Marikita's Designs

[marikita]

Hi everyone,

I've just started a small jewellery business, and am finding it hard to attract new customers. I'm based in Australia, and mostly use the internet rather than a shop front.

My designs are all unique, and I try to keep them youthful, and break free from the idea that pearls are a granny-fashion. Every piece on my website can be worn with denim, for example.

I'm wondering if anyone here has any ideas on how I can broaden my customer base, or has had similar difficulties?

I'm also not sure if I'm allowed to post my web address here, so I'll wait until someone says it's okay.

Any help with this is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Marikita

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Marikita
Welcome. You may put your web address under your posts in your signature. Go to the Profile section to set it up automatically.

As for your issue with building an internet business, there are a number of people here who have done it well. Jeremy is coming out with a book about it, if it hasn't come out already. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762742461/ref=pd_cp_b_title/104-9147963-0719133?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155
(Maybe we should add some of these internet business books to the books and resources forum........)

I look forward to seeing your site and I think you will find the folks around here will do their best to answer your questions.

 

[marikita]

Hi Caitlin,

Thanks for your reply, and suggestion.

I suppose that when I was working in jewellery retail I realised that pearls were put together in such an old fashion that it was hard to find something with a bit of youth, and I tried to fill that gap without realising that it's probably not such a lucrative niche.

You mentioned that I should do some PR in my area, but I'm not sure what I should do... do you have any suggestions at all?

As you can tell, I'm quite young and inexperienced with running a business, and I'm still just finding my feet.

Any help is apprectiated!

Thank you!

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi,

If you are targeting a young customer base, the sad but surefire truth is that you need a celebrity to wear your creations first. If you know about a certain popular celebrity, create something that this person is likely to like and distinctively yours. Send it as a gift to said celebrity with a gushy letter about how much you appreciate this person and chances are that sooner or later you will get a plug. At that time, your designs will become desirable and expensive and will also be available as knock-offs on eBay for fractions of pennies on the dollar. Hence the popularity of the "quality first" granny style with serious pearl sellers.

Zeide

 

[marikita]

Yikes, I'm doomed, lol.

Don't get me wrong, I use only stirling silver or 9ct gold fittings at this stage - and try to keep away from base metals (other than crimps of course) and I use natural stones, so quality isn't an issue there.
I guess it's just the perception of younger pieces being more affordable, and therefore having corners cut.

Should I try a completely different style of product, or should I just be fine-tuning my exposure and marketing?

Ta.

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Marikita,

The sad truth still holds, young people buy "cool" and cool is what their favorite celebrities say is cool. In "cool" stuff, you either have to have a nose for cool or you need a plug. I can tell you what will be cool a few years from now. Slides on sterling silver or niobium box chains with a single baroque pearl that has near psychedelic orient in almost every color you can think of. That'll do.

Zeide

 

[Cam Hatch]

Hi Marikita

Can you tell us where you are in Australia and what pearls you are working with???

Should I try a completely different style of product, or should I just be fine-tuning my exposure and marketing?

You said that your pieces are unique and that every piece could be worn with denim. This obviously makes your product distinctive from what else is on the market, and if you believe in your product, I would fine tune your exposure and marketing.

Good luck!

 

[marikita]

Hi Cam,

I'm based in Brisbane, and am using chinese fresh water pearls from a local supplier who imports them.

I've realised that the design aspect of what I do - rather than the type of pearl I use - is going to be my real point of differentiation.

As I said, I am very new to this, and my inexperience with the operational side of a jewellery business is probably already starting to show.

I'd like to say though, I really appreciate the support I'm getting on here. Thanks for your replies and suggestions!

Marikita

 

[marikita]

Caitlin:
Do you mean the background should have more colour in it, or that the pieces don't have enough contrast (to the white) in them?
I'll have a play around with them in photoshop or something, and maybe get your opinion when I do...

I do make my own pieces, and each so far is one of a kind but are not currently made to order. I would like to explore that aspect of the business, although because I'm mostly online-based, I'd like to put that on hold until I find a really simple and user-friendly interface for ordering custom jewellery.

I can make a few of each design, but I currently only buy one strand of each stone/pearl to experiment with at a time. I could buy more than that to make multiples of each piece - which would save time (and therefore money) in designing each item.

I'm not sure if it's better to go that way, or stick to the exclusivity of having one-off designs.

I'm still scouting decent sites - but how do I know which ones I should emulate? It's hard to tell which sites get good online sales.

Thanks for the names, I'll start following those up next week. As for the business plan, I'm winging it so far, so to speak, but I am starting to feel the need to sit down and plot the course... I think that's my August task

Thanks again

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Marikita
Since you are a bead stringer and designer, I am going to move this page to The Lowly Beader's Club Forum, of which you are already a member, because you design and string your own beads. also we tend to (not always, though!) use lowly grades of freshwater pearls far below the quality required by the major sellers on this forum.

I notice you took your link down when I moved this thread. I hope you will put it back and or post some pictures of your pieces.

 

[marikita]

Thanks Caitlin,

I'm still new to the posting-of-pictures part of forums... I've managed to avoid it so far, lol. Any 'posting pictures for dummies' advice would be very much appreciated!

As for the website, you can all visit it: www.mypearls.com.au

I'll keep looking for instructions for pictures.

Cheers,

Marikita

 

[marikita]

Ah thanks!

I didn't realise I was breaking their TOS. My partner set it up, so I'll have to get him to remove some of them.

Thanks for the tip

Marikita.