How Your Small Business Can Make A BIG Impression
PrintWith technology constantly evolving at such a massive rate every year, it's fairly safe to say that we now live in a world of instant gratification. From the ability to instantly connect with anyone of our friends and loved ones, to beauty product and cupcake dispensers on the streets of New York - the sky is the limit. There is always something new coming out claiming to perfect our lives and help us keep things simple.
Now amongst all this new technology is a growing group of individuals that feel such a sense of nostalgia that they are turning away from the multitudes of factory produced materials that millions flock to on a daily basis. Forget the millions of factory "cookie-cutter" products, these people want to return to the days of old when quality was not determined by how many machines it took to make a product, but by the actual individual that made it.
Don’t believe us? As a response to this nostalgic movement making its rounds across the country, websites advocating and promoting buying, selling, and making of hand crafted items have sprung up all over the Internet. Websites like Etsy, Pinterest, and Storenvy have gained national notoriety and attention for these reasons and are now huge names in the Internet marketplace. It may seem strange to include Pinterest among these names seeing as how Pinterest isn’t exactly a “store” though it often contains links to them; but so far in its relatively short life, Pinterest has become a mecca for all DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects, recipes, and gift ideas, therefore they have earned a spot on the list.
However, as these Etsy and Storenvy stores expand and the owners decide to open an actual physical shop, they’ll want to maintain the same homemade handcrafted feel that they had with their virtual store. So how is such a thing accomplished? In today’s world it’s far too easy for stores to blend together in a sea of whitewashed walls, windows, and glass double doors. Potential customers can become so overwhelmed with all the options that they just wander around until something unique catches their eye. So how do you get their attention? By being as unique as possible!
Filling your store windows with one-of-a-kind items, and advertising that they are all handcrafted and handmade, will go a long way with your potential customers! They’ll enter your store and marvel and your creativity and exclusive wares, and while they’re wandering they may just find something to take home with them. As any business man or woman could tell you, a business thrives and grows on the recommendations from its customers and a single poor review or bad remark could deter an undetermined amount of potential customers from ever even stepping foot in your store, which in the long run will cost you money. The best way to go about ensuring that nothing negative can be said is to give them the best shopping experience you can possibly manage, give them smiles, warm welcomes, and interact with them at every opportunity.
As a part of this unique shopping experience, you can take a page out of Lush Cosmetic’s playbook (an emerging bath and body product competitor). Though they have grown until a multimillion dollar company, they too started out small. But by daring to be different, and opting to hand make each and every one of their products, not to mention using all natural ingredients to quickly become a major name. As a result, they and are now undergoing a serious expansion that encompasses setting up Lush stores all over the country.
Surely as they have grown, they’ve deviated from making everything themselves right? Wrong. And in order to keep people remembering that everything in their stores are made by hand, they include stickers on each product depicting an actual picture of the person who made it, the date it was made, and the expiration date. Through this tiny little additive, this massive company has managed to maintain their small shop feel and still attract millions of loyal customers.
It’s stores such as these that have prompted us to create a line of packing stamp products, with this same idea in mind. Now with the help of these customizable little stamps, you too can add a personal touch to all of your packages whether you are shipping your product to a waiting customer or wrapping it up, or placing it in a bag, and handing it to the customer yourself. Adding personal touches like these will help to remind your customers that they are ordering from people and not giant corporations. These simple yet personal packaging stamps will shock them momentarily and send them mentally whirling back to a time before everything was automated. They’ll smile, and remember you the next time they need a gift or run low on your product.