How to Start with Handmade Items or Handicraft eCommerce Store?

The handicrafts industry is successively enlarging its imprints in all segments of the society and is proliferating in the global market like never before. The latest trends suggest that the handicrafts market made a revenue of approximately $647 Billion in 2020. With the rise of the eCommerce sector post-Covid-19, the market for handicraft items has widened, providing enhanced accessibility to consumers globally.

Moreover, the handicraft industry itself has brought a significant change in its creativity and is shifting from ethnic styling to a contemporary approach surging its demand among various offices and hotels. That being said, it is a perfect time for entrepreneurs to dive into this emerging industry and start handicraft eCommerce stores of their own. So let us move ahead and explore some of the aspects to successfully build a handicraft eCommerce store.

Why Selling Handicrafts on Platforms Like Amazon & Etsy is a Bad Idea?

Amazon and Etsy may sound like an attractive option to open your eStore. Until you intensify your research into the minute details to figure out, there are several loopholes in their policies that can hold the success of your business. Let us take a look at some of the disadvantages of selling products on Amazon and Etsy.

●      You Need to Pay Commission on Sales

The competition to sell handmade items online is already high in the eCommerce market. Giving a commission on your sales will further reduce your profits.

Amazon and Etsy both charge a referral and a closing fee for every product you sell using their seller accounts. The commission varies depending upon the products and can go up to 10% of the total sale value.

●      Give Them Monthly Subscription Fees

Apart from paying a commission on your sales, you will also have to pay a monthly subscription fee to become an authorized seller for Amazon or Etsy. The fees may vary depending upon your country. For stores based in the US, a fee amount of $39.99 per month is charged by Amazon.

●      You Won’t Have the Records for Your Customers

A big disadvantage of selling products on Amazon and Etsy is that they never provide you with complete details of your customer. All they will tell you is the order details of the customer along with their names at most.

eCommerce stores usually grow by studying consumer behavior, and not having records for your own customers will surely keep you at backfoot among other competitors.

●      No Branding of Your Store

Creating your brand and marketing is the only way in today’s time to achieve a higher success rate. With Amazon and Etsy, you won’t get your brand name unless you supply products tagged with your own brand name. The products you sell will be considered on Amazon, and there is no way for you to establish your brand name in the market.

●      Your Store Will Remain Under the Control of Amazon or Etsy

When you build handicraft eCommerce store using seller accounts of Amazon or Etsy, you do not get complete freedom to control its working. You will have to go with the norms set by the company, and the store can be closed at any time if any rule is broken or modified.

Read in Details: Selling Under Own Brand Vs. Online Marketplaces: What To Choose In 2021?

Advantages of Having Your Own eCommerce Store

The above-mentioned information must have cleared up for you the many disadvantages of starting a handicraft eCommerce store on Amazon or Etsy. Now let us move to its alternative and present you with the perks you get by opening your own eStore.

●      Freedom & Flexibility

When you build handicraft eCommerce store of your own, you get complete freedom to operate it the way you want. Unlike Amazon, you can sell any product without their authorization. In addition, the biggest advantage is you get to keep all profits and do not have to share any fees or commission with any third-party. 

●      Access to Customers Data

Besides the profits, you get to have access to every minute detail of your customers. Customer data is of immense value for an eCommerce store as several insights can be analyzed through it.

●      Personalized Marketing

Marketing is one of the key factors that can tweak the success of your store. When you go solo without any third-party interruptions, you get to control the marketing strategies for your store. This can be really beneficial in managing the growth of your handicraft eStore.

●      Building Your Own Brand

As told above, building your brand name is of immense value if you wish to succeed in the eCommerce market. The more the popularity of your brand, the higher will be its brand value in the market. So once you start a handicraft eCommerce store of your own, you get the opportunity to build your own brand and make it famous among the masses.

Must-Have Features of an Online Handmade Items eCommerce Store

It is crystal clear that opening your own handicraft eCommerce store will be more beneficial than opting for a seller account under any other brand. However, when building a website or app for your store, it is crucial to have the following features for the best results:

• User-Friendly Design: Ensure that your store’s app or website has a simple and user-friendly interface so that people of every age group find it convenient to order from your eStore.

• Multiple Payment Options: A high percentage of people abandon their products in the cart due to the unavailability of their preferred payment option. Therefore, it is extremely important to provide your customers with all trending payment options available in the market.

• Compelling Product Pages: The product pages that you will design must have every detail of the product, such as its size, quantity, product description, etc., along with high-quality images and videos. It will be helpful in increasing the sales of the products.

• Product Comparison: Modern buyers are smart and do not buy any product without comparison. Before they go to some other site to compare the products, give them an option right there on your page so that they stick to your page and eventually buy the product from your store.

• Shipping & Taxes Management: Ensuring every detail related to shipping and taxes is available to the customer and is not hidden will bring trust among the buyers and should always be disclosed on the payments page.

• Engaging Checkout Module: An attractive and engaging checkout module is always appreciated by the buyers. It consists of all relevant information related to the sale, from its quantity to pricing to delivery details. Hence, it must be included in your store.

• Marketing Features: Providing your customers with features like discount coupons, cart recovery, etc., will make your customers roll back to your website every time they wish to purchase something new. Besides, it also will be helpful in propagating the brand name for your store.

Wish to Start Your Own Handicraft eCommerce Store? Find a Solution Here!

We hope you are excited to sell handmade items online in your own store. But before setting any expectations, you must first learn what all do you need to start a handicraft eCommerce store. Quick eSelling is a hosted eCommerce platform that can help you from scratch to finish setting up your eStore. The tech-savvy experts of Quick eSelling guide you with step by step implementation of building your eStore by covering every little aspect that will help you to establish a successful eCommerce business. 

Make Your Way to Success By Building a Handicraft eCommerce Store with Quick eSelling

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