Sales Associates - Need one? Want to be one?

[iCraft Admin]

Hi guys,

Please add your name in this thread if you feel like you could benefit from a Sales Associate or if you are interested in becoming one. We are interviewing a few people right now and then going to provide them with training. Learn more about what's involved in being a Sales Associate. Thanks!

[9 Mile Crafts]

I am not sure this is the correct place to post this as a newbie but I think the whole site could use an associate or two. Your SEO stats as a site overall are sort of dismal. Check out http://www.webworthtraffic.com/icraftgifts.com or https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/icraftgifts.com As you can see you don’t even rate on Alexa. That doesn’t discourage me. I still signed up for an account because as I said I am newbie. I chose your site in part for its potential to grow as I grow and in part because Etsy is just so hardcore I feel like it leaves out the true one on one people factor. This is something I feel you could strongly capitalize on, the slower pace, person to person aspect of sales. Your site however is 10 years or so old and it needs help. I will see if my husband has any pointers other than to be sure to be very compatible with mobile phones. I know he really encourages me to use social media and be aware of the changes currently happening there. Facebook is losing audience at a rather fast pace at the moment, while google plus seems to be holding its own. I have no idea how google is for word of mouth though. Pinterest is also an awesome way to generate interest and support each other as a community. I am not an internet expert, I am a hobbyist who has too many finished items in storage and until now I have had very little interest in online selling but I have a husband who has been studying and trying his hand at this internet sales stuff for nearly 10 years so i’ll be sure to Ask him some questions. I was interested in the boot amp btw but it says it’s full.

[SarahMars]

Hi 9 Mile Crafts,
Welcome to iCraft! 

To your point that iCraft is 10 years old, it is being redesigned right now. You can see posts related to it in the Site Updates thread
https://icraftgifts.com/forum/b9/recent-site-updates-and-amp-announcements/

iCraft has a different vibe from Etsy for sure and can provide more one on one interactions. I agree it needs some work, but I think its a good platform for true artists and crafters already. It's focused on handmade and it's up to us to be more engaged and use the tools that the platform provides.

It's a good idea to use different social media tools if you want to make sales. I think it' a combination of tools and site that you'll use that will make a difference. Good luck! 

[Feel N Sassy]

Ok.. thanks for your input.. I joined, however, iIdid not get any sales.. so you said I should connect my icraft shop to  twitter or a facebook...any other ideas

TThis is why I have be reluctant to  continue on with icraft.....
I would like to continue on..
I like the fact that you do commuicate. Etsy..is like no communication at all.. which is quite scary.

[9 Mile Crafts]

I too greatly appreciate the communication factor and support offered; it was definitely a selling factor when I signed up. I am looking forward to the updates and will be sure to let you know what I think. I am happy to be in a place that can grow with me, that I can contribute to others as well and feel that at least it won’t out pace me to the point I am unable to function within it. I also forgot to mention the value of Instagram. My store is on hold while I set up, take photos and so on. Part of that is creating a business presence, with accounts on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and maybe google plus(I am not such a big fan of that one) and I am looking for other places to share my site before I even open. People are what my grandparents called looky Lou’s, they like to look before they buy. Having done a great many craft bazaars in my life, again I was raised by old people who did tons of fund raising, I know they look everywhere and then will come back if they like what you have. In short you have to give people things to look at, over and over, in multiples of places and ways. Internet shopping unfortunately lacks tactile input for shoppers. They have no idea how soft or sturdy something is from a picture. My husband said I might want to focus on that a bit in my descriptions and in my photo staging. I tend to agree. I also agree I need to look around and price myself well, Too little and they won’t buy, too much and they won’t buy. Luckily I am a hobbyist with some finished inventory trying to figure this all out. I would still like to check out the boot camp if that is still a viable option.

[iCraft Admin]

Hi 9 Mile Crafts,

Yes, we know we are getting older and need upgrades  
Currently, we are expanding our platform to add new marketplaces - one for vintage and one for supplies, and later a few more.
All marketplaces will be connected in some way to cross-promote products and drive more traffic to iCraft.
As part of redesign, we are adding support for mobile devices, other payment methods and looking at introducing more marketing tools, based on our stats analyses. I'll have a separate post where I'll share a few stats soon.
We didn't run Sellers' Bootcamp in a while, but if there is enough interest, we are certainly open to running another one.

[Gemstal Jewelry]

I would like a sales associate please.

[Gemstal Jewelry]

Hi.

I believe that I need a sales associate since I'm not making sales except 2 from a shop owner here. What exactly is involved? Please let me know, thank you.

[iCraft Admin]

Hi Gemstal Jewelry,

We didn't quite start this program yet. Just wanted to see who is interested.
I believe we need to do more as a platform to help sellers succeed online, as people often have beautiful products, but don't know how to do marketing properly.

We have a lot of ideas and working on a few of them right now. We'll send an update to all sellers soon regarding latest developments and future plans, so stay tuned!

[Fairy Cardmaker]

I'm like 9 Mile Crafts: a hobbyist. I've given up on Etsy. It's so beyond me in scope now. I've been debating closing up everything for good because I don't have time (nor desire) to market things. I'm honestly here because I produce more than I use. I teach card-making skills to family and friends. The cards I list are the samples I made for the class. Therefore, 90% of my time goes into designing the samples and teaching the classes. My shop was never the main purpose.

While it would be nice to profit from my class samples, in order to continue getting supplies and produce, I might as well be donating all my goods somewhere since I don't actually put effort (or have time to put effort) into selling.

My long term goal when I started was to build a small follower base for my business while I'm still working, so that, when I retire, I have a little something to occupy my time and supplement retirement income. I knew that would take time, so starting after I retire would be too late. That's why I wanted a business and not to just donate the goods. I still have a small shred of hope for that. (And I do donate some of the goods anyway because, to me, it's advertising and I need space.)

A 3% commission (currently, as per your link), I would consider using a Sales Associate.

[iCraft Admin]

Hi Fairy Cardmaker,

Thanks for sharing your long term goals with us! You brought up an interesting point.
I want to ask others now - what are your long term goals when it comes to a marketplace, like iCraft?

As for the Sales Associates, we are still refining our program. There are other things we are working on too.
Our goal with the new site is to help sellers with sales and marketing in 3 ways:

1) Automate some work for you - optimize your product pages, assign items to right categories etc.
2) Provide AI-powered trends, insights and recommendations on product descriptions, keywords and positioning
3) Create a team of Sales Associates that would work with the sellers on individuals bases (only if they choose to get extra help)