In My Studio: Updating my Packaging

So Handmade's New Packaging

In January I decided to give my packaging a much needed update. Getting the right packaging can benefit your craft business in many ways. I decided to go with these recycled boxes and mailers from EcoEnclose.

By spending a little more time and money on the end product could have a big difference in your brand identity at the end of the day.

Great packaging can:

1. Get your products 'noticed' in a sea of vendors at a craft fair or in the Etsy search pages.
2. Increase the perceived value of your products, enabling you to increase your profits
3. Be informative- giving the customer info about the product and your company for potential future orders.
4. Make your line of products more cohesive
5. Elevate your brand and make it memorable

Great Packaging from The Pudgy Rabbit

In order to achieve this the packaging should:

1. Be thought of as an integral part of the product and not just an afterthought.
2. It should reflect or complement your brand, your ethos and your style
3. Be easily replicated for future items
4. Affordable
5. Not too time consuming
6. As green as possible

Some different ideas for creating your own unique, eye catching and memorable packaging could include making your own stamps or block prints, printed materials, stickers, fabric bags and ribbons or even including a small 'freebie' with your product.

I posted on this blog a little while ago a tutorial to make your own fabric labels. This technique could be applied to making your own packaging ribbon and labels. Click this link to access the tutorial.

Also adding a gift wrap option in your listings can help customers who would like to send the purchase direct to the recipient and its a great way of adding value to your shop.

Adding a Gift Wrapping Option is a great way to add value to your Etsy Shop

Good luck and Good Making!

Good things come in small packages!

Sarah Omura - SO Handmade

In My Studio: Things I am loving this month

I wanted to share with you some of the things I have been loving in this the month of May:

My new Etsy Shop banner made on Canva

1) CANVA: I discovered Canva through recommendations and have been using it to design my new Etsy shop banner, new business cards and instagram posts. Canva is a website that enables you to create all manner of social media posts, etsy banners, facebook icons and also gives you the ability to create an image to your own custom size. It will give many different options to create the image of your choice, loads of different fonts and templates. There are many free templates and some which you can purchase for a couple of dollars. After your image is completed you are able to download it for free and use it whenever you need. It makes creating your shop branding fun and very easy.

Lucky Break Consulting

2) LELA BARKER on Periscope: I have been enjoying Lela Barkers periscopes this month. Lela Barker from Lucky Break Consulting is a business strategist for makers and designers. During May she has been doing a 10 day Periscope marathon talking and answering questions all about wholesale. Whether wholesale is right for you, pricing your products to succeed and pitching to a retailer. All her content is superb, very down to earth and useful if you are thinking of going into the wholesale market. All these periscopes are available to watch free from her website www.luckybreakconsulting.com/periscope

Some of my labels made on Avery 

3) AVERY: Yes the label people! I have been printing out lots of labels recently for packaging by products and I have discovered the Avery template website is incredible! After you purchase your Avery labels go to this page and input the code for your new labels. Use the website to design your custom labels or use the free templates. You can even download your Canva design. The website will then populate the whole page for you and you can print them out and save them if you might need them again.

                                 

                                        

4) DEAR SUGAR RADIO: Lastly I have loved been listening to this podcast recently. On this podcast Steve Almond and Cheryl Strayed give listeners advice to their varying problems. I love the sensible, empathetic and pragmatic advice they give using their own lives and experiences to help. 

Good Luck and Good Making!

Sarah

So Handmade

In My Studio: Adding Value

In the last few months I have been working on bringing more value to my Etsy shop. Adding value can increase your sales, increase your chances for return customers, increase your exposure and your chances of being featured on an Etsy blog or on Etsy Finds.

Through my research I have come across some great ways to bring extra value to your shop:

1) Offer customizable products. This one has recently featured alot on Etsy and is a great way for customers to receive truly one off, handmade and unique products.



Secret Message Bracelet by Charms of Faith

2) Step up your packaging game: Great packaging can really add value to your products and inspire return customers. Using photos of your packaging in your listings or in your shop updates can show potential customers exactly what they will be receiving and who wouldn't love to receive a beautifully packaged parcel such as this from Mira's Naturals:



Wonderful packaging on this lip care set by Mira's Naturals

3) In the same way offering a gift wrap option at the checkout can inspire sales that can ship direct to the intended recipient. Again showing the finished gift wrapped parcel in your product photos or in your shop updates:



Gift Wrap option available for my kids products at SO Handmade

4) Adding value through 'extras'. Listening to a periscope the other day from the Merriweather Council, Danielle was talking about discounts. To summarize she advised not to give discounts but rather offer added value to the order- so instead of offering a discount if someone orders 4 of your products, give them an extra one free. This means you do not lose any money at the end of the day but you might secure a nice order and a follower in the process. 

5) Responsible Materials: Another way to increase the value of your products by using responsibly made and/or local suppliers. This could be done by sourcing American-made materials or locally grown/ made materials near to you. Another way is to go the organic route, ensuring supplies are made using non-harmful processes and good working conditions for the manufacturers.  

