I love reading Rena Klingenberg’s “Home Jewelry Business Success Tips” website.
There is a wealth of information there that will help you enjoy greater success selling your handcrafted jewelry.
I have used many of Rena’s techniques and can vouch that they work.
Recently, Rena did something that I think will give you great insight into understanding what in marketing is called the “Voice of the Customer.”
She asked customers who buy handcrafted jewelry the reasons why they do, and asked for their suggestions as well.
The responses are very enlightening and if you are in the business of selling your handmade jewelry then I highly recommend that you head over to Rena’s website and read every response to the survey.
Come to think of it, don’t just read the responses, but take notes about how you can implement some of these customer’s suggestions into your own jewelry selling efforts.
Here is just a sample of some of the terrific insights direct from different buyers of handmade jewelry:
“Handcrafted jewellery is a terrific way to make your own style statement.”
“I like buying from a crafter, but I have a tight budget. I think it is a great idea to have high end items for high end people, but those of us in the lower middle class like nice things, too, and we would like some choices. I’m willing to spend $20-$30 on something nice but beyond that, we’re getting into my grocery money.”
“Also, it is really nice to hear or read the story of a piece of jewelry–how the artist got the idea, what the materials are, where they came from, etc. That becomes part of the artifact as well as the buying experience.”
“I have one suggestion that I think more artists should offer, and that is personalized items. I don’t mean a design that I request. I mean like the artist gives me a survey to fill out about myself, and the artist creates something built on the survey I submitted. That would be very cool. It would show me what the artist thinks of me, and it would be about me.”
“Third, being able to give a gift to friend or loved one, and being able to tell them a personal story of the artisan who made the piece connects to my travels, and I’m able to say, “I thought of you when I saw this piece, and here’s why…”.
“Unfortunately, I think there is a lot of really generic-looking jewelry being passed off at craft fairs, so if you make an effort to have high quality and professional products, display, and packaging, you will stand out and customers will appreciate it.”
“I like that the artists who make these unique pieces of jewelry are doing it for the love of the art. They are not standing at a machine all day, cranking out thousands of the same item. They put part of themselves into their art, and it shows. It makes me proud to wear something of theirs.”
Here is the link to Rena’s article where you can read all of the survey responses in detail:
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful article. It is very helpful to hear from customers what might motivate them to buy a piece of handmade jewelry. It is very enlightening and helpful.
I agree that it’s very enlightening Janice.
Whether it’s jewelry or any other type of product, I think we can sometimes get too caught up in looking at our products from our own perspective instead of the customer’s perspective.