Retailing Artisan Jewelry at Shows

Naturally when you think of marketing your production line you have to figure out how to reach that market. You can get your jewelry directly to the wearer by selling it to her (or him) directly, through retail sales. You might also wholesale your work–sell to an intermediary who marks it up and then presents it to potential buyers. You can even do both. Whatever choices you make are going to affect the venues at which you sell your product, the support materials you need, the price point, and even may affect the product itself. Let’s look at retailing first.

Most jewelry makers start their careers by selling directly to friends, family members co-workers—the people who will wear their jewelry. When you want to step it up, you’ll want to move on to one—or several—of the venues open to retails sales of handmade craft jewelry. And there are lots of them. They include online venues, such as your own website or a marketplace such as Etsy, or face-to-face venues, such as home parties, street fairs, pop-up boutiques, co-op galleries, charity shows. But some of the most popular places to sell artisan jewelry are local, regional, or national art and craft fairs.

Retail shows are great places to sell production work. People who attend shows are usually open to being engaged by the unusual or whimsical. They are looking for something special, something that “speaks” to them. In addition, customers at shows are often predisposed to buy something. Because show visitors usually buy on impulse, you have a better chance of making a sale if your appealing product has an affordable price tag. And affordable and appealing is exactly what your production artisan jewelry should be.

Don’t leave your one-of-a-kind pieces at home, however. While your production line provides steady sales, you might find yourself selling your more expensive, one-of-a-kind pieces as well simply because you are on hand to explain your work and make a personal connection to the customers.

Unique or limited edition work sells best when the customer can talk directly to the artist. Customers at art and craft fairs want to hear your story. It is what makes your jewelry personal to them.

As you tell your story, and explain why the work is unique, you begin building rapport with the buyer. This builds trust–which makes shows a great place to take custom orders, too.

Retailing at shows involves expenses and planning. First, you have to forecast how much work you’ll need to take with you and invest in the cost of materials. There will also be the costs of travel—gas or airfare, hotels, and food, if you’re going far. You’ll need cases, signage and lighting. You’ll want insurance if you have concerns about theft. There are booth fees and commission fees to the show sponsor. Many shows are held outside so there is always the chance of being rained out, or unseasonably hot weather.

But selling retail can be exciting. You get to talk directly to people who love your work enough to buy it. It’s also a great way to get feedback on the work—what customers like or don’t like, what sells and doesn’t sell and to what audiences. All information you need to alter, improve or target your work more closely to your audience.

Thinking about Branding

Branding. The buzzword of the 21st century.

The time to start thinking about your brand is the moment you start planning your production line. Brand decisions affect everything–from the type of jewelry you make to the materials and techniques you use, to your Facebook page, to the clothes you wear to show off or complement your jewelry. Having your brand clearly in mind can save you going down unprofitable, confusing, or time-consuming side paths.

Branding is all about recognition. It not only lets customers immediate identify your product but associate it with the tangible and intangible characteristics of that product: quality of materials and workmanship, design idea, price point, audience, cachet, dependability, and even the personality of the manufacturer. Brands live or die on their ability to deliver on those expectations consistently. Continue reading

Find Your Customers: Do Your Own Market Research

Hiring a professional to do market research for you is expensive; it can run thousands of dollars. And while there may be a day you want to hire someone to do it for you, in the beginning, you may be able to do much of your market research yourself. Continue reading

Unlimited or limited production?

When deciding to make a production line of your artisan jewelry, an important consideration is whether your line will be unlimited or limited.

You may want to start out with an unlimited line, making as many copies of a piece as you can, especially if the design strikes a chord with buyers and sales are very good. However, depending on where you’re selling the pieces—say a department store chain or catalog—you can end up investing a lot of time in the making, and a lot of money in materials and supplies. Continue reading

Marketing and Production Artisan Jewelry: The Connection

Probably most jewelry artists dream of making one-of-a-kind pieces and think of production work as drudgery. However, production doesn’t have to be boring. It can be lively, interesting and innovative. However, like all your work, it requires marketing. If fact, your chance of success is reduced if you make a production line without considering the market you’re targeting. You need to know what your product is, how it’s different from others on the market, who your primary buyers are, where they buy jewelry like yours, how much they’ll pay, and how to get them to notice your product.

Jewelry artists usually gravitate to a certain selection of materials and techniques that they use to create their work. They may have a particular design voice, theme, or story to tell. For many, this is their starting point. They hope to find an audience to buy the work. Others start from the marketing end: Is there a particular audience or market opportunity they can fit their work to? However, audience and market are almost inextricably intertwined. It is really impossible to consider one without the other: product decisions affect marketing decisions; marketing decisions influence the product. Most jewelry artists go back and forth between the two as they create their lines.

For example, suppose your work is based on something you’re passionate about: old toys, animals, architecture. If your product has a strong identity, it will likely draw people who have the same interests. As a result, that affects how and where you sell your product.

Besides traditional gallery or art show venues, how might your jewelry fit a special interest market opportunity outside normal craft jewelry outlets? Could you sell it at cat, dog or horse shows, or zoos; science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, or graphic novel conventions; history re-enactment or historical society meetings; to hand-weaving, quilting or knitting groups?

For beginners, your business plan will almost assuredly include a strict budget. However, production means making a lot of pieces up front, without confirmed buyers. Not only must you invest time in the making, but the costs of the materials. If your business plan is to reach a large market, you may choose to work in silver, bronze, copper or bi-metals rather than gold in order to stay within your budget. If you want to go into lifestyle catalogs, you may even end up producing your line in pewter or plated components.

On the other hand, if your brand idea is based on reaching a high-end clientele with a taste for gold, you may not want to start with less expensive materials, but may be unable to afford producing the amount of work a wholesale show or large retailer demands in gold. In that case, you may opt to create a small line gold and target your marketing efforts to small, high-end boutiques. It may mean growing your business more slowly, but it will enable you to stay on brand.

It’s common for jewelry artists to start their businesses while working in another field and/or raising a family. Time is an issue. Making a production line enables them to fulfill their dream in the limited time available: before or after work, on the weekends, after the kids have gone to bed–even while watching TV! (Well-known jewelry artist, Ramona Solberg, used to twist and form her signature fibula pins while watching her favorite programs.) To get started quickly, these artists may find a potential market and decide what they can make, within their limited means, time and skills, to fit that market. That may be beading, beading and wire work, assembly from manufactured components.

Market, product. Product, market. The two are inseparable. How will you marry them?

Why Make a Production Line?

One of Micki Lippe's production line necklaces. Photo courtesy Micki Lippe.

One of Micki Lippe’s production line necklaces. Photo courtesy Micki Lippe.

Artists make jewelry because they love the creativity, they love working with their hands, and the love the joy they give those who wear it. However, if artists make jewelry as a business, they want to make a living doing it. Time and the economy have taught many artists that production work may be the only way to survive and continue to do the work they love.

Making an affordable production line has many benefits. Continue reading