My Black Friday sale is just wrapping up as I write this. I’ve spent most of the last three days processing orders and I have 21 more to pack.
I’ve been selling crafty things online for 10 years and it’s taken me that long to have a truly successful holiday sale. There were years when I wasn’t organized and didn’t plan for a sale – all these Black Friday emails would suddenly arrive in my inbox and take me by complete surprise. There were years when I did plan for a sale only to have disappointingly few customers. This year my sale was a success. I offered 25% off plus free shipping for orders over $50 over three days (Black Friday through Cyber Monday) and I made $2740.71.
First, a few words about setting up the sale. Last year I offered a 25% off coupon code for my shop and although it’s easy to set up I found that it required a lot of intensive customer service; many people forgot to use the code and then emailed me asking for a 25% refund. This year I just discounted everything by 25% with no coupon code which was much easier.
I read an article recently that said it was a good idea to offer free shipping for purchases above a certain amount because people will likely add items to their cart in order to qualify for free shipping. I tried it this year by offering free shipping for orders over $50 and it worked really well. I had lots of orders just over the $50 threshold.
Here are some thoughts about what it takes to run a successful holiday sale:
Building a customer base takes constant effort over the long-term. I think this can be hard to accept, but the truth is that finding an audience for your work and then nurturing that audience is something you need to do every day all year even when it feels totally fruitless. Writing my newsletter takes at least half a day of work each week. Sometimes I ask myself, “Why am I doing this? It takes forever.” Then I have a big sale and I remember why. I began this year with 4,000 newsletter subscribers and now I have 8,800. Constant effort over the long-term. And if you are looking for a customer experience metric that measures happiness with a product, service, or customer support interaction through a customer satisfaction survey, then you may consider using CSAT.
This is a report I generated with WooCommerce, the shopping cart on my site showing sales over the last seven days. The first spike? That was on Friday when the special Black Friday edition of my newsletter went out. The dip was Saturday and Sunday. The second spike? That was the “last day of the sale” reminder email that went out on Monday. The urgency of the sale ending made that spike higher than the first.
A few lessons here. First, don’t worry about bothering your customer base by telling them about your sale. Will you annoy some people? Yes. 50 people unsubscribed from my newsletter. But here’s the thing – they weren’t ever going to buy anything anyway. I pay MailChimp for every subscriber so it’s best to keep my list lean. And in that same period of time 77 new people subscribed so it’s okay! Not everyone on my list bought something, but those who stuck around understand that I run a business. They expect holiday sales emails and they’re okay with them.
I put a coupon code for the same discount in my Etsy shop announcement, but didn’t promote it in my newsletter at all. Here’s what my Etsy sales look like during these same seven days:
My Etsy shop made $268.80 – that’s $2,000+ less than my own online shop. This shows the value of building an audience. Wherever you’ve put your long-term effort – Facebook or Instagram or an email newsletter – you’ve got to tell them about your sale. If you don’t promote it nothing happens.
Develop an efficient system. I need to buy a label printer. Printing shipping labels on my laser printer, cutting them out and gluing them to packages takes too much time. 2016 is the year I get a Dymo!
There will always be customers who are upset. “I bought this yesterday at full price and now I see it’s on sale.” No matter when you run your sale, someone will be angry. I love this piece by Elizabeth from Forgotten Cotton about how to handle disgruntled customers. The short answer? Always reply with grace.
Accept help. On Friday Charlie looked at the stack of shipping labels I was printing and offered to help me pack orders. It felt really weird at first. I’ve never had anyone help me before. Once I showed him around it was great and it makes me think I could hire someone to help me next year.
Pre-package things as much as you can. Last Sunday morning I sat on Josephine’s floor while she played and pre-packed and labeled bags of eyes. This was time well spent.
Have tech help on hand. When my sale launched on Friday I was on a ferry crossing Long Island Sound with no wifi. I spent the rest of the day in an assisted living facility visiting with my father-in-law. When I got emails on my phone from customers who were having trouble checking out, I contacted Sarah Bailey who helps me with my website. She was able to log on and fix things throughout the day.
This year’s sale marked a milestone for me. In 2004 I left the traditional workforce to raise my children. While at home I accidentally started a tiny business. 11 years later I’ve exceeded the income I was making as a public school teacher. I did it! What I love best is that this is a bicycle I pedal entirely on my own. I make every decision and I generate every dollar that comes in. It’s exhausting at times, but I’m really motivated by the direct correlation between what I do and what I earn.
Lorraine says
Hello Abby. Just finished reading your book on starting an online sewing pattern business. Thanks for simplifying the process. I’m passionate about sewing. Worked in the Corporate World for 38 years before retiring and was never able to really spend any time on my hobby. After downsizing and settling in to my new house, I made a pool bag for myself. People in my community started asking where they could get one. So that’s how it started. I took traditional patterns and modified them. I now have several bag templates from tote to clutch bags, and will start working on producing my first one soon. Love reading your blogs! Happy Holidays to you, and keep those articles coming.
