Question mainly for banner sellers

[REBboutique]

Hi,

My shop is still relatively new, and I only have about 20 listings. I've had a sale here and there, but my views actually seem to be dropping now. I know many banner sellers have inventories much larger than mine, and I'm wondering at what point your sales started to take off. Any info you can share?

Any other comments on my shop are also welcome.

Thanks so much!

[valleycreativedesign]

I'm still kind of waiting for my sales to take off, actually. But I do know it helps to have lots of items. I found too that my style started gelling after doing quite a few items also, so that helps as well, to get more customers, when your style is cohesive and consistent. Sales are trickling in for me, but I keep hoping things will take off soon too!

[REBboutique]

Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for the response. It's interesting what you say about style cohesiveness. How does it help, exactly? I mean I know my shop itself would probably look better if my banners resembled each other more, but I'm actually striving to be as diverse as possible with my designs. I would think that would broaden the potential customer base rather than narrow it. Something for everyone. Am I wrong?

[valleycreativedesign]

I've actually found the opposite to be true. If you strive to meet everyone's needs, you end up not doing any one thing very well (just in general - not saying your shop in particular). I found that when I stopped chasing every different possible style, I started finding MY style, which it turns out that people are really responding well to! It's like, that's the style that feels most ME so that's what I make the best and I think customers can tell when you really like what you're doing - somehow it comes out in the way you design.

Not saying that all of your banners need to be matchy-matchy with each other. Just that they should all feel like you. By continually training my eye and developing my sense of style, I'm building up a niche brand that people are starting to request because they like my style (had a girl request me to re-design her blog recently b/c she loved the work I was doing on my Etsy banners!)

[valleycreativedesign]

Another thing to consider is that if you're just sort of a one-of-everything shop, no one is really going to remember you. You shop at the Gap or Ann Taylor because you know what you're going to get when you walk in the door, whereas some place like Goodwill or Marshalls, you may never know what you're going to get. And there are some people who that will appeal to, but I think you're more likely to gain fans if you build a cohesive feel into your shop. People are more likely to remember you because of a distinctive style, rather than "that one shop that had one of a million different styles".