This can add greatly to your shops story and inspire customers to choose your product over your competitors. Not to mention the impact it will have on the environment and working conditions for the companies you are sourcing from. 

Read this great Etsy blog post for some more information about this.

Good Luck and Good Making!

Sarah

So Handmade

In My Studio: Packaging



Lovely packaged set of cards from Cynla Cards and Design

During the holiday season I was lucky enough to get out to a few craft fairs. Looking around at the merchandise on offer I noticed some really interesting ways that vendors had packaged their wares. One company used wooden thread spools on which to wind bracelets and wooden rulers to hang necklaces. These beautifully and uniquely packaged items were by far more appealing to me as a customer and got me thinking about the ways I too could package my products more successfully. By spending a little more time and money on the end product could have a big difference in profits at the end of the day.

Great packaging can:

1. Get your products 'noticed' in a sea of vendors at a craft fair or in the Etsy search pages.
2. Increase the perceived value of your products, enabling you to increase your profits
3. Be informative- giving the customer info about the product and your company for potential future orders.
4. Make your line of products more cohesive
5. Elevate your brand and make it memorable

Great packaging boxes from The Pudgy Rabbit

In order to achieve this the packaging should:

1. Be thought of as an integral part of the product and not just an afterthought.
2. It should reflect or complement your brand, your ethos and your style
3. Be easily replicated for future items
4. Affordable
5. Not too time consuming
6. As green as possible

Some different ideas for creating your own unique, eye catching and memorable packaging could include making your own stamps or block prints, printed materials, stickers, fabric bags and ribbons or even including a small 'freebie' with your product.

I posted on this blog a little while ago a tutorial to make your own fabric labels. This technique could be applied to making your own packaging ribbon and labels. Click this link to access the tutorial.

My own SO Handmade fabric labels

Taking all of the above into account I set about packaging some play mats I had just made.  I used leftover scraps of fabrics I had to make them and then added some printed labels. I also used vintage buttons to finish the effect.

I was very happy with the result and think they look really effective. I hope to add the same pizzazz to the rest of my collection in the future.



Lego/ small toy play mat from SO Handmade

Good luck and Good Making!

Good things come in small packages!

Sarah Omura - SO Handmade

Packaging : Part I - INSPIRATION

If you're a frequent Etsy shopper I'm sure you've received purchases that arrived in packages almost too pretty to throw away.    Since most Etsy sellers almost never meet their customers in person, the way you package and ship your products says something about your shop - make sure you're saying something amazing!

Providing nicely packaged orders will help make your shop appear professional, promote repeat business for your shop, and increase the value appearance of your products.

In this weekly 3-part series we will look at examples of nicely packaged orders, discuss how to evaluate your own packaging, and provide resources for packaging materials.

Packaging Inspiration from HVNY Sellers

How you package your items will depend on what you have to deliver, but don't be afraid to get creative with supplies and use this as an opportunity to show off your brand.

Below you'll see examples of using promotional post cards, pin-back buttons and stickers to customize otherwise standard packaging supplies.  We also show a few examples of how to present jewelry using traditional jewelry boxes and others using less conventional containers. 

Wicked Mint

Tickled Pink Knits

Sweet Olive Jewelry

Anjali Creations

Esthera Guirre

Tink's Treasure

Charms of Faith

Next week we'll discuss how to evaluate your current packaging situation and think about ways to make it even better.

Have you made any Etsy purchases and been thrilled with the presentation?  We'd love to hear your stories and ideas.

Green Packaging

So we start off a new year and a new decade with good intentions. Perhaps one of those is to consider ways to green up our daily living practices. As I've looked more closely this past year at where our food comes from, ways that I use and waste energy, etc., I"ve also thought about my art and its impact on the environment.

Take the simple process of getting a pin to a customer. What are my options for packaging? Factors that might go into my choices would be where my materials will come from - how far away? Are they made from recycled products? Can they be recycled themselves? What is a fair trade off for aesthetics and practicality vs greenest option and cost?

So far I use hang tags that are printed locally, using non-recycled card stock. I couldn't find a good card stock that had recycled content without buying much larger quantities than I'd ever use.

I do use cardboard gift boxes made from recycled paper. But they are sent from California - and perhaps somewhere else before that. A lot of fuel goes into delivering them to me!

Then I mail them out to customers. I'd been using bubble mailers till I read about other solutions on Etsy threads. Since then I've been looking for the old fashioned padded mailers that are recyclable, but in the meantime have been wrapping the box in bubble wrap and putting it in a regular mailer. This way, at least, the bubble wrap can be reused if someone cares to - and the mailer can be recycled. Recently I did find the padded mailers I'd been looking for at Target's. They're made by 3M so now the task is to try to find a wholesaler to buy them from so the cost will be a little more reasonable.

I write this not having the answers, but hoping to get a fruitful dialogue going, so that we can all move ahead in our businesses, knowing that we're doing what we can to live carefully.