Lorraine in La Quinta, Ca.????????????
Wendi Gratz says
I totally agree about the free shipping! When I moved to my new website about 6 weeks ago I started everyday free shipping on all US orders over $35 and international orders over $100. I’ve had a LOT of orders come in just over the threshhold. My initial number crunching shows that it’s totally worth it – I’ll crunch again at the end of the year when I have a longer period of data, but it’s looking like this will be a permanent policy.
Also – you don’t HAVE to invest in a label printer. I was doing to printing/cutting/taping until I moved to the new website and now I print on Avery 5126 labels. It saves SO MUCH TIME! It’s totally worth the extra expense and (for me) was a better option than an additional printer (I already have an inkjet and laser on my desk) and the cost of its labels.
Andrea says
Thanks so much for sharing the “behind-the-scenes” info. Congratulations on a successful sale!
Jo says
Abby, this is another great post! I don’t run a craft business, or any kind of business, and I’m not really interested in ever doing that either – but I enjoy so much the things you write about (and the way you do it). It’s fascinating, and feels really good as a customer to hear what’s going on behind the scenes. And many congratulations – beating your teacher salary must be so satisfying!
Justine says
congrats on your successful sale and your business milestone. I took a 25% pay cut to move to my current job 15 years ago and it was definitely satisfying when I surpassed the salary I had left behind– even though that salary would have grown so it’s not quite a fair comparison– but I’m much happier here.
Abby says
Congratulations and I agree. This is what I’m meant to do.
Jen @ Faith and Fabric says
Abby, thank you. You are such an inspiration to me, and the way you openly share your knowledge, lessons learned, tips, and ideas has been beyond helpful. Thank you for all that you do! (…and congratulations on making such a wonderful goal!)
Patty says
Thank you for your honesty and for sharing your information so freely with us. I am just getting started with my craft blog, and even though I know rationally it’s a long term goal, I get discouraged in the short term. I had a moment with it last night, and so reading this article today really helps to remind me that I just need to keep going and improving. Congratulations on a successful sale, and thank you for helpful tips. It’s really appreciated.
AeSoon says
Thank you for this candid and open post-sharing your successes and hardships is helpful information that fills a void that I’ve always wondered about what other crafters were experiencing. I also took a pay cut this year from a respected job position to pursue my passion in my creative sewing business. I’ve read all your newsletters because I learn something new with every new post. Thanks for taking the time to write your newsletters because you are making a difference in this world-you are inspiring, informative, and comforting.
Abby says
That’s so lovely. Thank you.
Sharon | the teacup incident says
Thank you for your behind-the-scenes reporting about how you achieve the level of success you have. Congratulations on surpassing your old salary through hard work and smart choices. I learn something thought provoking from every newsletter you write and love you for that ! I also agree that building a community of fans requires daily effort. Most of us were overwhelmed with coupons and sales on Black Friday but we pay attention to sellers we trust when they offer us incentives.
Because I just started my Etsy shop in September I couldn’t afford to offer significant discounts on my shop just yet and I don’t think a tiny discount would have made a difference. Instead I chose to add value by offering a free felt coat with every doll purchase, which are my most expensive items. I already had five coats in reserve and they only cost me $2 each plus some sewing time. It worked out well for me because it tipped the scales for a UK customer who put in a big order for dolls and accessories. It was a fabulous reminder that knowing what your customer wants is better than any discount a big box store could offer.
Thanks for all the great business advice, Abby.
Patricia Belyea says
Abby—When I launched my online shop last January, I started with an electronic scale and a Dymo LabelWriter 4XL. I also opened an Endicia account. I didn’t wait until they would pay for themselves.
It is a joy to copy my customers’ address into Endicia, push a few buttons and then apply my professional-looking labels to my USPS Priority packages. As you often share great advice with your readers, I’d like to recommend that you get a Dymo before your Holiday Sale (which I’m sure you’ll have). You will save SO MUCH time and enjoy how smart your packages look.
Also, you can write off the purchase from this year’s gains—so you’ll save some tax money. And this is the season when you should have the biggest peak in your sales.
(I just bought one for my niece who has an Etsy shop. I found the best price on Amazon.)
Abby says
Thanks, Patricia. I’m definitely going to get one. It’s too late for this year’s holiday sale, but I’ll have it in early 2016.
Andi says
I always appreciate everything you share. I don’t have a business or Etsy site, but you make me a better consumer of handmade (and thereby commercial) goods. Thank you.
Abby says
That’s great to hear, Andi!
Debby Kratovil says
Good for you! I love success stories and I am so happy you made it all work with a LOT of work. Your story encouraged me. I never thought about a Black Friday sale and now I have something to consider. What a great read!