A lot of trend lists simply share common themes they see on fashion runways. But those “trends” don’t always translate to consumers, and/or sales. To create my trend lists each year I use tools that analyze search volumes and traffic to website and product listings to determine exactly which products are seeing an increase in…

Valentine’s Day is a holiday you can work with to give your craft business’s sales a boost in the first quarter of the year.  This article shares tips for marketing your products, as well as product ideas you can sell at craft shows and online, and keywords you may want to use online to drive…

Your business’s audience is the group of people you’re creating products for. With the endless possibilities of products you could make and people you could market and sell to, your audience must be more specific than “women who like jewelry”, “people who need art” or “those who like to support local and handmade”. A business’s audience is broken down…

You don’t have to wait for a new year to hit the refresh button on your business; you can turn things around at any point.  The only requirement before jumping into change is looking back and reviewing what has brought you to where you are now; especially if you want to improve results. Let’s use…

It sounds contradictory, but the purpose of a loss leader is to make your business more money. In general, profit should be built into every product’s price. But in some cases, it may be beneficial for your business to NOT profit from a sale.  This article explains what a loss leader strategy is, how it…

For many businesses, the last quarter of the year is the highest revenue generating quarter. Consumers are looking for deals, items they want to put on their Christmas wish list, and shopping for gifts to give.  Make sure your business is prepared for those shoppers by taking the following 7 steps.   1 – Set…

For most craft businesses and Etsy shops, the months leading up to Christmas generate the most revenue.  Here are 5 easy ways to boost that holiday revenue even higher this year.   1 – Gift cards/certificates Sell digital gift cards that can be redeemed in your Etsy shop, on your craft business’s website, or even…

I love behavioural science and learning more about the psychology behind purchasing decisions.  If you want more people to speak highly of your business and return to buy again, you must ensure they hold a good opinion of your business and its products. And whether or not someone perceives your business and/or products as good or…

Stocking stuffers tend to be smaller, lower-priced items. “Lower priced” will be different for each business, and depend on its target market. To some, $5 is lower-priced while others consider $30 lower-priced.  How much time and money you spend on stocking stuffer items should reflect your target market and the quality and price they’ll expect.  Most…

There are no guarantees that what you make will sell. But there are a few places I like to look for clues that an item is popular before spending money on materials and time on production.  It’s also important to have a good idea of what’s out there and if you can offer something better…

I created this “trend” list a little differently than my other trend lists (e.g. this year’s craft trends). This list is based on products that are commonly purchased for the holiday season either for gifts, decorating, or hosting. I’ve listed items that are showing high search volumes and appear to be on an upward trend heading…

Whether you sell your handmade products on Etsy or through your website, search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial to your online shop’s success. SEO is a complicated subject and search engines (e.g. Google, Etsy’s search engine) are constantly changing the algorithm so people can’t “cheat the system”.  I’ve found, SEO doesn’t have to be that…

People are feeling the effects of inflation. Many resources are predicting that inflation will impact how shoppers behave and buy this holiday season. Here are a few examples of these sources: source 1, source 2, source 3. Whether you’re seeing your customers’ shopping habits change due to inflation or not, these tips will help your…

Social media is most commonly used by small business owners to market their products, brand, and business. But it’s NOT the most effective form of marketing. It can be frustrating to deal with a platform’s algorithm updates and getting your posts to actually reach your followers. When you use these 3 tips and change your…

If you’re like me and have a strong dislike for social media (to put it mildly), you’ll appreciate these marketing alternatives.  Social media platforms are often here today, gone tomorrow. And during their time in the sun, they make changes overnight that can cut your reach in half or make it hard to grow your…

Most small business owners rely heavily on social media for marketing. But social media can be the least effective marketing method and trying to keep up with the algorithm changes is frustrating.  If you feel like you’re spinning your tires when it comes to social media, but you’re not ready to throw in the towel,…

Whether you’re selling online through Etsy or at craft shows, taking the time to calculate conversion rates can improve your sales in a matter of days. It’s often ignored by small business owners, but it’s something every successful business (and every large corporation I’ve worked for) does on a regular basis.  This task is a…