Gaining momentum with new e-commerce business

[Mr. R]

Hi all,

I am an artist currently developing a range of illustrations to sell online. I have been looking into building a Shopify (or similar) store through which I intend on selling items embellished with my designs. Initially, T-shirts look like a good way to begin (perhaps drop-shipping them?).

Would you advise generating Instagram/Facebook/Twitter hype first, before investing in the site and its launch?

What would a good, low cost way of gaining initial momentum be?

One thought I had would be to use a print on demand service like zazzle (I know they're shit, but hear me out...) as a sort of 'placeholder' business while I build social media momentum - then phase in a proper e-commerce store to replace the zazzle one when I'm satisfied with my social media marketing framework.

Thoughts?

 

[arnydnxluk]

Get yourself on social media and start connecting with people straight away, it's never too early to start building your brand - both personally and as your business. I wouldn't expect any kind of 'hype' unless you already have a heavy network around you and an excellent, unique product with wide appeal.

I completely agree on getting some kind of prototype up quickly, try to validate the business as early on as possible with the least spend possible. No doubt your designs play a huge role here but I'd imagine the quality of clothing is just as important to your customers? If so, I wouldn't bother with the Zazzle route if you're not happy with them. Instead source the clothing and manage the printing/delivery yourself. Granted this will be more complicated but you can't be selling products which you acknowledge yourself as being rubbish. Remember these first customers can make or break your business - referrals, reviews, repeat orders, social media.

If you don't have the funds to stock different variations originally, I would simply stock and print on demand. This will slow the delivery but your customers will likely be understanding and doing this can even give a more authentic feeling to the brand. Needless to say keeping the number of designs low will also help keep things simple during the validation stage. Later on you can then scale things up, hold stock and increase your profits.

 

[marble_pars]

You are about to enter one of the most crowded markets so you will need to do something truly unique to have an impact. I've seen so many people going into this kind of area and still not have a sale after 1 year.

I would suggest getting out there, yes do the social media but don't rely on it. Go to markets, craft shows anything that is vaguely related to what you do. Send samples to fashion bloggers or other artists and get them to mention you/write reviews.

 

[Stu33]

I launched a business selling my own print designs in Nov last year. I started on Etsy, thinking I'd get a few sales a month, with zero intention of launching my own site. Turns out people like them. I'm doing 2-3 orders a day now for multiple prints, I launched a Shopify store in May, and I'm now moving into T shirts and other goods. I'm using print on demand for these as I don't want the risk of stocking so many variations. If they sell well, then I'll buy in stock. It's just a part time hobby for me right now after I finish the day job.

Instagram drives all of my traffic. I've gone from nothing to having 9000 followers since December. So I'd say:

1. Get on social media - build a niche for yourself, encourage engagement from followers. Instagram works best for me. Twitter/Facebook not so much.
2. Start on Etsy - it's easy and low risk, plus there's active shoppers on there - I still get a good amount of sales there despite not promoting the Etsy store anywhere
3. Run promos / or outreach campaigns via chosen blogs with slightly larger follower numbers. When I first started I would ask people with 1000 followers to repost my stuff, now I'm asking people with 30-40k followers to post stuff, and that will continue.
4. Shopify works for me. Once you feel you've got a solid customer base, launch your own store, it'll give you more control over the brand.

 

[fisicx]

Instagram drives all of my traffic.

This is a case where SM works. It's a niche business (like yours @Mr. R) selling a product that is very visual and desirable. I doubt it would work so well if you were selling drain covers.

But consider multi-channel selling. Use SM but list on Etsy, gumtree, set up a cheap site and do the local shows. We went to an event the other day and their was a local artist selling his designs on t-shirts and other apparel - the designs, printing and material quality were fantastic, people were queuing up to buy them.

 

[antropy]

I launched a business selling my own print designs in Nov last year. I started on Etsy, thinking I'd get a few sales a month, with zero intention of launching my own site. Turns out people like them. I'm doing 2-3 orders a day now for multiple prints, I launched a Shopify store in May, and I'm now moving into T shirts and other goods.

Nice, what sort of designs do you do?

 

[Stu33]

Nice, what sort of designs do you do?

It's typographic based cycling prints, based on pro cycling races and routes, although I'm just about to partner with a pro cycling photographer to expand the range.

 

[Nochexman]

...I am an artist currently developing a range of illustrations to sell online...

This is the crux of answering your question: what sort of illustrations are you developing and who are you developing them for? Answering these two questions may take you a long way towards answering your 'what would you advise' question. Good luck!

 

[NicoleW]

Absolutely agree with the suggestion to already start social media marketing on various channels. You might also do well with Pinterest, so add this to your instagram and facebook efforts. Build your esty store and once you have a spare minute, work on blog posts and content marketing.

