re taking into consideration the possibility of opening your own store, there’s a lot to be done. Rather than focusing your attention on local stores and craft fairs, you should better head into the digital world. The Internet is undoubtedly the best place to do business, as you can easily market and sell your goods. If you’d like to transform your hobby into a money-making business, reserve your online assets. A website is a must because it provides credibility, not to mention that its’ easier for others to get in touch with you.
Attention must be paid to the fact that running a successful online crafts store isn’t piece of cake. Actually, it’s hard work. If you don’t want your business to fail, you’re going to have to make an effort. Please check out these recommended steps when managing an online crafts store. Maximize the effectiveness of your e-commerce store.
1. Offer things that people actually want to buy
When you make the transition from making things for your own pleasure to selling, you require a change of mindset. To be more precise, you need to market things that people are willing to buy. For instance, candles enjoy a great deal of popularity. People rarely get tired of buying candles to adorn their homes or offer as gifts. Candle-making is, therefore, a craft that’s easy to make and profitable to sell. It’s just one example, needless to say. Other items that you can successfully sell are photo holders, storage boxes, zipper purses, and small terrariums. Consider your potential customers by using some old-fashioned brainstorming. You must know what your customers want before they do.
Of course, you’ll have to include some crafting supplies. The trick is to identify what types of materials might sell and how you can get your hands on them. Sugru is one such example. Sugru is moldable glue that can be used for crafts, DIY, and upcycling. The adhesive sets strong by transforming into a durable silicone rubber. Regardless of what supplies you make available, you have to be in excellent condition. You can work directly with manufacturers or wholesalers. The latter option is the most advantageous one because there’s no need to travel or deal with shipping customs. Have a general idea about what you should include in the inventory and how you should source it.
2. Have beautiful photos
Your online crafts store should have lots and lots of beautiful photos to entice visitors to buy. People should be able to visualize the colors, texture, size, and shape of the handcrafted items. In case you didn’t already know, product images are everything in e-commerce. Not only do they provide visitors instant information but also help them analyze if it’s worth making a purchase. Most importantly, images are sharable, which means that your photos might end up on social media. Maybe you won’t become famous, but at least you’ll gain visibility among consumers. You don’t have to encourage customers to post photos about your brand because they’ll do it anyway.
It’s important to use solely high-quality images. Don’t use photos that contain additional elements because that could lead to confusion. People might get the impression that the items are included in the product list as well. It’s important to incorporate alternate views. You should be able to recreate the experience of the customer walking into the store and being able to choose whatever they want. The point is that you need to showcase your items from different angles to give people a feel of what you’re offering. Last but not least, make sure the photos are consistent. This matters for brand identity.
3. Send abandoned cart emails
Quite often, an Internet user will abandon their shopping cart, without finalizing the purchase. No matter what actually happened, you only have a couple of hours to convince these people to take action. So, what can you do? Well, one option would be to set up abandoned cart emails. In other words, you need to follow up. Perhaps the customer was on the point of buying something when they were interrupted and forgot all about their shopping cart. If you don’t remind them, they won’t even know. Make sure the email is sent right away. If the person leaves the desk, there’s no more hope.
Shopping cart abandonment is pretty common these days and, thankfully, there are ways to combat it. The most important thing is to build trust in your transaction forms. People may be tempted to buy handcrafted stuff and supplies but they’re not willing to complete a lengthy transaction form. It’s understandable that they’re not happy to hand over financial details or their hard-earned money. If you want to convince them to go out of their way, include a recognizable logo, such as the Norton Secured logo. If shoppers recognize the logo, they won’t hesitate to finalize their purchases.
4. Embrace social media
Every craft business has a rough start, so don’t worry if things don’t go too smoothly. Advertising on social media is one of the most cost-effective ways to get your name (and your products) out there. Create helpful tutorials and how-to content. This way, you can introduce the idea of buying handmade products. Since you’re selling online, your presence needs to be both professional and welcoming. Maintain the same tone on all your social media accounts so as not to confuse the audience. Sugru has a brand. You have a brand. Everyone has a brand. What’s important is whether people know it or not.
The fact is that social media is just as important to your business as the products you make. Communicate with your customers directly and nourish relationships that will turn out to be useful in the future. If you can bring people along the creative journey, that’s great. You should try, at least. Sites such as Facebook let you answer people’s questions and interact with the audience, without selling anything. It’s not wasted time.
Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash
