Tuesday, July 31, 2012

August Fragrance of the Month

With the specials and sales of Christmas in July, I did not offer a fragrance of the month.  And I'm so excited bringing back the Fragrance of the Month special, featuring, this August.....

COCONUT

All Coconut fragranced products are priced 10% off the entire month!!  These fragrances include:

Customer favorite COCONUT MILK:

Coconut 12 oz. jar candles are only $14.85; tea lights 6 for $5.40; and votives  4 for $9.00

Coconut Milk is a summer and tropical favorite fragrance any time of year.  I must admit, I'm not a coconut person, but I believe the milk added to the base brings a milder, richer fragrance to this Caribbean classic.

Longing for Key West COCONUT LIME:

In addition to candles, all coconut fragrances are available in reed diffuser oils, fragrance sprays, and bath & body products.

All I can say is YUM!!!  Rich, fragrance Coconut combined with decadent Key Lime makes me long for Margaritaville!  Bring on the salt!

And new this year is COCONUT GREEN TEA:

I love Coconut Green Tea in bath & body products.  Find your exotic spa here!

The luxury of Coconut has been well described.  While I don't often offer Green Tea as a complement, yet alone as a fragrance of its own, its addition to green tea is just....perfect.  I love the combination of exotic and spa. And as I said, I'm not really a coconut person.  But I just love this fragrance in the bath and body care products.

I hope you will too!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Etsy Shop Review: CloudNineDesinz

Today I'd like to introduce you to Mandee, the creative owner of CloudNineDesigns. Please take some time to get to know her and to visit her store!

Bright Green, Blue and Black Swirl Dangle Earrings

This is my favorite item from her store.  Aren't they fun?

********************************************************************************

 My name is Mandee and I am 31. After the company my husband and I both worked for at 6 years closed in January, I decided to turn my hobby of making jewelry and gifts into a business. Words, music and nature are the biggest items that influence me. I like bright, fun colors because I want people to be happy.

(In her introduction, Mandee says she's been known to buy a dozen roses, just to hand them out to see people smile!)

Here are some featured products from my store:

Heart Key Chain with Swarovski Crystals


Teal, Blue and Green Crystal Bracelet



Black and Gold Speckled Hoop Earrings

Purple, Black and Silver Beaded Heart Charm Necklace


Antique Brass Flower Cameo Necklace



The product that I am most proud of is making a custom order for someone. Especially when it is important to them, for example on their wedding. Everyone likes different items and I want my buyer to be happy with what I have created for them and to remember that special day. These are beach themed bracelets for a wedding I just did.


My products can also be found at http://cloudninedesignz.com/.

This is my full time job and blogging. You can read my blog that includes recipes, tutorials at : http://www.lifechaosandquotes.blogspot.com.


Please follow my tweets at:

Please follow my pins at:

You can also find me on:

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Treasuries!

I love being able to celebrate the talents of others! Aside from the natural talent so many shop owners possess, quite a few also possess the ability to create "treasuries", or shopping list ideas for potential buyers. I am so lucky to be featured in these treasuries, and wanted to use today's blog posting not only to share these beautiful features with my readers, but also to thank the artisan curators for including my products.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Consignment Selling Lessons Learned, Part 2

As we discussed in last week's post on Consignment Selling Lessons Learned, Part 1, selling your products in consignment shops is often an artisan's first foray into the retail world.  Following are more lessons I've learned:

5.) Product placement gives you the opportunity to see what will sell on a larger scale. Many of you may sell on Etsy, Artfire, or a similar venue in which you most likely sell one product at a time.  In doing so, it can be difficult to get a feel for what customers really want to buy.  Selling on a larger scale also teaches you how to "mass produce" your product.  As an artisan of home fragrance, one of the selling points on my Etsy shop is that each candle is made to order, so it's easy for me to work in small batches.  Even creating six similar items for one store teaches some good production lessons on planning for economies of scale from supply inventory to packaging.  Mass production lessons apply even if you aim for each item to be a unique creation.

6.) Watch your inventory. This was huge for me.  At one time I considered myself fortunate to have my products in four stores.  Yes, all consignment.  This was a great opportunity for me, especially since all four stores were in separate geographic locations and my "reach" was growing.  However, when I decided not to renew my contract in one store and when another store decided to close for the season, not only were my opportunities halved, but I was faced with bringing my inventory home.  Over six cases of product.  I hadn't realized just how much money I had spent stocking these stores.  Nor did I realize what six cases of product would mean back in my home.  I'm still selling it off.  My practice now is to provide no more than two cases of product unless/until my product really moves.

7.) Talk to the owner/manager about your product. Just because there is more risk on the artisan rather than the owner in stocking the store doesn't mean the owner isn't interested in your product.  Your wares would not be in the store if the owner did not think they could sell.  In talking to the owner/manager, you can get a better perspective of what sells in the store. Rather than simply dropping off product, I've actually asked the owner what fragrances and product would work.  And I've been surprised. I can't seem to sell one item of  Herb Garden on Etsy, yet it's flying off the shelf in one store - and it would not be had I not asked the owner what she might like.  In talking with another owner, I was able to secure a better booth location, ability to use their displays and to place signage in their windows.

