If you’ve ever wished for a reliable, recurring revenue stream for your creative online business, subscription boxes and clubs may be your answer. From fabric bundles to handmade stationery, and curated craft kits to gourmet treats—subscription programs have become a favorite way for small businesses to engage their audiences while smoothing out income flow. The…Click to read more >
Holiday Promotions – 15 Creative Ideas for Your Online Shop
Are you one of those shop owners with all your holiday promotions planned and ready to go? Or – are you still searching for some interesting promotional ideas for this Black Friday? I’m always looking for good ideas – not only for Black Friday, but also for Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and 12 Days…Click to read more >
Extend Your Product Lines and Your Brand with Merch
Fans love Merch! Creating merchandise for your quilting, sewing, craft, or other creative customer base is a fantastic idea to further engage with your audience and expand your revenue streams. They are a built-in fanbase and the people most likely (initially) to purchase your branded merchandise. Here are some merchandise ideas that might appeal…Click to read more >
How to Generate Customer Reviews that Grow Your Business
I had the opportunity to sit in on a “Digital Drop-in” hosted by Sarah Benoit from JB Media Institute. The topic for the session was – How to Generate Customer Reviews to Grow Your Business. This is a topic that resonates with any business owner – online or on the street. Her guest for the…Click to read more >
Using Your Contact Page as a Selling Tool
Every business website has (or should have) a Contact page. Is this page doing all it can do for your business – or is it just another one of those pages that you know you should have – so you throw it together and check off that box? If so – you could be missing…Click to read more >
Developing a Customer Experience Strategy
What is Customer Experience? What is customer experience? It’s defined as “interactions between a brand or company and its customers throughout their business relationship.” An interaction can include awareness, discovery, cultivation, advocacy, purchases,and service. In a study by Oracle, concluded that customer experience impacts the willingness of a customer to be a loyal advocate. If…Click to read more >
Converting Transactions Into Long-Term Customer Relationships
Whether you’re a brick-and-mortar shop or an online store, you spend a good deal of time on PR, advertising, shop hops, classes, and special events designed to get people through your physical or virtual doors. Previous Panning for Gold columns have discussed how to attract people to your website, how to merchandise online, and how…Click to read more >
Oliver + S Named Best New Ecommerce Website
Oliver + S has been named the winner of the 2013 Blades Ecommerce Award for Best New Website Feature. Oliverands.com received this recognition at the Blades Ecommerce Awards, on March 7, 2013. Oliver + S was honored for the sleek, innovative responsive design framework powering its website. The framework allows for a seamless shopping experience…Click to read more >