Etsy is a marketplace for creators to sell their unique handmade products and vintage goods. Tamara Mein makes soy candles and sells them on Etsy, starting it as an experiment. Would anyone buy a scented product online that they can’t smell?
It turns out they would.
After experiencing more sales than she expected, Tamara decided to create and own her brand by opening her own Shopify store: Brooklyn Candle Studio for delicious, eco-friendly scented soy candles.
How She Started Selling Candles
Tamara started on Etsy, where she experimented with candle making for fun; it was a hobby at first. She began making candles as Christmas gifts the previous year. She became obsessed with learning how to blend scents and understanding the different ingredients to produce these eco-friendly candles that use soy wax and braided cotton wicks. She decided to create an Etsy store for fun. This shop was an experiment to see if people would buy candles online without being able to smell them. Indeed, sales began to rise, and Tamara stood out in the Etsy world, becoming a focus for buyers and retailers.
Transitioning from Etsy to Shopify
After experiencing significant success on Etsy, Tamara decided to open her own store on Shopify to gain control over her brand. Tamara spoke on a Shopify Masters episode about how she started selling candles and the events that led to exploring Etsy alternatives to open her own Shopify store. Learn more by listening to the Shopify Masters episode.
Recommendations
Tamara recommends collaborating with some useful apps on Shopify such as Locksmith, Product Options by Bold, Bulk Discounts, Spring, PopMap, and Houzz. She also advises setting up your Shopify store and getting all the necessary tools to grow your business. You can watch free tutorials to learn how to migrate your Etsy store to Shopify in just 10 minutes.
Interview with Tamara Mein
In the interview, Tamara talked about the beginning of her candle-making business and how she started selling on Etsy. She also discussed how to attract wholesale customers through Etsy and how to ensure that distinctive factors are clear to first-time visitors. She talked about how to hire and train temporary workers and how to deal with large stores like Whole Foods and Urban Outfitters. Finally, she emphasized the importance of good product photography and how to leverage social media like Pinterest to boost the brand and increase sales.
Source: https://shopify.com/blog/brooklyn-candle-studio-etsy-to-shopify
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