Sunchild is an online shop celebrating a creative lifestyle with well-crafted, everyday objects based in Texas. We bring you a mix of items that add warmth & meaning to the simple things in our everyday lives. We are dedicated to finding new designers and brand favorites who share our passion for quality crafted goods that are playful and made with authentic, artisan touches. We find these designers by attending market, traveling, and social media.
Opening a women’s shop has always been a big dream of mine. One of those dreams I’d drift to when real life wasn’t so captivating. I decided to start Sunchild when I realized it was time to make it a reality. I read books, networked with industry leaders, spoke with consultants, and followed my heart. Owning a shop has been rewarding, fulfilling, and one of the toughest things I’ve ever done before. I’m constantly confronted with new obstacles which seem insurmountable at the time, but I’ve learned that I’m tough and am able to tackle them one by one. Watching Sunchild turn 2 years recently has already been a dream come true.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
When we launched, we were using a different ecommerce platform which was very difficult to use and customize. After switching to Shopify, we were able to have the site look exactly the way we wanted and the ease of use allowed us to focus on the shop rather than website mechanics.
The shop’s product mix was quite different when we started but it has slowly turned into something we’re even more proud of. Shopify was an integral part of helping us make that change and moving forward.
We earned our first sale through an informal shopping event with friends. Friends are such a great thing. Not only are they a source of encouragement and support, but they also provide honest feedback. Since we launched in 2012, we've been mainly selling through our Shopify ecommerce shop (www.shopsunchild.com) and Pop Ups around our community. Shopify recently released a card reader that accepts credit card payments from your cell phone. We are able to utilize these at our Pop Ups and it automatically updates our ecommerce inventory in real time. For this reason, we solely use Shopify’s card reader at Sunchild Pop Ups. Our customers find us through Google, word of mouth, and social media (we focus our advertising primarily through Instagram @lovesunchild).
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?
The back end of our Shopify store works pretty seamlessly. We use The Hello Bar to advertise specials, shipping notices, and our newsletter. We use Mail Chimp for weekly newsletters, SumAll for reporting tools, and UserPulse to make ourselves accessible to customers. We handle shipping as orders are made. We typically ship them day of or the next business day.
We make sure packaging design matches our shop’s reputation, include a handwritten thank you note, and ensure packaging is secure so it reaches its destination in perfect condition.
What are your top recommendations for new ecommerce entrepreneurs?
Follow your instincts, treat others kindly, act on ideas quickly, take calculated risks, find a balance between being running a business and providing the absolute best customer service, celebrate milestones and anniversaries, and don’t forget to enjoy the ride.