 

[fisicx]

Executive Assistant and SEO Professional at British Online Boutique Song of Jewellery!

That's probably the longest job title we've seen on UKBF for a long time. Not even Dances with Poodles was that effusive.

 

[Steve Alphabet]

If going down the social media route, always get people's email addresses so you can contact them directly.

Use Facebook/Pinterest etc and you're always at their mercy – it's their platform and they can change the rules whenever they want, eg deleting that group you've spent years building up, or deciding to charge you £££ to reach your audience.

Drive traffic to your own site, and when people arrive offer a discount or some sort of incentive in exchange for their email address.

 

[Prettycool]

WE are in the same boat. Just not got the time to spend on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. I realise people say we must do this but how can we justify r.o.i!

 

[NicoleW]

Executive Assistant and SEO Professional at British Online Boutique Song of Jewellery!

That's probably the longest job title we've seen on UKBF for a long time. Not even Dances with Poodles was that effusive.

hahaha, now that you are putting it this way.... it is long indeed..

 

[jamieclick]

Hey Mr R. You've got some great feedback here but I'll just chuck in my views.

Firstly, social media for something like this is a must, loads of (quality) images, get people engaging and grow your base.

I wouldn't launch your own website until you are in a position to invest a decent amount into it, it's hard enough to a customer to your site as it is, to get them back a second time if they have an issue or the site doesn't work is just near impossible.

What I would do (and this is just my idea, I'm not saying it's the right way) is just have a nice looking coming soon page with some great images and run a monthly competition for a free T-shirt while things grow, just make sure that for an entry you get an email address from them as an email address is a very powerful marketing tool if used correctly!

Good luck with your new venture and feel free to give me a shout if you have any questions at all!!

Jamie

 

[Mia @ Shippo]

The feedback you've already received is brilliant - but if you'd like a few extra tips we've recently curated a tips list I think you may be interested. It's a list of Over 50 Tips, Tricks and Helpful Pieces Of Advice from E-Commerce experts that's split into different sections; you may find the promotional section helpful. In case you don't have time (or maybe your brain just hurts from information overload already!) I've shared a few of my favourite that I think may be relevant to you below:

• Build relationships with influencers - if you're selling T-Shirts, this could be a helpful tip to gain some exposure.

“We really, really like bloggers for our niche store. So if you’ve got a niche product, don’t be afraid to reach out to the community of bloggers that suit your product. Offer them samples and let them know of your sales. They’ll get you free publicity, and their word will be a lot stronger with their readers than your own words ever will be!” – BigCommerce

• Look for where your target audience already is – forums like Reddit, for example.

“I started by sharing the Corgi Low Rider Tee on the popular subreddit /r/shutupandtakemymoney on launch day of the store. It’s not a targeted audience by any means – the only advantage is that everyone who is in this community wants to spend money. I swear, people who browse this subreddit have their credit cards in hand.And that, proved to be the golden ticket to an unexpected blast off.

- good luck with your business! (link removed - mod)

 

[Rockpapercopy_biz]

I agree, gaining popularity on Instagram is important, even before the launch. You can grow your follower numbers, create a valuable content, build relations and eventually team up with others to help you grow further. Once you launch your website, simply add a link in your bio and get traffic almost instantly from your devoted fans. Twitter works better in B2B sector and Facebook is great to connect with 30+ market. But Instagram is fantastic for your niche. Also definitely capture email addresses at any stage. Email marketing currently drives most of our revenue, so you will eventually focus on this once you get more subscribers, in order to boost your sales. Good luck!

 

[Mr. R]

Thanks so much for all of your help, I'm going to take a bit of time to digest each suggestion properly. My designs are also developing nicely in preparation for everything, I'm itching to get going!

 

[Black Bird]

Starting off with Social Media is definitely the way to go and should be kept even if you outreach to other marketing channels. I would also suggest considering trends and designing t-shirts accordingly which I have seen sell pretty well on eBay.

I personally prefer Pay Per Click (i.e. Google Adwords and Bing Ads), despite it being a saturated market, the trick lies in finding keywords that don't have that much traffic. These keywords are usually ignored by the big brands and most likely to be cheap to bid on and will accumulate to a decent instant traffic to your website.

Now I know you haven't got a website, you can get basic eCommerce websites done for around £600. As for the printing, you can easily learn how to do it yourself with equipment that cost roughly £500, as for your main concern about stock. I know a few wholesale companies that hold huge stock of t-shirts, which you can pick up same day. We do t-shirt printing, the only problem is we mainly work B2B and for large orders of the same design and colours. Having said that, we can always consider it when we have all the facts written down.
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[Paul Bagorio]

you want to start with social media its free and you can see if there is an interest or buzz about your product. You can also advertise on Facebook for as little as $5 per day so you can test multiple ideas and see if the product warrants moving forward. for a free report on Google Adwords Simplified