Are You Creating New Products?

[BelovedDollDesigns]

Many sources have highly suggested that for product driven businesses (such as all of us), we should be adding new products each year. It may be only December 2, but it may be a good time to thin of what new thing you could add, if you haven't already.

How many of you have thought of new products to add in 2014?

[AmandaDoster]

Got my list for the next two years planned out actually...

[BelovedDollDesigns]

Amanda, you win a giant cookie for having the next two years planned! :)

[Former_Member]

I have many ideas but not written down. I actually have to control my impulses to create new things! I am trying to build up my stock of existing products but get distracted by new ideas.
I love getting custom requests that make me think outside my normal products. The other day a customer asked if I could make a buckle collar. Now my braided leather is less than 1/4 inch, so I didn't think I'd find a small enough buckle that wasn't a break away cat collar. But I found one! So after she tests it out for durability, I'll add it to my listings.

[WillowSwitchDesigns]

After the holidays I am planning on starting work on some things that hopefully will let me branch out a bit. I love what I'm doing now, but there are some things I have ideas for that are just a bit more of a challenge and a bit unusual and some other things I really want to ramp up and start marketing for specifically. I am hoping that this year is an awesome year for all of us on here. It still amazes me when I go exploring Etsy, how much talent and creativity is out there in so many ways.

[Artwearhandmade]

Fierce competition in the jewelry area has forced me to come up with new non jewelry items to make and sell at craft fairs which has worked well so far. I will probably start adding them to my Etsy shop soon..
Like Barbara- I have to force myself to stop making new jewelry designs (I have a bunch drawn and I wake up with ideas in my head every day!) so that I have time to recreate my repeat selling jewelry styles and other things for the craft fairs. My last fair is this Saturday and I will have a break until Spring to make new designs and work on/list more items on my Etsy shop. Mine is a new business- and I am selling things- but still running in the red. For the New Year my goal is to increase my online sales and see some profit no matter what it takes from me!!

[AmandaDoster]

Yay for giant cookies! I am actually fairly new to this as well, which is why I have so much planned out. I've started filming basic video tutorials that will be coming out this next year along with a bunch of kits in my other shop. The year after I will be making a more advanced video tutorial. I've had so many people telling me that I should be teaching that I decided to do it. Hopefully it all works out.

Besides the tutorials, I will be rebuilding my craft show stock (got fairly well wiped out at my only show...) along with a series of art pieces. I literally have planned month by month what I would like to accomplish for the next couple years. I hope I can get half as much done!

[lovinghandscrochet]

I have several ideas. It will take me a few years to implement everything, and by then, I'll have several more ideas.

[Former_Member]

I've still got a lot of works to upload on here. As to which ones all depends on which ones I decide to work on.

[Former_Member]

Nothing planned in advance but I'm working on new stuff all the time. I've got some ideas for new products coming up in the next couple of years, It's just a question of how long it'll take me to get some of that stuff going.

December is always such a weird month, I never know what's going on until January. lol

[Former_Member]

I am constantly thinking of new things to make. It just isn't possible to make all that I would like to. Not yet anyway. I have a full time job as well. But even if I didn't, I doubt I could do all that goes on in my head. LOL

I have a big show in April. It is a comic con and I did rather well last year at the first one which was one day. The turn out was so good that it is two days this year and in a bigger area of the civic center. So, I am already thinking of new things I can make for this year as well as some of my best sellers now.

I hope to do more shows and fewer markets next year but some personal things right now are making that more of a maybe than a yes.

I want to head into a different line as well, I want to start a personalized amigurumi line. I have done a few so far. I want to offer a doll personalized to look like a person. Give me a couple of pictures to work from and tell me a bit about the person so that I can accessorize to the person's personality as well.

Some of this depends on what I can get cranked out during January and February, my "off" months. I have shows that start the first weekend in March.

[Former_Member]

Oh yes, I would like to actually have an Etsy store instead of a store front. I just do not have the time it takes to work the store here. The custom orders I get at shows keep me rather busy.

[apaperaffaire]

I am! I've been brainstorming ideas for Valentine's day and spent a few days last week making tons of things. I'm already listing new cards for V day actually.

[Former_Member]

I have the next year all planned out (and I'm quite proud of myself)! After completing my first year here, I now have some ideas of what I want and how I'd like things to run in this next year!

[ShapelyWood]

Never stops my fb page is full of ideas and things that will never hit the etsy shop

[Former_Member]

I have all of my current ideas written down for whenever inspiration strikes, but I haven't really mapped out how and when everything will be launched in 2014. I just know my goal is to launch a new product a month. For my industry, that's a pretty aggressive timeline.

[ResemblesMe]

Always in my head thinking and painting.. :)

[Former_Member]

I am! Writing down all my ideas and hoping to find time to create everything I want :) and I'm currently knitting clutches, never tried this before but I love how they look, so hopefully customers will love them too.

[WilderNorthDog]

My product line is growing a lot for 2014! I have been testing products before the holidays, and will start rolling them out shortly :)

[WireExpressions]

I have a few gift ideas that I hope to start designing in the next couple months. I found myself coming up with so many ideas back in October, I didn't really get anything I was supposed to get done, now I'm behind on a couple things. Jewellery is so competitive that I need to make a lot of non jewellery things. The ideas are there... Just need the time. (I'm a mom first) :)

[Former_Member]

I have attempted to create new variations to my existing design and add new styles as well. The only problem I have found is that the new styles don't seem to be doing as well as my standard.

But, I will keep trying! :)

[FoliageHandmade]

I try to plan out a season or two ahead. Now that my business is growing, I take this aspect of it much more seriously than before.

I get bored easily so thinking up new designs is inevitable for me. :-)

[Former_Member]

I'm always coming up with new animals to add since my shop is relatively new.

[InnateExpressions]

I wake up with new ideas everyday, so I write them down as I go along.

This has helped me somewhat, as I primarily started out in jewelry making. It didn't take me very long to notice that the market is extremely saturated.

As a result, I've gone back to my cheat sheet and am mixing things up a little by incorporating accessories.

[Former_Member]

I've been creating new pieces and revamping my shop daily since just before Christmas. The ideas start the minute I wake up and don't stop till my head hits the pillow or even longer ( gotta get up and rite em down sometimes ) I think they call it mania he he. I'm in a creative faze, so Im gonna run with it. It has already paid off. I made a sale yesterday for a new piece I just listed a day or maybe two after I listed it. So there, Im proof hard work pays off!