Solid Soaps vs. COVID19
Wow. What a cray cray two months it’s been! I failed to blog last month because priorities took a drastic turn on March 13, 2020. Soaping went to a screeching halt for the rest of March and early April, and “normalcy” as we know it became non-existent.
I had my LAST market on March 13, the day SXSW (a massive techy/music/film festival in Austin) was canceled, and on March 16 the entire city became shelter-in-place. Since then, my 1 and 3 year old kiddos have been home with us (no daycare/school). John and I had to come up with a work-from-home schedule. We had to figure out how to grocery shop (that’s another story). Wearing masks outside of the house became a thing. Our fam is in Houston, so no fam time (also means no babysitter).
So what did this all do for Solid Soaps? Well actually, it’s been pretty freaking baller for this small business. My online Etsy orders increased by almost 1000% this year to date. Yes, ONE-FUCKING-THOUSAND PERCENT.
This suggests a few things:
- I relied mainly on my local market sales before COVID19.
- Online shopping is the “new norm.”
- Offering certain products changed my online presence on Etsy.
How did my online success on Etsy improve? It’s simple, and in my case, coincidental. I had these lovely bath bombs leftover from Oct-Dec that I was trying to sell for $15-20 each, and they weren’t moving. I needed to get rid of them, and I decided to make a gift set with the bath bomb, a few soaps in a pretty box, and a hand-written card.
Well by golly, I was right! It just so happens that people are looking for something to send to their loved one for their Bday, Mother’s Day, or graduation. These gift sets sold like CURAZY! I quickly sold ALL my bath bomb gift sets in a few weeks. Realizing the trend, I made a Fizzy Bath Soak gift set for the Mother’s Day rush.
The weeks before Mother’s Day this year have been my busiest ever (I’ve been in business since 2018).
What’s the moral of this story? GIFT SETS. Gift sets are the KEY to my online success.
Other contributing factors:
- Online presence / social media. I have been posting more on Instagram, which is my #1 way I promote Solid Soaps.
- Reasonable price point + free shipping. I was selling my gift sets for $30 each, but I saw in increase in sales when I changed my pricing to $40/gift set and free shipping.
- Hashtags, key words, tag lines, etc. on Etsy. People are looking for “self-care,” “relaxation,” or a “spa gift” lately because everyone is staying home! Know your audience – I’m pretty sure this is why my gift set was favorited a bunch on Etsy.
Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for the love and support of this small business. I am shocked how COVID19 has positively affected my business, and I know not everyone can say this. Please continue to wash your hands, send love to others, and hang in there.
T h a n k y o u.
-e
