Friday, December 28, 2012

December Challenge: Can You Make it Better?

As part of the Blogging Business Artisans Etsy Team, we're all required to take part in monthly challenges. This month, the question(s) posed were:

"The December Challenge is all about looking back over the year and reviewing your Etsy Shop. Can you thing of one thing to do that will help improve your shop? There's a whole list of things available to do: re-shooting photographs or coupons, having a sale, removing/adding products, changing sections/shipping requirements, or merging two shops. Write a post and share with your teammates what might help you! And if you see results, tell us!"

I looked over my shop and knew there was something lacking: namely, my "Ooo, I Smell Good!" perfume stick labels.  While clear labels look fantastic on the lip scrub and balm tubes, which are clear and can show the gorgeous colors of those products, a clear label with black print on a white tube just wasn't... popping.  So, I ordered white labels and redesigned them all with fun and colorful designs.  When my shop reopens on December 30th, the "Perfume Sticks" section will look completely new and fresh with the labels.  Here are a couple of previews:
 


Another change I'm making is the cost of the lip scrubs.  Don't know how much this will improve my Etsy shop, but it will improve my business.  Out of all my products, believe it or not, these lip scrubs are the hardest to make, and the most time-consuming.  It is an emulsified scrub, much firmer than my body sugar scrub.  While I make a profit on the actual costs of ingredients, tubes, labels, and ink, I was not taking into account the labor-- believe it or not, my arm gets a workout!  And with the success of the lip scrubs, I have to raise my prices slightly.


So, when Lalalita Body Co reopens, the cost of a tube of lip scrub will be $3.50, up from $3.  I still think this is an extremely fair price for a very good product that customers love, and I have to be comfortable with the price I'm setting for the amount of work I actually do.

What have you done to improve your Etsy shop?

9 comments:

  1. I agree that the white tubes needed a pop of colour!
    I'm sure that 70% of Etsy sellers don't charge enough for their labor (me included). It is difficult, when so many undercut, though...
    have a wonderful weekend ahead and thank you for your kind comment!

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  2. Love that Little Black Dress label! I think a 50c increase on the lip scrubs will be fine -- I know I like the one I bought and a little more for it wouldn't bother me!

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  3. Color is good! I really need to look at my prices too! Thanks for the nudge!

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  4. I like your new labels!
    I raised my prices on silk scrunchies for the same reasons you raised prices on your lip scrubs. It wouldn't be a big deal if I sold only a few. And people are still buying them.

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  5. Love the new colorful labels! And I think $3.50 is more than a fair price. Good for you for raising your prices and getting the price you deserve :)

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  6. I love your new labels! So many of us don't take into account our labor costs or sometimes even the PayPal or Etsy fees which add up too. Good for you for bumping up your prices to help compensate you for your work!

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  7. Love your colorful new perfume labels!! And I think you could go above $3.50 and still be a bargain with the lip scrub -- or maybe even offer "gift bundles" of 3 for $12. My granddaughters LOVED theirs!

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  8. I think your cost increase is very reasonable--as Duni said in her post, likely 70% (or more) of Etsy sellers don't take into account their labor costs. Good luck to you in 2013!

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  9. I think the new labels on the perfume are a great idea! Yes, they pop! I kept mine (while giving the lip balms as presents - BTW, everyone enjoyed them!) and would enjoy the label myself. I'm going to add some paper products to my shop this year! {:-D

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