Shop Cohesion??

[Former_Member]

Hi all! I have an observation, as well as a question. As I'm learning and growing in my etsy knowledge, I've come to observe that shops I come across that do really well do a lot of things right (like taking good photos, etc), but I've also noticed they seem to be schematic, in a sense.
For example, someone whose shop only has pillow covers seems to be better than a shop that sells pillow covers, jewelry, and vintage clothing. Does that make sense?
So, I've been seriously considering re-vamping my entire shop, and possibly opening a second shop so that I can focus each shop to their specialties. Although I mostly sell jewelry in my "impactjewelry" shop, I feel like I am too eclectic in what I'm putting together. I have pearls (wedding-focused), vintage and upcycled pieces (like vintage button or vintage tie jewelry), flower jewelry, african jewelry, clutches, etc.
So, I'm thinking of choosing a focus for impactjewelry (let's say fabric rosettes, for example). That way, when someone comes to my shop for something specific they've been looking for (like a flower headband or necklace), everything else they see is cohesive. The more and more I think about it, it makes sense to me that this would be a better shopping experience for interested parties...
Then, I could open up a second shop, let's say, for my button accessories, and the same thing goes for people who are specifically looking for buttons. Right? Who else has multiple shops or at least shoots for a cohesive focus for your shop? Do you think this is a good idea, or is it going to be a big waste of time and energy to re-vamp everything?? I appreciate any and all feedback!

[Former_Member]

You are on the right track. A lot of sellers recommend focusing on one thing per shop. And there are plenty of people that run several shops at the same time.

I myself am guilty of having a whole range of items in my shop. My shop is very new, and until I see what items sell the best, I will continue to sell a little bit of everything. When I get a sense of what sells the best, I will focus on just that one area specifically.

[Former_Member]

I think it's a good idea to have a separate shop.I plan to open a second shop myself.I do keep going back and forth with my decsion though.

[Former_Member]

Hi Impact,

I took a look at your shop and think it looks fairly cohesive. Though you sell different types of accessories, I can tell by your photos, colors, etc. that the style is more or less the same for all the items. By the way, I think the technical term for cohesion is "branding," which is central to any type of marketing. Branding is not only how a shop looks, but how it makes you feel, etc.

That said, you can definitely improve your shop cohesion since you do seem to have an eclectic taste (not that that's a bad thing!). You can either do this by opening another shop as you mentioned before, or you can start shooting and setting up photos in the same "style."

I love looking at this shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/tamar?ref=ss_profile
The artist's photos are all slightly different, but they are all in the same, whimsical, girlie style. Different things, but telling the same story.

As for me, I've been Etsy-ing for about 3 months and it took me several weeks to realize that I lacked a "style." I used to take my photos with a towel as my background (so embarrassed, looking back!), but now that I have a "craft supplies" background for my shots, I've noticed my views and favorites have gone up slightly. I had to re-vamp every title, tag and photo and spent a lot of time doing so. But I think it was worth it, and am always working on improving!

You're not the first one to wonder about "cohesion," and I wish you luck in a process that can be frustrating!

Aman

[Former_Member]

Thanks so much for the feedback, everyone!
@Almond - branding is the word I couldn't think of, thank you!! Love that shop you linked to, for sure:) Also love yours and your own branding! I'll get where I want to be one of these days:)