Posted by Melissa Williams Netherton
Spring is here and with it comes a sense of renewal. As you work towards spring-cleaning and the anticipation of those summer months, it may be time to also take a look at your current product offerings and make some changes to keep in line with current trends and styles. As artists, sometimes it can be easy to get stuck in the rut of offering the same products season after season, when really just making some small changes could mean the difference between sales or no sales. Having revitalized product offerings does not mean you need to completely overhaul your current lineup of goods. Instead, you can make a few changes to what you already have and create a sense of renewal in your shop just in time for summer!
Rewrite your product descriptions.
Sometimes we can get so locked into keeping things the same that we don’t recognize when a change is needed. Take a good look at the product descriptions you have on your IndieMade.com store and see whether or not a rewrite might be in order. Having fresh content on your page will not only give a new perspective to an older product, but it may help your SEO as well. Be sure to check for things like outdated (or overused) puns and clichés, descriptions that don’t draw the reader in, or wording that just isn’t working.
Change up some colors!
If you are looking to revitalize your product offerings without making major changes, maybe all you need to do is lighten up a little with your color options. If you are a jewelry designer and your best selling earrings are done with jewel tones and darker shades, try lightening them up to spring and summer colors and you may find they fly off your virtual shelves! If you design greeting cards and are normally drawn to more wintery colors like emerald green and deep blues, try your hand at some designs in coral or mint green to tap into the summer shopping crowd. A little change in color can go a long way to making products feel like new, so don’t be afraid to experiment a little!
Create some matching products
If you have a best selling necklace design that has started to slow down in sales, why not try creating some matching earrings or a bracelet? Adding matching products to your currently successful line can help turn one time customers into repeat buyers when they see that something they already love has more options available. You can add the new products to your next email newsletter, or announce it on social media to make sure you get the word out about your newest designs and drive some traffic to your store.
Create a derivative work
Another way you can maximize your existing products is by taking a product that does well for you and making a similar design that differs from the original, but is still recognizable as originating from that product. For instance, if you design purses, perhaps you can make a slightly smaller version of a best seller, or a crossbody bag from a tote design, to tap into a different clientele or entice past customers to make a new purchase. If you are an artist and have a wall art print that is popular, maybe making a complimentary work that would match and could be hung in the same room as the original customer favorite could bring in some additional sales.
When it comes to your revitalizing your product offerings, a few small changes can have big results for your business! Make sure that whenever you make changes, whether big or small, that you announce them on social media and send out an announcement to your email newsletter list to get the word out and drive traffic to your newly revitalized site!
