Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Analyzing My Etsy Online Jewelry Sales


To make some sense of my Etsy sales, I did a sales analysis of my shop...

First:  I made a simple chart listing prices $25 apart, and made tick marks to indicate the prices of all my sold items. In 5 minutes or so, I had my answer: I offer jewelry in a price range from $10 - $125, my sales are very much concentrated in the $10 - $50 range.
(items I've sold in this range)

But what category of jewelry is selling best in my shop?  How should I concentrate my efforts to make the best use of my time and materials?

Second: I made another chart listing the types of jewelry I sell: necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and other.  Again, I made a tick mark for each piece sold, and in less than 5 minutes I learned that my online jewelry sales are concentrated very much in necklaces and ‘other’ (bookmarks, pull chains, and key chains).  I found this really interesting, because at shows, earrings are usually my best sellers.
(Earrings I've sold in my shop)

Was I selling jewelry in proportion to the amount of items listed in each category?Do I sell more neckwear and ‘other’ because I’ve listed more of these items?

Third:  So, back I went to the chart for an answer. I listed the number of bracelets, necklaces, etc, in my shop, and compared them to the number of sold items in each category. I did a quick % calculation on each: # of items sold divided by the # of items listed.

It turned out that I got a surprising answer; I’m not selling in proportion to what I’m offering. I sold a much higher percentage of necklaces and ‘other’ items. Earring sales are very low compared to the number of earrings I have listed.

Using What I Learned from My Jewelry Sales Analysis.

Based on my findings, I need to be designing more necklaces and ‘other’ items in the $10-$65 range. Hopefully I will be providing what my customers are interested in purchasing online. I hope to see my sales numbers improve as a result.

Make a couple of sales charts and see what you can learn. What changes in your Etsy shop will you make based on what you find?

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Sunday, February 20, 2011

Don't forget the Kitty .....


 
It's official, we will be moving within the next 30 days. Our cat is a little anxious about moving again, he seems to be making sure that he is not left behind. No worries Beau... you're going with us.
I'm excited about the move; my lampwork studio will be back in business.  For the last two years we have been living in a townhouse that does not have space for my studio, and every room has automatic sprinklers. I didn't want to take a chance by firing up the torch, kiln, and other heat producing gadgets; sudden rain inside the house is never good!  The new house will have a room just for my studio...Yippeee!


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Monday, February 14, 2011

Love is in the air.......

"Love - a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker." - Author Unknown…… Happy Valentines Day! :)
 
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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Color inspirations #2....

Steven DeGraeve, of DeGraeve.com developed a great tool that I use to generate a color palette from my favorite photographs.  I simply enter the URL of an image to get the color palette that matches the image. This tool is useful for coming up with a color palette inspired by nature. 

Example: I can't drag all my beads down to the beach for color matching, but I can take a picture and use this tool to define the color pallet when I return to my studio. I love this tool, experiment with it the next time you are in need of color inspiration!
dull
#555544
#aa9966
#6699cc
#aaaabb
#667788
vibrant
#777755
#ccbb88
#88ccff
#ddeeee
#7799aa


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Bead Giveaway.......

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXlu2v5ug7OJJNlnR0pyCzYE4rGIQKR3b-TH4FVq5ILmOWvJD8ZYF2ljTp6wF8OZOBfjXB-ykm5mux9Ho2R_XIoggjJAlfeTG09s0mZL8HoBBDXlUFWrSSYdekTxewJuPy0qVrMDhJwU/s1600/IMG_0828.jpg 

Take a peek at the bead giveaway over at Gardanne.  Anne needs some advice on bead show display; just give her some tips and you'll be entered to win this lovely collection of beads. 
Don't delay, the giveaway ends on 2/16/11. Cheers!


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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Color inspirations...

I find my inspiration for jewelry color combinations everywhere I look. My biggest inspiration is nature; for example, butterflies are a wonderful source of both bold and understated color combinations. I also look at fashion designers work, and my favorite artist's work for inspiration.
Pictured below are my most recent bracelet design and the Monet painting that inspired the color combination:



Take a look at the photo below. How do the colors make you feel? See how they blend together and contrast each other. The photo was taken on Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia. The seashore has always been one of my inspirations for color and texture in my designs. My next jewelry design will be inspired by this lovely photo. I’ll post a photo when I’m finished.


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Saturday, February 5, 2011

It's Bead Show Day!

If you've never been to a bead show before - it can be awe inspiring and even a little overwhelming. It can definitely be sensory overload if you're not prepared. So when the day seems a little overwhelming, I stop take a deep breath and relax. I'm prepared for a wonderful day of shopping....

1.  Get the coupon -check!
2.  Find my bead show canvas tote bag - check!
3. Prepare a list of supplies that I want to restocking - check!
4. Put small ruler and pen in the tote bag - check!
5. Look for my walking shoes under the bed - check!
6. Set the budget for the day - check!
Departing soon, have a great day!

Bead 'shoppers' by Aaron Macsai: http://mddavis.homestead.com/aaronmacsai.html 

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