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| Natural Kitchen Broom by BROOMCHICK on Etsy |
Evaluation Time
Take a look at the products you offer in your shop, and answer the following questions about them.
- Are they quality or crap?
- Do they solve a problem for your customer?
- Are they cohesive?
- Do they reflect your identity and brand?
Quality vs Crap
Are you passionate about the products you’re offering to your customers, or are you just listing items to stay at the top of the search engine, have a lot of listings in your shop, & to make a quick buck?
Hopefully your answers were yes, no, no, & no!
When you’re passionate about what you make, you do your darndest to write great titles and descriptions. You take the best pictures you can. You market your product. You use it. You wear it. You give it as gifts. You’re proud of it. You learn how to tweek it & make it better if need be. Bottom line – you INVEST in it.
If you’re not passionate about what you’re making, then trust me, it won’t come across positively to your customers. It’s crap & it will look like crap. You know it & they see it. You’ll have a shop full of stuff that may get sold if it’s cheap enough, but you won’t become a successful shop that’s remembered for it’s awesome products. Return customers? What’s that? You may make a quick buck or two, but you won’t make consistent money.
Problem Solver
Do the products you offer solve a problem for your customer? If not, it needs to! Go read this article by April over at Blackburg Belle. You can read the whole article {in fact, I encourage you to}, but #1 is what I want you to focus on. It’s all about solving problems for your customers with your products.
Cohesiveness
Do all of your products serve the same target market? Do they fit into your shop?If you had to describe what your shop was about in one word, what would it be? For me it’s “baby”. For some it’s “vintage” or “jewelry” or “modern art”. The products that you offer need to reflect that word…what your shop is about. You can separate your products into categories or sections to help guide your customers. Separate them by color, material, or product line, it doesn’t matter as long as they all work together.
Who You Are
You want buyers to know what your shop is about by the products you offer. This is one of the things that will help you be remembered. It’s a part of branding. Maybe your branding is eco-friendly. Do you use eco-friendly materials and packaging? What if your branding is to manly men? Your products, pictures, and descriptions should all have that rough & tough feel to them. Your products need to reflect that idea.
So Spring is just around the corner, and many people will be taking the time to give their homes a good cleaning. Don’t forget to do this to your shop as well!
Leave a comment below telling me the one word that sums your shop up! Don’t forget to include a link to your shop so I can check it out. I’ll even let you know what word pops into my head when I see your products!
hugs, Meagan
This was really helpful! I feel like I’ve been renewing items in my shop that I’ve lost my enthusiasm for, just because I feel like I need to! I’m sooooo going to do a Spring Cleaning sale! Woot!
I think the two words that come to my mind when I see my shop are Crochet and Color.
What do you think?
http://sarahndipities.etsy.com
~Sarah
Sarah @ Sarahndipities recently posted..Whats New Wednesday- A little Ramble
Thanks for your comment Sarah! Spring is a great time for starting fresh. I think everyone goes through the whole process of trying to figure out what their shop is all about & what they want to continue offering. Spring cleaning is great, & I love the idea of a Spring Cleaning sale!
I definitely agree with you about your shop. Crochet & Color come to my mind too. You have a very nice shop! I hope it is super successful for you!