8.) Any store (regardless of retail type) give your product credibility. Once I landed my first store, it became much easier to approach other stores and to talk about my ability to provide a product solution. The stores that carry my product are in various geographic locations and are none the wiser that all venues are consignment.  And it's taught me to talk their language.  I can now discuss wholesale costs, payment terms, and minimum orders with an authority I gained from all the combined lessons I've learned.

So if you're considering selling retail but don't know where to start, check out some area consignment shops. Hopefully you'll learn some good business skills, make some sales, and gain the confidence and creativity to grow your business in new ways!

Happy sales!

Dorene

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Consignment Selling Lessons Learned, Part 1

You have a product you know is quality....friends help you and buy a few...you have a few online sales...and then what? The business side of your brain knows you need volume sales in order to make a profit, and the realist side of you wonders how in the world you're going to make that happen....when, lo and behold, a retail opportunity presents itself to you.

To the "outside" world, it's retail. To the business owner, it's....gulp....consignment.

Many products actually make their way to market via the consignment path.  There's nothing wrong with that.  However, just as with any business practice and venture, there are best practices.  While I certainly am not in a position to give you best practices with regard to consignment selling, I can certainly share a few lessons I've learned over the past year my products have been in consignment stores:

1.)  Visit the store.  Does it bring in the type of customer who would buy your product? Does your price point fit with the other products? Visiting the store is my first decision making factor.  Before you commit to a consignment arrangement, take some time to visit the store, to see the other products being sold, and to watch the customer base.  Is the owner in it for the long haul?  Will your product "fit" with others being sold? Do the customers coming through the door fit your existing customer base?  Don't be afraid to say no at this point - for the good (on this point) the burden is on you. 

2.) Understand the pricing model.  Not every consignment contract is alike.  I've been in five stores, all with a variety of contracts from straight booth rent, to straight commission.  In one store, it's my responsibility to pay sales tax; in another it was an expectation to contribute to the marketing budget. Each contract arrangement is unique to the store but should still provide an overall profit.  Which leads to price....

3.) Your prices don't have to be the same in every store, but they should be in the same range. Since every store will have it's unique contract arrangement, you made need to adjust your prices accordingly in order to retain the profit margin. In my case of candles, I don't have the volume of a large national chain in which my sales would justify a $14.95 price point for the same product in Kohl's, Walmart, or Target. However, if a customer is shopping my product from store to store, the range of $16.50 to $18.00 for the same item feels reasonable.


4.) Don't expect the venue to do the selling for you. Some consignment ventures are established on strong business models, but not all.  Not all consignment ventures have a strong marketing budget.  While I don't pay to advertise my products in a retail environment, I do use social and electronic media to promote what's new in each store or to support their social media marketing efforts.  Because they did not buy your product to resell, you are the one taking the risk and should bear a portion of the burden for the sale.

That's a lot for one post! I'll follow up on the rest of the lessons I've learned from consignment selling in a later post.  I welcome you to post your feedback and experiences below.

Until then,

Dorene


Sunday, July 8, 2012

Christmas In July!

Now is a great time to begin stocking up on your Christmas and other gift giving purchases. Candles, home fragrances, and bath & body products make great stocking stuffers, gifts for teachers and co-workers, and "just because" items. For the entire month of July, I have two sales to offer to you:

  • FREE SHIPPING - That's right - Free Shipping on all orders over $50. Free shipping is valid for U.S. customers only. For international and local customers, one free candle ($16.50 value) may be substituted. If your purchase is made through my Etsy store, shipping will be refunded to you within 24 hours of purchase.
  • BUY ONE GET ONE 50% OFF - Tea lights and 7 oz. cocktail glass candles are available for $3.00 and $3.75 each when purchased with a regularly priced item. Please see my BOGO store section for available products.
All products, are more, are just an email away or available online at www.DLitesbyDorene.Etsy.com. Stock up now!

P.S. If you are hosting a Christmas in July sale, please feel free to post it in your comment!

 

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

And the winner is.....

I've written before about a team I've joined on Etsy, the Promotional Frenzy Team.  We are a group of 85 sellers with a variety of product, who come together to promote each other's products on Etsy and on the Internet.  Our team leaders have put together several promotions to help all of us with the Christmas in July retail season. 

One of those promotions is a daily contest on Pinterest.  All that is required to enter the contest is to comment on the image.  I invite you to check out our board here for the daily offerings.  My giveaway was on Monday, and unfortunately, I did not realize mine would be featured so soon, which is why my blog posting was extremely and unusally brief. 

Regardless, today I have the opportunity to inform you that the winner is.....

Gari Anne Kosanke of Bead Lovers Korner!

Thank you to everyone who entered.  There  are some wonderful products being offered by the team - watch the board and enter for your chance daily!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Pinterest contest!

Want a chance to win a free candle? Follow the link here for instructions and more information!

Click here to go to the contest site
Good luck!
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