Introduce your business and tell us your story: How did you decide on what to sell, and how did you source your products?
The decision to enter our business was made from a combination of spotting a rising trend and my fascination with design posters. We bought the first 50 products from an American website, then we took in the work of local artists.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
Blogs have been a huge part of our marketing strategy from day one. Our first sale came through a blog, and since then blogs have contributed greatly to both sales and brand building. We are generating a lot of traffic through Instagram though we can't really measure it. Search has also become a really large channel, generating more than 25% of our traffic.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
Mixpanel: with Mixpanel we have been able to send out follow up emails which have given us a better relationship with our customers.
Mailchimp: The Mailchimp app has made it easy to get emails into Mailchimp. This has really made a difference as we have been able to send out emails from day one.
Yotpo: Yotpo helps us automatically get product reviews which are then shown directly on product pages. This has increased the trustworthiness of our shop.
Webshippr: With Webshippr we have been able to handle our shipping with different local shipping companies.
Vendor Payout: Many of our suppliers are on a commission agreement. With Vendor Payout, the suppliers can easily go in and check how much they are selling. It makes it a lot easier for us to do the commission calculations.
Shopify POS: We have a physical store as well, so this has been a game changer. With the POS we have been able to handle inventory and selling without spending a lot of resources.
With regards to shipping and fulfillment, we've done it internally from day one. We've moved to a huge warehouse where we have the opportunity to grow and set up a professional packing center.
What are your top recommendations for new store owners?
We have benefitted from being personal in our communication and creating a story around Just Spotted. We did not want to be another generic webshop without a "soul." Having a good relationship with bloggers has helped us build our brand as they have validated us from day one. We have really focused on conversion optimization, and doubled our conversions as a result.