Introduce your business and tell us your story: How did you decide on what to sell, and how did you source your products?
We had an existing online store, but spotted a rising trend in the market and knew we had to act quickly. We began work on a new product range and wanted our online outlet to match the feel of our new product, so we set about creating a new store with an exciting new look via Shopify. Our #WoodBack cases are laser-cut and hand finished in-house.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
Word of mouth! We had built up a small following based on our previous products, but decided to keep our new product range under wraps for a while. We wanted to monitor feedback and make sure our design and finishing process were spot-on before the "big reveal." Fortunately for us, we had. Before we knew it our sales began to increase dramatically with very little effort in terms of promotion.
Our Shopify store has rapidly caught up with our eBay store, and is expected to meet our Amazon sales any time now. Impressive, seeing as our Amazon and eBay stores have been running for the past six years!
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
We use Linnworks order management system which is invaluable to us. We've also used several apps both to get our store running more efficiently, such as Traffic Control which has been great in redirecting traffic from our old site, and Klaviyo, to spead the word about our new store. The Currency Switcher app has also helped us to increase international sales, particularly in Australia. We handle fulfillment internally.
What are your top recommendations for new store owners?
People will always be one of your greatest strengths – choose them wisely! Clearly define your goals. If you don’t, you’ll never be able to tick them off and measure how you’ve performed. Define your USP and constantly bear this in mind. Listen to your customers, act on their feedback and always try to exceed their expectations!